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Win Worst-Case Scenario Guides, Cats & Dogs

How do you deal with a bossy cat or remove skunk odors from your dog? If you need to know that and more, enter this contest to win a copy of the newly released Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Cats. The winner will also receive a copy of Worst-Case Scenario Pocket Guide: Dogs, which was just released this April. Both books are hardcover pocket guides for cats, dogs and their lucky owners. The pet guides are co-written by David Borgenicht, creator and co-author of all books in the Worst-Case Scenario series. If you’re a person who likes to be prepared, you might also enjoy the [...]

Post from: Blisstree

Win Worst-Case Scenario Guides, Cats & Dogs

Saving Thanksgiving Memories with Children

One friend mentioned she is compiling a journal of holidays. Some are memories of former days and some are a record of current celebrations. What are your memories of Thanksgiving? Encourage your children (young and older) to recall their Thanksgivings. I recall driving to my grandmother’s farm, 45 mile away, on Thanksgiving morning. Mother had stuffed and roasted a large chicken. (Turkeys weren’t readily available in stores then. So, unless we raised them or knew someone who did, we cooked one of the hens we did raise.) The large roaster pan was warm, and Mother wrapped it with a flannel sheet. Then she [...]

Post from: Blisstree

Saving Thanksgiving Memories with Children

Hi, My Name is Cindy and I Am An ...

At breakfast I get a new motto for life:

We were seated overlooking a sunny morning. An elderly woman rushes by, surveys the available tables and then looks past us to her husband toddling along using his cane. She asked, 'What table would you prefer.' He said, without a hint of irony, 'I'd like one about a foot before collapse.'

At the movie theatre I get a new perspective - yeah it is that obvious:

We went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D and arrived a wee bit early. We sat outside waiting for the theatre to be cleaned from the previous showing and then we were let in. There were others waiting so we let them go first. When we got to the top of the ramp there was absolutely no wheelchair seating anywhere. There were three small stairs and then, past them, a perfect place to park the chair. I wanted no fuss, I'm not an activist every moment of every day, I got up. Joe hauled the chair up three steps and then helped me balance as I walked up the steps. As I was getting in the chair a grandmum with her grandson spoke to me, 'The facilities for the disabled here are terrible.' I nodded. Her boy, an outgoing kid said, 'Even I know there should be a ramp and I'm just 6.'

At the Marks and Spenser cafe I get a new appreciation for humour in tight spots:

A mom has bought a girl of about 4 one of those pre-inflated ballons that kids desperately want one minute and then turns into a horrible bother the moment it's purchased. She was trying to get it to stand up against the wall, propping the bottom of the stick against a plate. It would not stand. It kept crashing to the table. Little girl's whine increases in intensity and volume. She wants her balloon kept safe. Finally she says to mom, 'Why won't Cinderella stand up mom?' Mom says, 'She's drunk.'

And that dear readers is a glimpse into our Saturday in Edinburgh.

Porcini Mushroom Bisque

Earlier this month, Blisstree reader Andrea requested the recipe for the Porcini Mushroom Bisque at Sierra Mar in the Post Ranch Inn on the cliffs of Big Sur, California. Andrea had just eaten it for lunch and wanted to try it out at home. So, for Andrea, and anyone else who wants to make a good mushroom bisque, keep reading! If you missed it, go back to the Chestnut Soup recipe from Chef Craig von Foerster of Sierra Mar. Porcini Mushroom Bisque (Recipe courtesy Asa Kesner, who cooks with Chef Craig von Foerster at the Post Ranch Inn’s Sierra Mar) Ingredients: 1 cup [...]

Post from: Blisstree

Porcini Mushroom Bisque

New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

Some women may not need to get a Pap test each year. And teens could skip the test until age 21. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) issued their newly revised, evidence-based cervical cancer screening guidelines on Friday. They’re published in the December issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology. The new guidelines advise that most women under 30 years old should have a cervical screening (Pap test) once every two years rather than annually. Women age 30 and older may be re-screened once every three years provided that they’ve had three consecutive negative cervical cytology test results. According to ACOG, women [...]

Post from: Blisstree

New Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines

Excerpt from ‘Going Rogue’: Sarah Palin on life with Trig

The [UK] Sunday Times carries an excerpt from Sarah Palin’s memoir in which she describes the “the problems and the joy of living with her special needs son.” “Did I have enough love and compassion in me to do this? Don’t you have to be wired a little differently to be gifted with the ability [...]

Paralympics ends ban on athletes with intellectual disabilities

From the BBC, [UK] Telegraph, [UK] Times: Athletes with intellectual disabilities will be permitted to participate in the London 2012 Paralympic Games, following a vote by the International Paralympic Committee. They had been banned since the year 2000, when journalist Carlos Ribagorda infiltrated Spain’s gold medal winning basketball team and learned that only two members of the [...]

Should You Ask Him Out?

One of the biggest questions single girls have these days is whether or not to call a guy she is interested in. Some girls worry that calling her potential love interest may scare him away, while others believe that women should have every right to make a move just like a guy would. But what the right answer? Here are some tips to you decide what’s best for you. Is He Shy? Some guys are just not very good at asking out girls. They think a lot about saying the perfect thing, and often wait so long that [...]

Post from: Blisstree

Should You Ask Him Out?

Commentary: DS community needs support as much as ‘cure’

Pamela Wilson, who writes for the “Special Needs Children” site at Bellaonline.com, sends in this reaction to the recent report that 27 percent of parents of children with Down syndrome surveyed would not seek to “cure” their children. She is the mother of a young adult with Down syndrome. — First of all, we don’t really [...]

Me, We and the Network – shout-out

On of my ‘Network‘ friends, Nancy White, from Full Circle Associates in the States, has been out here in Australia doing some presentations. Here’s a snippet where my ‘We‘ friend Mike Seyfang and I get a shout-out in her Keynote at the Learning Technologies 2009 Conference held this week in Qld. It makes me think a [...]

I have SEX on the Brain Again

[image description: the wheelchair dude gettin it on with his wheelchair lady]

The other day I read yet another article about sex and disability from England focusing on prostitution. (for others, click here) If you click on the tag prostitution below, you will see that this is a hot button issue for me. I almost feel as though I've said all I can about this issue, except that I want to revisit one thing that was touched on (no pun intended) in the article.

Says a sexual surrogate,

"I see a lot of women with cerebral palsy. Sex is painful for them because they can’t open their legs fully and they get spasms. But if they learn how to relax and experiment with different positions, they can overcome that. Having an excited boyfriend is not the best way to learn.”

I'd have to disagree with that. He seems to make that an absolute truth (the boyfriend part) and it isn't necessarily. TRUST ME, I've thought about this a lot, as I have said problem. Not that I've been able to have first hand experience yet, but I believe in being prepared, realistic, and talking. Hasn't anyone ever heard of talking? Talk to a friend with a disability, a friend without a disability, a friend who's a virgin, a friend who's a slut, a shrink, a physician, your significant other, & why not have a talk with yourself in your head while your at it. If you want to have a satisfying sexual relationship / experiences you need to get over your / society's hangup / embarrassment about sex and start by talking about it.

However, I've gotten a step or 2 ahead of myself. The first thing you have to do is know yourself. Get to know your body in a non-sexual manner. For example, I'm a triplegic and my right arm has a lot more spasticity then my left. When I was little my mom and I figured out that it was sometimes impossible to get dressed if we put my left arm in first, so I'd start getting dressed right arm first. We needed the extra maneuverability of the clothes for that arm. Over the years that has pretty much become a non issue. Spasticity levels change all over your body as you grow, have surgery, and just get old. Keep track of those changes and changes in your general mobility.

What I've done next is take a good look at the images of sex I see in the media all time. I've taken that along with the info about how my body works and spent a lot of think time trying to match the 2 together, figuring out what might work, what might hurt a little, and kept that easily accessible in my brain. I've also noticed that a lot of what looks like "traditional" sex looks like it could be crazy painful, even with liberal amounts of botox in the right places. I've thrown those ideas out the window. That picture above, that's a no go for me.

This is where I've had to stop for now. It's the point where talking needs to start, and I have no need to talk right now. But I do have a plan for the talking part too. The first thing I'm going to do is talk to a physician. It might be helpful to take some of my PRN medication an hour or so before, it might be a good idea to have a drink before, neither of those may be the thing to do, and/or she may have something else I'd never have thought of. It's not my job to know, it's her's.

