[tri-med] Re: Disability Awareness

wow how cool!  some peole really get it dont they?
jude, mom to derek-18, kelsey-16
and kameron-7-full t18
golden, colorado usa

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jennifer Vanderbeek" <Phil46@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

>I don't know if you know what ABC's Ultimate Makeover Home Edition is, but
> they redid a house for a family with a son who is autistic and blind 
> awhile
> ago.  To help the designers understand what it feels like to be autistic,
> they sat the head guy in a chair with rocks on it (to show how it feels to
> be sore and uncomfortable due to lack of repositioning or just 
> sensitivity),
> put lime juice in his mouth (for bad tastes from lunch or just in 
> general),
> taped his mouth shut (not being able to communicate), shined flashlights 
> in
> his eyes (overstimulation and light sensitivity), had someone sit close to
> him and whisper (distractions caused by other people in the room that were
> hard to tune out), waved a cologne-soaked cloth in his face (smells that
> were overpowering), and had two people giving him directions (making it 
> hard
> for him to keep up and decipher what it was for him to do).  It was a 
> really
> enlightening experience.  We care for an autistic boy occasionally, and I
> now understand why he reacts the way he does to changes.  Mostly it was
> demonstrating overstimulation and sensitivity to senses that we take for
> granted and can deal with easily.
>
> Jennifer, mom to Arwen, 6; Elanor (t18), 4; caregiver to Joe (cerebral 
> palsy
> & spastic displaysia), 25 & Eric, 18; and wife to Andrew
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Karen" <karens@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: "Tri-Med" <tri-med@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Cc: "Our Kids" <OUR-KIDS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Monday, November 15, 2004 6:02 PM
> Subject: [tri-med] Disability Awareness
>
>
>> Its that time of the year again here in Aus - coming up towards the end 
>> of
>> the school year. Instead of focusing on wonderful grades like I did with
>> my NDA kids, we seem to focus on all that went wrong, didn't work and
>> highlight all of the special needs we live with every day and take as
>> "normal". Sighhhhhhh
>> One of the things that has cropped up is a lack of understanding and
>> tolerence by children and teachers of other people imperfections.
>>
>> With the kids this is showing itself in teasing and marginalisation, with
>> the adults its coming out as frustration and trying to change what can't
>> be changed.
>>
>> So what I want to do, actually what I really want to encourage is some
>> understanding of what its like to live the lives of our kids. Not in 
>> words
>> alone, but in action as well.
>>
>> I have a few resources from my working days but I know that everyone here
>> will have some great ideas and I was hoping you may share them with me.
>>
>> At the moment I have teaching examples for vision impairment (wearing
>> goggles with different types of lenses), deafness (ear plugs, tape
>> recorders etc) and physical impairments (splinting a leg, using
>> wheelchairs etc). And one for word retrieval problems (tell a story but
>> not being able to use any word with r in it). Does anyone have any other
>> ideas?
>>
>> Specifically I would like some ideas on attention issues (I can find some
>> on line but would prefer practical ones) and sensory integration issues.
>>
>> Many thanks
>> "It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is
>> not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving."
>> ~ ~ Mother Teresa ~ ~
>>
>> Keep Looking For Rainbows!!
>>   _--_|\
>> /Karen \
>> \ _.--._ /
>>          v Karen, Mum to Alex (10 years, T-18 Mosaic)
>> http://members.optushome.com.au/karens
>>
>>                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
>>                       www.trisomyonline.org
>>                  Families Helping Families On-line
>>
>>
>
>
>                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
>                       www.trisomyonline.org
>                  Families Helping Families On-line
> 

                  Building ___ooOOoo__ Rainbows
                       www.trisomyonline.org
                  Families Helping Families On-line

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