Life is hard for veterans, who may come back to face loss of jobs, family, friends, life-focus, homes, physical disability, emotional hurdles. So much so that many resort to suicide. It’s up to us, the people they defended, to protect them. Keep this phone number handy to pass on to a vulnerable vet. In fact, loan the vet your cell phone and be with them while they make the call. It’s the least we can do.
Here’s an interesting new concept for the Arts–theatre with performers exclusively from the disabled community. There’s a lot of talent among them, but Hollywood casts what I call the “temporarily non-disabled”* into roles of characters with disabilities. That’s the case with live theater, as well.
The National Disability Theatre, created by a group of theater artists, will offer opportunities for talented individuals with disabilities to perform in major productions. In the process, they’ll be showing the world that the disability isn’t the person–and educate, say, potential hiring people to the fact that brains, creativity, work ethic, and other valuable employee-assets can NOT be determined by focusing on a person’s limitations.
Read more about this new venture at Disabled Artists Launch National Disability Theatre.
An 8th grade girl in Rockdale Co., Georgia, received a trophy. Her classmates voted her “most likely to ask a question that has already been answered,” and the school included in its class trophies one for her saying “most likely ‘to not pay attention’.” All the trophies, including this one, were presented to the students at a school assembly.
Two teachers will not return to work there next year because of it. The girl’s mother was incensed. Any parent or friend of a vulnerable child would be horrified. Why? Because the girl has ADHD.
This was not just insensitive but also cruel. I hope the replacement teachers take the time to understand ADHD and that the school adopts a policy to educate its students and staff on all disabilities.
Today I read that 650,000 people have signed a pledge to boycott Target because of their policy to allow anyone to use whichever bathroom corresponding to the sex they identify with. Their reason they give for the boycott is to protect children from child molesters.
That made me re-think my understanding that transsexuals are not normally pedophiles. I did a little research. Here’s what I found.
Univ. of Michigan’s Prevention and Awareness Center: “There are no statistics that support the idea that…transgendered individuals are more likely to commit sexual assault or be sex offenders than heterosexuals. In fact, sex offenders are disproportionately likely to be heterosexual men.”
Wisconsin Coalition Against Sexual Assault: “Another common myth about LGBT people is that they are child molesters. This is also untrue; in fact a groundbreaking study of sexual-abuse offenders concluded that a heterosexual adult is more likely to be a threat to children than a homosexual adult is.”
Advocates for Youth: “Most perpetrators of child sexual abuse are relatives or close acquaintances of the youth they target. ‘Stranger Danger’ — the notion that youth are at highest risk of sexual abuse from strangers — is a widely-accepted myth that continues to drive public policy around this issue.”
(Note: I tried to cite neutral sources who have a reputation for being non-biased and statistically accurate in their studies. I found many others, who had agendas to promote, which I don’t cite here.)
What I’m trying to say is, each of us has the right to follow our moral or religious codes, some of which say that a transsexual is “unnatural” or “sinful,” or whatever. If that case, we should own those beliefs and fight our battle on those grounds rather than on false assertions that we’re simply trying to protect our children.
On a side note, as a person with a disability, I’ve used unisex/handicap bathrooms, all my life and am quite comfortable with them.
Go to my other website, http://www.JackieODonnell.net, and on the Home page view a video that I think you’ll find surprising and fascinating. There’s a bit of personal information there I’m rather proud of, too.
This newly updated website has other pages you might be interested in, as well. Read an original poem on the Poetry page or take an informative, helpful quiz (click on Quiz-icals). If you or someone you know has a disability, on the Adept-Able Living page you’ll find suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law you should know and a thoughtful quote.
While you’re wandering around my website, please visit the My Books page and read what my paper and e-books are all about and where you can get them.
And, as always, I welcome your comments to any of my posting or the content of my website.
Thanks for reading.
I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look. There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law, and a thoughtful quote–all for the person living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page). PLUS, for your entertainment and maybe awareness, click on the Quiz-icals page.
While you’re there, look on the Home page for a personal glimpse into my life and interests and for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books. Then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.
Also, if you need any professional editing done, visit my Editing Services page.
And, as always, I welcome comments!
Thanks for reading.
I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look. Check out (and click on) the Monarch butterfly on the Home page. There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the five most popular blogs since the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance/safety, plus some disability law, and a thoughtful quote-all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among her friends (Adept-Able Living page).
While you’re there, look on the Home page for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my e-books, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.
And, as always, I welcome comments!
Thanks for reading.
I’ve just updated my other website (http://www.jackieodonnell.net) and invite you to take a look. There’s some of my poetry (Poetry page); the most popular blogs from the last time I updated (Pop-Posts page); some suggestions for a useful product and equipment maintenance, plus some disability law, a thoughtful quote, and bit of humor–all for people living with a disability himself or in his family or among his friends (Adept-Able Living page).
While you’re there, look on the Home page for a special offer for my website/blog readers for a good discount on any of my ebooks, then go to the My Books page to learn how to apply the offer.
And, as always, I welcome comments!
For those of us with disabilities, this is a week to celebrate. It’s the 23rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). During those years we’ve seen businesses and offices look at us as customers who are important enough to them to make access into their buildings a reality for people needing mobility devices. We’ve seen potential employers listen to our qualifications instead of dismissing us offhand because of what they assume we can’t do or because we don’t have a “look” that they’re comfortable with. Those of us with hearing loss can enjoy a concert or stage play, and we can participate in civic meetings, all because we can ask to borrow one of the available hearing devices, and those who are blind can expect to find braille signs and dots on walkways to warn us that we’re close to a curb cut. If we have a child with a learning disability or other special need, we can expect our education system not to just shuffle him off to an isolated program but help him become part of the school’s culture now so he can become a productive member of a society that values what he has to offer.
Yes, the ADA is truly something to celebrate!