Disability is Natural Free Press

***********************************

WHAT'S NEW?

Disability Etiquette Poster

Check out the brand new Disability Etiquette poster! Conveniently sized (8 1/2 x 14) and laminated to be sturdy and long-lasting, this poster will be a welcome addition in offices, schools, employee bulletin boards, and other settings. The poster includes a number of disability etiquette suggestions and examples of People First Language, too! Buy one for yourself, or give as a gift to help educate and enlighten others! $9.00.

T-Shirt Transfers

Do-it-yourself with our new iron-on transfers! Choose your favorite design from our 25 colorful, bright, positive messages and create your own T-shirt, sweatshirt, apron, tote bag, or other garment. Iron-on transfers are available in two sizes, $4.00 each.

Articles for Your Newsletter

Newsletter editors: you can now purchase Kathie's articles ($4.00 each) for republication in your newsletter! We've simplified the process to enable you to cut and paste the articles to fit your newsletter's format!

 

While you're at the Disability is Natural Online Store, check out the other great products, including a variety of posters, note cards, bookmarks, and badges with positive messages that promote new ways of thinking about disability. (And take advantage of the savings with the combo prices on a variety of items!) The new 101 Reproducible Articles book will be a valuable addition to your home, school, or office—the articles can be reproduced and shared with others. This is a great resource for those involved in staff training!

Parents: if you're shopping for end-of-school teacher gifts, consider a set of note cards, magnets, or bookmarks for your child's teacher(s). And why not treat yourself, too? Now is the perfect time to buy Disability is Natural: Revolutionary Common Sense for Raising Successful Children with Disabilities. Study it over the summer, especially the chapter on inclusive education!

 

********************************************************************

Featured Article: GREAT EXPECTATIONS

Copyright 2007, Kathie Snow, www.disabilityisnatural.com

Have you heard this tale about a school teacher? On the last day of school, a weary, worn-out teacher entered the principal’s office for one last visit before the summer vacation. “Please,” the teacher begged, “give me better students next year—I can’t handle another year like this past one!” Three months passed, and on the first day of the new school year, the teacher eye-balled her class roster with growing excitement. She read, “Susan Jones-135, Lolo Brown-140, Maria Lopez-144...” and so on. “Geniuses” she thought, “I have a class of geniuses!” That school year was wonderful—for the teacher and her students!

On the last day of school, the teacher came across the class roster in the bottom of a drawer. It was wrinkled and torn in a few places, but she gazed at it fondly. At the end of the day, she stopped by the principal’s office. “Thank you for the best year ever,” she gushed, waving the class roster like a flag. “This made all the difference—my class of geniuses!” Puzzled, the principal took a quick look at the paper and said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about—these numbers were their locker assignments!”

Learning that she had mistakenly assumed the numbers were her students’ IQ scores didn’t change a thing: the teacher still had the best year ever! At the beginning of that school year, she believed the best about her students, had high expectations for them, and was excited! In turn, her students lived up to—and even exceeded—her expectations. None actually had a “genius IQ,” but in her mind they did, and that’s what mattered! Her attitude—not the students’ actual academic abilities—made the difference! The teacher learned a great lesson. Can we learn from this, too?

 The “Low Expectation Syndrome” (LES) attached to people with disabilities—whether they’re toddlers or middle-agers—can be a greater barrier to success than the person’s actual disability diagnosis. The double-whammy many parents receive (from physicians, educators, service providers, etc.) essentially goes something like this: “Your child has (fill-in-the-blank), so don’t expect much.” While the medical diagnosis of autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or other condition may be an accurate fact, the LES verdict is only someone’s opinion—about as valid as a fortune-teller’s vision in a crystal ball!

Nevertheless, the LES descriptor usually sticks to the person like a powerful glue: parents may believe it, along with educators, service providers, therapists, and others throughout the person’s life. The outcome? Children and adults with disabilities are often denied the ordinary experiences which could lead to their success. When the low-expectations-mentality prevails, the self-fulfilling prophecy is fulfilled: people with disabilities—like those without disabilities—will most likely live up (or down) to our expectations.

