Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Workarounds that worked for me going through school

 So yesterday I talked about how a few weeks ago I got a nickname which is a workaround for my real name.  Going through school there were lots of workarounds that worked.  


 Slant board 

 Image description :A side view of a slant board  facing to the right 


  I used this in early elementary school to help me write.  I did not like  it because I wanted to be like everyone else.   This was an idea of my preschool teacher who helped tutor me.  It was helpful  once I agreed to use it  


  Fischer  Scissors.


  image description:blue scissors on a white background 





  Cutting things and doing art projects is a skill that is a staple in many kindergarten classrooms.  I have Cerebral Palsy and I had some fine motor difficulty which made cutting difficult for my tiny hands to use. My OT recommended   these special scissors that had bigger holes which make cutting easier.  My mom donated  multiple  scissors to my kindergarten class. This made cutting easier for everyone.




Adapted Seating 



 image description a blue classroom chair against a white background 



Due to my Cerebral Palsy,  I had  trouble sitting well. My trunk muscles were so weak that it was easier for me  to put my feet up near my chest which did not make for great learning posture.    I had an adapted chair from   second to fifth grade. It was  a blue chair with a block on the back with a velcro cushion . 



 Alpha Smart 

 Image Description  A blue keyboard with a tiny green screen.  says AlphaSmart 200 between the screen and keyboard. On a teal background  



When I was in second grade , I moved to the public school so there were more resources to help me access the general education curriculum.   One was an Alpha Smart.  I am sure that many  disabled students  remember these word processors .  I had one in second grade. This helped me type my spelling words and  write stories. Nowadays   Ipads and tablets can do far more cool things than my word processor ever could.  I did not like using these  things because I wanted  to be like the other kids.  In third  grade, I got access to the school computer  and by fourth grade  I wanted  to write  and my teacher agreed to let me write.   In middle school, my aide  and I took notes.  In high school I took my own notes.




 Pulse Pen 



 Image Description. A black pen pointed  on the record button on the paper.  Next to it has  pause and stop, Then it has  jump the other things are  harder to make out.


 In college I used a  Pulse pen to help me take notes. I highly recommend this for students who are auditory learners.  It is better than a tape recorder because  when you touch on a note it actually plays what was said while you are taking notes. I think this assisted me with doing well in college. I  graduated from Community College with honors.


  Sniffle Buddies 


  Image desciption  A blue wristband, On the front it says I'm blank 's buddy.  Then it has the Words Sniffle in green and buddies in blue along with their website  www.snifflebuddies.com


  A cool wristband that helps me manage my drooling.  




 Name Tags 


 A blue name tag that says on top " Hello my name is" and then  there is a place to write your name




  I love name tags because when I meet someone that can't understand my real name I  just showed them my name tag. It is easy and quick.    A few weeks ago someone  gave me the nickname  that I now use to introduce to people. I love my new nickname.




 Do you have any adaptation that you use? Want a more in-depth  description  of an adapted strategy?   Leave a comment below.




 Got images from

Slant board: http://www.sgwoodworksllc.com/Incline_Board.JPG
Fiscar scisssors https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/515%2BQfIJsqL._SL1000_.jpg
 Blue chair :http://s7d2.scene7.com/is/image/NationalBusinessFurniture/51239_0?hei=325
Alpha Smart http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NjAyWDEwMjQ=/z/yq8AAMXQ74JTUAWT/$_12.JPG?set_id=880000500F
Pulse Pen image https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41N8dbsDUHL._SY300_.jpg
Sniffle Buddies http://www.childrite.com/media/Sniffle_powderblue.jpg


Monday, October 17, 2016

The life lesson behind Hide and Seek

  Image description.  A young white girl covering her eyes. Three young kids run away.
 


So my two friends tandem blogged about the frustration they have when people  wait to ready as an excuse. They then invited  people to continue blogging.  




 One of my favorite  old-school childhood games is hidden and seek.   Kids count than say  "Ready or not  here I come."  

Hawaii
Image  Described
  A young  mixed race
girl  with a purple Hercules
T- shirt, and a lei around her
neck.


