The Label

Being different from others isn't always easy. Especially when we live in a society that treats difference like a disease. This is what its like to be disabled. In my opinion since people are never exactly the same the word “disabled” is just a label. Some people don't have a choice when they show this label. But they do have a choice on how to. If they where to make it a part of them and embrace it living with their disability will become easier to handle. Sure, there are times when your disability gets in your way. That's just life throwing a curve ball at you. Plus, it makes you a stronger person when you succeed at whatever you were trying to accomplish.

Looking for new topics...

I am looking for a new topic for my next article. This is why I am asking my readers for assistance. Is there anything that you would like to see me write about? Maybe my view on something or about something else disability related. If you have any topics feel free to leave a comment below. GOOD NIGHT!

Seclusion Rooms Strike Back!

I was recently browsing the local news when an article had caught my eye. The article that had been released was about another seclusion room in a different school. This High School is based in Barrie, Ontario. Let me start off by saying that I am not pleased with the fact that another school board is trying this approach. From the stories I have heard and the one that I had written about the seclusion room had a very negative outcome. What does this say about the school? Can they not control their students or are they not paying enough attention? In my opinion this way of handling this situation is inhumane. 

My Rant on Societal Stereotypes

Society today sometimes drives me crazy. We have developed so many stereotypes that cloud our judgement we fail to see the big picture. We all do it. Things that we first notice about someone almost instantly becomes who they are. There are so many factors involved in this but I will list a couple of them.

Financial Impact Of Caring For People With Cerebral Palsy

While finances may be the last thing one would want to worry about when they find out their child has cerebral palsy, it is something that will eventually rear its ugly head. There can be significant costs to care for a person with cerebral palsy (CP) throughout their life. Although the health of the child is always the largest concern, finances can be yet another burden for families caring for a loved one with CP.

Thanksgiving

Today is a day of reflection. A day to remember all the events that led you up to this day. Not just the good but the bad as well. I like to remember that I am glad to be alive and surrounded by family. That I'm getting an education and a future career. For my caring girlfriend who is new to my life. And last but not least, my friends who have and will be there for me.

Write something that you are grateful for in the comments below. Thank you for taking the time to read my post. I hope that you all have an amazing Thanksgiving!

The Disability-Inspiration Correlation (Guest post)

An interesting correlation exists between living with a disability and the word “inspirational.” The connection stems from good intentions by able-bodied individuals, but a closer look exposes some concerning notions. Much credit goes to UK comedian Lawrence Clark for delving into the issue within his comedy.

Since I feel Lawrence Clark words his point well I won’t paraphrase. Rather, enjoy this direct quote from Clark’s The Guardian article “Laurence Clark: My Life as a Superhero.” “I came to realise that the less fortunate you are perceived to be, the less you have to achieve before you're labeled ‘inspiring.’ It (calling me inspirational) was a polite way of people telling me they thought I probably wouldn't amount to much, but had somehow surpassed their low expectations.”

Steps to Take for Stressfull Situations

Step 1
Breathe (You need oxygen flowing to your brain)

Step 2
Take your time to think (When stressed people may overlook something)

Step 3
Go over your options/alternatives

Step 4
DON’T FORGET TO BREATHE!

Step 5
If situation is not handled take a short break and clear your head

Potential new page

I was thinking of more ways to promote disabilty awareness and I had an idea. My idea was to create a new page geared towards other similar blogs. How I am going to find these blogs will be easy. If you have a similar blog and you would like it showcased follow these steps: 1. Place your url and a short description in the comments of this post 2. If accepted please add a link to my blog on your website (The more visible the better) 3. W A I T -- Promotion may take a day to be displayed on page.

How Disabled Adaptations Can Help (Guest post)

When you say the word 'disabled adaptations' to people most will look at you blankly. So today I'd like to explain a little better about exactly what they're about and who they benefit.

Disabled adaptations are items that make the life of somebody who is disabled a lot easier and grant them more freedom and independence than they would normally have.

My thoughts on Facebook

Facebook has become a part of people's lives today. It has a lot of uses that people may or may not see. These uses include social and business. People can easily read about and reunite with others. With pros there are always cons. Some cons include posting and your career. What I would like to discuss are the cons of this social networking site and how it affects society.

IDEA

I was thinking about how to gain more information on finding solutions for a disabled person's everyday issues. I had a couple of people input their ideas and so with that I was hoping to be able to expand to more people. I would like to organize a discussion for this topic where everybody is welcome. Also, I was hoping to do this via video feed like Google Hangout or something similar.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how this could work out?

disABLEd guy forum

I am trying something new for my blog. I have created a forum for people to start discussions in. I would like my readers to have more opportunities to collaborate with each other. I have no idea if this is going to work so if I can get some feedback from you I would appreciate it.

disabledguy.forumotion.ca

Solutions and weekly update #4

Solutions

Well so far I have received one comment for my previous post. spashionistareport wrote that since she has cerebral palsy making meatballs can be difficult. Her solution was to use an ice cream scoop to mold and place the meatballs. She also uses this technique for making cookies or drop biscuits.

