Neighbors

    So    yesterday I saw a special needs  bus in our neighborhood.  Now me being  me and   being a disabled advocate and all I wanted to know who lived in the house  so yesterday  on my  way to  my night  class  I asked the neighbor  and  turned  out it was the other house.


 So today   it was  pouring rain   but I took a walk around the block to see   the house  I wondered if  the  kid   has  CP   or something.  I actually was  going to blog and ask  for advice but  then I got home  and   found  that  the door  was  locked  so   I took it as   a  go  ahead for me to check  the  house.


  There were cars outside  so I ding on the doorbell  and   a  cute  girl   answered it she got her  mom   who   had a accent  and spoke another  langue and it turned out that   she has a boy  with  DS    How cool  is that?    So  now     there are three  people   that  I  know of  that have disablties: D and a girl  with Autism  and  this little  boy  with DS  and  me  of course. Do you  have neighbors  with Disabilities?

I MADE

  

 FALL 2011  

      People  have told me that I would not be able to go to college.  I did not know   that I could  do  college as   a  senior.    Now  I  know  I can  do  anything.

Seth's story Part two

 Read Part one  here 

Seth started out in a gait trainer  after  X MASS 2011

It’s been just over five months since we stood in that mental institution and looked at the shell of a little boy, looked into his eyes, trying to find the little boy he was. He’s been home almost four months now, and he is amazing. AMAZING! He is by far the most determined child I’ve ever known. He is motivated. He is learning fast, hitting milestones and catching up at record speed. A child confined to a wheelchair is now in a gait trainer, taking steps. He’s learning self care skills he never got to use at the orphanage, and is preparing to go to school for the first time ever. The biggest difference I see in Seth is the light in his eyes. He is ALIVE! There is no way you cannot laugh when Seth laughs, because you know the cost he’s paid to get to that laugh. You know the days of misery that led him here, to a place where he could find joy, love and a family. My other children agree Seth has brought our family closer, united us in the cause of a child. Our children have watched Seth literally have life breathed into him. They’ve watched him go from a disconnected, scared, institutionalized child to a little boy who loves to play with toys, get into things and explore. He’s inquisitive, curious, and cannot get enough of his newfound freedoms. Our children have embraced Seth with open arms, delighting in his absolute sweetness. Accepting him just as he is, and knowing that healing is a process that could take years to achieve.

HE'S  NOW  IN A WALKER  STARTED  LAST WEEK IN FEBUARY   

               Aside from Seth, the people I feel the most sorry for are Seth’s birth parents. I wonder if they think of him, if they worry about him, wonder what became of him. They had a child in a country that is about 50 years behind the US in healthcare and education. It is extremely hard to have a child with a disability in Ukraine. There is no special ed, no programs to support families. Almost any child with any disability at all will be abandoned in Eastern Europe. I don’t judge them, because I can’t begin to know their reasoning. I wish them peace. I hope one day, they will learn that Seth was saved from the system they gave him up to. To his parents, I would say, “You missed out on a beautiful little boy. He is a light to our family. He has perseverance and strength. His laughter fills a room. His smile is contagious. When you walked away from Seth, you gave up one awesome little boy.”

CP is only one small part of Seth. It doesn’t define him. Seth is defined by his character. He survived something I cannot imagine. For six and a half long years. He survived. And he still smiles. That defines him. His unwillingness to give in, to give up. Seth has blond hair, blue eyes, he’s got double jointed fingers, he loves playing in water, eating yogurt and bananas, and he has CP. He will live a full life, filled with laughter and happiness. He is way bigger than his disability. CP will not

limit him, because he’s survived something way bigger, way messier, way more debilitating than CP.