The only thing we have to fear is fear itself. President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Before going further, let’s tackle one of the barriers to expecting more: the “false hopes” issue. On a regular basis, parents are told not to get their hopes up, so they won’t be disappointed later. In turn, parents may pooh-pooh their children’s hopes and dreams in order to protect them from disappointment. What we’re really talking about is the fear of disappointment. First, we can’t know we’ll experience disappointment, so why do we waste even one moment worrying about something that may not happen? Second, on a daily basis, we experience actual disappointment: the bathroom scale seems stuck, a pay raise doesn’t come through, a loved one dies, and much, much more. Have any of these actual disappointments made our lives unlivable? No, we survive, and in many cases, disappointment leads to enlightenment, wisdom, and maturity, and can even spur us on to greater things! Real disappointment is often a blessing in disguise.

What is life without hope? A living death. And isn’t all hope essentially “false,” since no one can predict the future? Calling something “false hope” simply represents a difference in opinion and perspective. A pessimist sees false hope; an optimist sees possibilities.

In addition, some will say, “But this person will never [fill-in-the-blank],” and they’re right! Joe probably won’t ever get a job and Mary Ann may never go to college, not because they have disabilities, but because we don’t believe it can happen! Conversely, when we believe it can happen, we start doing the things to make it happen—and the hope becomes reality! We generally operate from the perspective of, “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But we need to reverse this to, “I’ll see it when I believe it.” The belief has to come first, followed by action.

So what if we made the choice (and it is a choice) to have great expectations for children and adults with disabilities? What if we chose to be excited and passionate about possibilities?

We must first go beyond expectations related to the disability. Traditionally, we’ve looked at what a person with a disability cannot do, and then write goals to address the “problem.” This, we think, is the right approach: try to make a child walk, talk, behave, write her name, tie her shoes, or whatever! For adults, focus on meal preparation, bedmaking, etc. We don’t seem to be able to think bigger until these goals have been achieved! But some people may never walk, tie their shoes, or achieve other functional skills. How dare we hold them hostage to the “able-bodied standard,” limit their opportunities, and prevent them from living the lives of their dreams?

When my son, Benjamin, was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of four months, the doctor delivered his low-expectation: “Take him home and do the best you can...” We rejected that nonsense, electing to have the same expectations for our son as for our daughter: that he be successful in school, have friends, go to college and/or enter the workforce. Luckily, we had learned (from adults with disabilities) that walking, holding a pencil, and other “normal” skills were not prerequisites to Benjamin being successful! So we stayed true to our greater expectations instead of the puny functional skills favored by many professionals! We also provided Benjamin with a power wheelchair, laptop computer, voice recognition software, and other tools, accommodations, and supports he needed. Today, he’s a successful college student. High expectations paid off, and our belief in Benjamin enabled him to believe in himself!

Like you, I had no conscious faith, but if I acted, then the faith would surely follow. After that, I would believe because I had acted. Perhaps that is how faith is born, I thought: by action and not by contemplation. It was worth a try. Anything was better than stasis. John leCarre

The same is true for Dylan, an 18-year-old with Down syndrome. He just started reading last year, but he’s always been included in general ed classrooms, where he’s learned “his way.” He’s leaving high school with the other seniors, will have a summer job (paid), and will attend college in the fall (auditing many classes). Again, the high expectations of his parents paid off. There’s never been any question that Dylan would go to college, following in the footsteps of his older brother and sister.

What’s more important? Writing your name with a pencil or learning how to use a computer so you can be successful at school and on the job? Spending your childhood in therapy to learn to walk (or talk) or using a power wheelchair (or communication device) so you can “be” the age you are, learn and grow, and get on with your life? Learning to follow a recipe book or figuring out how to throw something together in the kitchen the way most of us do? Put your thinking cap on and consider other scenarios—there’s a ton of traditional low expectations and paltry goals that need to be examined and permanently discarded!