If you have something that you would like to share feel free to put it in the comments below. Having a disability can be hard but it makes succeeding feel even better!


Weekly update #4

I am just about finished applying for my courses! All I have to do is pay for them, get my books and I’m all set. WISH ME LUCK!

Next post: Solutions

For my next post I want to write about how people with disabilities complete their everyday tasks. I would like you to tell me what you do during the day that you find difficult. After this I would like to write those difficulties down and see if others have any solutions. I think that this could be a really big help to a lot of people.

If you know of anything that is difficult to do or have a solution please put it in the comment box below.

Steps for completing your goals

1. Think about what you want to accomplish
2. Know you are able to do it
3. Give it your best shot
4. Don't give up

Even if you don't get the desired outcome the first time you'll know how to get closer the next.I heard this from somewhere, "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land in the stars". I love that quote. Makes me feel that if I didn't do something right I still accomplished something.

MY BIRTHDAY!

Well today's my birthday and I'm already enjoying myself! Right now I am at my mom's house for lunch. I plan on having a great time tonight. I will probably go out to a local pub for a couple drinks tonight. I will write another post tonight to reflect on my day.

Mother abandons disabled daughter at bar

On June 28 a mother had left her 19 year old daughter, who has a severe mental disability, at a bar in Tennessee. Lynn had no money, ID, or anything else that belonged to her. Police had talked to some customers that said that they saw her pushed into the bar. They also could not find any signs of physical abuse.

My school options

I have been thinking about what I wanted to take in school and 3D game design is one of my current options. During high school I had created 3D scenes and objects using Blender. This is a free open-source 3D creation program that allows you to design 3D objects and animate them. Over the three years that I have been using this program I have made more detailed scenes. A really important point is that I enjoy doing it. Here are some of my scenes:

Dealing with the jerks of today's society

One night I was walking home from a friend's house and I passed by a couple guys. As I walked by they seemed to look at me funny and laugh. Once behind me they started to make comments such as "herp derp". Which to me sound like they were making fun of me. The part that I found funny is that it didn't seem to bother me one bit. This is because I have dealt with people like this for pretty much my entire life.


I find that if the younger population sees something that they don't understand they begin to question it. The problem with this is that is their way of questioning. Especially, when it comes to other people. For example, I don't mind it when people ask about my disability, but I what I don't mind is when it is made into a joke.

During my younger years in school I had dealt with a lot of bullying. So that being said I have belt up somewhat of a tolerance to that. Small comments hat the confused people make no longer have an effect on me. In a strange way I find myself glad that I was bullied. It has helped me become more mature as an adult and gives me a shield against discrimination.

If I were to tell one thing to the younger generation of the disabled I would say that it gets better. People will eventually grow up. Once they do they will begin to open their eyes and realize the difficulty we endure.

Easy gaming

Video games have been a part of my life since I was about 10 years old. I enjoyed playing a lot of different types of games. The only problem was that my disability made it difficult to play. That being said, I never let it stop me from doing so.

There are games that I find a lot easier to play. Games for tablets are a good example. I find that these would be a lot less difficult for someone who has trouble with fine motor movement. A good example in my opinion would be Restaurant Story. This game is very easy to control and does not require a lot of physical effort.

Another example of games that are easier to play would be PC strategy games. These types also do not require a lot of physical effort. The user mostly just needs to drag and click the mouse. The keyboard is also used but the commands can be used effortlessly. Starcraft would be one of my favorite examples for this type.

For these games I'm using an Asus Transformer. This tablet uses Android for its operating system. It also has a 10.1 inch screen that comes in handy when gaming. If you do have a tablet I would suggest that you take a look at these games.

Rudys Way

This is another related blog that I would like to point out. Rudy's blog is about how he deals with his Cerebral Palsy. There are posts about causes, personal experience, etc. I like the way that he has organized his blog. Also, there are category links that take you to different topics of his blog. The slideshow header at the top of the page is a reall neat idea. It displays the five newest posts. I suggest that people take a look at Rudy's blog.

http://www.rudysway.ca

John W. Quinn (Guest post)

My name is John W. Quinn. I am a Senior Chief Petty Officer, United States Navy (Retired). I joined the Navy in January 1982 and retired in October 2002. During my career I sailed the world on two aircraft carriers, a destroyer, a battleship, even did paperwork and worked out every morning with the Navy SEALs. I trained, molded and led a generation of sailors, many of who are still serving today. It was an honor to serve my country.

Did I mention that I was born with cerebral palsy?

You are probably thinking, “How in the heck did you get into the Navy and serve 20 years? That’s impossible!” It is possible. My recently published memoir titled Someone Like Me – An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy details how I was able to accomplish that feat. I kept my CP a secret during my entire military career. My friends didn't know about my disability, the sailors who served with me were unaware, and fortunately my CP went undetected by government officials who could have sent me home for false enlistment. Granted, I'm not in a wheelchair or braces. My CP symptoms are generally mild enough to pass off as injuries, clumsiness, or to hide behind an administrative desk. I got some lucky breaks. Was it difficult to go 20 years with no medical attention, support or care? That's an understatement! So why did I choose to go that route?

