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.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Sunday, October 3, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, September 27, 2010
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?
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?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Just another day in the life...
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?
 |
| Phoenix Group bake sale, 9/24/10 From left to right: Genevieve Smith, Jackie Conley, Chelsea Cellars and Cara Liebowitz |
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?
Saturday, September 25, 2010
"On Being a Cripple"
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?
 |
| 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?
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