The next thing I'm going to do is talk to the dude. Find out if he has any fears about having sex with a crip (if he isn't one). Explain the info I've gathered, my "plan," and find out what his expectations, ideas, and hesitations are. This will likely involve me talking to whatever shrink I happen to be seeing at the time alone first and may involve me dragging the dude to a trained sex therapist with me (totally different then a surrogate). As I said, I'm all about the talking and minimizing pain as much as possible (which involves talking to repeat myself).

I've been told that sex is more satisfying this way then total spontaneity without discussing anything. Getting our signals crossed doesn't sound like my idea of fun, it sounds like stress and unfulfillment, and possibly physical pain. If the guy's too "excited" to work through this with me then he doesn't deserve to get what he wants. End of story. Somebody else will have no problem being patient and I have no problem waiting til they come along.

Who am I, a virgin, to be giving sex advice you ask? Well I'm part way through the process of obtaining certification as a Family Life Educator, which involves training (a 3cr class) in sexuality that I've completed, I possess the bible on my bookshelf (the book THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SEX AND DISABILITY Don't have it? Get it) and I have 5+ years of deep thought under my belt (pun intended).

This Kiwi Feels on Top of the World!

FromMark Inglis' recent astonishing achievement of being the first double amputee to reach the summit of Mount Everest has meant that his name is well known round the world, but how many people know about the many facets of this...

Probe: Many ‘treatments’ for autism are risky, unproven

So-called ‘therapies’ amount to uncontrolled experimentation on children, experts say Thousands of American children with autism are being subjected to “therapies” that are costly, unproven and may cause harm, an investigation by the Chicago Tribune has concluded. Physicians are trading on hope to promote vitamins, intraveneous injections and even pressurized oxygen chambers to parents, saying they can [...]

iPhone app for wheelchair-users to debut

All the cool kids are getting iPhones it seems, even wheelchair-users. I have quite a number of tech-savvy friends who use wheelchairs and they’re certifiably in love with their phones. It’s crazy. And all the while I’m feeling pretty silly with my pre-paid Nokia. But whatevs. I’m not threatened by their phones (really).

And now these friends (powerchair-using friends to be exact) with iPhones can download an app (“application,” i.e, software for your phone) that’s specifically geared for the wheelchair-users of the world. This new app is set to debut by April 2010 and was developed by Dynamic Controls, a provider of high-tech controlers for wheelchairs and scooters.

The app will do a variety of things that wheelchair-users are sure to love, including displaying speed (mph and kph) and direction (built-in compass) real-time. It also has what they’re calling an “on-chair charger” (which I assume is the phone keeping you avail of the current charge on your chair’s batteries). It also has a “Chair Doctor,” which will inform the user of their chair’s mechanical workings and if anything needs to be looked at.

To integrate your iPhone (or iPod Touch. The app works on those too) into your wheelchair, a Bluetooth is required, but for many powerchair users, this is a moot issue as many already have one. And the app comes with a cradle so you can secure your device to your chair and not have to worry about it fall off, or anything like that.

I gotta say, if they keep coming out with cool apps for wheelchairs, I may evev trade-in in my pre-paid Nokia for one of these bad boys. And if they come out with an app that’ll alert me whenever my foot falls off my footrest, I’m sold. For reals.

- Talking Cell Phones for the Blind

- Should I Give my Child with a Disability a Cell Phone?

- Everyday Assistive Technology for Your Disability

Crip Humor I Guess

So my roomate has a close friend who lives 3 floors up. He is over all the time picking on the both of us. I have another friend like this, it just rolls right off. He certainly doesn't mean anything by it--I am sure of it. Anyway, he asked me this question which required a quick response with quite a bit of wit if I was going to give it right back to him. Except I had nothing. To bad the Trench Warrior wasn't around. Her's is the kind of wit I'm talking about. So I was resigned to answer with "I don't know." Then I said (without thinking I swear) "I'm not so quick on my feet..." Hey, it's a figure of speech.

Why I needed to apologize for my crappy answer I don't know, but as soon as it came out of my mouth I realized exactly what I'd said. He however didn't hear me because he had turned to tell my roomate that he'd asked me thus and such and my answer was...

Then he turned to me and said "What?" To which I was able to say "I'm not so quick on my feet, both litteraly and figuratively." By the way, at the time I was sitting on my bed and my wheelchair was parked temporarily in my bedroom doorway between the two of us! What a great way to recover! GO ME!!! Also, go him for appreciating my humor. Some people respond with a blank stare unable to decide if it's appropriate to laugh or if they'd be a jerk.

Writer wonders: Must we get rid of the word ‘retardation’?

Writing in the Los Angeles Times Booster Shots Blog, Melissa Healy says she was “interested” to learn about a Senate proposal to remove the words “mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” from federal laws. The measure has the strong backing of The Arc of the United States. An excerpt: ” ‘Retard,’ ‘retarded’ and ‘retardation,’ once accepted medical [...]

Spinal cord injuries: Experimental drug may restore function of nerves

Researchers have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed.

Some Days it is Good to Get "Irked!"

Take November 13th for example when Irked magazine ran the following story: Warren Macdonald knows a LOT about motivation. He famously (see appearances on Oprah, Larry King Live, Vicki Gabereau, The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, etc) survived a harrowing, agonizing ordeal while...

Never Lose the Bits with the Autoloader Screwdriver

Why is the bit you need to complete a job always the one you can't find? You either drop it and get to feel around the floor for the next two hours or the exact one you need is missing? In the case of the missing one, it’s probably because someone’s been too lazy to put them back when they are done (that would be my issue). That’s why screwdrivers with interchangeable bits can be so handy. Of course even those little bits can get lost, which is why this Autoloader Screwdriver from KR Tools would be very helpful to those of us with little or no vision

The Autoloader has six different bits (three Phillips and three flathead) built right into the handle. When you want to change the one you’re using, you just pull the handle, twist it to select the right one, then push the handle back into place. You never actually have to touch the bits themselves, thus you’ll never lose them. Of course now you just have to remember where you set the screwdriver.

Click this link to purchase the KR Tools Autoloader Screwdriver from Amazon.com.

Your Porchlight Could Help in an Emergency

The HomeFinder screw-in light controller from Westek might seem like a simple idea, but if you live with family members who may one day need the assistance of paramedics, it might end up being an invaluable tool.

It screws into a light socket and accepts a standard bulb, and when the light switch is flipped twice, the unit will flash for twenty minutes making it easier for emergency assistance to find your home, or even someone less vital like the pizza delivery guy. The flashing can be cancelled at any time by simply turning the switch off, and there’s a sensor to ensure it only turns on after dusk.

Click this link to purchase the Westek HomeFinder Flashing Screw-In Light Control from Amazon.com.

Backpack Big Enough for Braille Books

Carry your gear in an ultra-cool backpack. This waterproof backpack has it all: 2 large interior sections, 3 front pockets, water bottle holder, padded adjustable straps and more. All sections and pockets zip. Overall size is a large 18 x 15 x 5 inches. Its perfect for those oversized braille books and for packing notetakers and other equipment. Click this link to purchase the Super Multi-Compartment Backpack from Independent Living Aids.

Through the Magic Door: Books for Young People

“This site has archives of lists of books, organized by theme and displayed pictorially. Specific subjects feature books divided into two or three levels, including picture books, books for independent readers, and YA books.

Featured books are not annotated, but bibliographic information is included. There are many widely varied themes, from the classical to the offbeat (Something from Nothing, and In Praise of Bad Books). The themes are too numerous to mention them all:

Adventures on the High Seas Booklist
Africa Booklist
American Military Stories Booklist
Building Things Booklist
Children Putting on Plays Booklist
Exploration Booklist
First Day of School Booklist
Inventors and Inventions Booklist
Mother Goose Booklist
Countless others

A search feature allows teachers and students to search by many different criteria: Type of Child, Title, Author/Illustrator, ISBN, Genre, Subject, Series, Format, Fiction or Non-Fiction, Reading Level, Grade Level, Lexile, Setting, Author and Illustrator Demographics, Personal issues, and other categories. A free login allows users to submit reviews, tag books, or create wishlists (suggest other themes). Registration does require an email address, but it is free. You do not need to register to access the booklists.”

Click this link to visit the Books for Young People Book Lists Archive: Through the Magic Door website.

Paralympics To Vote On Inclusion Of Athletes With Intellectual Disabilities

An international committee will decide this weekend whether to allow athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete in the 2012 Paralympics.

Drug Could Be Key To Treating Down Syndrome

Treatment for the cognitive decline experienced by individuals with Down syndrome could be on the way, scientists reported this week.