I kept my CP hidden for a couple of reasons. First, I didn’t think the Navy would let me enlist. Second, and more important to me, I just wanted the same opportunity as everyone else. I didn't want to be known as “that sailor with CP.” I just wanted to be known as a great sailor – one known for ability, not remembered for his disability.

I am hesitant to use the word disability because it really bothers me. Look at the word again. I am not an English major, but I know that the prefix “dis” means the absence of. So the word disability means the absence of ability. If that’s the case, then yes, I have a disability. I cannot do fractions. In fact, when it comes to anything having to do with math, I struggle mightily.

But there are many areas of my life in which I am very capable. Some big, others small. Everyone has some ability to offer this world. You just have to find it. It might be hidden deep down inside you, just yearning to come out. I encourage you to not let any handicap hold you back, to not listen to the people that tell you it cannot be done. My parents told me that I could do just about anything that I put my mind to and I believe that to be true for anyone, regardless of obstacles faced. If you don’t push yourself to find your ability, who will? Franklin Delano Roosevelt suffered with polio and became President of the United States. Albert Einstein didn’t talk until the age of three and was severely dyslexic. The English author/poet Milton lost his sight at the age of 43 and then wrote the classic tale Paradise Lost. What would the world be like if these people had given up? Can you imagine FDR saying, “I can’t do it, it’s too hard.”

Have you always wanted to paint but thought it was a waste of time? Perhaps you've felt a strong desire to get up on stage in your community theater but were ridiculed when you shared your dream out loud? I have been laughed at. Most people thought it was nuts for a guy with cerebral palsy to even dream of joining the Navy. Mocking turned to cheers 20 years later when I retired as a Senior Chief Petty Officer. When I decided I wanted to write my memoir, some scoffed. “You’ve never written anything before. “What makes you think you can write a book?” Well, Someone Like Me, An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph over Cerebral Palsy has been in the Amazon Top 100 and just turned into an audiobook!

You might not become President of the United States, discover new math theories, or become a Navy Chief Petty Officer. But then again, you might. So I ask you.

What’s your ability?

To find out more about John and order a copy of Someone Like Me – An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy, go to www.johnwquinn.com


John W. Quinn Motivational Speaker and Author of Someone Like Me Executive Board Member of the Reaching for the Stars Foundation Website - www.johnwquinn.com Email - quinnjohn21@comcast.net Twitter @johnwquinn

My View on Living with a Disability (Guest Post)

Living with a disability is different for each of us. What one person will find challenging, another person will find non-challenging. Our disabilities don’t match one another, so it would be difficult to gauge how someone else feels.

Disability comes in many forms, with many conditions that are more challenging than others. Unfortunately that makes a difference on how we view our lives and what we deal with. I think what also makes living with a disability hard is other people’s perception of what we deal with.

For me living with CP has slowly given me a better outlook on my life. As a child I struggled to understand and come to terms with living with CP, but as the adult it has helped me put my life into perspective.

Not many people would give what we deal with a second’s thought and on a day to day footing they probably don’t, but they would still be quick to comment on what we deal with as if they know how we feel. No one really knows what we deal with unless they step into our shoes. I think with any disability, it’s the support that allows us to deal with our disability so that we cope with it better.

Unfortunately disability still doesn’t seem to be accepted in the way it should be. I believe if people were more accepting of disability and perceived disability differently we would deal and live with our disabilities in a more positive way. I think because society isn’t always accepting of people’s disabilities, we become less accepting of ourselves.

I very much believe that disability needs to be embraced by society more and by families alike. We all need to unite.

http://www.thecpdiary.com

Guest Bloggers

Now that I have my blog up and running I'm looking for new ways to expand. One way I thought of was to allow other to input. That's why I added a new page, "Submit Guest Post". This page will tell you where to send your post and has a few rules listed. In my opinion this is a good way to network similar blogs.


Another reason why I like the idea of finding guest bloggers is finding more views on disabilities. To see through someone else's eyes. I think that people can gain a better perspective this way. I like learning about how others cope with the disability that they have. After reading other's posts and blogs I can now see that living with a disability can be difficult but is not impossible.

Never Accept No With Cerebral Palsy (Guest Post)

Growing up with Cerebral Palsy was no different than any other kid, expected that I walked a little different than my friends. I was always very ambitious to do anything that I wanted and it was hard for the people around me to say no to me because I wanted to do something that everyone else was doing, like playing a sport or riding a bike, let me tell you when I learned to ride a bike it was hard for my parents to get me off of it, I loved riding my bike.

But there were things like playing sports for my school that the school wouldn't let me participate in and I didn't know too much about the reason, until one day in 4th grade we were in gym class and we were learning the fundamentals of basketball and I wanted to play so the teacher didn't know what to do. So she sat me on the sideline to watch and lets just say I wasn't a happy camper. So I went home and told my mom after school I wasn't allowed to play basketball today in gym and my mom being the nicest lady I know told me I will go and talk with the school tomorrow, so the next gym class I went and sat on the sideline like I normally do during gym, but that day was a bit different. My gym teacher let me participate and from that day forward I was able to participate in any and all basketball teams and seasons when I got into 5th grade.