We can reject the Low Expectation Syndrome, and choose to be like the teacher and “believe the best.” It’s time to get excited and passionate—it’s time for great expectations!

----------

Copyright 2007 Kathie Snow; www.disabilityisnatural.com; all rights reserved. Permission is granted for non-commercial use of this article: you may print this newsletter and/or photocopy it to share with others. Click here to download the PDF handout version of the article. You may share and/or distribute this E-Newsletter (in its entirety and unedited) or the PDF version of this article (in its entirety and unedited) to other individuals and list serves (non-commercial use only). As a courtesy, please let me know (kathie@disabilityisnatural.com) how/when you use it. This is the intellectual property of Kathie Snow and is protected by Copyscape.This article may be purchased ($4.00) for republication in your newsletter, visit www.disabilityisnatural.com/store/page3.html.

********************************************************************

REVOLUTIONARY COMMON SENSE ARTICLES

Enjoy these thought-provoking articles on the Revolutionary Common Sense page at www.disabilityisnatural.com.

Annie in Disabilityland

What might it feel like to be a child on the receiving end of the special ed process? Annie's story has some clues.

 

Why Do We Apologize?

Apologizing—seems to be a tendency many of us (parents, people with disabilities, and providers) have! But it's counterproductive to our efforts toward inclusion!!!

 

Community Leadership for Inclusion

Strategic efforts can help create inclusive communities for all! It's not as hard as you think, and it's fun, too!

 

The Disability Double Standard

It seems we have one set of rules for people without disabilities, and another set for people with disabilities! But we can eliminate this double standard and create positive change in the process.

 

Inclusive Recreation: A Passport to Real Life

Mark Ohrenberg, an inclusive recreation specialist, shares real-life stories and strategies to ensure children and adults are successful in ordinary, inclusive recreational activities in their communities!

 

Summer Vacation: Time for Fun and Time to Plan

Parents: Summer is a great time to lay the foundation for an inclusive education when the next school year rolls around!

 

Reinventing DD Agencies

Yes, agencies can reinvent themselves and generate extraordinary outcomes for all!

 

Everyone Needs to Be Needed

While individuals with disabilities may needs lots of assistance from others, they also need to be needed by others!

********************************************************************

GOOD NEWS

• Bill Stillman is an extraordinary, gracious, kind, and thoughtful man with deep personal experience with Asperger's, autism, and more. Take a few moments to learn about "Demystifying Autism From the Inside Out" at www.williamstillman.com. Your time will be well-spent. In this era of "autism hysteria" (my words, not his), Bill is a breath of much-needed fresh air!

 

• The lack of accessible transportation creates an incredible barrier for millions of people with physical disabilities. But a solution may be looming on the horizon. Visit www.standardtaxi.com to learn more.

 

• And sometimes when you do get where you want to go, you might not be able to "go" if an accessible toilet isn't available! Check out www.UrAssist.com for a product that may be helpful.

 

• Sit and ponder:  "You cannot make yourself feel something you do not feel, but you can make yourself do right in spite of your feelings." Pearl S. Buck

 

• I'll be presenting in Oklahoma, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, California, and Ontario, Canada, in the coming months---visit the Presentations page for more details (and check back often for new dates/events that are added). Contact me (kathie@disabilityisnatural.com) if you'd like to know more about my presenting for your conference or organization!

 

****************************************************************

Thanks for your interest in new ways of thinking! Please contact us with your comments and ideas about this E-Newsletter, the Disability is Natural website, or anything else of interest. If you received this E-Newsletter from a friend and would like to subscribe, visit www.disabilityisnatural.com and sign up at the bottom of any page, or send an Email to kathie@disabilityisnatural.com with your request.

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