Social Security Disability and Trying to Work

The following scenario and question was left as a comment on another post. Here is the comment reposted, along with the response to the questions asked."I filed for disability in November of 2008, hired an attorney and began to wait, and wait,...and wait. I had pretty much concluded that I wasn't going to be awarded. So, in an effort to keep from losing my home, in August I took a job at least "

Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits for your Back Pain

Obviously, back pain is pain that you feel in your back. This back pain can come from your bones, joints, nerves, muscles or other structures in your spine. Image via Wikipedia Back pain is one of the most frequent complaints that people have. In the United States, acute low back pain (lumbago) is the fifth most common [...]

Wow!!

There are three things that would make Ashley the happiest person in the world. First – a orange shirt with butterflies on it. Second, a Cheeto dispenser in her room, and third, anything that both vibrates and has lights.

I’m working on the first two, and Sungwoo Park is working on the third. All I want to know now is how to get one of their new SOUNZZZ MP3 players.

This new invention is fascinating on just about every level--it's an mp3 player for the deaf that translates musical notes into nuanced vibrations, and it could revolutionize how the deaf experience music--and even give those with hearing an entirely new way to consider music.

I want one – NOW!!!

Today I am grateful for people who stretch their imaginations and make a real difference in the world.

Study Says Pistorius Has “Unfair” Edge on Blades

A new study published today in The Journal of Applied Physiology concludes that prosthetic legs worn by double amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius give him an unfair advantage over able-bodied runners. In the study, “The fastest runner on artificial legs: different limbs, similar function?,” researchers said Pistorius’s blades allow him to turn over his strides more [...]

Paralympics to Host Students in Vancouver

The U.S. Paralympics will be hosting 12 student-athletes (ages 14-19) with physical disabilities and six adults, made up of coaches, teachers and program leaders at the 2010 Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, Canada, March 12-21. In the Paralympic Experience program, participants will have the opportunity to meet U.S. Paralympic Team members, attend Opening Ceremonies and athletic [...]

Legal Research On a Shoestring Budget

In a recent post by Anurag Acharya on the Official Google Blog, anyone can now find federal and state court case opinions with Google Scholar. By entering either party names or topic (for example, disability) you can now search for...

Friday Fun

Have you ever thought about robbing a bank, but just couldn't come up with a good note to hand the teller? Well, don't let that stand in your way — now you can simply go toBankNotes365 and see actual notes...

My New AVON Purchase

When it comes to jewelry, I usually like mine dainty and delicate-looking. And I prefer gold over silver, and gems of color over diamonds. For some reason the bigger, bolder pieces feel over-the-top and sometimes seem gaudy, to me. And I like how gold looks against my slightly olive skintone. (Besides which, either sterling or pure silver--I can't ever remember which one it is--turns my skin a greenish-black. Nasty fashion statement, that!) As for diamonds, despite the pinks, blues and fiery hues that wink at you briefly when the stones sparkle brilliantly in the light, I find them cold and sterile as opposed to rubies, emeralds, sapphires, etc. Gemstones of color, to me, represent passion, life, warmth. If I ever fall in love and "take the plunge," so to speak, I've decided I don't want a diamond ring; I want a ruby or emerald or maybe a black pearl...

shhhh revolution in progress

There's been a quiet revolution going on at work. One that no-one, save me, may be noticing. I've been working at Vita for three years now and my wheelchair is well known, Joe is simply a fact of my employment - get one, get the other - as he helps me get around from place to place. When my wheelchair broke, I worked from home. When I'm away I check emails every day. My goal is that no one waits for an answer for more than 24 hours. Sometimes this makes for long evenings, but it's worth it to feel like a valued member of the team rather make that fatal drop out of the loop.

Recently our Behaviour Therapist has had horrible car accident. Now recuperating at home she wishes to be part of the team. Every part of the organization from human resources to executive director have to make decisions as to how to make her wishes possible. Slowly but surely things moved along. I've been following the emails of teams of people from the various locations where she consults have pulled together to figure out how she can best support them (she's good at that) but also how they can support her (they are good at that too).

It seemed like her temporary Visa pass into the world of disability means that she didn't have to give up citizenship in the world of work, of value, of contribution. People are beginning to understand adaption and the benefit of flexibility. The idea that she simply be sidelined wasn't ever really considered.

Workplaces can be places where all are valued and all are supported. I'm watching, from the sidelines in my wheelchair and I'm cheering them along. This, may just be, the future.

UNICEF: The State of the World's Children Special Edition: Celebrating 20 Years of the CRC

In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child on 20 November 2009, UNICEF is dedicating a special edition of its flagship publication The State of the World’s Children to child rights. The report broadly assesses the Convention’s impact on child

Antidepressants used to heal spinal injuries. What next?

I’m consistently amazed by all the new methods that one day may cure (or hey, partially cure. Beggars can’t be choosers) spinal cord injuries. From the blue dye in M&M’s to embryonic stem cells, I’m no longer surprised at the latest stream of "holy grails" in the field SCI research. Meh. It’s hard to surprise me though (am I really getting that old?).

Most recently Lexapro, an antidepressant I think one of my ex-boyfriends used to take, has been used to help people with spinal cord injuries walk again. It aids in the therapy by stimulating muscle spasms in the legs, which the base ingredient in the drug - Seratonin - is responsible for. Yes, they really are saying that the chemical in our brain that makes us happy also triggers muscle spasms. Is that why that kid I used to hang out with growing up used to jump up and down whenever he got really excited?

So anyways, after taking the drug the participants used robot-assisted treadmills (the participants all had incomplete injuries, which means they already had some leg movement to begin with). Using the treadmill helped re-train their leg muscles to move in the correct way needed to walk (muscles retain memory, but after a spinal injury a kick in the butt is sometimes needed). And for people with very incomplete spinal cord injuries (where a number of nerves are still connected in the spinal cord) they can commonly make use of their leg spasms, and can go from being unable to walk to walking, all by trigging their spasms.

I know. This “walking on sunsh…er spasms” thing is weird. But again, beggars can’t be choosers. If I have to pop a dozen Lexapro and strap myself to a robot to walk again, you better believe this hell-on-wheels blonde will do it.

So let's get this straight: The Lexapro is inducing leg spasms, which aids in the treadmill training, which is the last step in helping people with SCI (specifically incompletes) walk again.

Did you get all that?

- Secondary Condition: Spasticity

- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis

- New Approach to Repairing Spinal Cord Injury

Disability Blog Carnival #60 is up NOW!

[Visual description: First Disability Blog Carnival logo by Kay Olson, features a parking sign that says "Somewhat Disabled" and the words "Disability Blog Carnival (come share the uncertainty)."]Go, go, check it out at at FWD/Forward--- the theme is intersectionality and it's chock-full of links to great posts on that and other subjects. And while you're there, read the rest of this excellent

Haben's Travels

From the MIUSA Newsletter: U.S. Deaf-Blind Student Blogs about her Overseas Experiences"Wednesday was spent at the University of Costa Rica, one of several publicuniversities in the country. In total there are about 200 students withdisabilities at the university level throughout the...

Who Collects Past Due Benefits if a Claimant Dies Before a Disability Decision is Issued

I recently received a call from a colleague about a situation that is all too common given the delays associated with the Social Security disability adjudication process – the death of a claimant prior to a final adjudication.

More on Who Collects Past Due Benefits if a Claimant Dies Before a Disability Decision is Issued

Post from: Social Security Disability Blog

Who Collects Past Due Benefits if a Claimant Dies Before a Disability Decision is Issued

Google to Autocaption YouTube Videos

Google has unveiled speech recognition technology to automatically add captions to many videos on YouTube. The technology will also allow users to automatically translate the captions into 51 languages. Google introduced another service called “auto-timing” that allows users uploading videos...

Then and Now

by Donna J. Jodhan

Until five years ago, I had enough vision to do so much on my own but a wicked turn of events conspired against me and in the matter of just a few months it was all taken away from me. Today I sit here with precious little sight but I am extremely grateful that I still have enough to see the light of day.

My life has changed drastically over the past five years and I have had to make so many adjustments in order to remain independent but that's okay. What keeps me going are those wonderful memories that I captured while my vision was good enough. I consider myself to be extremely lucky because there are not many persons who can obtain new vision after being born with precious little. That's me and I am going to share some of my precious moments with you.

