.. I usually have an “Wanna Annoy Me” post every now and again but there were too many things today that just crawled up my ass so I figured I’d go easy on you guys and just enter one post.

Actually.. that’s not all together true. I just got back from the laundromat with 5 :: count ‘em 5 :: hampers so stuffed with clean clothes that I’ll never get the wrinkles out to fold that multiple posts just isn’t Father Time’s hourglass.

Ok..

So..

Things that annoyed me today:

1. I cut my bangs too short. I have this crazy curly hair that just magically shortens by 5 inches when you cut it. I usually leave it to the professionals :: which, I WAS one before I let my license expire :: but it got on my nerves so bad today that I dry cut it. This.. for all you non-professionals out there is when you cut your hair.. dry. Meaning, not wet. Meaning you just get done blow drying your hair and you can’t stand the way it fall into your face and annoys you that you grab the nearest scissors you can find and just start chopping. That’s a “dry cut”. The problem is when you cut your bangs yourself, you kind of get cross eyed. So it’s not a pretty thing to witness. So what was once a bang length down to my chin is now a bang length just in the middle of my eye. Too short. Long term baseball cap wear-age definitely in my future.
2. Men who wear tighty-whities. I am allowed to say that out loud because Chief is among the tighty-whitie wearers and I am the one who has to launder his tighty-whities. I used to roll my eyes at the Spawn from Satan’s Ass because he wore tighty-non-whities and it just looked ridiculous but if there is one kind thing I can say about the Spawn, it’s that he spared me from looking at and having to handle stained underwear. And we all know underwear gets stained.. PLEASE don’t try to convince me that your’s doesn’t. My question is.. how are you not EMBARASSED by it? I have been know to wear underwear on occassion :: yes, I usually go “commando” :: but even then, one little thing that isn’t suppose to be there and they get chucked in the trash. Buried deep. So no one can see them.
3. People who drive with handicap placards hanging from their rear view mirror. Because.. like.. it clearly states DO NOT HANG WHILE DRIVING. I know.. because my dad :: RIP :: used to have one. If you’re going to do that then I’m going to assume your handicap is of the mental variety and you shouldn’t be driving anyway. Therefore, I can’t help what comes out of my mouth when you decide your going to make a UTurn on a four lane highway from the far right lane, while I’m in the middle lane. Jerk off.
4. .. and speaking of stuff hanging from rear view mirrors. What’s with all the damn plastic leis all of a sudden? Did I miss a memo? Forget to invite me to a party. Get that dumb shit off.
5. People who think THEIR time is WAY MORE valuable then mine. You know the whole issue we’re having with Bubba and school, right? Well, I’ve been in email communication with his primary teacher and since today was report card day, she suggested that I go to the high school at 4:30 so that I can have a sit down meeting with all his teachers. 4:30. I KNOW she said 4:30. I KNOW she said 4:30 because when she said 4:30 all kinds of things started running through my head like, “Will Chief be able to close the store and come with?” .. “Do I leave Bubba home alone?”.. “Will I be able to pick Bubba up at 2:20 and then go to the wholesalers and make it back in time?” .. so yea.. I KNOW she said 4:30. So what happens? I get to the school at 4:30 and no one. Anywhere. I check the library where we were suppose to meet and it’s empty except for someone that’s somewhere in the back who won’t respond to my HELLOs or EXCUSE MEs only to make an appearance after I roamed all over an empty school :: so much for fucking security :: and happen to see the above mentioned someone in the middle of the library vacuuming. When asked the whereabouts of the teachers, she looked at me in disgust and told me that report cards weren’t going to be given out until 6… with an attitude. But no bigger then the one I was already carrying around. So I drive back to the shop fuming and then drive back to the school fuming and when finally face to face with the primary teacher, she tells me that she smugly told me that she had something to do. If Bubba’s education was NOT as important as it is I would have dropped the cow on her fat ass. Immediately.
6. My father in law telling me he can’t believe I stayed with his son this long. That annoyed me. Maybe because it’s true and I know it’s true. Dunno. Must ponder that one.
