Tag: Multiple Sclerosis

Christmas 2013

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Before becoming pregnant with my son, I’d researched and contemplated having a child.  Most people tried to discourage me, or said I’d be a burden to him or her.  Some told me, and tell me, even today, I should tell him I’m disabled.  I don’t make a big deal about it and won’t tell him because I don’t think it matters.  I take care of him and love him and am his mom.  Those are the most important things, also, in the long run, he’ll know but, again, it doesn’t matter.

I’d heard about a little girl who signed her Christmas play for her parents, who happen to be deaf.  At the risk of sounding corny, this is one of the most loving things she could do for them.  It allows them the opportunity to fully participate in her extra-curricular activities despite their limitations.

This is just an example of children showing they love their parents despite their limitations.  For this reason, I don’t feel like disabled parents are burdens on their children, or that as a disabled person, you don’t have a right to have a child just because you’re disabled.

The last example I have of this is Shemar Moore from “Criminal Minds”.  His mother has Multiple Sclerosis.  He’s constantly trying to raise awareness about M.S. and make his mom’s life the best it can be.  No matter what level of ability the parent has, the child will love them either way.

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

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