In my hay day, as I like to refer to it, I was able to read and write with the aid of special magnifying glasses. I used to play air hockey, ice skate on my own, jog along the sidewalk, and enjoy the wonders of nature. I was able to watch the sun come up over tall buildings and set below the line of the horizon. I could see the trees bending and bowing, the flowers swaying gently in the wind, and squirrels scrambling over snow banks. I could watch my favorite hockey team on TV flying along the ice in their red jerseys. I was able to see the blue skies with puffy white clouds chasing each other. I could see the fat white snowflakes falling gently to the ground, the thick green grass, and kids playing innocently in the park. I was able to admire the gorgeous orange plumage of my beloved Scottie Bird, my canary and see the faces of my family.

One of my favorite memories is that of the silver Air Canada Jet floating lazily over a jade green Caribbean sea with the sun streaming down from above. Another is that of a beach with white capped breakers rolling gently towards golden sand and pleasure boats laden with merrymakers. Yes, those were good times and how much I miss them but it's not the end of the world. I can go on for pages but I think that by now you are getting the picture. My world today is very different.

Now I have to depend on my senses of smell and touch to help me along. I use my memories to help me picture such things as layouts of stores and restaurants. I use my memory to picture what others may look like. I can find my way around familiar territory based on my memory of what it looks like. I may not be able to play air hockey anymore but I have taken up chess as a substitute. I still ice skate but now I have to depend on someone else to guide me. I still enjoy movies but now I have to listen more attentively to what's going on. I use my sense of smell and touch to tell me if food is either going bad or if a fruit is rotting. Before now I was able to use my sight to do this.

You see, my world has changed but I am still here and alive and well to tell the story. My message to you is this: There is always a silver lining in those thick dark clouds. If something is taken away from you, then it is always possible to find a substitute. Be thankful for what you had and what you have.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, an accessibility and special needs business consultant wishing you a terrific day. If you'd like to learn more about me, then you can visit some of my blog spots at:
Donna Jodhan! Advocating accessibility for all: http://www.donnajodhan.blogspot.com
Weekly Saturday postings on issues of accessibility: http://www.sterlingcreations.ca/blog/blog.html
blogs on various issues and answers to consumers concerns: http://www.sterlingcreations.com/businessdesk.htm

Gobierno vasco defiende que el turismo accesible supone "una oportunidad" para el sector (Spanish)

Al terminar 2009, se habrán realizado diagnósticos en 430 establecimientos dentro del programa vasco de Accesibilidad Turística BILBAO, 19 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) - La viceconsejera de Comercio y Turismo, Pilar Zorrilla, presentó hoy en el Parque Tecnológico de...

Google Adds Automatic Captions to YouTube

I knew Google Voice would have multiple uses for people who are deaf and hearing impaired, but I didn’t expect this news to come so fast: Google is adding automatic captions to YouTube videos. Google announced the news today on its official Google blog, and while the feature is definitely a work-in-progress, it’s an exciting [...]

Toronto: Creating Accessibility- Friendly Environments Forum

Tuesday, November 24th Oakham Conference Facilities, Ryerson University 63 Gould Street, Toronto You and co-workers will want to attend the Creating Accessibility-Friendly Environments Forum. Disability organizations, government and business come together to make the case for organizations to become...

A Sad Personal Note

Since starting this blog in April of 2005 this is the longest I've gone between posts. My father has become suddenly and gravely ill. The family is still in shock, and most daily activities have been suspended. Please keep him...

Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits After A Brain Aneurysm

A brain (cerebral) aneurysm is a weak, bulging area in the wall of an artery that supplies blood to your brain. It is also called a cerebral or intracranial aneurysm. The most common kind of brain aneurysm looks like a round berry that is attached to your artery by a tiny neck. Some brain aneurysms are [...]

Pushing the brain to find new pathways

Until recently, scientists believed that, following a stroke, a patient had about six months to regain any lost function. After that, patients would be forced to compensate for the lost function by focusing on their remaining abilities. Although this belief has been refuted, an occupational therapy professor believes that the current health system is still not giving patients enough time to recover.

There Is Hope!

Today, U.S. Senator Barbara A. Mikulski introduced in the Senate a bill to strike the terms "Mental Retardation" and "Mentally Retarded" from federal lawbooks. From the press release:

Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability” and “individual with an intellectual disability” in federal education, health and labor law. The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities.

Rosa’s Law replicates a law recently adopted in Maryland. Senator Mikulski first heard about the state law from Rosa’s mother during a roundtable discussion about special education held in Edgewater, Maryland. Due to requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), each student who receives special education services at public schools has an individualized education program (IEP) that describes the student’s disability and the special education and services that child will receive. Rosa has an intellectual disability – Downs Syndrome – and so was designated as a student with “mental retardation” in her IEP, giving way to people at the school referring to Rosa as retarded. Senator Mikulski promised Rosa’s mother that if the bill became law in Maryland, she would take it to the floor of the United States Senate.

“Rosa’s Law” honors a young girl whose brother said, “… what you call people is how you treat them.”

“This bill is driven by a passion for social justice and compassion for the human condition,” said Senator Mikulski, a senior member of the HELP Committee. “We’ve done a lot to come out of the dark ages of institutionalization and exclusion when it comes to people with intellectual disabilities. I urge my colleagues to join me to take a step further. The disability community deserves it. Rosa deserves it.” “Mental retardation” and “mentally retarded” are terms commonly used in federal laws, including the Individual With Disabilities Education Act, the Higher Education Act, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

“We know now that words have meaning, sometimes far beyond what we intend,” added Senator Enzi. “Therefore, we must be very careful about the way we describe the people we see every day, including those with disabilities, or those who are undergoing treatment for a variety of health issues. Unfortunately, the federal government has not dropped this term from our laws and it still appears in the regulations and statutes that come before our legislative bodies and our courts. I am pleased to have this opportunity to join my colleague from Maryland, Senator Mikulski, in introducing Rosa’s law. I would like to thank her for her leadership and her commitment on this issue. Simply put, this legislation will make an important change in the words we use to refer to those with intellectual disabilities. It is a much needed change in the law that is fully deserving of our support.”

When Rosa’s Law was being considered by the Maryland General Assembly, Rosa’s 13-year-old brother, Nick, successfully testified on her behalf for a substitution of mentally retarded with intellectual disability. He explained, “Some people say they are just words, and it’s not going to make a difference if we just change the words. Some say we shouldn’t worry about the words, just the way we treat people. But when you think about it, what you call people is how you treat them! If we change the words, maybe it’ll be the start of a new attitude towards people with intellectual disabilities. They deserve it.”

Well done, Senator, well done!!

Today I am thankful that advocacy efforts CAN make a difference

EDUCATION: Portal for Human Rights Schools

HREA is very pleased to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) with the launch of a new web portal to promote understanding and application of a human rights-based approach to schooling.

The CRC calls for all children to be treated w

UNITED KINGDOM: Promoting children's rights in healthcare

Download the full conference report here
An innovative conference on children's health rights was held by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health this

If On A Winter's Night...

If On A Winter's Night
by Sting

This CD is a thing of delicate beauty. There are no synth-laden pop riffs or 'guest vocalists'...if you're looking for anything like The Police or the typical Sting offerings of his solo career, you'll be disappointed.

If you've heard "Songs From the Labyrinth" you'll have a better idea what to expect from "If On A Winters Night". Sting, in his maturity, seems lately to have been drawn to ancient music: consider also that this recording, like "Labyrinth", was released on Deutsche Grammaphon, a classical label.

The music itself is flawless. It has a keen sound quality - particularly on the pieces with stripped-down instrumentation - and the arrangements are careful.

If you are interested at all in Sting as a person, the liner notes will prove invaluable. There are six closely-printed pages written by Sting: musings on his agnosticism, his childhood memories of winter, the seasonal cycle as it affects humans. It's interesting and introspective.

I would classify this CD not as "Christmas", as I've seen it described, but as "solstice". It reminds me a little of the New Age/Pagan CDs that comprise my favourite winter listening.

I love If On A Winter's Night. It is full of lovely winter songs, beautifully interpreted by a first-class musician.

Listen Here.

Blindness causes structural brain changes, implying brain can re-organize itself to adapt

Scientists have confirmed that blindness causes structural changes in the brain, implying that the brain may re-organize itself functionally in order to adapt to a loss in sensory inputs.

Scottish Youth Theatre

"They were right here?" I asked.

"Yes," he said, 'right here in the heart of the building.'

I was in the Scottish Youth center talking to the fellow who managed the rooms. He's an older guy who takes great pride in the building. He has just told me that the room I am presenting in is the formal jail attached to the court building. Even though the building is renovated and there are no traces left of cells and shackles, there is still the chill damp air that lets you know you are in a basement room. Looking up you can see walkways where guards would have strolled to keep an eye on you below.