7. Missing school pictures. OH how that annoyed me! If you read some of my recent previous posts, you know that the Crack Whore was throwing up accolades in my direction because I sent her a message that I had Spaz’s school picture for her. Well, today, Spaz got out of school early and because .. well, I don’t really know “because” .. anyway, he called the Crack Whore and she how ever it happened, she came by the shop and took him somewhere. I was in the back.. didn’t see her.. didn’t care. BUT I figured when I got home, I better sort out the pictures because I wanted to put which ever ones in the Thanksgiving cards I got for Chief’s brother, my mom, etc. So when I get home.. there’s no 8×10. There WAS an 8×10 because I ordered and 8×10.. and even if I didn’t think I ordered an 8×10, I clearly remember the day that Spaz came home with them and pulled the 8×10 out of the envelope because I told him to put it back before his sticky candy fingers smudged it. I have a wall lined with their 8×10 school pictures so I know there was one. So I call the Crack Whore and leave a message to have Spaz call me because there’s a missing 8 x fucking 10 picture missing. About an hour and a half goes by and he calls and asks if I want to talk to him and I ask him if he took the picture. He said no.. and if there was ever a time that I could tell this child was lying it was then. The pause.. the stutter.. all neon arrows. He tells me that I didn’t order one. Now.. excuse me.. my brain cells are not swimming in anything chemical. It’s sharp as a tack so to try and convince me that I didn’t order one only inflamed me more. That and the fact that the edging that was on the 8 x fucking 10 picture was cut. And not in a straight line. We had issues with pictures before, me and the Crack Whore. Especially when she stole Weed’s prom picture. Yes. You read that right. STOLE. So I’m not putting it past her that she asked about the pictures and Spaz gave her the 8 x fucking 10. What I’m more pissed about is that she made him lie about it. So tonight at dinner, after he came home from her crack den, I told him that I wanted the picture back. That no one but me and him knew where the pack was. He started pulling his drama queen shit which further proved he had lied. So Chief gave him the opportunity to come clean saying that it’s understandable if he did because he’s just a little boy but he had to be honest about it. Which of course, made Sarah Bernhardt rise from the dead. And so I got pissed. Because I paid the $60 that I didn’t have for these pictures and I told Chief, he could call her all he wants.. she’s not going to ‘fess up to it. Because she never does. But I will tell you one thing.. in a few days that picture is going mysteriously turn up.. or I’m going to hear, “oh.. I forgot!’ or “I didn’t know you were talking about THAT picture”. I’ll bet you any amount of money on that.
8. Supermarkets that tell you that you CANNOT get the free turkey that is owed you for spending over three hundred dollars on their discount card because you lost the receipt that says you are entitled to a free turkey because you spent over three hundred dollars on their discount card. Since my father in law is coming over for dinner Thursday, I need a fucking turkey. Because as un-traditional as Chief is.. he CAN’T have ham :: of which I have one frozen in the freezer :: on Thanksgiving. It HAS to be turkey. It’s the TRADITION. I rolled my eyes at him and said, “.. you’re fucking kidding me, right?” Which, of course, he wasn’t. So I drive over to the supermarket .. grab a frozen bird :: AND thinking that if any bird deserved to be frozen right then it was Chief’s :: and when I get to the counter I remember that I don’t have the coupon. Not only don’t I have the coupon but I realize that I have no clue where it’s at. No problem. I have my discount card on my keyring. So I run out to the car to get my keys :: yes, I put my keys in the glove box if I know I’m not going to need a damn discount card because I always lose them and my car has coded locks so it’s not like I’d be locked out. :: come back into the store only to have the cashier tell me that I need the coupon. UH-UH! I have the discount card. She says it doesn’t matter.. that she has to ring up the card along with the coupon and bedlam ensues. Because I want someone who gets paid more then the cashier does to tell me that my discount card is NOT good enough.. because if the damn card can tell them everything about everything I’ve purchased then why the hell can’t it tell them that I get a free turkey. But of course, this is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving and the crowd behind me is looking for things to impale me with so I told her that I would return tomorrow to speak with the manager. Then I went home and told Chief we were starting a new tradition and having ham, dammit.
9. Cats that chew on a ridiculously expensive pair of boots that have been stored in the deepest, darkest depth of my closet since last winter REALLY ANNOY me. I mean REALLY annoyed me. Annoyed me so much that I started to believe that the author of “Puss In Boots” had a cat that chewed on a ridiculously expensive pair of boots and made him pay for it dearly. Or maybe that’s what I was thinking when I found my boots were chewed. Hard to tell. I was annoyed.

