Disability is Natural Free Press

• New Productsat the Disability is Natural Store

DVD, Video Poster, Bumper Stickers, and Gift Box!

• Featured Article: Trading Places
• News to Use:

Hummingbird Sipper, DC Bench, and More

• Respectful Language in New York!

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New Products at the Disability is Natural Store

DVD, Video Poster, Bumper Stickers, and Gift Box!

I feel like I've finally joined the 21st Century! At long last, some of the products you've been asking for are ready---they made it to the top of my To-Do list!

Disability is Natural DVD

Yes, the Disability is Natural video is now available as a DVD! Many of you have asked me about this for more than a year---wanting it in a format that could be easily shown to small groups (like at an IEP meeting, for example) when a TV/VCR wasn't available. I'm delighted to be able to offer this new product and hope it meets your needs!

Video Poster

Many of you have also expressed an interest in having the powerful, provocative, motivating text from the Disability is Natural video on a poster! It, too, is now available---and it can be a wonderful addition to your home, school, or office! My sincere thanks to those of you who indicated your interest, which motivated me to "get with it!" Visit the Disability is Natural Online Store to see the poster.

Bumper Stickers

All the New Way of Thinking logos we offer on T-Shirts, tote bags, stickers, note cards, and other products are now available as bumper stickers! Once again, the decision to offer this product was the result of customer requests. Slap one of these colorful

bumper stickers on your car, a wheelchair, a notebook, or other surface and help others acquire new attitudes about children and adults with disabilities!

Gift Box

No, this isn't an empty box to wrap a present in---it's an attitude-adjusting package that can showcase the gifts of an individual with a disability! Isn't it time to focus on those, instead of a person's perceived "problems" or "deficits"?

This Gift Box comes with a multi-colored curly bow; the sides of the box feature your choice of messages from the Disability is Natural Design Gallery, and a card personalized with the individual's name. Alternatively, one side of the box can feature a picture of the person---as shown in the photo (that's my cute son, Benjamin, when he was five). You can see photos showing all sides of this one-of-a-kind Gift Box at the Disability is Natural Online Store.

Inside the box, nestled in tissue paper are ten smaller, personalized cards, on which you can detail the strengths, abilities, interests, and dreams of the person. Use the Gift Box at an IEP/IPP meeting, on the first day of school or work, or for any other occasion as a positive way to introduce the wonderful characteristics of a child or adult with a disability! (This super idea came from my best friend, Charmaine Thaner, who shared her son's gifts with educators through a similar approach.)

Visit the Disability is Natural Online Store to see these and many other positive, colorful, motivating products, including the new Second Edition of my Disability is Natural book, posters, mini-posters, stickers, tote bags, T-shirts, note cards, and other items that promote New Ways of Thinking about disability! If you have ideas for products you'd like to see us carry, let us know --- we'd love to hear from you. We also welcome the opportunity to provide custom orders for your conference, meeting, or other event. T-Shirts, Tote Bags, Badges, and/or other items can be designed with your logo or theme, and our logos can be incorporated into the artwork, if desired.

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Featured Article:

Trading Places

by Kathie Snow

copyright 2005

Whether or not you watch a lot of television, you're probably aware of the slew of "reality" TV shows that permeate today's American culture. While I'm not a big TV-viewer, I was intrigued by the concept of people "trading places" on several different TV programs. And it set my mind in motion...

The first step was thinking about people I interact with on a somewhat regular basis. Would I trade places with an airline flight attendant for a day, and would she trade places with me---and become an airline passenger? Yep---I'd have fun being the "boss" on an airplane, and the flight attendant would probably enjoy being able to take a snooze and have a soda and pretzels served to her. Would I trade places with a clerk at Target for a day, and would he trade places with me? Yep! I'd like to have the employee discount for a day, and the Target clerk would probably like being a shopper instead of a stocker! You get the picture, right? These scenarios represent me trading places with people who provide services to me.

Next, I took my thoughts on the road. While presenting to different audiences that included providers of disability-related services, I asked, "Would you be willing to trade places for a day with the people with disabilities you serve?" Sadly, you probably know the answer---a sheepish, but resounding, "no."

The discussions that followed revealed that it wasn't the presence of a disability which resulted in a negative response. Many people agreed it wouldn't be such a big deal if they needed to use a wheelchair, or had another type of disability. Instead, the negative response to my proposition was based on people's knowledge of where and how many individuals with disabilities spend their time!

Employees in the adult service system didn't want to live in a group home, nor did they want to spend their days in a sheltered workshop, day program, or other congregate setting. And they most definitely did not like the idea of having little or no control over their lives!

Educators had similar responses. They did not relish the idea of spending the school day in a segregated, special ed environment, with few opportunities to enjoy the typical experiences of being a school-aged child. Equally important, people added they wouldn't want to be thought of as "incompetent," "unable," "less than," and other characteristics they associate with people who are in "special" (segregated) settings.

As the discussions progressed, I asked if there was any other population which they would not consider trading places with for a day. The consensus reply: people in prisons. And, again, the response was based on where and how people spend their time.

What a terrible, terrible state of affairs---people with disabilities and prisoners in the same metaphorical boat!

Would you be willing to trade places for a day with the children and/or adults with disabilities in your life?

The good news? For the most part, those I informally surveyed said they would be willing to trade places with children or adults with disabilities who are included in schools, communities, and workplaces. And what makes the difference for this group of people with disabilities? It's not about the type or "severity" of disability---it's about their having the assistive technology devices, supports, and/or accommodations that ensure their success in inclusive environments!