  When I was four about to turn five. My parents  had their version of  " Ready or not here I come,"  except they were not joking about it because  it was  the most important decision of their lives and would impact me for the rest of my life.     It was time to pick a school for me  to go to for Pre-Kindergarten.  Up to this point, I had been educated with  kids who had speech impairments in a county program the next town over.  But now it was kindergarten, the big leagues.  They decided to have me  apply for  a private school.   This school welcomed me in with  open arms ,but let's say for a minute  that they  said.



 AZ isn't ready to be included because ...
* drools a lot , the other kids will think it's gross"

* has bad balance."

 
*does not know  how to pronounce her own name.





  An  Articulation disorder
 wasn't a barrier for me to
perform in
 the school operetta
Participated all three years on stage with
my classmates.
 Image description
 A young mixed race girl with a Purple leotard
and a  sparkly shirt.
 Standing aginst  a gray and blue wall.
 
 



If you are  reading this thinking that they can't justify  special education for that.  Your  right they can't because it's against the law, but I have heard too many stories from parents of kids with intellectual disabilities of school officials  saying that their kid isn't ready because of their disability.  Because if  these same people  used  this I would have never stepped foot in  a general education class. Because   at 25. I have a real hard time saying my name, I still drool,  I have bad balance, but when they were willing  to make accommodations for me I was able to learn.  




 Instead at the private school, I was able to be myself, and my peers got to learn that disability was not something to be ashamed about.  I was able to drool and not have kids mind because sometimes I  drooled.   My drool and I were invited  to birthday parties and kids from my school went to my birthday parties.
 In kindergarten, my    teacher was determined to  teach me how to jump rope.   When she was on yard duty she made it her personal mission to teach me how to jump rope.  By the end of the year, I was jumping rope.   That kid with  bad balance learned how to jump rope.  The kid with bad balance learned from her best friend how to do the monkey bars. 

 A few weeks ago, After that kid that could not pronounce her name, graduated with their BA. They had a work around. They  have a short name.  There are workarounds for a lot of things.  More on that  tomorrow.

   Adults need  not be ready to include students with significant disabilities . They just need a belief that all kids can learn alongside their peers.  Students with significant disabilities  do not need to be  reading, or potty trained or  speaking in full sentences.    They are  ready and are coming.   Luckily there is a lot  research   that supports resources that supports  full inclusion. So schools that feel "not ready" can get ready because  ready or not here  comes disabled kids.  What you'll find is worth the finding when done right . 

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Important documentry

         Hard to watch but important to see. I want to live in a world where all disabled lives matter.  These test might change this.  Disabled people are not broken and our lives have value.   Click Here  to see this documentary from the UK.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Today's Video

 Great video by   Born this Way.  Here is the video.  Sorry  this video is late.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Really happy with this tool




 I have been using this tool for a week and am very happy with it.I recommend it for  everyone.  Have a good weekend.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Not that Inspiring: Speechless episode four

On this episode of Speechless, JJ and  Keneth get to spend the entire day together without mom or school,while the rest of the family gets to go to Paintballing and Ice Skating  two things that with JJ are hard to do.   Durin their day together JJ and Kenneth  become the objects of pity and get special perks, for example. they get to  get into a Dogger Game for free.  At first,JJ is into to this, but by the end,  he is not  happy.



 I have mild CP , so while I do not get inspiration a lot I still get it. When people call me inspiring, I do not like it. I mean I have not done anything  that great.  Yes I have a disability and have overcome  a ton and I think I am strong and think I am amazing, but I do not like  being called inspiring because it does one of two things.




 One   It shows me how limiting  you  think that disabilities are.








 So one time in college  I had something happen  to me that I have  called the  Seal incident.   In a Linguistics class at a private college. The teacher overly praised me for doing well on the first test of the quarter .   She came   to where I was sitting  and  wanted to shake my hand because I had gotten the second highest grade, she did not praise the highest student.  I felt like a seal. I hated this in fact it  discouraged me from doing well on future tests in that class. I  later learned that she  thought I was not going to do well.    This made me mad.  Let me tell you guys something.  Just because you  thought I  wouldn't do well doesn't mean it's a miracle when we do well it just means that you had  low expectations because  we have disabilities.  I am a disabled  honor   student and no that is not surprising.



 Two   It puts me on a pedestal











  Inspiration puts me on a pedestal.   Just because I have a  disability  does not mean  that I am  always good.  I have made lots of mistakes, just like everyone else.  I am just a human being trying to have  a good life according to my family values. 