Well.. I think y’all had enough of my ranting for now. I still have two hampers of laundry to fold and the laptop battery is running low.

Wish me a better day tomorrow.. either that, or send me a REALLY good recipe for spiked egg nog!

Hey, this very meaningful website found me & I didn’t think I should keep it to myself!

http://sglead.wordpress.com/about/    (Contents below are not mine; cut-and-paste from their site. Go check out their blog too! )

sgLEAD is “A volunteer network for librarians, individuals and organisations interested in providing reading, learning and library services to people with disabilities in Singapore.”

singapore
Librarians for
Empowerment &
Advocacy for the
Disabled

Discussion Group http://sglead.wordpress.com/discussion-group/

Fortunate to play in a corporate gold day this week, and as is the norm, it was a great day on the course, even though I spent more time exploring the flora and fauna alongside the fairway.

Is that not the idea of corporate days, to enjoy the camaraderie and meet new people?

This particular day saw one team come in 7 under par playing four ball ambrose, with all of them having handicaps of 27. One hell of a performance wouldn’t you say? It then transpired that two or three of them play two or three times every week, but on public courses so do not have official handicaps. This is of course within the rules to then give your handicap as the maximum 27.

One gentleman became very hot under the collar about the whole issue, saying that this made a mockery of the day. He too had a point.

Surely if you play as much as these gentlemen, you may not have an official handicap, but it is embarrassing to put down 27 and play to under 20? Does winning mean that much at a corporate golf day?

Then as for the guy who was so upset, again, a corporate day is surely not about winning. If you get a prize it is simply a bonus to a day out, one that is better than being stuck in an office?

Or have we misunderstood the spirit of the game?

Iedereen wil gelukkig zijn. Hoe krijgt u het voor elkaar dat u gelukkig wordt? Door uw gedachten te trainen, door te doen, te accepteren wat u voelt, daarna evalueren en eventueel aanpassen. Het is een bewustwordingsproces. Bewust worden van uw gedachten, uw gevoelens en uw gedrag. Als u iedere dag oefent zult u merken dat het u veel oplevert en u steeds gelukkiger wordt. Wat kost het? Niets! Het is gratis. U investeert in uzelf, u plukt er ook zelf de vruchten van! Daarnaast heeft ook uw omgeving er profijt van. Er zijn alleen maar winnaars!
Iedere week schrijf ik tips in mijn gratis e-zine, op mijn website kunt u zich hiervoor inschrijven. U kunt de tips in willekeurige volgorde gebruiken. De tips zijn bedoeld om u aan het denken te zetten over uw eigen leven. Wat wilt u veranderen? Hoe kunt u dit veranderen? Wat wilt u en hoe krijgt u dit voor elkaar? Hoe gaat u met uzelf en anderen om? Wat maakt u gelukkig?

Lief zijn.

Lief zijn levert veel voordeel op, voor iedereen. Er heerst een prettige sfeer, iedereen is bereid tot samenwerken, men is vergevingsgezinder, men heeft meer plezier met elkaar enz. enz. Toch is lief zijn voor veel mensen niet zo vanzelfsprekend. Men vindt het moeilijk, soft, of weet niet hoe het moet: lief zijn. Lief zijn voor elkaar begint met lief zijn voor jezelf. Immers als u niet weet hoe u lief kunt zijn voor uzelf, kunt u het lief zijn ook niet uitdragen naar anderen. Hoe doet u dat? Lief zijn en wat wordt ermee bedoeld? Lief zijn betekent in dit geval: Niet zo streng zijn voor uzelf, niet zo hoge eisen aan uzelf stellen, wat milder zijn in uw oordeel over uzelf, doen wat goed voor u is, af en toe om uzelf kunnen lachen, niet altijd alles zo serieus nemen. Als u in staat bent om lief te zijn voor uzelf, bent u ook in staat om: niet zo streng te zijn voor anderen, niet zo hoge eisen aan anderen te stellen, wat milder te zijn in uw oordeel over anderen, ook iets te doen wat goed is voor een ander, ook eens kunnen lachen om die ander. Om lief te kunnen zijn voor uzelf heeft u een realistisch zelfbeeld van uzelf nodig. Lief zijn voor uzelf is niet zo moeilijk als velen denken. Ga maar eens voor de spiegel staan en zeg tegen uzelf: “Goh, meid (kerel), je ziet er helemaal niet zo slecht uit vandaag. Ik denk dat ik wel een beetje (of heel veel) van je hou en ik ga vandaag eens een leuke dag hebben.”  Ook al vindt u dat u er op dit moment niet zo goed uitziet. Bedenk: Wat zou u tegen een vriend of vriendin zeggen die vindt dat ze er niet zo goed uitziet? Als u vindt dat u iets heel stoms gedaan heeft, ga u zelf dan niet onnodig de grond in trappen. U heeft dan iets gedaan wat misschien niet zo handig was, maar dat is geen reden om over uzelf een vernietigend oordeel uit te spreken! Gebruik deze gelegenheid om erover na te denken hoe u het een volgende keer anders en meer effectief kunt aanpakken. Ook is het handiger om niet steeds te hoge eisen aan uzelf te stellen. U bent een mens, u mag fouten maken, u bent hier om te leren. Alles moet niet perfect zijn, want alles is al perfect zoals het is. Het is ons oordeel of wij vinden dat iets perfect is.  Wat voor de één perfect is, is voor een ander goed genoeg. U kunt niet aan alle eisen van uzelf en anderen voldoen. Tevreden zijn met goed, is óók goed. Probeer er een tevreden gevoel aan over te houden als u iets gepresteerd heeft!  Ook al is het nog zo klein! U heeft het goed gedaan en beloon uzelf daarvoor!

