Rainy Days

Today it torrentially down poured in parts of Pennsylvania. Earlier in the week I had planned to go into the Dean’s Office and finish up my work on The Collage, but when I looked out my window and saw students with umbrellas flipping inside-out, I decided that wasn’t going to be possible. Not only can I not carry an umbrella, I also have a hood that doesn’t stay on very well in windy conditions. I also had to walk from one building to another because the shuttle bus at KU doesn’t have a stop at the building where I work.

I was very upset because I was already dressed and ready for the day and really wanted to go to work to finish the newsletter. But, I had no choice. So, I reluctantly called the Dean’s Office to let them know that it was going to be hard for me to get there. Luckily, they seemed to understand my situation.

I was then stuck in my apartment. I was hoping that the rain would stop before my class at 3:00, because I was presenting all of my different websites on Disability Awareness 4 You, and thankfully it did!

Sometimes students with disabilities face challenges when bad weather conditions happen. The best thing a teacher and/or other students can do is understand that it may not always be as easy as it seems for these students. Also, students with disabilities should keep the lines of communication open with their professors and friends so that they will (hopefully) not be penalized for missing class/work/etc.

Dating and Disabilities

Something that has always been very dear to my heart is the issue surrounding relationships and disabilities. I know MANY people with disabilities who are single because they don't feel attractive or have never been noticed by someone else. The results of these situations can be devastating.

The connection between death and teens who are not heterosexual is rising - and the awareness about it is rising, too. What society doesn't know is that disabled teens, and even adults, who do not feel capable of ever having an intimate relationship could end up going down the same path, and some already have.

I know about this battle from personal experience. As if high school wasn't hard enough, it was even harder for me because of my disability. My disability is visual - you can see the differences - and this made me stand out from the crowd. Although I did have a few relationships, I was never "asked out" by anyone. I always started the relationship, and to be honest, I always ended up with guys who were willing to be with me, but I didn't find them attractive or have an urge to date them. So, for a long time I bounced around, dating guys who were all wrong for me; but, I was somewhat satisfied because I was grateful that I didn't go through high school without dating at all. I look back now and wish that I didn't bounce around so much, but many of the disabled people that I come across have gone through this same phase because we are so desperate to feel loved and wanted.
Disabled people need to learn how to feel confident about themselves, first and foremost. No one wants to date a person who is constantly talking about how ugly they are and how much they hate themself. People want to be around and date people who are positive and fun to be with. Once disabled people learn this positivity and confidence, then and only then can they start to think about dating. This was definitely one of my problems. I always complained to friends about not being able to find a partner due to my disability (and to all of you who dealt with me during that time, I am truly sorry).

Another important detail is not to feel that you can only date another disabled person when you yourself are also disabled. There are so many people in the world, and if you only pay attention to a very small group, you are limiting yourself to other options. I've found this to be true among many of my disabled friends.

And for all of the non-disabled people out there, the same rules apply. If you limit yourself to dating only people who are white and blonde like yourself, you are limiting your dating possibilities. This is not to say that you should only explore people who are unlike yourself; rather, you should be willing to keep your mind open to anyone.

Lastly, and this is very cliche, but, you must not openly look for a partner all day, everyday. Love truly can find you when you least expect it.

As I say throughout every website that Disability Awareness 4 You has, COMMUNICATE! Communication is a great way to meet someone. Talk with your friends, old and new, and you never know what might happen. If you don't communicate, you will never meet new people and are thus limiting yourself and all of your dating possibilities.

If this post helped you, let me know. I would be more than willing to post more articles about dating and disabilities. (I didn't want to overkill it.)

Disability Highlight: Visual Impairments

Until I came to college, I was unaware of visual impairments that were more severe than poor eye sight, but not as severe as being completely blind.

I now know four people who have visual impairments at KU. Some of them use the aid of white canes or guide dogs, and some of them do not. It just depends on a case-by-case basis. So many disabilities follow this theory, which is why no one--not even someone with a disability--can ever really understand the complexities of another person's disability. Never assume you know what a person is going through and never assume that you know what they can and cannot do because it varies with each individual.

People with visual impairments have a range of accommodations that are made for them in certain situations. For example, the most common accommodation among students with visual impairments is that they sometimes require texts to be larger in format. Other helpful accommodations for students with visual impairments are:

• They may need to be seated closer to the front of the classroom so they can see the chalkboard.
• They may be affected by very bright lights, so warning them of any is helpful.
• Verbal instructions and details are beneficial to a student whose eye sight is very poor.
• Tactile familiarization with a classroom or other detailed areas of a room or objects can help a student with a visual impairment be an equal alongside the other students in their class.

These helpful hints may seem only applicable to people who are blind; however, it should be noted that people with visual impairments need accommodations, too, and they should be allowed to receive the same rights to accessibility throughout their life.