I was the 8th grade basketball team captain and I was really honored to have that roll with all my friends. So the moral of the story is and I am talking from experience that when you are told you cant remember don’t let the answer NO get in the way of something great, because you can and all of us just have to prove it sometimes.
Follow Me
@Rudysway

http://www.rudysway.com/

My thoughts on becoming an adult

As you become an adult your view on the world begins to change. Its strange because you also feel like the same way you did before. Your responsibilities and tasks now become more complex and difficult. But that being said they are also more rewarding. For example, college and university. Your task is to complete each course and your responsibility is to make sure that you work on your task. Not only do these schools give you experience in the field of your choice, it also gives you an opportunity for a career.

My thoughts on strengths and weaknesses

Everybody needs help and it isn't that they are a lesser person, it is because we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. One strength that everybody should have is admitting that they have weaknesses. Our strengths and weaknesses are what makes us who we are. Its what separates and brings everyone together as a community. If everyone was the same the world would be a dull and dark place.

The Cp Diary

I find this a very well organized blog, easy to read and has a great eye-catching color scheme.

Jesse has a lot of amazing articles and I think that you (my readers) should check these out! I would not be surprised if this personal blog had a lot of new and returning visitors. I know that I check up on this blog regularly. Follow the link below and read her articles!
www.thecpdiary.com

Life

Before I was born my mom had become ill. The doctors at the hospital had thought that she had the flu. So they treated her for that. Only after I was born they found out that my mom's amniotic fluid was infected.

England: Final days

We had gone to Keighley for a couple of days. There is where I had met about over eighty of my distant cousins. They were all very nice and I was glad to finally meet them. My dad's aunt had her birthday party. Since we had a lot of relatives over her her backyard was packed.

After the party some of us had taken a cab to one of the local pubs. The place was small so we all had taken up a large portion. We all ended up dancing and singing to music. One of the songs was "Born To Be Wild". The funny thing is that all our last names were "Wild"!

In the mourning we said our goodbyes and left for the train. This has been a very eventful trip. It is going to be a long day of traveling before I get home. As much as I love it up here I am excited to soon be back home!

England: Day 7

Mourning

Yesterday mourning I had slept in a bit. The weather right now is amazing up here! The days seem to be blending in now. As much as I love it up here I am excited to be heading back home soon. I am physically exhausted and look forward to sleep in my own bed.

Night

Last night was our final chance to go to a pub. The place we had gone to was a lot busier than the night before. Every time I wake up I find it very confusing when I look at the time. Right now my tablet says that its 5:33am. Which back at home I would most likely be asleep.

England: Day 6

Mourning to afternoon

This mourning I had woke up with a bit of a hangover. Since I couldn't fall back asleep I wrote my blog entry for yesterday's activities. After that my dad, his uncle and I left to buy groceries for tonight. They left me at this really good fish and chips diner. It has been a very slow day so far.

Night

I had gone for another pub crawl that night. The atmosphere of the pubs is different then back home. Most of the place here seem to be a bit more social. Also, there are a lot more spots to sit down and have a drink. After all this time going to pubs with my cousins is going to make me very tired when I arrive back home.

England: Day 5

Mourning to mid-evening

Our day started off by going to Bolton Abbey. Most of the cathedral had been striped away but what had remained stayed strong. The actual church was still intact. From afar you can see how large the cathedral is. Outside the ruins there were ancient graves dating as far back as the 1800s. Some of the gravestone's words were still legible. The surrounding area was all rolling hills ad plains. It was a very beautiful location.

Evening

We all had dinner at my aunt's house and then left for a local pub. It was small with a few people in it. Most of them were my relatives. We had a couple drinks there and then headed for the next pub. My dad and uncles had left so it was my sisters, cousins, and me left. After a couple more drinks there we called it a night. I have no idea what's in store for me today but I'm excited to find out!

Putting ability into disability

My first intention with this blog was to make people more aware that others with disabilities have a lot of capabilities. I for one don't let my disability stop me from doing what I want to do. Some people may see it as a weakness but I see it as a strength. Overcoming my disability has made me a stronger person. There are a lot of tasks that are more difficult for me to complete. Some of these difficult tasks are what other people may take for granted. For example, drinking out of a cup. My hands shake a lot so when I pick up a glass it sometimes spills a bit.

Being less able in one category makes me more in another. I feel that I have a better understanding of people. With that being said I think that a career with psychology is the path for me to take. So instead of focusing on my weaknesses I have decided to increase my strengths. Hopefully by doing this I can have a better outlook on my life and work on doing more to enjoy it.

England: Day 4

Mourning to afternoon
This mourning we woke up and booked out of the hotel. We then proceeded to take the subway to the train station. I have never been on a train before. The view out here is incredible! The interior of the cabins are very spacious and comfortable. The temperature in our car was too hot so we had moved forward to another one.
There is a lot of farmland up here. Green and yellow fields cover the surrounding area. Every once in a while we roll through a small town. I love the old-fashioned architecture. It makes me feel like I've traveled to the past.
Afternoon to evening
We arrived at the house which is owned by the son of my grandfather's brother. He has a very nice home with a great view of the area. Most of it looks like it is used as farmland. From my window I can see enormous hills in the distance.
Night
For dinner we had all gone to one of my family members house. This is where I met a lot of the "Wilds". They were all a very upbeat bunch. It was a very loud and hilarious meal! After our meal we had piled into the living room to talk about past stories, drinking and pubs. I think that tomorrow night well be a WILD one!