Succes en een warme groet van,
Henrice Kupper

Voor meer informatie: www.deditio.nl

©2009 Henrice Kupper – alle rechten voorbehouden.

Lu sur Newstele.com :

“La rédaction de TF1 propose ce samedi à 13h35 sur TF1 le magazine « Reportages » sur le thème : « Sourds et alors ? ». Un reportage de Laurent Fléchaire et François Bordes (Les productions du Moment).

Mal invisible, la surdité est probablement le handicap le plus difficile à vivre. Etre sourd, c’est se priver de la musique, du rire des enfants, des petits sons et des mots.  Etre sourd, c’est être isolé, exclu du monde extérieur et des autres. En France, on compte 5 millions de sourds de légers à profonds. Sophie, Charlotte et Cécile, trois jeunes femmes sourdes et belles, mais pas muettes, ont décidé de rompre le silence et de faire entendre leur voix.

Elue 1re Dauphine Miss France en 2007, Sophie Vouzelaud est devenue une ambassadrice de la surdité. Aujourd’hui, elle vient expliquer son handicap aux élèves de Monsieur Brandy, son instituteur en CM1. Comment apprendre à parler alors que l’on n’entend pas les mots ? Aux enfants de la classe elle explique “ mes parents voulaient que je parle comme vous. Ils voulaient à tout prix que je sois comme les autres. Monsieur Brandy s’est adapté à moi. Il m’a bien expliqué, face à face, mais ça a été dur. ” Depuis, Sophie sillonne la France, son livre sous le bras “ pour que les gens changent de regard ”. Sourde de naissance, Cécile a tout misé sur le travail. Il y a trois ans, elle s’est battue pour passer son diplôme d’ingénieur et travaille aujourd’hui dans l’aéronautique. Pour que les sourds ne soient pas coupés du monde, la technologie s’est adaptée. Par écran et webcam interposés, les traductrices transcrivent ou traduisent en langue des signes (et inversement) toutes les communications. C’est comme ça que Cécile a passé son premier coup de téléphone… à 26 ans !

Charlotte, quant à elle, est devenue brutalement sourde il y a 3 ans. Avec ses appareils, elle n’entend pas grand-chose. Charlotte a dû laisser tomber piano et boulot. Très entourée, gaie et énergique, elle apprend à lire sur les lèvres et, comme chaque mardi depuis deux ans, elle se rend chez son orthophoniste. Pour continuer à vivre au rythme des autres, Charlotte s’est mise à la danse et a décidé de s’adonner à la photo. Grandir avec des parents sourds… Caroline Mitanne a dû être la voix et les oreilles de son père et sa mère dès son plus jeune âge et continue à leur servir de traductrice dans la vie quotidienne : rendez-vous chez le médecin, à la banque… De ce handicap, Caroline en a fait un avantage en fondant Guide Caro, pour lequel elle a été élue “ Femme d’affaire 2009 ”. Le but de son entreprise : assister les sourds dans la vie de tous les jours.”

Hear-it, dont nous sommes fidèle lecteur, vient de publier, le 19 novembre, un article sur la problématique du dépistage de la surdité par les médecins généralistes.

Si vous voulez avoir des informations sur la santé auditive, nous vous recommandons fortement le portail de Lobe Santé Auditive !

Ci-dessous, l’intégralité de l’article d’Hear-it :

“Les médecins généralistes ne remarquent pas la déficience auditive de leurs patients

Selon une étude effectuée aux Etats-Unis, de nombreux médecins généralistes ignorent, négligent ou ne remarquent pas l’incapacité auditive de leurs patients.