Disability Highlight: Social Disabilities

This post and future posts will highlight certain disabilities (in this case, social disabilities) as a way to increase awareness about these specific impairments. Feel free to comment on this post, or e-mail me via my website: http://www.disabilityawareness4you.wordpress.com/.

My biggest complaint regarding disabilities comes when people who are "normal" judge people who appear to also be "normal," when in fact, they do not know if those people really are "normal."

So many disabilities are not visible to the naked eye, including people with social disabilities. People with these impairments have various levels when it comes to understanding social norms. Every society and culture has social norms, and sometimes people with social disabilities have a hard time picking up on the cues sent out by these cultures. For this reason, sometimes people judge without knowing that those people have no control over their level of understanding.

So, next time you see someone who doesn't seem "normal" or understanding of social cues, don't judge them. We all have disabilities/impairments, and shouldn't be judged because of them.

Some of the most common social disabilities include, but are not limited to:

* Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) - A group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of socialization and communication skills. Parents may note symptoms as early as infancy, although the typical age of onset is before 3 years of age. Symptoms may include problems with using and understanding language; difficulty relating to people, objects, and events; unusual play with toys and other objects; difficulty with changes in routine or familiar surroundings, and repetitive body movements or behavior patterns. Children with PDD vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviors. Some children do not speak at all, others speak in limited phrases or conversations, and some have relatively normal language development. Repetitive play skills and limited social skills are generally evident. Unusual responses to sensory information, such as loud noises and lights, are also common.
credit: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/pdd/pdd.htm

* Autism (the spectrum) - As defined by the Autism Society of America (ASA): Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Both children and adults with autism typically show difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Autism is one of five disorders that falls under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive impairment in several areas of development."
credit: http://www.definitionofautism.com/

* Asperger's Syndrome - Asperger's syndrome is a developmental disorder that affects a child's ability to socialize and communicate effectively with others. Children with Asperger's syndrome typically exhibit social awkwardness and an all-absorbing interest in specific topics. Asperger's syndrome is generally thought to be at the milder end of the Autism spectrum.
credit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/aspergers-syndrome/DS00551

* Tourette syndrome (TS) - An inherited disorder of the nervous system, characterized by a variable expression of unwanted movements and noises (tics).
credit: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Tourette+syndrome

* ADD/ADHD - A syndrome, usually diagnosed in childhood, characterized by a persistent pattern of impulsiveness, a short attention span, and sometimes hyperactivity, and interfering especially with academic, occupational, and social performance.
credit: http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/ADD+or+ADHD


I hope that you learned more about social disabilities from this blog post. Please e-mail me or comment here if you have any comments, thoughts, or suggestions regarding this post.

ABC Family searches for deaf actress to star in new TV show

On October 5, 2010, ABC Family posted a casting call on their website, looking for a deaf female actress and two deaf male actors to star in a new TV show.

The website asks that the characters resemble these descriptions:

"DAPHNE - actress must be deaf or hard of hearing and must speak English well, American Sign Language preferred. Age range from 16 to early 20’s to play high school. Actress is to be light-haired or willing to dye hair blond for the role, and if the show moves to series, actress must be willing to relocate to Los Angeles in February.

Smart, confident, and well-adjusted Daphne is stunned to learn that she and Bay Kennish were accidentally switched at birth 15 years ago. Having grown up in a working-class household as the only child of a single mom, she is excited to meet her new parents, and especially thrilled at the idea of having brothers and a dad. But balancing two families is trickier than she expected, particularly because her biological parents have never been around anyone deaf, and are eager for her to enter a mainstream school and a less deaf-centric world.

EMMETT - 16, actor must be deaf or hard of hearing, must be fluent in American Sign Language. Emmett is Daphne's best friend. Raised by deaf parents and educated in a deaf school, Emmett doesn't talk orally, and is more comfortable in a deaf world. Rugged, reserved, a young deaf James Dean.

PENN - late 30’s or 40’s. Male, actor must be deaf or hard of hearing, must speak English well. Penn is Emmett's father and Daphne's mother's best friend. Penn is the one who educated Daphne's mother about the importance of learning sign, schooling Daphne in a deaf world, etc."

It seems as though the show will tackle various issues regarding being deaf, but also everyday life issues. Daphne, for instance, will meet her biological parents, who are not familiar with being around deaf people, and want to get her more involved in mainstream schooling and culture. Emmett, on the other hand, is very comfortable around the deaf community, but not at all comfortable with mainstream society because of his upbringing.

I know many people with disabilities who are not comfortable around "mainstream" society, and are only comfortable around other people with disabilities. For those people, adapting to the world outside of disabilities can be very difficult, so it will be very interesting to see how ABC handles this issue.