The day began and at one point someone said something very funny and the whole audience was laughing. There were marvelous accoustics in the room and the laughter bounced off the walls around us. Changing the chemistry of the brick, laughter is the alchemists dream as it can turn grisly memories comedic gold dirt. 'Comedy is tragedy plus time,' Carol Burnett is quoted as saying.

Over the day I began to think of the room as less of a renovated jail and as more of a theatre for youth. I think because here in the beating heart of the building were people learning, laughing and expressing hope.

Buildings, like people, need their heart changed before renovation is complete.

The Most Common Symptom of Breast Cancer is..

Breast cancer is caused by cells in the breast growing abnormally and quickly, forming a tumor. The two main forms of breast cancer are ductal carcinoma, which begins in the mild ducts of the breast, and lobular carcinoma, which originates in the milk-producing glands. While these are the two main types, breast cancer can originate in other parts of the breast as well, though less commonly. The

Unlike in the Experiment

People seeking psychological interventions are a diverse population. They often have individual differences that make these people less homogenous as a group than those in controlled clinical trials of treatments. When treating these patients, sometimes it is necessary to take these differences into account by deviating from treatment methods used in trials.

There has been a great deal of research on augmentative communication and non-verbal people with autism. Cards with line drawings and text are the most commonly used method. When I was living in Nova Scotia, there was a boy in the high school's special education class who had autism and was also blind. Therefore, any cards with pictures would not be suitable for him. The staff put buttons with several different textures onto a talking communication board so the boy could feel the differences between the buttons.

Over time, as therapists discover individual differences in the patients they work with, they can document their course of treatment and publish it as a case study. As more case studies become published, clinicians will be able to research treatment in cases similar to unique cases they may be presented with.

A recent case study documented the management of a transgendered man with autism. It was the first such case to be published. In a case such as this one, psychological management had to take into account the man's social difficulties related to autism as well as those related to his gender. Treating this man the same as the transgendered individuals in large scale randomized studies would not be appropriate, because none of these individuals had autism.

If a large amount of similar case studies are published, a meta analysis can be performed to give some indication of effectiveness of particular treatments in unique situations. For example, if several case histories were published on communication and blind children with autism, therapists could infer treatment techniques from these studies. However, this is not as structured as randomized controlled studies so no definite cause and effect inferences can be drawn. However, cases like these are uncommon enough that it would be unlikely to get a large enough sample size to participate in a randomized controlled trial.

Another advantage of documenting unusual cases and their diverse treatment plans is allowing clinicians to determine if their case is entirely unique, or if there are other similar cases in the literature. For instance, IQ is predicted to be relatively stable across individuals' lifetimes but cases exist where one can undergo major changes. In my own case, I was able to use strong verbal skills to compensate and bring my performance IQ up from the borderline range into the average range. When reading a recent study on young adults with Asperger's syndrome and outcomes, I've realized that this is uncommon, but not unheard of. In fact 15-20% of individuals with high functioning autism or Asperger's syndrome eventually compensate for their difficulties enough to be fully independent. One man in the study became a married university professor.

Besides learning from large scale studies, clinicians and researchers can gain a great deal of knowledge from case studies and their own atypical patients. Psychology is not a "cookbook" in which a psychologist follows a recipe to treat a patient. They must be able to tailor treatment to the unique needs of their patients.

CRC20: Establishing a communications procedure for the Convention on the Rights of the Child

There is much to celebrate as we mark the twentieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on November 20 – but children have so far been denied one crucial tool for safeguarding their rights. The CRC is the only core international human rights

The Disability Clothesline

It is interesting to hear Judge Peter Boshier from the Family Court calling for a radical rethink of the way we deal with domestic violence in New Zealand. He cites cases of suicide because of the lack of support for victims. He also cites the lack of accountability of the perpetrators through programmes never completed. Nowhere [...]

Lupus Information, Part Two

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly referred to as lupus, is an irregular and unpredictable disease that can affect any part of the body. In my previous post, I discussed the wide range of symptoms that can signal that someone has lupus. As one of my readers accurately pointed out, I failed to mention which of those symptoms would qualify an individual as disabled by SSA and thus eligible for Social Security disability benefits. Since lupus takes many forms and results in a wide array conditions, that is a somewhat difficult question to answer. However, below is a review of what SSA will look for when evaluating your lupus claim.

Lupus is a disease that falls under the Immune System Disorders category of SSA's Listing of Impairments. The Listing contains the different criteria for various medical conditions and diseases in order to be considered as disabled. Although meeting a listing can boost your disability claim, it should be noted that failing to meet the criteria under the listing does not necessarily result in the denial of your claim.

Lupus is at 14.02 Immune System Disorders of the Listing of Impairments. 14.02 points to two different ways someone with lupus meets the listing. The first listing can be met if the individual with lupus has two or more organs/body systems affected: "1. One of the organs/body systems involved to at least a moderate level of severity; and 2. At least two of the constitutional symptoms or signs (severe fatigue, fever, malaise, or involuntary weight loss)." See SSA Listings. While any system of the body can be affected by lupus, it is worth noting that the most common two are the musculoskeletal and integumentary systems.

Another way someone with lupus can meet the listing is by demonstrating repeated manifestations of the disease with at least two of the constitutional symptoms or signs and one of the following at the marked level: "1. Limitation of activities of daily living, 2. Limitation in maintaining social functioning, 3. Limitation in competing tasks in a timely manner due to deficiencies in concentration, persistence, or pace." See SSA Listings. Under this listing, strong medical evidence could be the key in establishing your case and specifically demonstrating those limitations. This is especially true for those whose symptoms are not readily observable.

I hope this general information clarifies my first Lupus Information post. For more information on lupus, feel free to go to the Listing of Impairments on the SSA website above.

If Down Syndrome Cure Discovered, Most Parents Might Decline

As science comes closer to a cure for Down syndrome, most parents of children with the disorder say they aren't sure they would take advantage of one, a survey finds.

Make your wheelchair a weapon, and kick some butt

I don’t know about you, but ever since I ended up in this wheelchair I haven’t stopped feeling vulnerable. I can’t move my legs (or torso) at all, and my arms only work at 50%. It’s pretty hard to feel strong or empowered. Hell, I can’t even pull a trigger so getting a conceal-and-carry license, or even mace, are out of the question. What are folks like us supposed to do?

I recently read about a wheelchair defense program that definitely got my attention. At the Neuro Core Physiotherapy & Pilates Centre in Richmond Hill (a suburb of Toronto for those of you not Canada-savvy), Grant Murray, a taekwondo black belt, and Rich VanderWal, a recreation therapist at a rehab facility, have started teaching self-defense classes for wheelchair-users.

The classes focuses on making the wheelchair a weapon, not something that‘s just in the way (which I especially like). What would you do is someone came up from behind you and grabbed your shoulder? Shrink and cry for help? Not in this class. They teach you how to balance your chair and keep your balance simultaneously. And joint manipulation, the art of holding someone’s joint in place rendering them helpless (if it works that is), is also a key component of the class.

One of the coolest tips featured in this video is that if you’re attacked in your wheelchair, the attacker will have to lean over to get at you, which will always put them off-balance. And you can use this to your advantage. By simply pulling forward really quickly, you can at least get out of their grips for awhile, hopefully giving you the chance to get away or even better, scaring them off.

- Self-Defense for People with Disabilities

- Self-defense discussion

- Sports and Recreation discussion

CFP: Disability History (25-27 June 2010, Preston UK)

News from the disability history community, found on H-Disability today:Disability History Conference 2010Disability History: looking forward to a better past?June 25th - 27th, 2010University of Central LancashirePreston, UKPlenary Speakers:Professor Catherine J Kudlick, University of California, DavisProfessor Tom Shakespeare, University of NewcastleDisability history has emerged in recent years

Top Bowler Credits Asperger’s For Success

Cassandra Leuthold is one of the best college bowlers in the country and she says having Asperger's syndrome is one of the reasons why.

Move to Florida, Or Not?

Last week, we had to contemplate a decision of whether to move to Florida so that I could work as a VCO Account Executive or stay put in Chicago: At a Career Crossroads. Yes, I know I’m going to regret Florida in the middle of a brutal Chicago winter and y’all can razz me about that in [...]

Anxiety Disorder and Receiving Social Security Disability

Anxiety disorder is a blanket term for several different forms of abnormal, pathological anxiety, phobia and fears. Anxiety disorder refers to nervous system disorders as irrational or illogical worry not based on fact. There are several types of anxiety disorders. Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, phobic disorders, separation anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, and stress disorders [...]

