Disability awareness/rights in schools – how do you feel?

IamMine

blondieblue227 wrote:

Heineken Helen wrote:

which kinda proves the op's point.

thanks helen

yes i think it does too.

but if you want to disagree too that fine. opens up a chance to advocate!
(that is if people want to bother to read what i have to say)

That's right!

Helen is a cool cat, too.

I clicked on FirstExit's thread... see what you mean. I'd like to see his explanation, too.

But what failed in that thread, as you've pointed out to him, that people should talk to the affected person first - like the principal talking to that boy first before taking any actions.

People just should have alerted Dimitris and it was up to him to say something or ignore... what do you think?

Another education here I want to take opportunity too!

Please do not ever ask another person to talk for that person... it drives me fucking nuts.

My husband is so well trained on that, as my children. They are taught to never speak on my behalf - at least with my permission. I have NEVER asked my children to interpret for me - I have heard horrible stories how it impacted children of deaf parents who relied so much on them to speak for them. I cannot imagine doing that to my children. *I* take care of them, not the other way around!

For example, "tell her...ask your mother..." They stop right there immediately and say "You can talk to her yourself... here's how..."

I still get that everyday, even from some of my neighbors when they try to talk through my kids. "Please don't do that again, ok? You can talk to me, not them. I am the parent here so I would appreciate that you do this way next time..."

Oh well... I still educate, educate, educate...

blondieblue227

Good for you not letting your kids do that! It makes me


I had a friend with a SCI. spinal cord injury. She once told me she kinda wanted kids so they could take care of her.
My reaction: WTF! sounds like child labor to me.
I think she was just babbling and it slipped out. But still!


'People just should have alerted Dimitris and it was up to him to say something or ignore... what do you think?'


yeah
i woulda like to seen what he had to say before they locked it. he probably saw it, it was pretty long and he's always on here. he's my boy, he sent me a PJ magazine.

Heineken Helen

blondieblue227 wrote:

Heineken Helen wrote:

which kinda proves the op's point.

thanks helen

yes i think it does too.

but if you want to disagree too that fine. opens up a chance to advocate!
(that is if people want to bother to read what i have to say)

if you really want an eye full click on my 3w button.

do ya know... I did wanna disagree... and I was all set to... and then I thought about all my points and if you replaced 'disabled' with 'black' or 'Irish' or whatever in the points, it would have been incredibly offensive... and yet, for some reason, it is perfectably acceptable to simply brush aside disabled people in this day and age. It's a different form of discrimination... cos everybody wants to accept disabilities, we just don't wanna talk about it or really care either way.

Thanks for this thread... it's something I've never given a moments thought to... cos we generally don't consider disabled people at all :oops: . People are right.... seems you WOULD make a great spokesperson!

Reading you two... when I think about things I consider 'obstacles' or 'challenges'... makes me feel incredibly weakminded. You're both very inspirational

blondieblue227

Yeah I don’t understand for the life of me why the disabled community still gets brushed aside (as you put it) in this day and age.

I’ve pondered it so much I wrote a longass paper about it. and I don’t expect people to read the whole thing but....
The Lack of Progression by the Disabled Community
http://www.ivykennedy.com/letters/paper.htm

it's the longest thing i've written.........but it just poured outta me. lol!

Heineken Helen wrote:

People are right.... seems you WOULD make a great spokesperson!

Reading you two... when I think about things I consider 'obstacles' or 'challenges'... makes me feel incredibly weakminded. You're both very inspirational

thank you.
i do what i can. i have my website, my little local advoacy group, go to my states General Assembly each year to speak, volunteer at a home for severely disabled children.

and i've thought about having a shirt made. (i'm such a smartass)
on front
i'm YOUR inspiration

actually Ed inspires me. i know a lot of people want him to shut up and sing. but i really keep that in mind too because it seems a few want the disabled community to shut up and go away. but i'm not gonna!

IamMine

blondieblue227 wrote:

actually Ed inspires me. i know a lot of people want him to shut up and sing. but i really keep that in mind too because it seems a few want the disabled community to shut up and go away. but i'm not gonna!

Hahahaha! I kiss-fist you!! That's in ASL - several meanings depending what it's about. In this case, I love/admire/adore you! I tried to write in English how to do that in ASL... it didn't come out right!

