Category: Uncategorized

Orlando Science Center and Sensitivity to All

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I thought this week, I’d change things up and give a review of a trip my son and I took.  We went to the Orlando Science Center’s “Sesame Street” Exhibit “The Body”.  I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I’ve been to the Science Center before and always enjoyed myself.  He loves “Sesame Street”, so I knew he’d enjoy himself too.  Before we arrived, I didn’t realize the amount of information they made available for kids that young to learn.  This time, I discovered I may even be a bit of a science nerd myself.

As I’ve said in previous posts, “Sesame Street” has always been an inclusive show.  They’re always showing different groups of kids playing together.  That’s the beginning to acceptance of diversity.  These exhibits weren’t any different.  We started out seeing exhibits on how the lungs and heart worked.  These were cool because it was totally hands on, and he had a blast!  Then, we came upon an exhibit showing how people with vision impairments use their fingers to read Braille.  There was also a virtual  obstacle course that had different variations of transportation.  There was a rowing machine and a spot people could run in place to complete the course too.  The next compartment had  a wheelchair to get through the course.  I saw this as a way to help others understand different ways people get around.

Praise goes to “Sesame Street” yet again, for planting the seeds of acceptance of diverse populations early on in life.  And thank you to The Orlando Science Center for making the exhibit available for people to see.  Not only was it a fun experience that we both enjoyed but, when my son and other children get to see what life might be like for anyone else, when they interact with people during different phases of their lives, I’m sure kindness and willingness to know others as people first will touch anyone they meet.

What other activities could help children begin to have exposure to different groups?

Thanks for reading..

cr

The New University of Florida Basketball Player

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Since I was watching a pre-season NBA game earlier tonight, I guess it’s fitting that today’s post is about basketball.  Specifically, I’d like to spotlight The University of Florida for adding a basketball player who has a physical disability to their roster.  I graduated from the University of Central Florida, and anyone who knows me, knows how much I love the Knights but, a special kudos goes out to the University of Florida for making this choice.

I’ve written before about adaptive sports but, this is really great.  Zach Hodskins was born with part of his left arm missing but, it’s obvious he never let that stop him from what he wants to do in life.  It’s not about what you can’t do, it’s about knowing what you want to do and finding a way to get there.  I’m proud to read that he never stopped the way people looked at him from what he wanted to do. I have limited use of my left arm and hand and if I let the fact that people stare at me sometimes stop me from what I want to do in life, I wouldn’t have accomplished as many things as I have.  As I’ve said before any sort of sport whether it’s an adaptive one or if you can participate in a mainstream one, the most important thing is to stay active.

With younger people who are disabled positively influencing the younger generations, and showing the older generations that disability doesn’t stop us from focusing on our abilities, maybe we can begin to erase the negative stereotypes that unfortunately still exist.  Maybe then we could just be seen as people with different abilities like everyone else in this world.

What do you think about disabled people playing in mainstream sports?

To find out more about this story, you can check out the link below:

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/10/22/one-armed-teen-commits-to-university-florida-basketball-team/

Thanks for reading..

cr

Adoption of Special Needs Kids

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I’ve thought about this subject for a while.  There are so many kids that need good homes and for whatever reason, few people are given the opportunity to adopt them.  I was watching “The Little Couple” the other day and saw that Jennifer and Bill had adopted a child with special needs from another country.

Adoption in general takes someone who has the resources to go through the expensive process but, how many people are willing or even think to adopt a disabled child? There’s a family in Colorado that has done just that.  They’ve also tried to bring awareness to the fact that there are many disabled children in other countries that can be adopted.  I know that caring for a disabled child can be costly and emotional but they deserve a home like anyone else.

I know there are lots of children in need of homes and good people who want to take care of them.  Adoption of a disabled child is an option even in this country that few people consider but really should.  The rewards can be many for not only the adoptive parent but, the child as well.  Kudos to the family in the story below for trying their hardest to make a difference in the lives of so many children.

What further information would you need to know about this type of adoption to lend your support?

For more information check out the link below:

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/why-this-huge-colorado-family-is-so-special-220947752.html

Thanks for reading..

cr

Impostor Service Animals?

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I’ve written at least one post about service animals so, I feel like today’s post is equally important.  As I was looking around the Internet at different articles, I noticed that there seem to be those using “impostor service animals”.  These animals aren’t really trained to help disabled people and the people who are using them just want to go out  with their pet and aren’t disabled.