Special Exposure Wednesday

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, November is National Adoption Month. For today's Special Exposure Wednesday, I wanted to share pictures of some of the children that are waiting for a family and a home. Search your hearts and decide if you can make their dreams come true.

For more pictures and information on children from across the United States, visit www.adoptuskids.org.

Also make sure to visit 5 Minutes For Special Needs for more Special Exposure Wednesday shots!

Today I am thankful for the joy I see in all my children's eyes.

From the Frontline: Laura Theytaz-Bergman

Laura Theytaz-Bergman, 45, was coordinator for the NGO Group on the Convention on the Rights of the Child from 1992 until 2007. She now lives in Singapore and still acts as a consultant to the NGO Group and other child rights organisations. Early this year she authored the report

UN: The Six Grave Violations against Children during Armed Conflict - The legal foundation
The six grave violations against children during times of conflict, enumerated by the Security Council in its resolutions, form the basis of the Council’s architecture in protecting children during war. Monitoring and Reporting mechanisms set up around the world use this framework to gather&nb

USA: Life in the Promised Land: Resettled Refugee Youth Struggle in the U.S.
Approximately 75,000 refugees will be resettled to the United States in fiscal year 2009 (October 2008 - September 2009). Many young people come to the U.S. unprepared for the challenges ahead. Many have never seen the inside of a formal school. The vast majority have not had the opportunity to l

CLIMATE CHANGE: Briefings on children's rights and climate change
These briefings have been produced by the Institute of Development Studies, UK:
Rights, Needs and Capacities of Children in a Changing Climate
Climate Change,

It's a Slam Dunk ...
During the second break in the lecture day, Duncan came over and began chatting with me. He is a big man with a soft voice. At first we just chatted about some of the things he's been up to, but I had a feeling that he was there to tell me something, tell me more. So we kept chatting. Then he said, 'You know how you talked about saying no and keeping safe?'

I said that being safe was important.

He nodded, knowing.

Then, quietly, he told me the story of a walk home to his parents place. He spoke to me as if I was a local and knew the reference points for his walk. 'Up by Queen Street there ...' he'd say. My stomach was churning. These story never end well, they always involve pain. Before knowing what happened I looked at Duncan. A big man, a gentle demeanour, a ready smile, a friendly persona ... an easy guy. Don't tell me that someone hurt him too, don't tell me that in th minds of others his disability erased all that's good in him. Don't tell me, Duncan.

But he did tell me. Never losing pace. There were a group of kids, they took him on, one with a baseball bat. They terrorized him. That's the word he used, 'terrorized'. He understood that he was being attacked because of his disability. He understood that what was happening was wrong. More than that he knew that his treatment was criminal.

So. He sought justice. He put together a little team of support, his parents, a family friend, a key worker. And he told his story to the police. It was wrong. It needed to stop. Other people with disabilities needed to be protected.

Then he stopped. The story over.

I looked at him, he was calm. I was hanging over a cliff.

'What happened?'

'They are still in jail,' he said. His smile wasn't one of revenge, it was a smile of a man who had a job to do and did it.

I asked him if I could tell his story to the audience, write it for you ... he said that I could. The audience, on hearing his story burst into applause for him. He grinned. Knowing he had the heart of a hero, I grinned back at him. And now you, whereever you are, tip a pint, raise a glass, or punch the sky ... for the big man in Helensburgh

Duncan. You are the man!

Inch by inch the community is reclaimed by people with disabilities. Duncan, he expected something from the heart of the community - justice. And by God. He got it.

A Preemie Love Story
In support of bloggers uniting to Fight for Preemies, I’d like to introduce the one preemie who has stolen my heart: Fifty years ago, an impatient baby boy entered the world seven weeks early. Much to everyone’s surprised, a second baby boy also joined the party. ...

Senators Propose Replacing ‘Mental Retardation’ With ‘Intellectual Disability’
The federal government would replace "mental retardation" with "intellectual disability" throughout health, education and labor policy under a bill introduced Tuesday in the Senate.

A Different Kind of Coaching

I am a big believer in coaching.

I've invested time and time again - fitness, swimming, triathlon, cycling, skiing... If I took up darts next week? ...well, I'd probably hire a coach.

As important as my athletic pursuits are to me, they are really kind of inconsequential compared to my role as a parent. Yet, until very recently, it had never occurred to me to hire a parenting coach.

I have never really spent any time writing about the challenges of parenthood... but that's not because being a parent is a breeze. It's not. Our family of 5 is an ever-changing, ever-challenging, mixture of personalities - and sometimes that mix works better than other times.

As educated, intelligent parents it's easy to feel like you should be able to solve just about any parenting issue. In our case, Sacha and I have 7.5 years of parenting under our belts - that's just over one "dog year" for those of you without kids.

I'd like to say that harmony abounds and there is nothing but "cumbaya" around our house, but lately Sacha and I have been running up against a short (but complicated) list of parenting challenges. The self-conscious parent in me will add that these "challenges" are likely nothing abnormal (at least I hope), but they are intensely irritating and generally distracting from the enjoyment of life for all involved. The result is stress - not just for us adults, but for the kids - their little brains and little hearts. It's not cool and we needed help.

Tonight we met with a Parenting Coach.

The first, and probably most interesting thing about the meeting, was that both Sacha and I came away agreeing with 100% of what she said. WOW - let's just say we haven't been in agreement on how to handle these issues - ever. We could barely agree on how to describe them!

We came away with a better understanding of the issues, tools to help us navigate through them, and methods to support each other when challenges crop up. In short, we have a plan, we know how to execute it and we are a team again.

Pretty great coaching.

The other HUGE lesson learnt for me is that we didn't need to stumble through the parenting process without help.

When I was 5 a baseball coach taught me to choke up on the bat - I hit the ball a lot better!
When I was 14 a rugby coach taught me that TEAM was all that mattered - by ourselves we are nothing.
When I was 21 a physiotherapist taught me that setting goals was an important part of achieving my dreams - she taught me to walk again too.
When I was 30 a personal trainer taught me to challenge myself beyond my comfort zone - I found my passion in endurance sports.

Tonight a parenting consultant taught me how to be a better coach and dad for my kids - which means that a bare minimum of 5 lives were improved in 90mins at the local coffee house.

If you were pulling your hair out earlier today, have a sticky issue or just want to raise your game to be the best parent you can be I highly recommend getting some coaching.

If you happen to live in or around Vancouver you need look no further than:

Karen Hoffman BA, CCFE, RPC

Canadian Certified Family Educator
Registered Professional Counsellor

kfhoffman@yahoo.ca

Her blog is here: http://atouchofparenting.blogspot.com/

Thanks Karen!

Social Security Disability and Breast Cancer
I have a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She found evidence of her condition on self-exam. Around the time this had happened, of course, there were news stories out there in the media advising women that self-exams might not be so necessary (my friend would disagree) and also that mammography for breast cancer might need to be done less frequently. Frankly, these stories

Pet therapy: Recovering with four-legged friends requires less pain medication
Adults who use pet therapy while recovering from total joint-replacement surgery require 50 percent less pain medication than those who do not, according to new research.

When Polly Gets Flu
Polly has had flu. Now whether this was the infamous Swine flu or your common or garden flu flu we are not sure. In fact no one is sure, not the NHS helpline, our doctor or indeed, the several other people who have suffered similarly.

Now I love Polly. She is wonderful in so many ways I do not have time to list them all. She (and by extrapolation the children) is absolutely the best thing ever to have happened to me. She is kind, clever, caring and funny. But she is rubbish at being sick. Firstly she believes she is completely indispensable to the running of the universe and that the whole of creation will fall apart if she takes any time off. If she is enforced to go to bed for a while she gets annoyed if the world manages to continue orbiting the sun without her personal assistance and guidance. If, however, the universe somehow manages to struggle on without her, she gets incredibly annoyed if it doesn't tidy the living room in exactly the way she would have done.

Polly has to feel really ill before she relinquishes control of the cosmos. On this occasion she was ill enough to go to bed during the day which is something she begrudges deeply because she 'should be doing other things'. 'Doing other things' means doing all the things that mummies do, children's entertainers do, clown doctors do and rulers of the universe do.