So I decided to google that on YouTube and was surprised I had forgotten about this video - one of my deaf friends, John, who is a comedian!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJQTHpGpJ1I - Look at 0:04 seconds - you'd see him signing "kiss-fist"!

And I'd like to show this online maganize called "Kiss-Fist" - beautifully done by and run by the Deaf people. Blondie, Bjorn Storm was in one of the previous issues too. http://kiss-fist.com/issue/6

JOEJOEJOE

blondieblue227 wrote:

i dunno.......
first exit after reading this thread, you may take it too far. but i don't know you so....
but i'm thinking twice now about your story.
here's the thing, do you joke on everybody or on only people that are different from you?

http://community.pearljam.com/viewtopic ... 4&t=119803

Perhaps there needs to be a thread on how to recognize social disabilities!

blondieblue227

OMG! You won’t belive what did! I turned on my speakers I thought there was an overdub of what he was saying!

Fist thing reminds me.... I can’t high-five. So when my guy brian (abled-bodied) wants to he says. Give me fist! Lol


Joe what a witty thing to say. Thanks for your support! You were on iammine’s thread too, right?

IamMine

blondieblue227 wrote:

Joe what a witty thing to say. Thanks for your support! You were on iammine’s thread too, right?

hehe... no that was joe2468 - I just looked in that thread to make sure cuz I would have remembered JOEJOEJOE with all caps!

blondieblue227 wrote:

OMG! You won’t belive what did! I turned on my speakers I thought there was an overdub of what he was saying!

Jeez - I left my speakers off... the only time I'd turn it on is when I listen to music! Everything else - I turn it off.

Sorry about that!! I would have said to make sure to turn off your speakers before watching people in sign language!

When I do my videos in sign language, I always turn off my microphone! And always double-checked by turning on the speakers to make sure there is no sound in my video. They don't realize that it's making noises... but oh well. I don't want to tell them 'cause it might come off as telling them what to do, you know like... "What? You are worried about how hearing people will look at us?" No, I'm not... never mind. Turn it all the way up for all I care! I'll just turn off my speakers. Pfft.

blondieblue227 wrote:

Fist thing reminds me.... I can’t high-five. So when my guy brian (abled-bodied) wants to he says. Give me fist! Lol

Jeez, you are no fun then! Put it up there! What is so fucking hard about that? Sheesh.

blondieblue227

well i can't open my hand too well. hince the high-five fist.


wrong joe ok! lol


i get why you turn off your mic while recording. don't wanta pick up any background noise.


g'night!

blondieblue227

Heineken Helen wrote:

Thanks for this thread... it's something I've never given a moments thought to... cos we generally don't consider disabled people at all :oops: .

I was thinking about this. What you said. it took guts for you to say that. I tend to agree with that statement.

Some of the disabled community may be hard to look at. Literally. So I guess that makes us easier to ignore. Also I guess if that's so it’s hard to see, that we’re people(like yourself) that we are striving towards equally.

I believe humans are extremely visual. What you judge somebody on right off the bat rather you realize you’re doing it, is their looks.

Hell, I feel like a hypocrite to the disabled community cause over this... I’m a powerchair user and I’ve only been attracted to a guy in a wheelchair once. my guy has a disability but physically he’s fine. (he walks)

I also believe humans are evolved enough to get passed the initial moment of seeing a person. You can fight the repulsed feeling because you know not to judge a book by it’s cover. It’s a hard thing to teach yourself thou, but it’s not impossible.
And I know you’ve all heard this before: Knowledge breaks down fear of the unknown. Hence adding the facts about the disability rights movement in children’s textbooks.

81

justam wrote:

81 wrote:

i feel we need to worry about more important things in school.

You don't think this has a natural place in social studies? Teaching young people about tolerance and kindness towards people who are different is not a waste of time. It's one of the best ways to change attitudes in the future.

i don't think schools need to spend in inordinate amount of time on it. i recall when i was in school, we had a kid that had that a problem that would cause him to blurt out stuff at random times. (i forget what it was called), anyways, before he joined the class, the teacher or somebody from the school came in and gave us a five minute speech about it/him.

i guess it's just common sense to treat people with disabilities as you would anybody else. well, maybe you hang around a extra minute to hold a door open, or whatnot.

i just don't see the need to spend much time on it in the class room. to me it's more of a parenting issue. ie parents need to raise there kids to be accepting of different people, regardless of it's race, background, family wealth, or physical/mental disablilty.

but since this is 2009, the school needs to be responsible for all parental functions.

blondieblue227

facts. just the facts!
i want to see facts in textbooks about the disability right movement.
not a pamplet insert on how to treat people with disabilities.

why is that so hard to understand?

