Month: June 2012

Role Models

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Who is your role  model?  This is a question teachers use around the 5th grade or so when they are trying to teach their students  how to write an essay.  Most of the time, the answer is my mom or dad, or favorite teacher. 

As we get older, people say their role models are sports figures like Michael Jordan or LeBron James.  What are the qualities that make these celebrities role models? What makes people role models?  Is it their attempt at being the greatest in their craft or maybe the way they have persevered in their lives to get where they are today?  Is it the way they dress or maybe even the lifestyle they lead?  Even so, most of the time, the most important role models in our lives are our family members or close friends.

At some point, as we get older, our role models become our family and friends again, just like when we were kids.  This is not a bad thing at all.  Be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished.  Sometimes we don’t even realize that people in our lives consider us to be their role models and aspire to emulate what we do.

What qualities have your role models helped you implement in your life?   How have your role models changed your life?

Thanks for reading..

cr

Jack Osbourne and Multiple Sclerosis

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I was watching Good Morning America earlier this week and heard that Jack Osbourne, son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne, announced that he has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.  It made me think of a few things….

Number one…Jack Osbourne is a celebrity from the younger generation..(younger than mine).  The point being that Multiple Sclerosis may get some attention from the younger generation because of his diagnosis and celebrity status. As a result, younger people might learn more about Multiple Sclerosis and maybe even other disabilities too…

Number Two…Now that Jack Osbourne is being associated with MS, the disability may get pushed into the spotlight and maybe some good can be done in the form of more research or donations to fund studies leading to better treatments, or even a cure for those who live with the disability.  Maybe even something similar to the things like what Michael J. Fox has been trying to do for Parkinson’s Disease since his diagnosis, can result from this news.

How do you think popular culture is affected when celebrities are diagnosed with different disabilities or illnesses? (By the way, I am in no way stating that a disability is an illness because to me, that is the farthest thing from the truth)  Does it positively affect people’s perception of that disability or illness after the news of the diagnosis becomes public?

Thanks for reading.

cr

Another kind of Advocacy

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I have been working on some things that are Advocacy related.  It is funny to me that people are surprised that I try to help other people and am not just in it for what I might gain.  A lot of disabled people feel like no one will listen to them so, they keep quiet on things they care about most.  Let’s not forget that we contribute to society too.  Maybe some more than others, but what we have to say counts.

I was watching “The Doctors” on t.v. the other day and one of the doctors (I think it was the OB/GYN) said the most important thing we can do for ourselves is be our own advocate when we are visiting our health care providers.  People feel like they are bothering their doctor if they ask a question during their visit.  If we do not participate in our own care, the providers who are taking care of us cannot do their jobs to the best of their abilities.  In this case, the only person being cheated is the patient.

When I was pregnant, I went to one of my appointments and had questions for my doctor.  He told me that most people don’t ask questions because they feel embarrassed about what they are asking.  I know there are some sensitive subjects that we may encounter during any kind of doctor visit but, if we don’t ask these questions, how do we expect to get the help we need?

If you have a disability, you should not feel bad when asking questions about your health either. I once met with a group that because they were disabled, were not even given the chance to learn to ask questions about their health.  To me, that is unfair, and in that case the person is not being treated like a person at all.  Everyone should have the ability to speak up when it comes to their healthcare and get the answers they need.  They should be able to know information about their own health at all times. 

How have you become more informed about your healthcare?  How have you participated in your own treatments?

Thanks for reading…

cr

Parenting with a Disability

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

For the last few days, I have been looking around at different articles about parenting and disability.  What bothers me the most about these articles is that it seems that when the children reach the designated milestones (i.e. crawling or sitting up), the disabled parents feel weird about it.  When I watch my son grow and do things like sit up on his own, I am proud of him.  I realize I did not do things like other children because of my Cerebral Palsy but, I could never be jealous of him because he is doing those things and I did them later on in life.

People see some of his accomplishments as a negative thing for me. They think it is going to make my job as his mom harder.  This is the farthest thing in my mind.  I knew when I was pregnant that I would have obstacles to face, that is not a newsflash to me.  I don’t get upset every time he figures something out.  It is just an opportunity for me to rise to another challenge.

What obstacles have you faced head on in your life?

Thanks for reading…

cr

Transition from High School

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

We went and watched a high school graduation a few days ago.  As I was sitting there, watching the students walk across the stage, I started thinking about the last time I walked across the stage and received my Master’s Degree.  Then, I noticed some students in wheelchairs receiving diplomas.  This got me thinking about when I graduated high school.

To be honest, as I have said before, my mom was great and we had a great IEP team to help us plan out my next steps, but what about the kids walking across the stage? Did they know what their next steps were? Graduating high school is scary enough.  I have worked with people who don’t have a plan, much less a network of resources to help them along the way.  The fact that someone asks for help is not a sign of weakness.  The important thing is to know where to go for help.  I had many obstacles to overcome in order to achieve my educational and personal goals before reaching this point in life.  I have seen “life after high school forums” but, are they leaving people with more questions than answers?  What are some questions about life after high school these students might have that have not been answered?

Thanks for reading…

cr