Polly being ill is nothing compared to Polly feeling a little bit better. Polly very reluctantly cancelled a gig at the Royal Marsden but only because flu, cancer, chemotherapy and sick children are a volatile combination. However, Polly feeling a little bit better essentially means Polly catching up with all the things she feels she hasn't done as well as continuing to do all the things she would normally be doing and perhaps a few other things in case anyone suspects her of idleness. Lesser mortals, such as myself, are left wallowing in her wake as she bakes cakes for cub fund-raisers, manages my sisters house restoration, entertains at 4 year-old boys parties, makes Christmas cards and oversees the middle-east peace process. Suddenly she will complain of being tired and look at me as if it is entirely my fault.

At night, my usually delightful bedtime companion becomes an irritable, tetchy, scratchy sleepless nightmare. I cannot move, breathe or mumble sweet nothings without bringing about the kind of reaction that is usually a precursor to all out war. Every creek, every variation in light, every child's nightmare, is my fault. Will no one let her sleep? Don't I realise that she is sick?

The problem for Polly, and no doubt mothers everywhere, is that just because she is ill does not mean that life stops to compensate and allow her time to catch up. I do my best to help make things run smoothly but honestly, is it too much to ask that we don't run out of proper coffee? I've had to drink instant. Yes, when Polly is sick we all suffer. Thank God it's only woman flu.

Until next time.

Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia and Receiving Social Security Disability
Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects your blood or bone marrow. It is evidenced by an abnormal accumulation of blood cells that are usually leukocytes (white blood cells). Leukemia is used to refer to a variety of diseases. It is pathologically and clinically divided into groups and categories. The first division is into leukemia’s [...]

Worth Every Challenge

From a very young age, I always wanted to make a difference – to know that my time spent on this earth was worth something. As I have gotten older, those thoughts refined themselves into wanting to leave the world a better place once I am gone. And through the adoption of some very special children, I believe I am well on my way to achieving that goal.

November is National Adoption Month. Thousands and thousands of children are waiting for families to call their own. These children often have been through hell. They have seen and experienced things that no one, and especially a child, should see and experience. Parenting them will not always be an easy job. In fact, sometimes it will seem downright impossible. But it’s not.

When I first decided to adopt as a single parent, most of my friends and family told me I was crazy and shouldn’t even consider parenting another child, especially a child with significant special needs. In fact, many of my friends have felt that way when I decided to adopt two more times, and when I told them just this year, that I am ready once again to adopt.

Maybe I am crazy, but I am not wrong. Adopting and parenting children with special needs, both medical and emotional needs, has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my life.

I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have made the lives of three very special children better than they would have ever been. More importantly, my life has been enriched in a way that words just can’t express.

I’m searching right now for the next addition to my family. I want a child with significant medical needs – a child that probably is growing up in an institution rather than with a family. I know it will be tough, but I have an support system in place, the willingness to tackle any challenge, and more than enough love.

What about you? Would you consider opening your heart to a child that needs a family? I promise that if you do and it gets really tough, I will be here to help you….

Today I am thankful for the social workers who believed in me and who have helped to make my family what it is today.

Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard
Snow Leopard's support for Braille displays is now fantastic, but did you know that you can install uncontracted multilingual braille output for Arabic, Danish, French, German, Greek/Coptic, Hebrew, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and even US Unicode?
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Multilingual Braille Output For Snow Leopard

Books By Covers
You know how they say, 'Don't judge a book by its cover?' Well, I hate to tell you, I do that all the time. Right now I'm reading Drood by Dan Simmon's and I noticed it because it's dark and broody cover caught my attention. Ditto for many other books I've picked up over time. And I can say, my attempts at judging books by their cover are at lease equal to my attempts to judge books by their reviews on amazon 'waz gud'.

So as we were driving the final few miles of a very long drive, from Inverness to Helensburg, we tensed up. We couldn't see any hotels on the strip, all we could see were decrepit Guest Houses. Yikes. Then it got a little better when we found this place, one of the Innkeeper's Lodge chain. Joe pulled in front and entered what looked to be a YE OL SCOTTISH PUB. He came out with a couple of keys and we drove to the back of the building. He looked at me and said, hopelessly, you want me to go check. I said, 'You'd rather go to the guest houses back their and dine with sea birds and rodents?'

We have found it difficult getting accessible rooms from huge North American hotels, from established British Hostelry chains. What awaited us here? I said to Joe, partly because I was desperate to get into my room. What with a full day lecture and a four hour drive following, I was tired. We made our way in, up a ramp that wasn't quite square and down a long hallway. The room had the double peep holes, my hope rose. The door was wider than the one on the opposite side of the hallway, my hope rose again. The door opened to a large room. Large enough for my wheelchair, I sailed through the door. Yesterday I'd been in a 4 star hotel but had to get out of my chair to get into my room.

The bathroom is completely, perfectly equipped with a walk in shower, bars beside the toilet that are placed for human use, easy roll up access to the sink to shave. I have never cried while looking at a bathroom before, but I did now. Suddenly we were both energized. Welcome will do that.

We went down to the pub and Joe had a pint of Tennents and I had a green tea with cranberry (I was feeling frisky). On their bill of fare they had two vegetarian specials. We each ordered the vegetarian wellington with tatties and veg covered in red wine gravy. The pub looked like it had been here for years. Yet even it had wide doors and a big accessible bathroom.

We'd judged this book by it's cover and got it wrong. But then it was a hotel not a book, so what does that stupid saying mean anyways?

We're here for one night.

Shit.

Reality Check, Anyone?
In the absence of a dramatic relapse, it seems to take me weeks to recognize a downturn. And the thing that should really tip me off is my sudden inability to exercise. But no. I spend weeks berating myself for not being able to do four or five workouts a week “like everyone else”. There doesn’t [...]

Live from NCTI 2009: Developing the Net Generation
Assistive technology, autism, education technology, national center for technology innovation, NCTI, social media and disability, students with disabilities

Fall Classic - I.F. Port Moody on the Board!

Yesterday was the Fall Classic out at UBC.

The last time I ran at the Fall Classic it was a small race - 5 or 6 six foot tables set up in the Student Union Building for registration - pretty minimal.

Nowadays it is entirely different.
Three distances - 21.1 km, 10km, 5km
Hundreds (maybe more than a thousand) runners
A massive stage with an Elvis impersonator, TV personalities as hosts, and more...
Chili after!! (Best ever after a cold, wet race...)
As far as running events go the Fall Classic is pretty mega now.

But all of that was secondary compared to the importance of this event for Kris, myself and two important people that I'll tell you about in a moment.

This was the first official destination for IF Port Moody customers!

Kris ran the half marathon with Julie. It was her first in quite a while and despite the terrible conditions - cold, windy, rainy - she toughed it out to finish in an admirable time. She'll be building from that in future events for sure!

I ran the 5km with Eric. It was his first run of this type for several years. We set a goal prior to the race and proceeded to DESTROY it by an entire minute! Eric really dug deep and cranked it up in the final 2 km for a negative split. It was a blast running with him.

Julie and Eric were pretty much our first customers out in Port Moody and it was awesome to see them getting results already...

Yesterday was also a great moment for Kris and I.... It's exciting to be helping people make progress and reach goals already... that's why we chose this career. There's a lot more to come and our doors don't open for another week!

Live from NCT1 2009: Social Media and Assistive Tech in the Classroom
On a panel with social media innovators and educators, Andy Carvin (@acarvin) moderated a discussion on the different social media channels available to students and others. Carvin is a social media strategist for NPR and the author of EdWeb: Exploring Technology & School Reform. Other panelists included Steve Hargadon, founder of the Classroom 2.0 social [...]

Wall Street Journal - Employee Retention

Please find our article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "Businesses Mount Efforts to Retain Valued Employees," by Sarah Needleman:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703811604574534142561139588.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits
Our word “aneurysm” is taken from the Greek “aneurysma”. This means, “a widening”. An aneurysm is a blood vessel that balloons outward or becomes abnormally large. Your blood vessel bulges out like a weak spot on an old worn tire when this happens. This bulge can burst and lead to death at any time. The [...]

Insensitive

As many of you know, I have a 19 year old daughter named Jessica. I adopted Jessica when she was 9 years old. She had spent most of her life in foster care, and along the way was both physically and sexually abused. In addition, she was diagnosed as an infant with brain cancer. She had a tumor removed and two years of chemo and radiation. The cancer and its treatment left her with a significant intellectual disability, and her time in foster care left her with a significant mental illness.

Jessica has, however, become a fine young woman. She does struggle daily to keep the mental illness under control, and she is striving to learn enough to be able to live semi-independently. She is still in school, and will stay there until she is age 22 and must leave. She is in a self-contained classroom and always has been.