81

i guess i'm still missing something....

are you looking for something like...

and in 1965, new buildings were required to be wheel chair accessable. this came about as the result of joe blow's decade long campaing to "free" the disabled from there imprisonment in a not handicap accessable world. Joe was a life long advocate for disable rights and did this and that ........


that sort of stuff?

blondieblue227

81 wrote:

i guess i'm still missing something....

are you looking for something like...

and in 1965, new buildings were required to be wheel chair accessable. this came about as the result of joe blow's decade long campaing to "free" the disabled from there imprisonment in a not handicap accessable world. Joe was a life long advocate for disable rights and did this and that ........


that sort of stuff?

right on!


or


the predecessor of the ADA was section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.


Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a national law that protects qualified individuals from
discrimination based on their disability. The nondiscrimination requirements of the law apply to employers
and organizations that receive financial assistance from any Federal department or agency, including the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). These organizations and employers include many hospitals,
nursing homes, mental health centers and human service programs.
Section 504 forbids organizations and employers from excluding or denying individuals with disabilities an
equal opportunity to receive program benefits and services. It defines the rights of individuals with disabilities
to participate in, and have access to, program benefits and services.


or


Justin Whitlock Dart, Jr. (August 29, 1930 - June 22, 2002) was an American activist and advocate for the disabled. He helped to pass the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and co-founded the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). he is known as The Father of the Americans with Disabilities Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Whitlock_Dart,_Jr.


or

1912
The Threat of the Feeble Minded (pamphlet) created a climate of hysteria allowing for massive human rights abuses of people with disabilities, including institutionalization and forced sterilization.

http://isc.temple.edu/neighbor/ds/disab ... meline.htm

(my friend once told me the reason families hid their kids with disabilities in their homes wasn’t because they weren’t ashamed of them. It was because people would drag them off to institutions. The families were protecting them)



or

Ed Roberts - The Father of Independent Living

Read about him at:

http://www.edrobertscampus.org/about/about_ed.html

Heineken Helen

blondieblue227 wrote:

Heineken Helen wrote:

Thanks for this thread... it's something I've never given a moments thought to... cos we generally don't consider disabled people at all :oops: .

I was thinking about this. What you said. it took guts for you to say that. I tend to agree with that statement.

Some of the disabled community may be hard to look at. Literally. So I guess that makes us easier to ignore. Also I guess if that's so it’s hard to see, that we’re people(like yourself) that we are striving towards equally.

I believe humans are extremely visual. What you judge somebody on right off the bat rather you realize you’re doing it, is their looks.

Hell, I feel like a hypocrite to the disabled community cause over this... I’m a powerchair user and I’ve only been attracted to a guy in a wheelchair once. my guy has a disability but physically he’s fine. (he walks)

I also believe humans are evolved enough to get passed the initial moment of seeing a person. You can fight the repulsed feeling because you know not to judge a book by it’s cover. It’s a hard thing to teach yourself thou, but it’s not impossible.
And I know you’ve all heard this before: Knowledge breaks down fear of the unknown. Hence adding the facts about the disability rights movement in children’s textbooks.

I think people should be able to discuss their shortcomings... otherwise how's it going to be addressed? It's not something I'm proud of but I've certainly been guilty of viewing some people with disabilities as 'lesser people' and I don't know why and it's a horrible thing to admit. Sometimes it makes me feel uncomfortable... is it cos I realise how easily it could have been me? There are a few incidences I recall where I could have made that persons day but didn't... why? This is something I'm gonna have to think about :oops:

blondieblue227

Helen
Well I think that’s tremendously brave of you to admit that and I want to say THANK YOU! Because no doubt you aren’t the only one that feels like that.

Heineken Helen

blondieblue227 wrote:

Helen
Well I think that’s tremendously brave of you to admit that and I want to say THANK YOU! Because no doubt you aren’t the only one that feels like that.