London: Day 3

Mourning to afternoon
First stop we had gone to in the mourning was the Buckingham Palace. Since it was early we were able to catch the rotation of the guards. This was a sight to see! There was about three waves of guards that marched in. Each group had been very well organized and had worn different style uniforms. The second wave of guards were well armed with assault rifles at hand. While we stood outside and watched the guards, the temperature seemed to rise. After the event we headed back to the hotel to rest.
Afternoon to evening
My dad and I had gone to the London Eye. This is a huge ferris wheel type structure with large booths. Each booth had a 360 degree view of London. It had taken about half an hour to complete to circuit. As for the height, it was high enough to see far across the city. When we were almost at the end we realized that we were not moving. Five minutes later an announcement had came on that there was a mechanical error. Also, they said that we had to spread ourselves out to even the weight. Ten minutes later we were moving again. When back at the hotel we got drinks and prepared to head out for dinner.
Night
We headed out to a local pub for dinner and drinks. I had a steak with a pint of cider. The meal was very good. My cousin and her husband had joined us. After we had walked down to Abbey Road. We all took a picture of us walking across the same road the Beatles had. I thought that it was amazing to know that the Beatles was there years back. Then we had walked over to a shop to grab some ice cream. This had been a great day for exploring the London area.

England: Day 2

Mourning to afternoon
This mourning we got up and headed out to look around London. As we walked around London I noticed a cell phone store so I decided to check it out. The deals in England seem to be a lot better than the ones in Canada. There are data plans for under 30£. I wish I could get a deal like that for my plan. After that we had gone to McDonalds. It was a very different layout of store. There was a few tables when you walked in and then there were stairs leading to another floor. Down here there were more tables and the two bathrooms.
The shopping was a little overwhelming. My sisters had done most of it. We had gone to store after store to look at clothing for them. At the end of that my back was killing me. We took a cab after that back to the hotel. The cabs up here are very different. Inside the cab there are two or three seats in the back and then two more seats that fold down in front of them.
Afternoon to evening
We had dinner and drinks after sitting down for a bit. I had a burger and chips with a cider. This has been a very exhausting day of exploring London. Right now I'm just going to lay back and watch tv. It has been an exhausting day of exploring London. I hope to find a beer mug to buy for a souvenir.

England: Day 1

The flight to London, England took about six and a half hours. During this flight I was able to relax and fit two movies in. I had watched Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Both movies, in my opinion, had been worth watching. The food was a different story. The flight attendant said that it was chicken but it did not taste that way.

After arriving in London, we (my dad and two sisters) spent about an hour going through customs. The irony was that we were in the express lane and the normal lane seemed to go through much more quickly. Once we were able to get out of the airport we had taken two subways and walked fifteen minutes to the hotel. There are a lot of differences between where I'm from and England. One of the major differences is the architecture. Most of the buildings that I've seen have an older style to them.

The hotel is very nice and has a luxurious feel to it. The room has three beds and one tv. We are only staying in the hotel for a couple of days so it is a good size. You can see a lot of the city from the window. The only con that I can think about is that the subway tracks are too close. Anyways, going to bed!

Distraction goals

Sometimes you need a task to do to take your mind off something. This is where distraction goals come in. Distraction goals are specified tasks to either keep you busy or from thinking about something that bothers you. One idea of a task could be a hobby. Hobbies could be something your good at or like to do. These work if you have an upsetting thought in the back of your head. By focusing your thoughts on something else the other thought will begin to feel less upsetting. If you do this enough you will be able to build the strength to diminish that certain thought that upsets you.

This is how I got rid of my problems. I made goals for myself and now I'm working on completing them. I, like everybody else, have issues to deal with. By keeping myself distracted with writing for my blog I am less agitated by my current issues. Why don't you try making a distraction goal for yourself! You never know, this goal could make you a stronger person. I know mine has!

My thoughts on Google Adsense

I like having Google Adsense attached to my blog. This way I can work on my writing and be eligible to earn a passive income. Once the ads are running on the site Google will pay you for every time someone clicks on them. The amount you get payed varies. Right now one person has clicked on one of the ads on my site and has earned me $0.86. This may seem like a small amount but the more people that visit your site the more likely they are to click on an ad. As your site becomes more well-known you will potentially have more licks and earn more money. This also helps out other businesses by having ads that link to their websites.

Taking advantage of your disability

Just because you have a disability does not mean that you are unable. Being disabled gives you the knowledge on how to cope and adapt to deal with your environment. For example, if you are in a wheelchair you eventually adapt to your lack of reach. You may set your items lower or use an extended reach tool. Another example would be if you have trouble holding something steady. For some people with disabilities it can be difficult to hold something like a glass of water. For this situation it depends on the person and the condition of the arm and hand. Since I have tremors in my hands I fill my cup up half way and as I pick up the glass I would bring my head down. This would help minimize the space between my mouth and the cup.