    PART  THREE  COMES   SOON, AS ALWAYS   BE SURE TO STOP BY  LAURA'S  BLOG

Language arts Math History

           I have to say   that    I am  pretty smart. I am a   US  History  wiz  a  wonderful writer  and  even though  I had a hard time  with  math I was  able to pass  college level  math last sesmester with a  B.

  notice   how  I am  missing a subject   Science

    In  Elementary school  I  learned about  Science and I would  say that  i  thought it was  fun.  I  remeber learning about the digestive system  and  Dinosaurs.   In  fith  grade  I did  a scince exparment on  plants, but  after that     I did  not  attend  Science class    until   I was in tenth  grade.    So   to put it in  Years  from      May 2003  til   Augest  2007  I   did not      have   Scince Class   because  in   middle school  I  went  to   RSP  class,  that was when the  fun  begain.
  Middle school  was also the time when  I  first  entered a  RSP  class.  RSP  stands  for  Resource Specialist   Program.   It was  a study hall for students who  were not in Special  Day Classes  who  still needed  some  extra help.    Most of the students in the class had learning  disability  such as  ADHD and  dyslexia.   I   was  in  Directed  studies   under  a IEP, which  I  had  since  I  was in  preschool so  even though  I did not  meet with a Special  Education  Teacher   in  Elementary school  I  had a  aid and   Speech  Therapy.  In  sixth  grade  I  was one of the most seve   students  in  the class.  the other  one   was DD  who was  deaf and also  had an aid.    DD had  hearing  aides that she could turn of  to study. She  could  tune out the noise.  Why  would she need  to do that?    To  be  continued....

In Kindergaten

 Today is  e 's birthday. e  is the boy  I  told u about here  but  I told you  briefly about  our friendship  here is  the  Inside   Story

    

When I was  five  almost six, my birthday is September sixth, it was time  for me to start  Kindergarten. My parents  wanted me to  go  to a private  school which was  not  too bad for us  as   both of them were doctors at the  time.  Th school did not cater to  those with disabilities  but they took me anyway and there  I went.

 e (in white)  and az in overalls   Fall 1999

 I was  in KA  and so  was e.  We  were somewhat different.  E  knew phonics  and could  pronounce the names of the letters, me  not so much.  E  was  in a high gymnastics  level. Me  I was not.    To  put it bluntly  he was  not  disabled and  I was but  i do not  think e cared that much. e  and  I were  pals.   While other kids would be mean to me, and make me  the monkey in the middle for basketball, e  would  help me do the monkey bars, and   play in the sand  with me  at recess and lunch.   In  our   class  we would have  play time inside the classroom  and  e  was my companion.  We would  play read write and type and   jumping dinosaurs. Which was like chess.    e and I were equals.  he did not  treat me differently and that is one of the beautiful things about our friendship.   He did not see   a disabled six year old who could not  talk right  and sometimes drooled.  He saw a  six  year old with  black hair and loved  to have peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

  The last time I saw e   was  my eighth birthday.  I went to public school  after first grade  while  he stayed  in the private school system till high school.   A few  years back, I was able to befriend him via facebook and although we do not facebook chat that often and  have yet to be reunited  in  real life. I have the memories  and there  my kindergarten boy friend  will always be.

Happy  b day e!!!!






   got images  from

Seth story part one

 So  yesterday I  told  you about   what it used to mean  in America  to have a disability, and thus why we  should not use the  R word,  Well today  I   am  going to share with  you  a   story  of   a  Amazing  little  boy  named  Seth who used to live in similar situations, I am  happy to  report  that Seth has  been adopted into a loving family and is doing  quite well.  Seth's  mom  Laura   will  tell  us more.





I’m trying to think back to my life before Seth. Before adoption. Before cerebral palsy. It’s only been four months, but I have a hard time remembering what life was like. How did I fill my day, my life, my family, without this little boy? I know some things were easier, like getting into and out of a store quickly. But some things were harder, like getting my children to understand what a true “need” is, versus what a “want” is. Now that my children have met Seth, they understand how truly unimportant the newest phone is, or another pair of jeans.


Before Seth, I had very limited experience with disabilities. I knew next to nothing about CP. I didn’t go into adoption to find a child with CP. In fact, I didn’t really mean to adopt at all, and certainly not a child with CP. Seth and CP found us. I saw him while scrolling through a blog post that a friend of mine had written. When I saw his face, my heart dropped. He was mine. I knew it as well as if I’d given birth to him. He belonged to our family, and as crazy as it seemed, we had to go get him. It was only after that initial realization that I noticed he had CP and couldn’t walk. But he was a child. A child who needed a home. We had a home. We had what he most needed. Once your heart commits, the rest doesn’t matter.