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area

  Last Sunday was the annual Step Up for Down Syndrome Walk.  I went because for the last few months I have been helping the Down Syndrome connection of the Bay Area bring Services to the Peninsula. I love helping them  because they have really cute kids and I feel that having services to meet the needs  of those with  DS is a great thing.  Here is a poster that I made on my own for the walk. I got lots of help from my facebook friends. I think the poster turned out  well What do you think?




 To learn more about the organization click here 




Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Did you know




 Of women with Developmental Disabilities are raped.  We need  to teach men to respect women. This needs to end.   It is not acceptable.  We must do better.

Monday, October 10, 2016

Stranger Danger




 I have a story about a guy  treating me badly.  It happened in 2011, on a rainy day in March . I was  running to  try to catch the bus and  missed it. This   junky  four passenger car comes up.  Inside it was  a white man.  He offered me a ride.   Stranger Danger  kicked in and I said no and continued to walk and did not think anything of it. Until  about two minutes later  when he came back again.  He asked me again if I wanted a ride, I declined.  He then asked if I wanted money to have sex with him.  I told him to leave me alone.  That was really  scary and I am glad that   he did not  try to get out of his car because I do have a physical disability so  he would have been able to  do what he wanted with me.  It wasn't funny , and not something to joke about.  It was just plain wrong,  Men need to treat Women with respect. 

Friday, October 7, 2016

On being left out -- Speechless episode three



 So today I am going to be talking about Speechless Episode three.  Something I want to relate to is JJ being left out.  In this episode, the students at JJ's high school have a homecoming bonfire at a place that in inaccessible which makes JJ feel left out . JJ's mom  talks to the principal and has it cancelled.


I do not agree with  Maya's decision because   it is not realistic.  For me in additon to Cerebral Palsy  I have NVLD which is similar to Asperger's making dances and social things in middle school and high school really hard  for me.  In seventh grade, I didn't have the social skills or friends to navigate the middle school dances;however,  my favorite general education teacher was  working at  the dances.  I went and hung out with her. While this was not socially appropriate    I at least got to experince a dance.  I think it would be more embarissing to cancel dances  because I did not know how to behave because that would bulid resentment towards me  and be counterproductive.  What could be done is  have a fun night. What that means is during the dance, or bonfire, or other special event, have something  fun that  the kid gets to pick.  Play a board game, have a movie night  or something enjoyable.

 Another option would be for schools to plan ahead for these social events with  staff and  parents.  Maybe that could mean having a quiet room during the dance with a movie playing which would be open to all students-- Bookgirl's  privite school  did this and I thought it was a great idea.  Schools should not promote activites for general education  students that are inaccesable for  disabled students.  It is not right.   This  can be easily avoided and its up to adults to  make sure that social  events are  held accessable   venues.

  For students that have problems making friends a good thing to have is a circle of friends.   Circle of friends is a program where students with disabilities have a circle of  able bodied peers that help them out. Their are plaining meetings that students parttake in to set the student up for social success.  I  really wish  I would have had something like this.  I wonder if it is to late to have one.  

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Communication difficulties can't stop me

hi guys no speechless post because I am really tried but I wanted to blog about something that happened today .I was walking down town and saw a man with his son with a sign for food .As luck has it today theres  a farmers market . I tried to have them come with m so they could pick up what they needed but they didnt speak English that well  and my speech is affected but that didn't stop me .I got two bags of pears and gave one to them People with disabilities can make a difference

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

World Cerebral Palsy Day 2016

 Happy World Cerebral Palsy Day everyone.   Here is the video  I have been working on. It is so fun to be able to make this because it shows us  that we are not alone.  This video is  the first upgrade because the pictures now have backgrounds. I  worked very hard  on this and hope you enjoy the upgrade.


Tuesday, October 4, 2016

People like me on TV : What I could relate too in Speechless episode two


So  today I will be talking about Speechless episode two. Today I want to talk about the adults in one's life .











           On this episode of Speechless. JJ  says that he wants to have an aide that his mother doesn't agree with. In the first episode,   Mimi  and Kenneth  get into a fight at the school when Kenneth uses the word cripple,  but at a  carnival   JJ and  Kenneth  team up to save  JJ's younger brother from the bullies.


