Dear Princess : A disabled older sister's letter to her younger sister upon leaving the house

 Grad  party  June 2012

 Background
    For those of you that  have been  reading  a long time.  My  youngest sister and I do not  get along  that well so  it would  seem that when  she   left for college  I would not   feel soo  sad .

  Thats

 Not  

 True

 So today  my sister is  on a plane   heading for  Oregon  where she  will  be  attending college.  Her major is  undecitead  yet she is  ready to  take off.   Book gal and I will stay  behind   this year as  book gal  will be going to  a  JC  this year and I am  still  at  the same  JC  I was  last semester.






 Dear Princess.

 Halloween 1994   Big Bro ,Princess, Book Gal and  AZ

             As you  reading this you are in Oregon  your new home.  You may feel  happy and exicited   to  be branching out on your own.  I know  college is a big change from high school   just from my experience  but  this is  different     not only are you going to college   you are leaving  the house.   No  just  a house  our  house   our  home that we have shared for the last  18  years.   There is a old video  of us visiting the site  before moving into the house while you were still inside mom's belly.  Now  our house is  bulit  and   it has had many  renivations  done  over the years.  We  have added    hardwood floors  windows     a swing set    which has now been replaced with a swingset.   Theres  a small  garden and our beautiful  California hillside that is our  backyard  in  our small  part of the neighborhood.  Inside  you have moved rooms    the first room that you used to share with our  brother  is now  my  room, yet  I still  remember  your little white bed  the same bed that we  sat on  in this  halloween picture.   Rooms have changed the house  has changed  and grown  just  like you have changed from the baby     in the pumpkin picture   to  a  beautiful duck  who   now  loves the    Pretty Little  Liars.

     It seems  funny to think  that I  am  still here.  But a lot of things about me being the older sister have been funny.      Growing up with developmental disabilities is  hard  but   it must be harder for you  to be the  younger sister of  a  older sister with disabilities. You have  had to become elder, yet be younger then me by age.    You have had  to explain to other s why  I talk funny and     yell so loud  and am  prone to bouts of anxiety. I am sorry that you had to experience these things and become  afraid of my behavior at   times.  To be honest   I  was hoping that    we  would have a better relationship  before you left home, yet  I  know  I am hard to  deal with.  I want you to know that although I have not been the easyiest   sister  to  grow up alongside with  I   love you so much. I hope you enjoy  Oregon and have a great life  you are a special young lady who is  a great motherly figure to your  younger friends.    You are  ready  to be an adult.   I need some time  but  I will  get there.  I love you soooooooo  much.

 much love,

AZ
.

AZ  Big Bro and princess 1994

Birthday Blues

  So  today is my 21st  b day.  I live in the US which  means that at 21  I could go to  a bar  and  get achole  and   maybe a little  tipsy

  But because I have no friends   it  makes  it  impossible   of course having Facebook  helps  a ton  people from  all over   wishing  me  happy  b day   yet    no one  is  coming later to celebrate  and at  21   family  just   doesn't cut  it.   Oh   Well.... 


 My dream for my  next b day is  having a group  of really  good friends to celebrate  with possibly  a  bf   but   i  think   that is  asking to much.

 Happy  b  Day to me  

Its World CP Day

 First off I want to thank all the  fellow self advocates and parents  who  gave  me  some  photos  for the montage/  I kept  moving the deadline  farther and farther.  I loved seeing all  these photos of  everyone.  Please feel  free to share this video  with people  on your own  blogs   its  all about awareness.  This  is  so cool because   people  with  CP finally get a day to raise  awareness and come together  as a community   It is  great to know that   I am not alone in dealing  with CP.   I had soo  much  fun doing this so   I think  its  safe to say that  I will be doing this next  year .    Offline the fun counties as  I have class and    ST and  then    CP  Day  dinner.  If anyone  local  wants to  come  email me  azchapman1991@gmail.com  and    I will  give u  details.  For  now  enjoy the video.













