tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1150898704062432412011-07-07T17:58:59.233-06:00I started this blog to chronicle (and vent) some of the prejudice we deal with while raising our daughter who happenes to have a disability. Then I started thinking about how many other kinds of prejudices there are. I'm not sure yet what the purpose of this blog is. Right now it's a way for me to vent and think out loud about the things I encounter, or things my friends and family have experienced. I welcome your comments. Feel free to share your own experiences as well.Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-27399703973913781972009-08-25T14:17:00.002-06:002009-08-25T14:20:37.494-06:00

Primary schools need to do more to change the way children think about disabled people, according to new research from the University of Leeds.The study found that typical misconceptions held by children include disabled people are not able to work, they are unlikely to have a partner or get married, disabilities are passed onto children and disabled people have tragic lives, often cut short by

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-14639746444153767352009-08-05T01:28:00.003-06:002009-08-05T01:41:09.696-06:00

BY DR. MARK MOSTERT, Institute for the Study of Disabilities & Bioethics (ISDB)President Obama’s Medicare Welcomes the Grim Reaper, Part IIWhat the government is intending, of course, is controlling who lives and who dies, who gets treatment and who doesn’t.I’ve already addressed this intention via the President’s repeated public statements, and how certain phrases are repeated, mantra-like, so

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-47450346745982046182009-06-30T15:26:00.007-06:002009-06-30T15:38:39.904-06:00

by Dr. Mark Mostert June 29,2009Let’s be clear: President Obama’s push for healthcare reform will significantly change the way people with serious medical conditions, especially among the elderly, those with disabilities, and the terminally ill, will be treated.Well, not treated, actually.There’s no doubt that the President’s message, hammered relentlessly at every turn, is

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-63320762348745362942009-03-29T16:59:00.003-06:002009-03-29T19:16:33.725-06:00

OK, I know there's a million cliches like "Live Today Like It's Your Last", "Seize the Day!" and all the others just like those; but this time I mean it! =D ha haSeriously though, for anyone who lives with chronic pain, chronic illness, is a caregiver to someone with a disability, elderly, etc., etc. this is a really huge thing and not so easy to do.When my daughter was born with Spina Bifida it

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-57183833767798279992008-12-24T10:05:00.004-06:002008-12-24T12:09:30.213-06:00

I was laying in bed this morning thinking about Christmas dinner (which is tomorrow). I was thinking that we should go around the table and say what we are grateful for. This year we weren't at home for Thanksgiving and our daughter really missed doing that. I started going through the list, in my mind, of all the things I am grateful for. For some reason I started thinking about the people with

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-9573554255723091952008-12-10T08:33:00.003-06:002008-12-10T08:38:49.889-06:00

I subscribed to a blog a while ago that I wanted to share with you. I added it to the top of my "Great Links to Check Out" on the left of this blog.I commented on the latest blog entry on this page.Please check it out. It's really important stuff!

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-45989597184637541252008-10-18T12:37:00.004-06:002008-10-18T14:54:55.778-06:00

Well, I think sexism is this thing that stays on the back burner in my mind. I do think of it on occasion, but I am so used to it that I think I forget about it sometimes.Well, lately I've really been thinking about it a lot. I'm not sure if it was triggered by seeing the movie "The Duchess" or not, but it was around that time. "The Duchess" was an awesome movie and very beautiful, but it was

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-33196747641603953362008-10-08T08:14:00.007-06:002008-10-08T08:38:11.070-06:00

This is horrible!!!!!They had sold their home, packed their bags and flown to Canada to embark on a new life. Paul Chapman, his wife Barbara-Anne and their children Jack, 16, and Lucy, seven, were excited about setting up home on a two-acre plot in Nova Scotia. But their dreams were shattered by an immigration official who announced they could not enter the country because Lucy has a disability.

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-177583431650878472008-10-04T11:17:00.003-06:002008-10-18T14:58:41.669-06:00

THERE'S A CHANCE I MIGHT BECOME A SOCCER MOM!!!!!!Now, while people are making fun of Sarah Palin for being a "hockey mom" (I think it's hockey), I am reveling in the fact that I could join the club!I can't stand Sarah Palin, but it is one more example of how people find humor in what mom's do, from day to day. I'm not saying that I have never laughed at some jokes here and there, but anyway....

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-22757374858117038892008-07-03T15:37:00.005-06:002008-10-04T15:26:34.519-06:00

This is shameful (and that's an understatement).Our close friend Kelly lives in the building at the address where this violence is taking place. Kelly gets around in a power wheelchair. The apartment building that she lives in is for people with disabilities and apparently someone has decided that since they are more vulnerable than the rest of the population that they would be a good target for

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-61993538144995933772008-07-03T15:09:00.003-06:002008-10-04T15:24:37.799-06:00

I feel so bad that I have not added to my blog in so long. A comment made on my blog today about us moms of kids with disabilities sticking together gave me the push I needed. Thanks Twxee :)So, Raven is going back to school!!! Her last year in school was 2nd grade and she will be starting 6th grade in the fall.The turn around was when we finally got on the right track about a diagnosis for her,

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-9707941107161827722007-06-06T00:43:00.000-06:002007-06-06T01:35:51.463-06:00