While the article debates there’s no way to really regulate this problem, something clearly needs to be done.  The pets that aren’t service animals create a nuisance and are a safety risk for the general public.  Similar to my post a few weeks ago about Disney park guests that were paying disabled people to be their “tour guide” to get to the front of lines, here’s unfortunately another example of people who don’t need certain services abusing the system.  As a result, the only people who really suffer are those for which the laws were intended.

As we all know, it’s very easy to buy almost anything on the Internet and have it shipped directly to your home.  Accessories for your pet with some sort of believable service animal insignia is no exception.  Along with guidelines on carrying an identification card for your “assistant” as mentioned in the article below, maybe there can also be approved websites where you can buy the necessary extras for when you’re out in public.

I really hope this issue can be remedied because service animals are a very important part of the lives of the disabled people who need them.

What other ways could help identify the “Real McCoy’s”?

For more information on this article visit the link below:

http://timesfreepress.com/news/2013/oct/11/impostor-service-animals-posing-growing-problem/

Thanks for reading..

cr

Down Syndrome Cheerleader Sidelined

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

A lot of my posts seem to be about adaptive sports.  That’s probably because I think they’re something that keeps people who are disabled as active as possible, and that’s important to everyone’s overall well-being.  I had read about the Texas teen who has Down Syndrome and is a cheerleader at her high school.  As of recently, she’s been sidelined from cheer leading temporarily.

You may want to know why.  The strange thing is that the reason isn’t clear.  The only reason cited in the article was safety but, I’d want to know who are they trying to protect?  I really hope that Texas school officials can get her back cheering as soon as possible.  This is really important,  especially since it’s something according to the story, she loves to do.

It’s so important, especially in our teenage years, that we’re included in as many activities as possible.  That’s true for a student who is disabled as well.  Unless there’s some real reason she can’t participate in cheering, then I can’t understand why they wouldn’t let her continue doing so.  Hopefully, this will have a positive resolution for her in the near future so she can get back to her regular routine.

To read more about this story, check out the link below:

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2013/09/26/cheerleader-with-down-syndrome-sidelined-for-safety-reasons/

Thanks for reading..

cr

Disney’s Disabled Guest Policy

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Living in Orlando, and of course as a child, I’ve been to Epcot and Disney World.  When I moved here permanently to go to school, I even visited Universal Studios a couple of times.  When I was a child, these theme parks would let those with a disability get to the front of the line to make the park experience an equal one.

Over the years, there have been abuses of that privilege by people who rent a wheelchair when they really don’t need it or hire a disabled person to get to the front of the line.  It’s no surprise that now, going to the theme parks isn’t that easy and at least for me, I don’t go that often anymore.

This past week, Disney decided to revise their disabled guest policy.  Now, people are supposed to receive a photo I.D. and a virtual wait time to get on the rides.  It wasn’t clear to me in the news report or the story from the link below how they will be handling those people who are accompanying the disabled guest but, maybe it will have to be a case of trial and error.

I applaud The Disney Company for trying to remedy a problem that’s really nothing new.  Hopefully, once they get the kinks worked out, it will lead to a more enjoyable theme park experience for everyone.

Do you think the revision of this policy will get more disabled people to visit the parks?

Thanks for reading..

cr

To get more information on this story, you can go to the link below:

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/local/disney-introduces-pass-prevents-non-disabled-peopl/nZ5f9/

Accessible Playgrounds

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

One of my favorite things to do is go with my son to the playground.  We’re very lucky that one of his mom’s friends doesn’t live too far and picks us up every week so that he can go and have some fun with his friends.  As a child, I remember going to the park in Brooklyn and playing on the swings but, not much else.  I also had a swing set at home and my friends used to come to my house and play for a little while when they could.

Last week, it occurred to me that most places don’t have accessible playgrounds where everyone has the opportunity not only to play but also interact with each other.  Then, I heard something on the radio about accessible playgrounds so, I did a bit of research.  There are some playgrounds in different parts of the country that are specifically constructed for kids with disabilities.  While the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that public places, like public playgrounds be accessible, these modifications only need to be made to playgrounds already in existence if they’re undergoing renovations.  Accessibility of playgrounds also applies to those playgrounds being newly constructed.

Then, another thought occurred to me.  Accessible playgrounds allow for disabled parents to play at the playground with their kids too.  That’s a wonderful idea since some of the best memories we have as kids are the times we spend having fun with our parents.

What do you think about the idea of an accessible playground?