          When your a kid with disabilities you tend to have many adults in your life.  For me I had  OT, PT,ST  an aide  along with the typical adults  in a kid's life. For me the problem was  compounded   when I was diagnosis with  Non  Verbal  Learning disorder , which makes social skills nearly impossible to learn.  For me I get along better with adults.  As a teenager, I had favorite teachers  like my Freshman Spanish teacher, and my  Senior English teacher along with my golf coach.
      As a college student I  made friends with many  of my professors at my community college.  In fact they are the ones that  made me consider  that place a second home.   The key about those people  is  that they are not connected to my parents.  I love my parents a lot but sometimes I need space away from my parents to talk and interact  with adults.
 JJ obviously needs that space as well which is why he  insisted that he needs  Kenneth as his aide. I can not wait to watch their relationship grow as the show progresses.



  Speaking about friends  that are adults  here is a picture of me and my friend  sporting our green for World Cerebral Palsy Day last year.   Tomorrow is World CP Day so  do not forget to stop on by the blog for the world CP montage.






  Here is a preview.





Monday, October 3, 2016

People like me on TV

      Hay guys. I am sure that most of you know about the new ABC show called Speechless. Its a American sitcom about a family of five. The mother, played by Mimi Driver,  is a fierce advocate for her son JJ because he has a Cerebral Palsy. JJ is played by Micah Flower who himself  has Cerebral Palsy. This almost never happens.  There have been two episodes so far and while I have a milder form of Cerebral Palsy  there are still things that I can relate to.  I am going to be blogging about them  every Thursday but since I am down two episodes I am going to use today and tomorrow  to blog about it.

 Zack Anner has talked about how mothers that have disabled children fight for their kids, so I am going to say that my mom has always been my best advocate too. She fought for me to have a college education.

The thing I  want to talk about is how people talk down to the disabled.   This happens twice in the episode.  Once where  their in a parking lot and people are mocking him and the other time is when JJ enters class.

  This has become a big issue for me recently. I was hoping once I graduated from college that I would not have to face this.  I was just recently at a  disability conference where people  taught that I did not know how to read. This is extremely frustrating to me and makes me angry.  What able bodied people can do about it is  assume that a disabled person understands what is going on.   For me I am trying to work on a way to handle this.

Saturday, October 1, 2016

Welcome

  HI guys so its October and that means its time for the 31 for 21.  I am  participating
this year in a effort to  get back into blogging.  I have some  good ideas for you guys. So please stick around. I am  going to try and write  Monday though Friday and have either  pictures or videos on  the weekend.   Here is  today's picture.




 As you can tell from the  picture of me and my dad, I do not have DS. I have lots of friends with DS and am working to help brining services for individuals  with DS  to my area.  More on that later this month.   I have Cerebral Palsy , World CP Day is coming up October 5th so make sure you come back  to see the World CP montage .




Grab This Button

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

25 Life Lessons that I have learned due to my disability

   
  So today is my 25 birthday.  I have been on this earth 25 years! For me 25 seems so old.  I mean I  remember being a 21 year old and still feeling like a teenager and people in their mid 20s being so old but now the  jokes on me because  I am 25,  a quarter century old.

 Over the past 24 years I have learned a thing or two about disabilities.  I have had 8,640 days  of living with disability.  As a result,  I have had a unique experience being on this earth.  It is different than my parents or any of  my siblings.    There have been  lots of hard days but  not all days have been difficult.  In fact, there have been many life lessons that I have gained by having  a disability.
Here isa my count down list of 25.

 25  There will be hard days.   



 There will be  hard days for everyone life is hard at times. Sometimes it will be a hard day due to having a disability and some hard days happen because  life is just plan hard.


24  Hard Days do not last forever.


   
    Sometimes in the mist of  a bout of very strong OCD  I have hard weeks or months.  As hard as theres things might seem day after day,  there will be a day where it becomes better again.  



23  Laughter  makes everything better 



    On those hard days its important to have laughter.  A little joke and smile might be all you need  to make you  feel better.  Laughter has been crucial for me because it gives me a small break from  my fears and troubles.

22   Never take anything for granted 


  I know some people out there,  I know because unfortunately I have had to deal with them, think that humans beings are naturally able to walk talk  and do a verity of things independently and take those things for granted. I do not because I know  a lot of people who can not always do these things and they are not broken people.   

21  Disabilities are not something to be sorry about 


 One of the things I hate a lot is when people  apologize after I have told them that I have CP.  Those people I have found are the nice people who just do not know what to say.   There is nothing to be sorry about. I have a good life. 