I've noticed, over the years, that there are certain types of personalities that work best with my daughter. Obviously this is true for everyone - we all clash with some and get along perfectly with others. This is also true for kids with disabilities.....However, kids with disabilities also need an extra quality in their friends.I don't know if you need a nurturing quality or just more empathy

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-87864126809790839402007-06-06T00:28:00.000-06:002007-06-06T01:33:30.875-06:00

Something my daughter said the other day got me to thinkin'I always feel bad when people want her to go with them to places that I know are not that accessible or that would be too scary for her to do. Some things like amusement parks are not as much about accessiblity as they are about her anxiety and how she would never even get on the carousel.Over Memorial Day weekend we had friends over and

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-87688915039396697342007-05-28T05:49:00.000-06:002007-05-30T13:03:16.686-06:00

This one really has me stumped and I've been thinking a lot about it lately. OK, here's an example - Say you have known someone for a period of time and not only do you really like them, but you also find them to be very moral, ethical, etc. Then one day this person makes some racist statement and shocks the hell out of you.I don't know what I am supposed to do with this. It keeps bouncing around

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-9018420935406506562007-04-21T02:10:00.000-06:002007-04-27T12:55:09.709-06:00

The response I got to my last post, about birthday parties and how much that means to a mom whose child is different and doesn't get invited to a lot of things - well, that made me think about how many things we all take for granted.There's many things I take for granted and don't even realize. I do however have the blessing of not taking some things for granted because they are things that we

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-40701405323471197052007-04-20T17:20:00.000-06:002007-06-06T00:25:24.329-06:00

If you have a child with a disability the number might be low...depending on a lot of things of course. My daughter has not been invited to her cousin's (2) birthday parties in years. I'm feeling like she only went once to each and it was 5 or 6 years ago (they didn't live nearby before that).These 2 girls are my brother's girls and the youngest is 6 months younger than Raven and the oldest is 2

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-9685888951500267662007-03-25T01:31:00.000-06:002007-03-25T03:19:15.538-06:00

OK, so the number sounds shocking, but I guess when you figure that the divorce rate for your average whoever is around 50% anyway.....well, either way 80% of couples ending in divorce is a lot.My husband and I have always suffered from depression, so I can't really compare this blissful time before Raven was born and then some huge contrast afterward. Anyway, going from no kids to having a baby

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-67620564118712647692007-03-08T03:13:00.000-06:002007-03-08T04:11:54.504-06:00

I had trouble wording that title to grasp the ideas I have in my head. Hopefully in this post I will get around to making my thoughts clear.I have been e-mailing back and forth with a friend about racism and he mentioned having a positive attitude and that how you carry yourself and the positive vibe you give off really draws "the good stuff" to you. I comepletely agree because we all know the

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-60532894483459883512007-03-05T03:14:00.000-06:002007-03-05T04:41:48.231-06:00

When I was 15 my parents got divorced and my mother and I moved to South Carolina to live with my brother. My brother was in the Marines and was stationed there at the time. He rented a 2 room "house" on a plantation, outside of town. My brother liked it because the rent was cheap and there was good fishing and he was away from everything. The "house" he rented was actually one of the slaves

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-27976487898107710672007-03-05T02:35:00.000-06:002007-03-05T03:07:14.350-06:00

I come from a family who did not spend a lot of time talking about people of color...negative or positive. I suppose that it was mostly because we always lived in small towns or in a rural area and it was really always white. I did hear comments from other kid's parents from time to time and I think I just thought that they were entitled to their point of view and I never really judged it as

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-31461235936436756952007-02-24T01:05:00.000-06:002007-03-05T03:08:32.462-06:00

I just thought I'd mention something which will be no news to anyone with a physical disability.A couple days ago my daughter, myself and her PCA all went to Marshalls. They have very old doors and have to be pulled open (which is even harder than pushing since you can't use your chair to push the door open). On the ouside of the door there is a big sticker that has a disability or wheelchair

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-33475800140472881032007-02-08T00:38:00.000-06:002007-03-05T03:09:28.925-06:00

OK, so today something came up that made me think about how much I should expect people to go out of their way (if that's what you want to call it) for dd and I.There are a few of us on a board, online that are starting a social group for those of us who are on the board and local. It is all moms and kids who homeschool or unschool.Well, we have it all set up to meet for the first time next

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-70630145936090233882007-02-07T01:24:00.000-06:002007-03-05T03:12:05.870-06:00

Well, I will say that I guess it was a success for what it was.DD said all the way there that there would be no tapping her teeth with the pointy thing (which she calls the tippy tappy tool). Apparently she remembered this from 3 yrs ago when we went.She also said no big light over her but just a flashlight. The tech that came to talk to me was so nice that I thought everything might go really

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-115089870406243241.post-43042233023522370122007-02-06T02:08:00.001-06:002008-10-04T15:32:37.634-06:00

Well, this is my first attempt at blogging - I feel like either an old lady or just a 30-something who is out of the loop. It's like being one of the rare people who doesn't have a cell phone by now :) and the way things are going - an ipod. (I happen to have both, but the blogging obviously came later)So, I just turned 35 and for some reason this number has been a big deal to me - who knows why.

Judehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11208744775747486285noreply@blogger.com1