L’étude effectuée parmi des patients atteints de surdité sévère a trouvé que les médecins traitants n’identifiaient qu’un peu plus d’un cas de déficience auditive sur quatre. Plus d’un sur trois était décrit selon les notes du médecin comme une capacité auditive normale.
L’étude a été effectuée par la Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary de Boston au Massachusetts.
Les chercheurs de la Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary ont analysé les journaux médicaux de patients qui ont passé un test auditif récemment. Parmi ceux-là, 100 patients étaient susceptibles d’avoir soufferts de troubles auditifs aux deux oreilles pendant une période de deux ans avant que le test n’identifie la perte auditive.

Déficience auditive non documentée
Même les pertes d’acuité auditive assez importante pour que la communication médecin-patient soit difficile n’étaient pas renseignées dans les journaux médicaux. Pas moins de 72 journaux de patients ne renseignaient pas les difficultés auditives des patients. Dans 36 cas sur 100, les médecins décrivaient la capacité auditive de leurs patients comme normale.
L’étude indique que ne nombreux médecins généraliste ne sont pas attentifs aux problèmes auditifs de leurs patients.
Christopher Halpin, responsable de l’étude, déclare que les résultats de l’étude offrent « une opportunité pour les patients et médecins de mieux identifier, documenter et traiter la déficience auditive ».”

Source: The Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (http://www.masseyeandear.org)

Roma 3 dicembre (Teatro Valle, Via del Teatro Valle, 21, ore 9.30-13.30)  i punti fondamentali e dichiarati come irrinunciabili. Promossi congiuntamente dalla FISH (Federazione Italiana per il Superamento dell’Handicap) e dalla FAND (Federazione tra le Associazioni Nazionali dei Disabili), per avviare un’imponente fase di mobilitazione unitaria che potrebbe anche portare a un’imponente manifestazione di piazza per la primavera del 2010. Gli argomenti riguardano il Fondo Nazionale per le Politiche Sociali e Fondo per le Non Autosufficienze, accertamento dell’invalidità, supporto alle persone con grave disabilità, inclusione scolastica, diritto al lavoro e Legge 68/99, accessibilità del Servizio Pubblico Televisivo e Servizio Civile Volontario. Ma vi è certamente un’altra questione – tutt’altro che secondaria – che vede le associazioni impegnate ormai da molti anni e che nella primavera di quest’anno aveva portato la FISH a inviare una lettera-appello al presidente del Consiglio, al ministro della Salute, del Lavoro e delle Politiche Sociali, al presidente della Conferenza delle Regioni e al coordinatore della Commissione Salute di quest’ultima, documento cui avevano aderito numerose altre organizzazioni. «Siamo preoccupati per i diritti delle persone con disabilità nell’area della salute – aveva dichiarato allora il presidente della FISH Pietro Barbieri  – perché dopo il ritiro del Decreto della Presidenza del Consiglio sui LEA (Livelli Essenziali di Assistenza), approvato nella precedente legislatura, ancora oggi i cittadini con disabilità e le loro famiglie assistono attoniti a una sorta di rimpallo tra Governo e Regioni».

i am going out of my mind… it’s bad enough the weather is changing and every inch of my body seems to want to scream out in pain to let me know. it also seemed to be a good time to catch the flu. why not? why not get it all over with at the same time? i mean… let’s stop and pause for just a moment to think about why not:

1. it’s not as if i haven’t missed enough time from work and
2. it’s not as if laying in my bed 24 hours a day/ 7 days a week doesn’t thrill me to pieces and
3. it’s not as if feeling like my head has been filled with cement is better than just the foggy feeling i usually have and
4. it’s not as if my kids don’t love joining me in my bedroom for “mommy and me” time and
5. it’s not as if that journey from my bed to the kitchen for my “once a day” trip out of bed doesn’t just make for a great “FIELD TRIP”! and
6. it’s not as if the walls aren’t closing in on me in my bedroom and
7. it’s not as if playing these same four facebook games don’t keep my interest, right? RIGHT?? and
8. it’s not as if having the flu is really that bad… I mean it’s just aches and pains…

shit. it’s just aches and pains…. what the eff? if i thought my aches and pains were bad before… let’s just say TIMES TWO! i was not an 82-year old lady anymore, i was a 164-year old lady this week. a 164-year old lady that couldn’t sleep, had no appetite and was in excruciating pain. TIMES TWO.

this week, i was unable to walk the hall from the kitchen to my bedroom after dinner one night. it was a horrible experience. i was embarrassed. i was in shock really. it was as if i forgot how to walk. i could not lift my knees up to take a step so i just held on to my husband and literally scooted my way down the hallway in my slippers, one inch at a time. i had to stop three times to take a break it was so exhausting. meanwhile the tears are just rolling because i am in pain, i am frustrated, i am pissed off because i am once again put in this position of complete invalid. i feel the words at the tip of my tongue… “I AM PISSED OFF AND I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!”, instead i just go lay down… take a few minutes to get it together and then call my son in to watch “grey’s anatomy” together and get my “mommy and me” time in. i cherish this time together like i cherish sleep.