20.  Kids are curious about disabilities,  so it is important not to dismiss their curiosity.




Both growing up and now as an adult,  kids are curious about why I speak differently.  I  know that it  is important to be honest with kids and give them the vocabulary  and knowledge to embrace people with disabilities.  I am not going to be publishing a book on Cerebral Palsy  this year but I am hoping  it will be at a later date.


19. Being in the right environment is critical for success.
  

 I have experienced this from jr. high 'til today . When I am in the right environment, I am able to do well and when I am not  it is hard for me to meet  expectations.  It is key that more  environments try to accommodate those with disabilities like my Jr College and CSEB did.

18. Words matter.


Despite what the saying, "sticks and stones" says,  words can and do hurt.   It is important  to be respectful to each other.  You can do this by ending the R word and listening to minority communities about what words or phrases mean to them.

17.  Friendships are critical.


Friendships are important. I did not have a lot of good friends growing up, so I treasure the friendships that I have now.  I am friends with my old professors, service providers, and some peers. These relationships are important because they allow me to have experiences outside of my family. 

16.  Inspiration is not necessarily a good thing. 


    Being disabled and having disabled friends online has allowed me to understand  that Inspo Porn       is not always the best  way to represent people with disabilities in the media.  ( For more click here
15 Ableism is real.


      While we learn about a lot of other stuff in school and college we rarely learn about Ableism.  I  have experienced ableism  and it is not fun.  It does exist  and as a young adult I now have a responsibility to speak against it and make other people  aware of its existence.

14. Disabled people have made contributions.


  Something else that you do not learn about in school is the story of the disability rights movement.  Helen Keller was not the only disabled individual who made a difference to American  History.  There have be others.  These  stories  need telling. I learned about the 504 protests that happened in SF in the seventies and the Capital crawl  to help  push through the ADA. 

13.  Media is slowly  changing.


   There has never been a better time to be a person with a disability.  Shows like Born This Way, Switched at Birth, and Speechless and the modeling industry advocacy organization, Changing The Face of Beauty are showing  the world that being disabled is ok. They are doing this by allowing real disabled actors to be portrayed in these roles. This is very exciting. 

12.  Being Brave is a crucial.


  Sometimes it is hard to be brave but it is important. When  I decided this summer to go back to Speech Therapy at 24 I was being brave and I am seeing the  results.

11.  Be Assertive 


  You have to speak up if things are not going right. Back in middle school, I was told to ignore bullies now I know that was wrong information.  You have to speak up, not only for yourself but for  others coming behind you. 


10   People you meet  online are not always creepy.



 I have met the best people online who are connected to disability.  We are truly a global community and are using  our voices and life stories to help each other.  I am hoping to attend the NDSC  conference next June to meet more of these awesome people.

9.   No one has a crystal ball.



   Though out my life well meaning people have tried to paint a future for me.  They said I couldn't go to college or live on my own.  This past year I graduated college with a GPA above 3.0.  This has proved to me that I make my own future just like my sisters and cousins. 



8.  Do not assume.

   I think humans tend to assume a lot of things about people. I have done this too and feel bad. I know that having an open  mind when meeting new people is important.


7.  Great expectations.




     My parents taught me this one. They  never seemed to be bogged down by what professionals said to them. They expect me to be my best. They pushed me to go to college and have advocated for me  to have the best life I possibly can. Sometimes when I start listening to nay sayers  they are the firsts ones to say no, that I can achieve success in life. 

6       Two wheel bikes are overrated 

 While  I can successfully ride a two wheeler on flat lands.  I much rather zip around on a three wheel bike. Although it has been broken for a few years.  I love that bike a lot. 

5.  Celebrate  the little things  

 When I am  able to  do something new. I tense up and get so excited, it is the best feeling because I know how hard I had to work to get there. 

4.  Community matters.

  I have found community  in therapy centers, Special Olympics and online.  I love making the World CP Montage  and mentoring kids with developmental disabilities.  The disability community is my tribe. I love being a part of  this great community.

3.  Hugs are not used enough.

 Being involved in the disability community has taught me that hugs are great.  It is the best thing that people can do. It feels great and is so easy. I  love giving hugs!