What about you? Would you---whether you're a parent, teacher, human services staffer, or have some other role---be willing to trade places for a day with the children and/or adults with disabilities in your life? If your answer is "no," I hope you'll sit and ponder this issue. And then I hope you'll think about what it will take for you and others to make changes in the person's life---in where and how he spends his time---so you would be willing to trade places for one day.

Copyright 2005 Kathie Snow. If you would like a handout version (PDF) of this article, please send your request, along with the title of the article (Trading Places) to: kathie@disabilityisnatural.com. You may share and/or distribute this Email or the PDF version of the article to others (non-commercial use only). As a courtesy, please let me know how/when you use it. Request permission before reprinting in publications, chat rooms, or on web sites. Please do not hit the Reply button to respond to this Email; your message will be delayed. Instead, click on the Email link above.

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News to Use:

Hummingbird Sipper, DC Bench, and More!

Check out The Hummingbird Sipper website---www.hands-free-drinking.com---which features long, flexible drinking straws and other goodies that promote "a little taste of independence."  Carla Cammack's web site and products are the creative result of finding products to meet her own needs, which can also be of great benefit to others! Carla is a CPA who happens to have muscular dystrophy. She expertly prepares people's taxes on her computer, but had difficulty quenching her thirst without assistance from someone else. The solution: a cup system and drinking straw that enabled her to be more self-reliant! Is there someone you know who might need a little help in this area? Visit Carla's web site today!

 

Judy Fernandez, the parent of a child with a disability, also came up with an idea based on her own personal experiences: the DC Bench. It's an Accessible Changing Bench designed for installation in the accessible toilet stall in public restrooms, to meet the toileting needs of older children and/or adults with disabilities and their helpers. The changing tables in many public restrooms are great for babies and toddlers, but what about older children or adults who need help being changed? Judy's product provides a dignified, safe solution! Check out Judy's web site---www.dcproducts.biz---then recommend the product and the web site to stores and businesses that you frequent, so they can purchase the DC Bench for their public restrooms!

 

Thanks to Damita Wolcott for alerting me to the Telecommunications Equipment Distribution Program Association and its web site ---www.tedpa.org. This site includes information on telecommunications equipment, conferences on the subject, a listing of programs across the country, and more. Check it out today!

 

Freedom of speech is a right most of us take for granted! But what about those who are unable to speak and/or cannot be understood by others? For many, augmentative communication is the answer! Check out www.aacinstitute.org---the web site of the Augmentative and Alternative Communication Institute. This site features a wide variety of helpful information, including evidence-based practices, resources, and much more!

 

Deborah Bradshaw, a parent from Oklahoma, had been told that her son would never learn to read phonetically. But Deborah found a reading program that proved the experts wrong, and she wants others to learn about it, too! It's the Stevenson Language Skills Program (www.stevensonlearning.com) which also offers programs on math, spelling and language, and other "essential skills."

 

Last but certainly not least, the Lakes Region Community Services Council (LRCSC) in Laconia, New Hampshire is once again way out in front of the pack when it comes to creating positive change! A couple of years ago, I wrote an article about LRCSC's efforts to ensure individuals with disabilities are valued, included members of their community through an innovative practice: awarding mini-grants to organizations that can help promote inclusion. Think about it: most human service agencies are crying out for more funds in order to serve individuals with disabilities, while LRCSC is giving money to others in its successful approach to creating community for all! The July-August 2005 edition of the Family Update newsletter (from LRCSC's Region III Family Support Advisory Council), details the award of a mini-grant to the Gilford Public Library, which will develop a "community-building program that will focus on friendships developed on common interest...All individuals will have the opportunity to participate together in an inclusive setting, with the intent of bringing together people with a common interest who may not have otherwise met." Kim Astles and the leaders and staff members of LRCSC (www.lrcsc.org) are "out there" and presenting a wonderful model for others to follow!

 

If you know of a web site or news that would be beneficial to readers of the Disability is Natural Email newsletter, contact us with the information and we'll try to include it in future newsletters! Our providing information about others' web sites, products, and/or services within this newsletter does not constitute endorsement; we present such information as a courtesy, in the hope it might be helpful to others.

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Respectful Language in New York!

Thanks to parents Jim and Veronica Swart, along with a group from the 2004 class of the Partners in Policymaking leadership development program in New York, the Respectful Language Bill has been passed by the Assembly and Senate of the state of New York. Once it's signed into law by the Governor, person-first, respectful language will be used in all future legislation in the Empire State! Congratulations to all who worked diligently on this effort, including legislative sponsors, Assemblyman Harvey Weisenberg and Senator Thomas Morahan.

Friends and leaders, Sumer and Maggie.

At the local level, two participants in the 2005 New York Partners program, Sumer Miller and Maggie Arnold addressed the Canandaigua City School Board, requesting the adoption of People First Language as school district policy! Congratulations to these two young ladies for their efforts, and for being positive role models for other emerging leaders who happen to have disabilities!

Visit www.disabilityisnatural.com to read and download the current version of my People First Language article. While visiting the site, I hope you can also take the time to review the helpful articles on the Revolutionary Common Sense page.

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Thanks for your interest in new ways of thinking! Feel free to print and share this Email newsletter and/or forward to others. (But please request permission before reprinting any portion of this newsletter in any other publications, chat rooms, web sites, etc.) We'd also like you to contact us and share your comments and ideas about this newsletter, the Disability is Natural web site, or anything else of interest. (Note: please do not hit your reply button to write us, as your communication will be delayed. Instead, click on the Contact Us link above or the Email address below.) If you received this Email from a friend and would like to subscribe, visit www.disabilityisnatural.com or send an Email to kathie@disabilityisnatural.com with your request.

And thanks for all you do to create a more inclusive society where everyone belongs!