• Sending the Dogs to the Pound

    28 October, 2010 GEODES' Journal 9 Comments

    I don't know where to start. I just read this article and I am so relieved that I don't have a more severe disability, but I feel for those who do. To summarize, the article reports that parents and caregivers of people with severe disabilities are being given the option to abandon these people at homeless shelters because the State (Indiana in this case) can't afford to provide them with services. The analogy I automatically make is when someone leaves a dog at a pound when they can no longer afford the food to feed it. Many people would have a problem doing this due to their beloved pet's inevitable demise. Although, the homeless shelter probably doesn't practice euthanasia on its visitors, abandoning a person there would send them to their grave, earlier than necessary. Homeless shelters, in general, do not have adequate services ... Read more »

  • Unanswered Questions Reveal So Much

    24 October, 2010 GEODES' Journal 0 Comment
    Unanswered Questions Reveal So Much

    For all of our presentations, GEODES gives pre- and post-surveys measuring our performance, and any attitude changes about disability that occurred. I don't analyze the data - attempting to maintain a distance from program evaluation. I don't know how I would skew the results, but to stay on the safe side, GEODES' Program Evaluator does the statistical analysis. But... I cheated a little with the last bunch of surveys and perused the responses while I was waiting for my doctor to call my name. All the post-surveys ask the participants if there are any lingering questions the presenter/presentation did not answer during the event. Most of them indicated they had no further questions, however, one caught my eye. This 6th grader's response was asking if people who have disabilities are sad. I wish I could go back and answer this, because I ... Read more »

  • Too Disabled to… WHAT?!

    19 October, 2010 GEODES' Journal 5 Comments
    Too Disabled to… WHAT?!

    I'm outraged, disgusted, and terrified by the actions of the US Airways staff toward Johnnie Tuitel, a motivational speaker who has Cerebral Palsy! I am so incredibly torn on this subject. I have flown several times without an attendant, in various states of ability: using leg braces, a combination of leg braces and my wheelchair, and my wheelchair only. In all of these states of ability, I have varying degrees of mobility. However, on an airplane, it doesn't matter which assistive devices I'm using, I'm stuck without someone's help. Luckily, I have never been in a situation where there was an in-flight emergency and my helplessness was a problem, but if there ever was such a situation, I'd expect to be assisted once it was safe to do so. The ... Read more »

  • Front Page of the Signal Newspaper?!

    14 October, 2010 GEODES' Journal 1 Comment

    If you haven't already seen it, yesterday's GEODES presentation was highlighted on the front page of today's local newspaper, The Signal! Here's the article: http://www.the-signal.com/section/36/article/34999/ Read more »

  • I’m STILL Excited About the Presentation We Gave to the Kiddos at Mint Canyon Elementary School!

    14 October, 2010 GEODES' Journal 0 Comment

    We gave a great presentation at Mint Canyon Elementary School! Thank you to Stacy, Marc, and Tessa for coming to help me organize all the kiddos! And thank you so much to the kids for being awesome and excited about the presentation! I can't wait to give the next one! Keep an eye out for an article in The Signal about it, as well as for pictures posted online soon! Here's an overview: I first gave a short intro talk about disability and asked the kids what disability is, and who is disabled. They had a lot of great answers and some interesting ones. For example, one  boy said that disability is when someone can't move at all, and I was not disabled because I can move my body. Although quadriplegia is a disability, it is not the only one. I hope I explained that fairly ... Read more »