There are other ways to take advantage of your disability. What I would like to do is help people cope with their disabilities and limitations. My experience allows me to relate to other disabled people. I would also like to prevent people from developing some sort of social anxiety. This can happen when the feeling of "sticking out" arises. The person would feel eyes on them and begin to get anxious. If they can change their outlook on themselves they can more easily enter a social environment. With a better social life a person with a disability can have a greater view of themselves.

Learning disabilities

There are many types of learning disabilities. I have ADD which stands for Attention Deficit Disorder. I have sometimes have trouble reading large amounts of text. Sometimes I find myself accidentally skipping over a few sentences. I also have difficulty paying attention for a long period of time. If I don't find it the least bit interesting my mind begins to wander somewhere else. I am beginning to think that the educational scene is not for me.

I find that I learn a lot more studying at my own pace. Back in grade school I was able to write a full page explaining the difference between cell phones and pdas. Which at the time were two separate devices. The information that I had used to write this paper I had remembered from studying the devices before. I was and still to this day, very interested in technology and its exponential growth as the years go on.

With all this being said there are a lot of ways for people with learning disabilities to learn. It takes more patience, motivation and a topic you are interested in. Find something you like to do. It could be a hobby or some sort of routine. Once you figure out what you lime to do the learning will come a lot easier. Plus, once you learn about what you like to do it will be more rewarding in the end!

My thoughts on on-line dating

Having this disability sometimes makes me self-aware. So I had tried a dating website. I am here to convince you NOT sign up for one of these sites. Most of the woman that I have met have problems. Some more than others. Here is an example: This woman I had messaged on the site started to message me back. Then we started texting each other. Finally I had her over at my place. During this time she talked more to my buddy (who was there at the time) than me. When he left the woman and I continued talking until she left.

Now here is where it gets interesting. She texts me in the afternoon saying that my buddy texted her begging for sex and that he ruined it for me. I was angry with him until I heard the actual story of what happened. It turns out that she was texting him explicit things and because he was drunk he did so too. When he turned her down she became angry with me. Therefore, sending me that text. Which now I see as more of a wakeup call. This brought one thing to my mind, "what the @#&% was I thinking?".

There are a lot of women out there. My advice to you is to not look for them online. Most of them have too many issues to count. It is not worth the time or effort. Do yourself a favor an meet people in real life. Therefore you can have a better outlook on the person who you are meeting.

Disabled bloggers

More people with disabilities should create their own blogs. It allows other people to have a better understanding on how we are as a person in today's society. Also, it gives the writer a better view on their disability and on themselves. By writing this blog I have begun to have a better outlook on my perspective on life. I have really begun to enjoy writing for my blog and I think that more people should create their own.

There are millions of blogs out there. Plus, there are a lot on people and their disabilities. I have read several blogs that people with disabilities have created. I will continue to write and update my blog and Twitter. If you have any questions about blogging leave them in the comment section.

Changes

Since I'm not in school at the moment I have been trying to find something to occupy myself with. I have a lot of distractions. One of these are women. You don't need to tell me not to worry because I know. The problem about that is I feel like if I dont try then ill never now. Thats my attitude for everything and its gotton me in a lot of trouble with women. I always try to hard and I'm trying to stop that.

During the summer I'm going to find a way to start a small business. This way I can have something to do so I don't feel too bad about myself. I know I need a major change in my life. I just need to know where to start. Here's a question for my readers: I heard that I'm a good writer, do you think thats true?

Common sense - online etiquette

There are some things that people don't put online for reasons such as discrimination, racism, sexist, etc. But there are still people out there who feel like they can. When people post this type of information online it causes a disturbance in the online world. People get upset, offended, angry or all of the above. There is a fine line where freedom of speech is and it can be easily crossed. I ran into an individual on Twitter who had posted a discriminating comment about people with Cerebral Palsy. I was deeply offended and found out that I was not the only one. Anyways, that's my rant for the night. Have a good one!

Other blogs to check out!

These are blogs that I have looked at that deals with disabilities. Writing a blog is a good way to let others know your view on a particular subject. What makes these blogs so great is that is shows other people's personal opinions. If you want to voice your own opinions this is something you should experiment with. There may be people out there that shares your thoughts.

Here is the list of blogs I viewed:

• Cerebral Palsy Family - cerebralpalsyfamily.blogspot.ca
• Life of the Differently Abled - lifeofthedifferentlyabled.com
• Mom with Cerebral Palsy - cpmomjessica.blogspot.ca
• The CP Diary - thecpdiary.com

If you want you site to have a link on my blog leave a comment!!!!