So imagine my surprise when I received a phone call last week from a Navy recruiter. He asked if I was Jessica’s mother. I said yes. He then went into his recruiter spiel and I couldn’t get a word in because he was reading so fast from his script.

When he finally took a breath, I asked, “Have you met my daughter?” He said no, but that he was the recruiter assigned to her high school and was looking forward to meeting her. I asked, “Do you get any information about the students you are trying to recruit before contacting them, or do you just get a list of all student names from the school?” He said, “I get a list, and then I contact the students who are of age to recruit.”

I said, “Has it crossed your mind that some of the students you contact might not be qualified to enter the armed forces?” He said, “We work very closely with our recruits and are usually successful in helping them become the best they can be.”

I then described Jessica to him. This time I was the one not letting him get a word in. I told him of her background, of her challenges, of her sweet nature, of her desire to be, as he described, the best she can be. Finally I stopped, and then said, “Okay, now shall we discuss her recruitment?”

He was momentarily speechless, and then when he did talk, he stumbled all over his words. I decided to put him out of his misery, and suggested that perhaps in the future he might want to do a little more homework before contacting families.

I have always accepted Jessica’s challenges and love her for the person she is. But, I’ll bet there are some parents who are still saddened by dreams unfulfilled. Approaching such a parent with talk of Navy recruitment is just plain insensitive.

Today I am thankful for Jessica's tenancity.

Research Studies
Want to volunteer for a medical research study?

UT Soutwestern sent a press release about ResearchMatch where volunteers can be matched — online — to a scientific research project, or clinical trial, for which they might qualify. The National Institute of Health gave UT Southwestern a grant to help quickly move laboratory discoveries into actual therapies.

This new allows the medical community "to cast a wider net into a deeper pool of potential subjects.” Both healthy people and those with illnesses and conditions can take advantage of this opportunity!

AUSTRALIA: Arrest of 12-year-old highlights criminalisation of indigenous children
A 12-year-old Aboriginal boy appeared in a Western Australian court on Monday charged with receiving a stolen chocolate frog worth about 70 cents (65 US cents), reports said.

Police claim he was found with the 70-cent chocolate frog, allegedly shoplifted by the child's fri

Dread Hand, Eye

Erudite Mondays at HalfSoledBoots
Volume 10, Number 2

Her Fearful Symmetry
Audrey Niffenegger
If you've read The Time Traveler's Wife, you already know this amazing author's penchant for the eerie. As 'eerie' goes, her new offering, Her Fearful Symmetry, doesn't disappoint.
Elspeth Noblin, the novel's most influential character, dies in the first couple of pages. She leaves her London flat, overlooking Highgate Cemetery, to her two American nieces: twins, as Elspeth herself was a twin.
The twins, Julia and Valentina, move to London with all their baggage and.....well, baggage. Their relationship - like that of their aunt and mother - is one of the defining forces of the novel. It moves the plot and determines the fate of the two girls, who at the beginning of the book are not so much sisters, as one person split between two bodies.
When the twins get to London, they find that though she is dead, their aunt has never really left her flat at all...
Haunting is a difficult plot point - it is so often written with a heavy hand, resulting in improbably corporeal spirits, or sensationalist plot lines high on spook-factor. Audrey Niffenegger handles it carefully, gently bringing the reader around. Her ghost is a nicely drawn blend of the humdrum and the mysterious.
The whole thing is very deftly written. Niffenegger managed to suspend my disbelief throughout the novel, and in fact (though I am loth to admit it) to smoothly trick me into liking somebody that I shouldn't have - no mean feat considering how many books I have read and dissected. At this stage in my reading career it takes a good bit of sleight of hand to get a villain past me...Audrey did it brilliantly.

Do read this book if you get a chance. It's quite different to The Time Traveler's Wife - less sexual for one thing (darn), and in a totally different style. There is a lot of good writing, clever plot points, and well-disguised metaphor.

HSB Highly Specialised Book Rating System
Her Fearful Symmetry gets:

Reread? Definitely.
Given to Others? Yes.
Bookplate? Yes.

3/3

Telstra Bigpond withdrawing from Second Life
A friend of mine sent me the following notice sent to BigPond Residents in Second Life: POND ESTATES CLOSURE 16 DECEMBER 2009 Dear Residents, Vendors and Guests, Telstra BigPond would like to thank you for participating in Second Life through BigPond. Our creative experience with Second Life has been very rewarding for both BigPond and our members. [...]

Compound that boosts anti-inflammatory fat levels created
Pharmacology researchers have discovered a way to boost levels of a natural body fat that helps decrease inflammation, pointing to possible new treatments for allergies, illnesses and injuries related to the immune system.

Lupus Information
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), commonly referred to as lupus, is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can perturb any part of the body. The disease is often irregular, alternating between periods of illness and remission and can be completely unpredictable. Not only is the illness unpredictable, but so are the symptoms. Unlike many diseases that come with specific warnings of contraction, signs of lupus can be as simple as unusual fatigue, pain in the joints, or a fever. Yet, while some signs are fairly ordinary, others can have an immediate disabling impact on the individual. Although there are numerous treatments for the disease, currently there is no cure for lupus.

Recently, while reading the latest post on Tomasz Stasiuk's Colorado Social Security Law Blog I came across a video on the blog sponsored by the S.L.E. Lupus Foundation that really delves into the lives of several individuals with lupus. I learned a lot from the video and wanted to share it with you.

Getting Back in My Groove, Finally
With the tail end of the swine flu hopefully departing, I am eager to get back into my groove, doing what I do. Yesterday my desk received a thorough de-papering and cleaning and is ready to go. Now the left thumb needs engaging to get this office ...

Social Security Disability and Jobs Within the National Economy
If you apply for disability benefits from the social security administration, either under the SSI or social security disability program, there will be a good chance that your claim will be denied at the initial claim (aka disability application) level. Not to sound morose, but, statistically, that's simply how it plays out for the majority of all individuals filing disability claims.If you get

MS and Evils
One of my favorite online friends Michael B. Gerber doesn't write in his blog about MS, he writes about life. His happens to be a life with MS, so MS sneaks in there now and again. You may notice his blog "Perspective Is Everything" in my "Favorite MSer Sites" list.

Last week Michael sent me a story about medication and side effects. He asked if I had something to add, but it was good, as his writing is. I did, however, manage to throw in a word or two and make a change here or there. Read our post here: The Lesser of Two Evils

His is a blog certainly worth reading. While you're there, look around. Enjoy.

Can you Refuse to go to a Social Security Medical Examination?
Yes, you can refuse to go to a CE, or consultative examination, commonly known as a "social security medical examination". However, its typically not wise. You have to consider why a disability examiner wants to schedule a claimant for such an exam in the first place. A) Usually, its because a claimant has not been to a medical treatment source in the last ninety days. B) Sometimes a CE is

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-11-15
Looking at @nancywhite 's photos from blue mountains using #cooliris http://is.gd/4Q5ZV # Forgot the link … These photos http://is.gd/4Q61E # @Tarale Take an umbrella! in reply to Tarale # the.most.awesome.bike.riding.ever. http://is.gd/4RkTa [via @kentnewsome] # @fang mentioned who… twitter? in reply to fang # @fang today forgoing his coat hanger heritage http://is.gd/4RrL6 at #wine2030 today http://is.gd/4RrNc # DSL out on [...]

Does It Matter Where I File My Application for Benefits if I Plan on Moving?

I recently received a question from a woman named Carol who wants to know if she should wait to file for benefits because she is planning on moving to a different state. She writes:

More on Does It Matter Where I File My Application for Benefits if I Plan on Moving?

Post from: Social Security Disability Blog

Does It Matter Where I File My Application for Benefits if I Plan on Moving?

Post from: Social Security Disability Blog

Does It Matter Where I File My Application for Benefits if I Plan on Moving?

Tina, Tina, Tina
DopeGirlFresh has a post about Tina Knowles (the mother of Beyonce and Solange Knowles) and her forays into the world of fashion. It must be seen to be believed. Go on! You know you want to.

presenting: the absurdity of tina knowles.

I've hated this prat ever since the first time I heard her going on and on about her Creole background. Does she really not understand that outside of the south, that shit means absolutely nothing? Nobody cares about her bougie-assed background. Since she loves talking about the French part of her heritage, I'm pretty sure she should be able to figure out what I mean when I say she is the epitome of nouveau riche and still gets no respect among the old monied families. Now how's that for snobbery!

By the way, there's no such thing as Creole fashion, no matter what "Miss Tina" tells you.