I also think it will be wonderful to have another show that highlights different lifestyles, especially for young teens. ABC Family, after all, is meant to be watched by families. By young people watching this show with their parents, both audiences can learn about what life is like being deaf and how to handle questions and curiousities about people with disabilities.

Let's keep our eye out for this show and hope it does well in the ratings so it can turn into a series.

For more information about how to audition for the various roles, visit http://abcfamily.go.com/site/news/abc-family-searching-deaf-actress-star-new-tv-show/576979.

Schools: Take care of this very serious issue, NOW.

http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-national/20101008/US.Bullying.One.Town/

If you read the article that can be found by clicking the link above, you will be astounded by the number of teenage deaths at Mentor High School that are directly related to bullying.  I am very glad to have an opportunity to write about such a serious issue.  Bullying will always be a part of growing up, but the increased exposure that children have to violence, sex, and drugs/alcohol is only making it worse.  Violence, sex, and drugs/alcohol are certainly not the only reason that children are acting out, but there is a definite, noticeable shift in our culture's society, specifically in our youth, from 50 years ago until now.

The second to last paragraph in this article describes one student's struggle with bullying due to her learning disability.  But this is just one story.  There are many other cases that often fly under the news radar concerning deaths among students with disabilities that are attributed to bullying. It's a serious problem.  Junior high school and high school are difficult for every child and even worse for children who don't fit popular or "normal" standards.

The biggest problem we have is that our educators and school administrators are not well-trained in strategies to prevent bullying. I believe that more colleges and universities should have courses specifically designed to address these issues, and in today's world, this is not asking much.  I also think that a universal disciplinary plan should be made for students who bully or harass others.  If every school had a rule that once a student bullied another, he/she would be suspended and sent to an anger management class, the number of bullies would significantly decrease.  And I know what you're thinking: some amounts of aggression or anger is healthy.  Of course it is--but don't children and teens fight enough with their parents, friends, or siblings?  They are exposed to every feeling possible throughout their childhood (maybe some more than others, but they do experience it).  For this reason, that counter argument can be diminished.

Perhaps such a plan would benefit not only schools, but also the country we live in.  If the children are our future, maybe we should be teaching them how to get along with others and accept them for who they are.  They don't have to like everyone, but they should treat others with respect.  "To each their own," so to speak.

We have to address this issue, and the time is now--before the youth's death rate increases even more.

Alternate Text

I recently caught up with my friend, Genevieve Smith, a junior at KU, who is blind.  We were talking about my projects for increasing disability awareness, and, mainly, my website (http://www.disabilityawareness4you.wordpress.com/).  When she went on the website, her computer was reading aloud what I have written on the homepage.  Then, she was asking me about the pictures/graphics on the various pages.  I was telling her what they were when she asked if I could add alternate text.  When I told her I had no idea what alternate text was, she was shocked.

So, I went to the editing mode on my website, I clicked on the pictures and there was a text box labeled "alternate text" and I had nothing in it (because I didn't know what it was).  Genevieve told me that by adding alternate text to my pictures and graphics, her computer can read aloud to her what they are. She knows they are graphics, and her computer knows they are graphics, but she can understand what the graphics are by having the alternate text. For example, the alternate text I added to my picture was "professional photo of Jackie Conley."  This lets Genevieve and other visually impaired users know what the picture is. I immediately wanted to blog about this because I never knew about it, and I think everyone should!  It takes no effort at all to add the text, so we should be adding it. 

So, next time you are editing photos online, if you can add alternate text, try it!  Alternate text is simply a description of the graphic that lets all users know what the graphic is a picture of.

How many of you knew about alternate text?  I think I'm going to make this question my next poll. Visit my website later this week to cast your vote.  Thanks.

Artie from Glee

I recently read an article about Artie Abrams (Kevin McHale) from Glee (click on the title of this blog, "Artie from Glee" to see the full story). The character is part of the Glee Club, and contributes to the show's diversity due to his use of a wheelchair. The article discusses whether the character should be awarded for his portrayal of disabilities (because he is not disabled in real life) or if the actor and producers of Glee should be condemned for not hiring an actor who has a disability off-stage.

The author of this article, Aaron Broverman, who has Cerebral Palsy, notes that if the show's co-creator "had chosen an actor who actually used a wheelchair, but who was otherwise unqualified, that would have been nothing but a different form of discrimination – tokenism." And I completely agree with him. I personally believe that some people with disabilities need to realize that characters are just characters. They are not going to get everything spot-on. However, they can provide positive behaviorial models for audiences.

I have two younger sisters who watch the show, and, honestly, I am so excited that teenagers their age (15-16) are getting some form of disability awareness from the show. Won't this help in the long run? I think it will. Whenever I watch Artie sing AND dance alongside his peers in the Glee Club, I smile, because he is trumping the idea that only people without disabilities can dance.