Disabled gamers

These devices are good for disabled people and video game developers. These are good for disabled people because it allows them to enjoy video games. These devices also benefit video game developers because it gives them a potential expansion on the market of gaming. Before technology like this existed if was difficult for a disabled person to game. Now there are options out there to allow them to enjoy playing video games. With the exponential growth of technology more things are becoming possible. I have attached a link below. You should watch this if you want to learn more!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsq1QivsGek&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL159EE5BB2416E8DE

Input on disability

To: My readers

I am looking for input on your disability. What you have and how you overcome your disability to show your ability. What makes you a stronger person? Do you know someone who has a disability. If you do, in your eyes how do they cope? As a person with a disability how do you see yourself in today's society?

Tell us about yourself. What makes you different from everyone else? Is there any advice that you would like to share? If so put it in the comment box. I look forward to hearing about other's thoughts.

disABLEdguy

My life goals 2

I have been told that I have a good understanding of people. This is somewhat true. I thought a good career would be a counselor and own my own practice. I know of one psychiatrist who had worked out of his basement. I think that I will be able to study about human behaviour a lot more easily than computer studies. I had asked my dad if he that being a psychologist was recession proof and he said that people will always have problems. Anyways thats my little blub fo the day. Thank you for reading!

My life goals

It has always been a goal of mine to own my own company. To have the letters "CEO" on my office door. Currently I am trying to find something interesting that I can specialize in. This way I will have the knowledge and capability to run the company. My first step in this is finding what courses I want to enroll in. This is the tricky part. There are tons of areas to work in and more are being created.

I had an idea in the back of my head of doing something with real estate. Buying houses, making adjustments and then renting them out. There is quite a large market around the local colleges. Well, thats only one idea. I'm thinking up of more as I go along.

Finding a future career is going to be difficult. What gets me through this is thinking that I don't want to be stuck in a dead end career that has no place for improvement. I know I'll make it big with something. The rest just needs to be figured out on the way.

Scream rooms in school causes discomfort with parents

An article about a school had caught my attention. It was about Farm Hill Elementary School in Middleton, Conneticut. School staff are putting misbehaving children in a secluded room for a "time out". Also, special needs students are put in these rooms. There are then locked in and left inside until they calm down. Parents call these small rooms "scream rooms". They are called this because the children locked inside scream for someone to let them out.

These rooms have four concrete walls and have small holes for windows. Some of the imprisoned children are known to harm themselves by hitting their heads off the wall. This can be an issue for the heath of the child. There also can be a problem with this method of punishment. Parents have overheard that the custodians have to clean the rooms of blood and urine. The child being held can become traumatized. This can severely traumatize the child.

A couple of parents had seen two staff members holding a door shut as a child kicked and scream while hitting the door. Under the state law seclusion time is legal for disabled students. There is one exception with this law. A student needs to have an IEP for seclusion time. Reportedly, not all the children who are secluded have IEPs. The superintendent had sought out to make changes in the school. A report was sent to the school addressing the following:

● Upgrading the psychiatrist from part-time to full-time

● Increased training for teachers

● Hiring a behavioral technician to work closely with the children

● Widening the support for the Family Resource Center for the children though the fifth

    grade

In my opinion the confinement of the misbehaving children is not the solution. The school should have seen this due to the supposed blood and urine in the rooms. The school should be looking into alternative methods for the safety of the students.

Creating awareness for the disabled

There are a lot of people out there who don't know the difficulties of being "disabled". I put disabled in quotes because there are a lot of people with disabilities whom are just as able as people without. Saying that someone is disabled is like stating that they are unable. It is the context of the word that causes other people to think that people with disabilities are not as capable. People with disabilities are able to a lot of things. For example, before I was accepted into college I thought that it was almost impossible for me to be enrolled. One year later I got an acceptance letter from Georgian College.

Creating awareness for people with disabilities should not be too difficult. In my opinion, people need a better understanding of what its like to be disabled. One thing that people may see is that a lot of disabled people have someone helping them with everything. This includes basic tasks like eating and moving around. Now to some people it may look like they have it easy but thats not always the case.

Since my disability causes tremors in my hands I could not write. Also, I could type the notes out fast enough. For this reason I was assigned an educational assistant to write the notes down for me. The other people in my class had wished they they could have someone do that for them. I, on the other hand did not. I wished that I was able to write the notes myself. Simple activities such as writing are taken for granted.

I am looking for ideas that will get the community involved in some sort of awareness event. If you have any ideas please comment on this post.

My thoughts on assistive technology

Assistive technology consists of devices that help impaired people with their computers. Devices like these include specialized keyboards, mice and more. These devices can make the use of a computer more efficient and easier. Devices like these can be costly but are worth it when a person with a disability finds it difficult to use normal keyboards or mice.

There is a type of keyboard that I find would be easy for some people with a movement impairment disorder. This is a one-handed keyboard for either left or right-handed users. These keyboards are smaller and are mostly in a square-like shape. The keys have two letters per key and a function to switch between letters. This may seem more difficult than a normal keyboard but can be very efficient once used it.

Some people with impaired mobility may find using a normal mouse hard.There are probably a lot of types of different mice out there for assistive technology. One of these mice is a joystick that mimics the mouse movements. You tilt the joystick to the direction you want the curser to be. The buttons are strategically placed so the user can easily use them.