No, thank you! You're much more understanding than I'd be :oops:

IamMine

i second Blondie... that was very brave and honest.

I think that ALL of us have a degree of prejudice, no matter how little it is. Once i took this prejudice test and thinking I had been exposed more to diverse people than most people I knew, making me 'free' of prejudice and discrimination.

After taking this personal prejudice and discrimination test given to us by our cultural diversity teacher, I was astonished to find out that I was not completely free of prejudice. :shock:

Not a good feeling at all. But it is very important to acknowledge it and be more conscious. I do the same, Helen, asking myself questions why do I think like this and try to understand why/where did that come from? Once I understand, then it helps me how to change how I word things or how to respond.

I also used to look down on my group in subtle ways (without even realizing it) - because they weren't following the majority and not culturally 'hearing' enough because that was how I was raised and being around hearing children more often. It also came from the teachers telling us that we wouldn't make it if we didn't work on 'fitting in' the society (speech therapy and speaking more than signing). Don't follow their culture ways but the majority's culture ways.

It can also be taught subtly through the actions of peers, parents, teachers, so on... it doesn't have to be said aloud.

blondieblue227 wrote:

Knowledge breaks down fear of the unknown. Hence adding the facts about the disability rights movement in children’s textbooks.

Yup.

Heineken Helen

IamMine wrote:

i second Blondie... that was very brave and honest.

I think that ALL of us have a degree of prejudice, no matter how little it is. Once i took this prejudice test and thinking I had been exposed more to diverse people than most people I knew, making me 'free' of prejudice and discrimination.

After taking this personal prejudice and discrimination test given to us by our cultural diversity teacher, I was astonished to find out that I was not completely free of prejudice. :shock:

Not a good feeling at all. But it is very important to acknowledge it and be more conscious. I do the same, Helen, asking myself questions why do I think like this and try to understand why/where did that come from? Once I understand, then it helps me how to change how I word things or how to respond.

I also used to look down on my group in subtle ways (without even realizing it) - because they weren't following the majority and not culturally 'hearing' enough because that was how I was raised and being around hearing children more often. It also came from the teachers telling us that we wouldn't make it if we didn't work on 'fitting in' the society (speech therapy and speaking more than signing). Don't follow their culture ways but the majority's culture ways.

It can also be taught subtly through the actions of peers, parents, teachers, so on... it doesn't have to be said aloud.

blondieblue227 wrote:

Knowledge breaks down fear of the unknown. Hence adding the facts about the disability rights movement in children’s textbooks.

Yup.

:oops: It's not the first time here I've admitted prejudices... and usually people jump down my throat... or threads have been closed... it's not something that's acceptable to discuss... and that's worrying! It's something I WANT to discuss... and something that I want to change and understand why I behave in such a way... cos I know I'm not the only person in the world who behaves in such a way! But yet, people seem to want to shut ya up straight away and simply say 'you're wrong!'

I think some people DID have a point when they said that if we teach disability history in schools, we'll have to teach the history of every 'minority' and children won't be taught. How about we simply teach tolerance and understanding of everybody?

blondieblue227

Well yeah. The bullying has gotten ridiculous up schools I hear. Teaching tolerance will do a lot of good but I guess some think it’s like teaching religion in school. So there’s an uproar over it. (I’m guessing that’s the reason for opposition) Plus kindness and good will towards men is a much larger project for school alone, it’s a problem across the world. So I’m kinda on the fence on that one. Being nice to one another should be easy, but it’s not.

I’ve learned that at times when you’re honest and people jump down your throat, it’s because they actually see whatever you pointed out in themselves and it freaks them out.
Or
As I said before about the PC effect. It ain’t good. people getting mad on behalf of others.
Just look what happened when I asked a question on here about a race other than my own: http://www.ivykennedy.com/chat/ac.dc.htm
I agree! How the fuck are we going to evolve if people get upset when you ask a question?

So I’m all for teaching tolerance, but I really hope to see the facts of the disability rights movement in school.
Like I said in my paper:
I couldn’t careless if you knew the ends and outs of my disability, and felt sensitivity towards it....just give me my rights!


as for prejudices. as i said before, everybody has them. it's a part of being human. a flaw if you as me. BUT we have the brain power to overcome those feelings.