  What did you  think   of the video?  Are  you  guys celebrating  World CP Day   offline?


  Happy  first  annual  World Cerebral Palsy Day

Palsy photos

    Hay  guys so September fourth  is World  CP  Awareness day and  to celebrate  I am   having a photo montage   email me a photo     by       next Sunday

 azchapman1991@gmail.com

  I want to make this the  best montage ever  so   please  spread the word.

  The  video will be out  September fourth   so  remember to check  back then

 me summer  2009 Will this  photo  be in the montage ?  Check back September fourth 

Able to go to college episode five: Test Time

           So this was the first test  of the semester ( which is  ironic  considering   next week  is  my  first day  back)



 Anyway

  In  college  I am in   regular  classes( of course)  but because of my disability  I  get to take  my take in a special   place  called   DSPS.

 DSPS  is   a resource  for college students  with disabilities almost every college  has  one.    In my college  I  have  an accommodation form that I  give to the teachers that basically says that I   have a disability and   need  accommodations.  Accommodations  vary   from  person  to person but   for the most part  every student with  a disability will need extended time on test.       At my college extend time on test  comes   with double  time (   a  30 minute test = 1 hour)    or time and a half      does  anyone  know?    I think  I  have double  time. This does not mean that   I  have unlimited  time  cuz  i do not I just have more time to think about  the  test material.  And    there is no cheating allowed







 For this test  I t was on  the human  cell   which    was a hard test but  luckily  I had a study  group meeting at my house so  I studied well. I  got a  B.

 Do you  know the  parts of  our cells 

 images
 video  pic from goggle
 test http://www.bestmastersineducation.com/teaching-to-tests/standardized-tests.jpg
cell http://people.eku.edu/ritchisong/cell1.gif

Today numeber of the day is

 

 That is  how old   Princess  is  today that is so crazy    can't believe  she is an adult  happy b day  princess 

Respect

  R-E-S-P-E-C-T  find out what it means  to me 


     Thanks,  glad  you  want to know.  It started earlier  today  I was watching  the  US women's soccer   with my parents they were in the  gold  place  medal  round in the Olympics and they  won  today   2-1 like  many    proud Americans  I  was  proud that we won.  Why  shouldn't  I?   I   was  born in  the US  I love soccer  especially  watching it on the big  screen as was the  case  today. 

 Then their  was the medal  ceremony.  Then  it  hit me  like  a fist.     Disabled  athletes   do not  get the  same  respect  as  average  people.   There  they were   with their  matching  warm up   atire    amongst the fans that were  cheering for  them   that I was able  to see    100 miles away  on   the big screen.   

  Got this  off  of  Facebook its  to good not  to share with u all 

The  Olympics feels  so much  more  poignant  to me  because I am able  to  see it on  TV   on  a major channel  I  was able  to  watch   the opening  ceremonies and   most of the events on  tv.   They   were on   in every  restaurant  that I went to   over these  past two  weeks.  My parents   recored  via  DVR.      I  was  never able to do  it  this  during last years  World Special Olympics  Summer games, nor  do   I  believe    I will able to  watch the  para  olympics  in the next two  weeks. This  really  pisses me   off.  I did some  research  and   I  found that in  2008  the  Us  broadcasted  a  two  hour    pice on the  para olympics.    Ok   so  you  broadcast   two  weeks for the  US   but   two  hour  pice  on   para olympics. I  know  you can  find  it online  but  you  really have to  look, but    it is  bluntly  obvious that the  olympics   are on.   
Why  wasn't   Oscar    known in the US  before   the London  olympics  he was obviously a great  athletes .?  He was  not known  because  the  para olympics are not   broadcast  in the  US.


  I am not saying that   Hope  Solo,   Michael Phelps,  and   the rest of the US olympic team   do not deceive our  respect. I     am  proud of all of them.  I am saying that  disabled   athletes who represent  team  USA     should also  become  households names .
  I am a  athlete and  I am  Normal