I don't actively watch Glee, but when I do I am very thankful that it is such a popular show among our nation's youth. The show encourages teenagers to be inclusive, make good decisions, and fight for one's rights.

Thoughts?

Just another day in the life...



Phoenix Group bake sale, 9/24/10
From left to right: Genevieve Smith, Jackie Conley, Chelsea Cellars and Cara Liebowitz

 On Friday, September 24, I volunteered to sit at a table to try and get people to buy baked goods from a bake sale table for the Phoenix Group, a Kutztown University club dedicated to spreading disability awareness, of which I am currently the president.

As you can see from the picture above, there were lots of baked goods, flyers, and to the right of Cara was a tri-fold poster and other giveaways (pens and koozies) as well as a sign-up sheet. All of this, with a few exceptions, was in my apartment. Now, because I walk with crutches, there was no way I was going to be able to carry all of that to the other side of campus. So when we announced the bake sale at our meeting prior, we made sure to find someone that could stop by my apartment beforehand to help me carry stuff over. Thanks to Chelsea (and a very kind boyfriend, who is not a member) the materials were transported across campus safely.

But there is never a dull moment...

The day before the bake sale was just like any other day, full of meetings, classes, and appointments. On my way to a meeting, I realized that things didn't feel right as I walked, and a strange sound was coming from my crutches. I examined them to see where the problem was, and to my surprise the rubber end of my crutch (also known as a crutch tip) had a rip in it. A few more days of walking on it would cause it to rip, and then I would be walking solely on the pole-part of my crutch, which doesn't help someone who has bad balance. So, knowing that I had to be somewhere the next day, I had to scramble and hope that my one friend, who has a car on campus, could get me to a local drug store as soon as possible. Luckily she came through, and after a trip to two different drug stores, we found the tips. The next step was getting the old tips off and the new ones on, which is not nearly as easy as it sounds. You can't simply pull them off. You have to cut them off with an exacto knife or box cutter. And again, luckily for me, a helpful boyfriend was able to get the old ones off with a pearing knife (I live in a college dorm, I don't have exacto knives lying around). Thankfully, no one was hurt in the process, either.

Once I could finally walk safely, we went back to the bake sale to help wrap up the event and transport the Phoenix Group materials back to my room (again with help from someone volunteering at the table).

Hopefully some of you got a laugh from this post. This is just another day in the life I live. Hopefully these crutch tips hold up for a while. Did I mention the old tips were only 3 months old?

"On Being a Cripple"




Nancy Mairs, in the wheelchair she uses occassionally


 I recently read the piece by Nancy Mairs, On Being a Cripple. Now, I must say that I can never really understand why people with disabilities resent themselves to a point of no return. Obviously, one who has a disability may very well go through some phases where he doesn't like himself, or the cards he was given, because of his disability; however, he bounces back. But, there are some who don't ever bounce back. Some people cannot handle the complexities of having a disability. This is too unfortunate, in my opinion. Having a disability is liberating, because we are contributing to a diverse population of people who must accept us, according to certain laws that are now in place in America.

In the article, Mairs talks about how she acquired Multiple Sclerosis, "a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system, in which the myelin that sheathes the nerves is somehow eaten away and scar tissue forms in its place, interrupting the nerves' signals." (Mairs 246). I can understand how it is much different to live with a disability your entire life compared to acquiring one after leading a "normal" life. However, I still think it is just like all other aspects of life, and you just have to learn to roll with the punches. Sometimes I wonder, am I wrong to think this way? After all, I've had my disability my whole life, but that doesn't mean that I'm used to it, or that things aren't constantly changing within my body.

Mairs discusses her life as a professor, writer, and speaker. When she speaks to audiences about her MS, she also speaks about the depression she suffers because of her "disease." This is what I'm getting at. Depression in a person with a disability seems to me a person who is not accepting of people with disabilities, and also someone who previously discriminated against us. In On Being a Cripple, Mairs also writes about how she has been "lucky so far" and how she is thankful to those who help her (247). But she also just wants people to treat her as they would treat any other human being. My question is: how can you request that of someone when you yourself may not have treated a "cripple" like any other human being before you acquired MS?

Sometimes I truly believe that I am so confident (in terms of given the fact that I have Spina Bifida) because of my parents, who never treated me as though I was different, but took care of me when I was going through surgeries and other procedures that my younger sisters never needed. However, I also never thought, or was trained to think, of myself as different. I had friends in school, was picked on like other kids, and even had to undergo the horrors of dating during my teenage years. My point here is: so things may be hard; but they are for everyone! Everyone has issues. It's about learning how to handle them. Am I right?