this is when i realize… i am blessed. let me say that again. i. am. blessed. i have this beautiful child. my first-born. he is  a miracle child, he was almost lost to me during my pregnancy. he is a fighter, he has been since he was inside my belly. he had to fight to stay alive and he’s kept that attitude ever since. he’s an awesome kid. he’s graduating from high school this year and i must cherish every moment i have with him. so… screw this pain. don’t let this shit take away from my moments with him. i must remember this moment right now, this feeling i have right now. these are the moments to be cherished. you don’t get do-overs in life.

thank you for reading! time is so precious and i appreciate that you take the time to help me as i work through my experiences through my blog. this has helped me tremendously get through the days and nights.

stay cool!

Hey I think this is really important! Too many people ignore the needs of people with certain disabilities thinking its futile to educate them.

Invitation to Focus Group discussion on Compulsory Education for Children with Disabilities
http://maruah.org/2009/11/19/fgdiscussion-compulsoryedchildrenwithdisabilities/
(Aim: children with physical disabilities to be included in Singapore’s Compulsory Education Act; also in line with the Convention on the Rights of Children)

When I went to the Vatican a few months ago I was super impressed. The guy who sold us tickets at the counter had 2 fingers only, and he was just handling all the transactions amazingly fast, no different from othr counters, and the queue was miles long but it cleared really fast.

The cloak room was run by just one guy and he had Downs’ syndrome (or some sort of other social disability) and everything was in perfect order, and so efficiently managed.

I was just so impressed with not only these 2 people, but with the people who hired them. In Singapore, even the enlightened people who hire people with disabilities tend to put them where their area of disability is not directly used in their job. There, I really learnt that your area of”disability” can be the primary requirement of your job, but it doesn’t have to matter at all!

(I mean, 2 fingers only & selling tickets much faster than 4x the speed of ANY movie ticket counter in singapore!!! )

• Una casa oltre le barriere | Muoversi Insieme

Lettera al direttore. Questa settimana milioni di italiani apprenderanno che il «Grande fratello» aiuta a capire e a educare. Lo scrive su Tv Sorrisi e Canzoni (n. 47) il direttore Alfonso Signorini: “Io credo che tutti i programmi che arrivano nelle case di milioni di italiani meritino rispetto e portino sulle spalle il peso di una grande responsabilità. Quella non solo di divertire, ma anche di informare, di educare. Sì, avete capito bene. Nel «Grande fratello» ogni anno si affrontano temi di grande rilievo sociale: dalla cassa integrazione, all’integrazione dei portatori di handicap. Dai problemi legati al mondo omosessuale…Per questo non mi vergogno e non mi vergognerò mai di dire che anche da un programma come il «Grande fratello» si può imparare. Certo bisogna saper leggere tra le righe, prestando attenzione a tutti i passaggi, anche a quelli più delicati. Accanirsi sulle sue dinamiche o sui suoi protagonisti è solo una scorciatoia. La scorciatoia di chi è vittima della pigrizia mentale e non vuole o non sa guardare al di là”. Evito commenti. Spero solo che l’articolo cada sotto gli occhi di Mariastella Gelmini, certamente priva di pigrizia mentale, la quale faccia pervenire agli insegnanti di tutte le scuole, una circolare con la disposizione di raccomandare vivamente agli studenti la visione del programma, e di insegnare loro a leggere tra le righe, e a  prestare la massima attenzione a tutti i passaggi. Soprattutto a quelli più delicati. (Miriam Della Croce)

“Allow yourself to be inspired. Allow yourself to succeed. Dare to excel.” -selected

I smiled with delight when I read Art Linkletter’s story of Wendy Stoker, age 19, freshman of University of Florida. Young athlete. She placed third, just 2.5 points from first place, in the Iowa girls’ state diving championship. She worked 2 hours a day for four years to get there. “Now she’s at the University of Florida,” he says. “She’s working twice as hard and has earned the number two position on the varsity diving squad. She’s aiming for the national finals. Wendy carries a full academic load, finds time for bowling and is an accomplished  water skier. But perhaps the most remarkable thing about Wendy Stoker is her typing. She bangs out 45 words a minute on her typewriter with her toes!” And then he says, “Oh, did I fail to mention? Wendy was born without arms.”

source: A Time For Commitment, Ted Engstrom (Favorite  Stories And Illustrations by Charles Swindoll, page 258)

Similarly, I met a man during the QCIM and before that race started, I have the opportunity to converse with him. Let me call him Junty, a 50+ runner. At first, it was an ordinary conversation but as time progressed, that guy caught me by surprised. No, he was born without arms or any  disabilities  but he said his heart was only being operated by batteries, and he will try to finish a 42k race that day. His story was verified to be true by his male companion and Junty allowed me to see the mark on his chest, a deep scar where the operation was performed. I took him a picture but unfortunately, it was corrupted and can’t be uploaded here.