Seth's family.   As  you can see  he is around love. This  is what EVERY child needs 

We set aside a night to talk to our kids. We have six biological children, ranging in age from 18 years down to 3 years. We called them all together and showed them Seth’s picture. We explained about CP, that he lives in an orphanage in Ukraine and we think we need to adopt him and bring him to our home. We had a variety of responses. One of our daughters, my most tender hearted, cried for him. Another daughter completely supported us but was very concerned about the length of time we’d be gone… seven weeks. We told them they can share concerns openly or pull us aside privately, but that we wanted to know how they felt. We have sweet children. They all agreed that this little boy deserved a life and needed our family.


Four short months later, we were flying across the world to meet our little boy, embarking on the biggest adventure of our lives. We knew Seth had been transferred to an institution three months previously, and we knew that likely did not bode well for him. Children with disabilities, and especially those who cannot walk, do not fare well in Eastern Europe orphanages. We knew Seth had likely been confined since his transfer. We were anxious, nervous and worried about his condition and what we’d find. We had pictures of him from right before his transfer. We knew what we should have seen when we walked in. The reality was far different. The reality took us back. Shocked us.

 Seth in the institution 

We learned that Seth had been confined to a wheelchair with the brakes locked, for three and a half months. He was in a room with three others, all in wheelchairs. No toys, no books, no conversation. All four boys were non verbal. Other than the sounds of moans, groans, and teeth grinding, it was a silent room. The sound of boys literally losing their minds. Our Seth had regressed fast. In fact, we didn’t even recognize him. The director had to point him out for us. He did not even resemble the boy in our pictures. He was slumped over in his wheelchair, not making sounds,not making eye contact, completely disconnected from his surroundings. Our minds raced with fear. This is not what we expected. He was like an infant. In that moment, we had to make the biggest decision of our lives. Our facilitator looked at us and asked us if we wanted to proceed with the adoption. Quiet. Racing heart. Brain numbing worry. Jeremy and I looked at Seth. A traumatized child. A hurting child. A child with some very serious problems. We looked at each other. And nodded. Yes. Seth was ours. Have faith.  


Stick around for part  two  of Seth story. Also Visit  Laura's  blog  

 Seth on the  move.      He  looks  much more  happier than   the pic above 

Conotation vs Denotation

I have a amazing  memory.  Literally   that is how  I am  able to share stuff from my  past with  you guys  and   that is the reason why   I  am  able to tell you  this story.

 I  remember the specific   moment  that I first  learned of connotation and  Denotation. It was in tenth  grade in  english  class.      A few years  later (2010)  when  I asked   a teacher  to speak about the R word  what  term  come to  mind   Connotation and  Denotation.      the students  were also  reading Othello so   I   used all three of those things to  explain  about the R Word.

  It really saddens  me  when  people  fail to understand the hate ful  affects of the  word  Retard.    You see growing  up   in  middle and high school  we never discussed  disabled  history. Growing up  we  never  learned   what     historically   was  ment  by the  R Word.

  Historically if    someone was  born  with  any type of disability  in the  United States  doctors  were told  to send their infant    to  a training facility away  from  family.    This  was not a school    it was  a  prison  where   it  was  common place to  see scenes like this

   And this

  That is  what the  connotation  of the  word  Retarded  was.  That is  what people  who were the  R word  were   subjected  to.  These  people  these kids  were subjected to   conditions  worse then  prisons.    These  people for no   apparent  reasson   other then  a dingoes of some kind  were  terrorized  and   lived  in  inhumane  conditions.

 The  Dictionary  term   can be found  here.  I will not post it because  the connotation is   way stronger.  When  people  say  the  R word    it     makes  those  poor  people  in  insitutions   suffer  even  more.  We  need to  teach  general  education   kids about this  painful  part  of    the  United  States  history because   this  is  still going  on  around  the world  today.

 To  be  continued

 In the  mean time  end  the word  or tell a friend about it