ADN

I've been asked by a few of you about my being "Disabled". Hopefully this will answer your questiond about it. Remember one thing while reading this: the biggest disability is ignorance.

First of all, I have a birth defect. That means there wasn't a day in my life where I didn't have a hand that moved around. Twelve minutes before I was born, the placenta, the cord that ties mother and baby together, wrapped around my neck and was litteraly strangling me.

They had to do a C Section which means they cut my Mom open to get me out and I was blue. Back in 1959, they called it a "Blue Baby". The doctors put me in an incubator so I can breathe.

The Cerebral palsy showed up when I grew older, When I was 4, I couldn't put my right foot flat on the floor, so I was taken to Shriner's Hospital in St. Louis so they could surgically lower my right heel. I wore a shoe with a leg brace for a year after that. I went to Easter Seals for physical therapy to get my leg stronger so I could walk fairly straight.

When I started school, my second grade teacher recomended that I be placed in Special Education. My Mom worked for the school and told the teacher and the school board no. So I went through regular school and graduated in 1978.

I've had three jobs, all of which I lost due to my disability. I went to a community college where I earned two Basic Certificates and a degree in Data Processing. I also won 25 awards for Outstanding Service and Science Fiction Writing. I've been a member of at least 7 clubs and organizations at the college. I have a brick with my name in a special section of the wall as part of one of my awards.

I've spent the last twenty years helping a woman who was mentally retarded until her death in November 2004.

So. I hope this answers some questions. If you have more you want to know about me please feel free and ask. Don't be embarrased to ask questions. I'll try to answer them as soon as I can. BTW, I took one handed typing in both high school and college. I am a lefty! :dsm:

Very interesting, it's nice to hear that people don't always just give up and you can live a pretty much normal life. I love how your mom said no to special education, how you helped someone else to a great extent I'm sure, sorry to hear about her death, and how you seem to be standing tall and strong. Congratulations man, you've conquered and done more than most people will.


the biggest disability is ignorance.

AMEN....PREACH!

I'm glad to hear your story. I'm really glad to hear how you've stayed strong throughout it all.

Lefty Power!!! (I'm a lefty also)

I kill all people who are left handed :jfk:

^^

LoL...Damn..! There are like...4 lefthanded people on the forum...x3n is southpaw as well...

D, thanks for sharing M8, really...Nice to see that you're not sitting around feeling sorry for yourself and asking other to do it...Standing ovation on that note...

I think too often, people confuse disability with inability...I watched a story on ESPN not too long ago, about a kid from Georgia with CP, who was working towards his dream of being a football coach...I am glad to know that you're watchin' porn and talkin' shit with the rest of us that don't have physical limitations... /wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink.gif" />

When you think about it, we ALL have disabilities, it's just that most of us don't have one that's as limiting or as obvious as Disabled's. One of my best friends in grad school had CP. He said that people just assumed he was retarded as well when he was in High School. Man, this dude is one of the most brilliant guys I know! Sailed through grad school with a 4.0, went on to get his PhD and is a college professor now. He just can't walk all that great, and his speech pattern is a little different.

I spent most of my professional life working with persons with disabilities (mostly mental retardation), and I've learned to respect their abilities first, and to look past whatever disability they may have. That's not always the easiest thing to do with someone who's profoundly retarded and bed-ridden.

Kudos to you, Disabled, for being determined and for shedding some light on your world for the rest of us.

Good on you Disabled. You seem quite alright to me, a successful person doesn't have any disabilities, you don't let anything hinder you. I'm proud of that mate.

Thanks for sharing.

how much trouble in finding a job sums your age?

What I love is that people with physical disabilties don't use them as excuses. Peple who don't use a whole bunch of whacked excuses so they don't have to do anything. I never hear people with disabilities use excuses based on their condition. They always seem to work harder and enjoy life more

QUOTEhow much trouble in finding a job sums your age?

I was judged more on the way I looked Fapper, instead of whether I can do the job or not. The age isn't important