People like them continue to inspire me. They’re my idols…

Thank You Lord for I’m physically fit and have no  disabilities, and whenever I’m confused and discouraged, allow me to remember ‘Wendy and Junty…’

They will continue to motivate me run harder and longer.

And I did a 22k today.

God be Praised!

I just watched last week’s episode of Glee in preparation for this week’s, and while I enjoy a good “everyone is actually caring and compassionate on the inside and truly wants to help someone else out,” I was a bit disgusted by parts.

So, for those of you who don’t watch, I will briefly explain the points. So, first of all, an abled boy plays the Artie, who is in a wheelchair. Here is a good article about the issues surrounding that. It’s hard for me to believe there were no candidates that can act, sing and are actually differently abled.

But, that’s not the point. The point is, the glee club kids are forced by the director to raise money to take the handicap accessible bus to their competition. At first they aren’t too concerned, because Artie always rode with his dad before. Of course, they were reprimanded. So, they are ordered to have a bake sale and have to spend three hours in a wheelchair every day. Of course, those three hours are when everything in the episode happens. Because obviously, they would choose to sit in the wheelchairs at school.

But, let’s say they did. For some reason, they have this change of heart, and are really dedicated to this bake sale, thus making pot cupcakes to raise the money.

However, most of the impetus to raise this money came from a character’s desire to make money to support his baby mama, who told him to put it back. Then, they gave the money to Artie, who generously puts it toward wheelchair ramps instead.

So, yes, it is heart-warming, but here is my problem: Why are the able kids always coming to the rescue of the differently abled? I certainly believe that we all overlook people with disabilities and should go out of our way to help and be more understanding. I do believe that the best way to make change is for the majority to care and act on issues concerning the minority. As long, of course, as the minority is deciding the action.

When do we see Artie, though, deciding the action? Also, why are we congratulating the glee club for doing what they were told to do? And, actually only one of them really did. And, not really for Artie as much as his unborn child, whom everyone thinks is another character’s.

Also! Artie and this girl admit they like each other, kiss, and then the girl admits she has a fake stutter.

I once faked a stutter. At the time, I thought it was cool because my father is one of my greatest role models and he happens to stutter. Let me tell you, faking a stutter is not easy. Perhaps this is why they eventually got rid of it, and this love interest was a good chance to do so. Or, because we want to teach the lesson that fake disabilities are not acceptable. Which they’re not.

But, how many people fake disabilities? Really!? Yes, there are some. But, probably not as many as you think. There are probably far fewer people cheating the disability leave system than society would like you to think. Mostly, because America hates/loves poor people. That’s beside the point.

The point is, no matter how shy and retreating you are, it would take extremes for someone to fake a stutter for years and years. She said she did it because she didn’t want to give a speech on the Missouri Compromise and then kept it to push people away. So, she joined glee club…? Also, it would take a lot to sustain a fake stutter. Stutters, as my dad could tell you, are not easy.

Also, why did the school never make her go to speech therapy? Or, maybe counseling as she obviously is in need of some if she is so adverse to social situations.

Now, I know you Glee fans are like, “It’s a TV show! It’s fiction! It’s campy and a musical and over-the-top, it’s supposed to be unrealistic!”

Right. Agreed. But, isn’t it also supposed to be celebrating diversity? To truly take away a deep, authentic message from this episode, I should be given real, deep, authentic issues explored in a real way. And I believe that can happen in a campy, unrealistic setting. You just have to push past the Crash mentality of the obvious stereotype, the black and white answers and addressing the most minute issues.

I see the greater issue as why the school allows the students to be so nonchalant about Artie’s struggles in the first place. That is the same issue that we live with outside the television. And, let’s say for a second that the fake stutter is a valid learning moment. So why is Artie the only one to call her out on it? We shouldn’t leave the differently abled to be the only voice. We should take their lead and stand behind them.

I have more to say about this. But, this is long enough already. I hope you didn’t happen to be standing where I put my soapbox. I tend to be a pit impassioned occasionally.