These are only some of the assistive technology devices out there. I find a lot of these types of these on http://www.enablemart.com/. This site has a lot of different types of assistive technology including blindness, hearing loss, alternative input and more. All of these devices can come in great use. If you need or are interested in assistive technology you check out this site or Google for more devices.

Cooking with a disability

Having a disability I am unable to do a lot of things that other people take for granted. With that being said, there are a lot of things that I am still capable of doing on my own. Cooking is one of those things. Ever since I moved out of my dad’s house I have started to like cooking for myself more often. Now, I try to cook myself a meal every night. And no, I do not call Kraft Dinner a meal. I like to cook chicken in various types of sauces. I’ll mix up the chicken in a mixing bowl with the sauce and then pour all of it in a glass oven dish. While I cook that I sometimes boil some vegetables to go with it. I either choose brussel sprouts or broccoli.

The difficult part of cooking is my tremors. My hands shake almost constantly so picking up and putting things down can be difficult. I have to brace my elbows to my hips when carrying the dish in and out of the oven. It takes a lot of energy to do this when trying to focus on shaking less. Especially when trying not to spill hot liquid. If I have to travel more than a couple feet with it I have to set it down somewhere in between to take a break for a second. If I try to focus on something like that for too long my arms will begin to cramp.

Although having some difficulties with cooking I have had good comments on my meals. I have had people try my chicken and say that it was really good. I like spicy food so I once cooked my chicken with buffalo wing sauce. I had turned out very well.

Here’s a question for you: As a person with a disability what is the hardest thing to do when cooking?

My thoughts on local transportation

In my opinion the local transportation needs some work. People around here take buses and cabs to work, home, stores, etc. As far as I’m concerned, there will always be a need for public transit. I will be focusing on two methods that I find could use some adjustments. These two methods are buses and taxis.

The local bus system seems easy enough during the day. The operators are very helpful as well. The only problem that I can see is that the busses slow down after 7pm. This makes it more difficult for people coming back from work or anywhere else. This could have people waiting at the bus stop for a lot longer. In the summer it’s not so bad but you still want to get somewhere and not wait too long. During the winter is another story. I have never taken a bus in the winter but I know that I don’t like to wait outside for too long.

I don’t take a taxi very often. One of the major reasons is the price. It cost me about $40 to get across town. Watching that meter go up makes me feel like my life is slowly draining. The way I see it is that its theft. It costs way too much money to get anywhere. The only reason that I took the cab is because the buses were not running.

Disability Scholarships

There are awards out there for people with disabilities. One of the sites I had looked at was DisabilityAwards.ca. This website had numerous awards for students with disabilities in Canada. To search for an award you need to select the province where you live, the province of where the school is located and the name of the school you plan to attend. Then, under that, there is a checkbox list of disabilities. You check off the ones that apply to you and click ‘Search for Awards’. After that a list of awards will show up.

This is only one of the sites out there that offers these scholarships. Use www.google.ca and search for more awards there. I use Google to search for everything. Once you find the sites you need apply for some awards. These will help disabled students financially with their studies.

Mother battles school for daughter's right for walker

Having a disability I am against any discrimination. I have read on article on how a school bans a young girl with Cerebral Palsy (Lakay Roberts) to bring her walker. The head of the special needs department (Gary Lemley) made a statement after seeing her walker collapse in the parking lot. He stated that the walker was unsafe for the other children and it would have to be left at home.

What I don’t understand is if she can’t bring her walker to school how will she move around? Does Mr. Lemley want Lakay to crawl around? In my opinion, I feel that most school boards are in serious need of adjustment when it comes to disabilities. Back when I was in High School I had a lot of grief dealing with some teachers. The fact is that they did not have a lot of information on how to teach someone with a physical or learning disability.

Mrs. Roberts had asked if the other children fall do they take away their shoes. Which I think is a great point. They need their shoes to move about just like Lakay needs her walker. Lemley replies to her question with “No, ma'am, they're not using walkers.” That statement was pro discrimination. It appears to me that the school is not really accepting of disabled children.

Living with a physical disability in today's society

It's not at all easy. In my perspective I see that other people see me as less able to do anything a non-disabled person can do. I have a disability called Cerebral Palsy. I can see myself capable to do a lot of things. What I have discovered is that its not up to the person with the disability to change their views on them. It is up to that person to change their view on society. Having a disability means that we should show others that we are just as capable.

Also, I have recently started to think that I have anxiety. This is because of when in crowds I feel as if everyone is looking at me. This anxiety affects my social life. It is difficult for me to meet new people because I feel as if they won't be as accepting as I hoped. I feel like my tremors stick out like crazy. Tremors are the most distinctive part of my disability. My hands and feet shake constantly. I have to sit on my left hand a lot to keep it from shaking.

I am going to college at the moment and also preparing to go to university. Once there, I would like to take psychology. I think studying human behaviour is very interesting. After that I would lime to try to become an expert in deception. Reading people's emotions though their face and movements. It is all very fascinating and I feel like there are not a lot of people that do it. I've seen the TV series "Lie to Me" and I would like to do something like what Tim Roth (Cal Lightman) does.
Anyways I'm going to bed. TTYL!