2.  Sometimes you have to be creative.

This could be called  different ways to do things.  Recently I have used a nickname for myself and it has worked well.

1.  Inclusion is key.


 Inclusion in life is so important. I know I am biased, but I think the best job in the world is advocating for inclusion of people with disabilities!

Thursday, August 4, 2016

World CP montage

 Note : You can not send them to me in a comment but  email still works

Thursday, July 7, 2016

If by chance then do not judge

  So, I am in speech therapy again and  am working hard and sometimes , ok a lot of the time,   I drool.  Once  while saying the /th/ sound  I accidentally  sprayed  my speech  therapist .  I got so embarrassed and rushed to apologize . She wasn't mad and  said that I couldn't help  it.

 This week  in America two  black men were shot by the police.  This  is not new, but this is the first time I am talking about it.  Black lives , not all lives in particular  because black lives have been tossed away  without  public regard for all of America's history mater. They matter because they are  people who are a part of families. They matter because  the person killed by the police  is someone's son, brother, lover, friend. They matter.

 One of the reasons that it seems silly to me to judge someone based on a characteristic , such as race, gender, sexual oreantation,  religion  or ability.  Is that  these are characteristics  that the person  themselves     has no control over.  The individual person does not  chose these characteristics yet in America we tend to  punish certain groups for a characteristic  that  they themselves did not have control over.   Just like disability, my mixed  race identity  has  contributed to the person that I am.  I am  a disabled women of color.  I knew about slavery  before it was taught to us.  My mom has stories of the Jim Crow south as do my grandparents.  It shapes me into a more conscious person.  It is not something I chose, but it has shaped me into the person that I am today.

 To judge someone because they are  different for whatever reason is wrong.  Because it is all by chance.   Random Chance.  The bad thing is that some people think they are better because of chance.  There  is one race the human race.  We are better together.


  Remember the Golden Rule:  Treat Others The Same Way You Want to be Treated 


  My deepest condolences to those that have loss  a person to police violence 

Friday, June 10, 2016

Last Final

Just finished my last final of college undergrad. 17 months ago I was told that I could not complete a degree in Liberal Studies at NDNU. Eight years ago I was told that I could not go to college to do behavior problems and I really should work in a back room. But yet tomorrow I will get my BA. Impossible is nothing. Never underestimate anyone. Have high hopes and use inclusion to get there.

6/10/16

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Legacy


   Once upon a time there was a young women  who went to a grad fair.  Seeing  all the graduation ceremonies  they  left because there were things for other graduations , Black Grad,  Asian Grad but no graduations for those with disabilities.  Being  a disabled  advocate she went to the disability program and  mentioned it to the staff.  The staff liked it so they  put it on. Today was that day.  It was a fun day. This will be an annual   celebration   at the school. This is pretty good legacy to leave behind.  

 For those of you that are worried that this means  this graduate will not  be included  in the traditional ceremony, Don' t worry she will walk across the stage in  ten days.

Thursday, May 26, 2016

Happy b day Book girl

 Book girl is amazing.  She always is looking out for  me.    She is awesome.   Happy b day  Book girl   Love you  lots.



 AZ   

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Happy Mothers Day 2016

  Hi  guys sorry   I have been absent.  OCD  has not been kind to me these  past few months and I  am graduating and  generally  really busy.   But  I wanted to blog  for  Mothers day.





     My mother is the best mom I could  ever ask for.  She  is  strong beautiful  and wise.   There have been many times where I wanted to quit college. After an horrible college experience  I  did not  want to go back to school.   My mother was there   and was firm in her  stance.    I would finish  college no matter what.   I am now graduating  with my  BA in June.


     Whenever   I am in one of my  ocd meltdowns there is only one person that I  want to  talk to  it is my mom.   My mom may not  be trained in mental health.  She does her best and helps  talk me through things.    I know  its not easy to deal with - for both of us- but  she does it well.

 For all mothers  of disabled kids, and fathers too.  Thanks for  loving  us, helping us,. Thanks for  holding us,  talking to us,  playing and planing.    Motherhood  is not an easy job  for any parent but you do it and we love you for it.     For any  mother of a disabled  kid  who thinks that they are not doing enough  for their  kid.  Let me  assure  you that you are doing  the best  you can.    

And for my mother.

 Thanks for everything that you have done for   Princess  Bookgirl and  me.    Love you always.



AZ