If you read this whole thing, you just made my day. It’s been a bit of a rough one, so thank you for letting me vent about this one thing which was therapy for all the other things.

Nous avons écrit à plusieurs reprises sur la problématique de la déficience auditive au travail.

Le site Hear-it, a aussi publié le 12 novembre, un article fort intéressant sur ce sujet. Article que nous reprenons ci-dessous dans son intégralité :

“Les personnes qui travaillent avec une perte d’acuité auditive moyenne souffrent de problèmes sociaux et psychologiques sur leur lieu de travail.

Les adultes qui travaillent avec une perte d’acuité auditive moyenne peuvent être négativement affecté sur leur lieu de travail s’ils n’utilisent pas d’appareils auditifs selon une étude italienne.

L’étude est basée sur une comparaison de 73 personnes atteintes de déficiences auditives et 96 personnes normo entendantes. Les deux groupes étaient similaires en ce qui concerne répartition des sexes, âges et emploi.

Les personnes qui ont des problèmes auditifs ont plus de problèmes sur leur lieu de travail d’un point de vue social et émotionnel. Ceci est démontré par une grande prévalence de signes de dépression, anxiété, sensibilité et hostilité dans le groupe de personnes déficientes auditives que dans le groupe de personnes qui entendent normalement.

Les effets émotionnels de la déficience auditive entraînent généralement des difficultés auprès des personnes qui travaillent à évoluer normalement face à des situations qui peuvent survenir à un lieu de travail.

Pour beaucoup, les résultats sont un cercle vicieux, étant donné que les difficultés à s’adapter à un environnement de travail entraînent une certaine isolation et sentiment d’infériorité. De plus, ceci affecte le bien être général ainsi que la qualité de vie de ceux qui ont des problèmes auditifs.

Sur base de ces résultats, les personnes qui travaillent et qui sont atteintes d’une perte d’acuité auditive moyenne ont de bonnes raisons de considérer l’investissement d’un appareil auditif. Un certain nombre d’études ont trouvé que les appareils auditifs offrent des avantages considérables en termes de qualité de vie. Mais il également important qu’un dialogue s’installe entre les personnes malentendantes et normo-entendantes sur le lieu de travail, entre collègues et direction afin de maintenir les meilleures conditions possibles pour un travail sain et environnement productif.”

Source:”Psychological Profile and Social Behaviour of Working Adults with Mild or Moderate Hearing Loss”, Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital., avril 2008.

Read on www.newstele.com :

“The Channel TF1 (in France) offers, this Saturday at 13h35, the magazine “Reports” on the topic : “Deaf and then ?” . A report by Laurent Flechaire and François Bordes (The current productions).

Invisible trouble, deafness is probably the most difficult disability to live. Being deaf is to deprive oneself of music, laughter of children, small sounds and words. Being deaf, means to be isolated and excluded from the outside world and the others. In France there are 5 million from mild to profound deaf persons. Sophie, Charlotte and Cécile, three young and beautiful girls but not dumb, have decided to break the silence and make their voices heard.

Elected 1^st Dauphine Miss France in 2007, Sophie Vouzelaud became an ambassador of deafness. Today she’ s explaining  pupils of Mr Brandy, her teacher in CM1, her disability. How to learn to speak while we don’t hear the words ? To the children in the class she says : my parents wanted me to speak like you. They wanted me to be like the others.  Mr Brandy fitted to me. He definitely explained me face to face, but this was hard. Since then, Sophie crosses France, her book under the arm “so that people change their  view” . Born deaf, Cécile bet everything on work. Three years ago, she fought to pass her engineer  degree and works now in aeronautics.  For deaf people are not cut off from the world, technology has been adapted. By screen and webcam interposed, translators transcribe or translate into sign language (and vice versa ) all communications. That’s the way that Cécile phoned the first time…at 26 years old !

Charlotte, meanwhile, became suddenly deaf, 3 years ago. With her hearing aids, she doesn’t hear much. Charlotte had to give up piano and work. Very surrounded, cheerful and energetic, she learns to read on lips and, as every Tuesday for two years, she goes to her speech therapist. To continue living with the same rhythm as the others , Charlotte began to dance and to devote herself to the  photography. Grow with deaf parents…Caroline Mitanne had to be voice and ears of her father and her mother  from her childhood and keeps being their translator in the daily life : appointment with doctor,  in the bank… Caroline benefited, from this disability, creating Caro Guide, for the whom she was elected “Business Woman 2009″. The purpose of her firm : assist deaf persons in everyday life.”