To find out more information, you can go to:

http://www.npr.org/2013/08/27/213827534/for-kids-with-special-needs-more-places-to-play

Thanks for reading..

cr

The Scooter Store and Home Owner’s Associations

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

While house hunting many years ago, one thing I knew I didn’t want was to get involved with a Home Owners Association.  From my experience of what others had said to me about HOAs, I had reached the opinion that they were something you paid lots of money for, that most of the time equaled lots of heartache for the homeowner.

I was again very happy that my home wasn’t associated with an HOA while watching the news a couple of weeks ago.  The news showed a story about a disabled woman who lives in a home that has an HOA.  She received a letter recently, because the Home Owner’s Association (HOA) felt that her car lift was a violation of one of their rules.  Because it has the name “The Scooter Store” on the actual lift, the lift and the pickup truck it’s attached to was seen as a commercial vehicle.  Because of her disability, she needs a lift on her personal vehicle to transport the scooter she uses while outside of her home.  Now an attorney’s involved.   If the HOA continues to send the woman correspondence about the lift, she could and should file a complaint with HUD under the Fair Housing Act.

Those who live in homes with HOAs pay a lot of money to live in those subdivisions.  Maybe the individual HOAs should take some of the money they collect in the form of dues and research laws like The Fair Housing Act before they start sending residents what could turn out to be harassing letters.  The more negative publicity Home Owners Associations receive, the less likely anyone will be willing to live in these areas.

What is your opinion of Home Owners Associations in your area?

For more information on this story you can go to the link below..

http://www.wftv.com/news/news/action-9-did-hoa-go-far/nZdmD/

Thanks for reading..

cr

New “Dancing with the Stars” Cast Announced

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Today, while checking out “Good Morning America”, I saw the announcement for the new cast of “Dancing with the Stars”.  If you’ve followed my posts before, you know that I’ve commented on the happenings of the show as it relates to disability awareness.  Any show that’s going to positively impact the way the disabled population is viewed by the general public should receive praise.  The show is always giving people with disabilities the spotlight as people first.

One of the new celebrities for this season is Jack Osbourne, the son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.  Since the ending of the reality show “The Osbourne’s” on MTV, the public has learned that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis not too long ago.  In the past, “Dancing with the Stars” has had such celebrities with disabilities like Marlee Matlin and Heather Mills-McCartney, so they’re no stranger to making accommodations for the disabled celebrity when necessary.  It’ll be interesting to see what accommodations or obstacles Jack will overcome in order to compete on the show.

I know that Multiple Sclerosis affects everyone differently, just like every other disability but, I’m hoping that Jack’s appearance on the show can make those who have any disability see that just because you have a disability doesn’t mean that your dreams aren’t attainable or even that you still can’t participate in fun activities because that’s far from the truth.

Kudos, yet again, to “Dancing with the Stars” for being an inclusive show.  Also for demonstrating to the world that no matter what your limitations, not only will they give you the opportunity to compete but, that dancing can make a difference in anyone’s life.

Seeing shows like “Dancing with the Stars”, how have they helped you realize your potential?

Thanks for reading..

cr

For more on this story, you can go to:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2013-season-17-cast-announced/story?id=20145315

Disney Jr.’s Handy Manny More Diverse than you Think

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

As we watched “Handy Manny” on Disney Junior the other day, I noticed there were and in the past have been a few episodes that had supporting disabled characters in the show.  Whether it’s the person walking down the street with their guide dog or the person who needed a ramp to go play basketball in the gym with the other kids, Disney Junior seems to be moving with the times.  I know that it’s a bilingual show, which is great too, but it also seems to come with an underlying benefit for others too.

I know in the past, “Sesame Street” has always tried to be an inclusive show, even when I was younger, which like I’ve said before, you didn’t see back then that often.  The importance is that the more exposure disabled people get in the media that targets younger children and kids, it seems to me, the more acceptance of diverse groups can be forged in the future.

This type of exposure gives way to the possibility of less bullying in schools and different environments too.  One result of this could be that the issue of disability won’t be so rare when our kids meet in school, or anywhere else.  If you’ve read my earlier posts, just like with “Dolls for Downs”(posted April 6, 2013), the fact that these characters are being shown to younger people also gives them and their families a way in which to discuss the topic of disability.  I know that I’ve been in the store sometimes and kids that are 6 or 7 years old will be staring at me and try to ask a question.  When I stop and encourage them to ask, it seems like their parent is more afraid than the child is to ask.  Maybe if children see kids with different limitations in their cartoons, they may even be able to help their mom or dad not be so apprehensive about approaching the subject too.

What benefits might come from more media exposure of different disabilities?

Thanks for reading..

cr