Disability is Natural Newsletter

The Disability is Natural Free Press

Disability is Natural Announcements

http://www.disabilityisnatural.com

The Disability is Natural Free Press
Copyright May 2002 by Kathie Snow

IN THIS EDITION:

--- REAL PEOPLE WANTED!

--- "SPIDERMAN," "STAR WARS," AND DISABILITY

--- TIPS FOR SUCCESS FOR IEP MEETINGS (and other planning meetings)

--- SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS

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

REAL PEOPLE WANTED!

If you've visited http://www.disabilityisnatural.com, you've probably noticed the happy photographs of real people which grace its pages. Well, it's time to add some new "stars" to the site!

Calling all adults with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities: if you or your child would like to be included on the Disability is Natural web site, send in a photo now! Along with the photo, include:

--- a brief note giving your permission to include the photo on the Disability is Natural web site

---the name of the person in the photo, the age of the person at the time the photo was taken, and the state where the person currently lives.

Please note: only photos of individuals with disabilities and/or photos of individuals with disabilities with their family members can be used. We're unable to include group photos which include friends or classmates due to the difficulty of obtaining permission from others in the photo. To protect privacy, only the first name(s), age(s), and home state will be used in the caption of the photo.

Please send your information to braveheartpress@aol.com and attach the photo as a JPEG file. You may also mail your photo (along with the other information) to BraveHeart Press, PO Box 7245, Woodland Park, CO 80863. (Photos cannot be returned.)

We'll add new photos to the web site within the next few weeks. Depending on the number of photos received, we'll rotate a new group of photos every four to six weeks. We're unable to guarantee that any particular photo will be used, nor can we guarantee how long a particular photo will be included on the web site.

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

"SPIDERMAN," "STAR WARS," AND DISABILITY

Our family loves movies! We saw "Spiderman" on the day it premiered, and by the time this reaches you, we will have seen "Star Wars: Attack of the Clones." My 15-year-old son, Benjamin, has already decided he'll be Spiderman this Halloween (but this decision may change after we see "Attack"). When we pause and reflect, movies offer important themes and lessons which can be relevant to the lives of people with disabilities.

Consider Spiderman, the person. This is a guy who essentially "acquires" differences after being bitten by a spider: his wrists exude filaments that can become webs; his fingertips grow sticky things; his eyes, feet, and legs work very differently than everyone else's; and he can assume amazing physical positions. Hmmmm . . . I don't know any people with disabilities whose wrists can manufacture spider web material or who grow sticky things on their fingertips, but I DO know many who have eyes, feet, and legs that operate differently and whose bodies can assume amazing positions.

So Spiderman has unique differences and many people with disabilities have unique differences. In general, Spiderman is a valued member of society (criminals don't like him, though). In general, people with disabilities are NOT seen as valuable members of society. Spiderman is valued because of what he does (helping others); his differences are irrelevant.

Can we learn something from Spiderman and his differences? Can we learn to value what people with disabilities do well (whether that's having skill at a job, being a good friend, helping others, playing on the computer, or anything else) and see the person's differences as irrelevant? If Spiderman could be compared to a person with "acquired differences," some "Star Wars" characters could be thought of as being "born" with differences. Many don't look "human" -- like the blue creature who gets around by flapping the short wings on his back -- but they're still contributing, participating members of the community-at-large. I recall the "bar scene" in the very first "Star Wars" (twenty-five years ago). A diverse collection of living, breathing humans, creatures, and other personas "created community" during happy hour. Commonalities brought them together; differences were unimportant.

Historically, film makers have portrayed people with differences or disabilities at the extremes of stereotypes: evil, bad guys (Captain Hook, Frankenstein, etc.) or pitiful heroes (Tiny Tim, Rainman, etc.). In "Star Wars," George Lucas celebrates differences, and simultaneously demonstrates the duality (good and bad) inherent in each of us.

What can we learn from "Star Wars?" Can we recognize the unimportance of physical appearance? By conventional standards, Yoda is extremely old, very short, has big ears, and talks funny. But he's the wisest of the wise. (And he's always been my favorite "Star Wars" character!) Can we find ways to replicate the spirit of community and include people with differences? Is it possible for us to mentor one another (as Obi Wan-Kenobi does) and learn the power of the "Force?"

Each of us can interpret the meaning of the "Force" in our own way. Perhaps those of us who want to ensure people with disabilities live real lives can interpret the "Force" as the power of inclusion. May the Force be with you!

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

--- TIPS FOR SUCCESS FOR IEP MEETINGS (and other planning meetings)

Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and other planning meetings on behalf of children and adults with disabilities can be tense. But they don't have to be! In previous Email announcements, in the "Revolutionary Common Sense" subscription newsletter, and in my book --"Disability is Natural"-- I've shared a variety of tips to make "I" meetings more successful.

One suggestion is to bring food and make the meeting festive! How can anyone be tense when flavors and aromas comfort our senses? Many folks have shared their successes with me, and I wanted to share the experience of Tammy Dickson of Kansas.

Tammy is the parent of a preschooler with Down syndrome. She wrote, "We had Lane's IEP and it went great! I typed a page and made copies to hand out to team members of what I wanted for Lane -- I used bright daisy paper. I also took a party sub sandwich, chips, and cookies. I was told that this was the first time in 14 years of IEP meetings that a parent has done this. So it went over really well."

If you're already on "good terms" with members of the planning team, bringing food can enhance your good relationship with others. And if your relationship with others has been strained, bringing food (along with a positive attitude) may be just the ticket to "new and improved" relationships AND a better outcome of the meeting! Try it! What have you got to lose?

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

SHARE YOUR GOOD NEWS!

We can all learn so much from each other. If you have experiences, ideas, or suggestions that can benefit others, please share them with me, and I'll share them with others! Write to me via Email kathie@disabilityisnatural.com or regular mail (Kathie Snow, BraveHeart Press, PO Box 7245, Woodland Park, CO 80863.

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

Please feel free to share this Email with others, and invite your friends, family, and coworkers to visit http://www.disabilityisnatural.com and check out what's new! While you're there, take a moment to share your comments, suggestions, questions, and ideas. Lead with a brave heart, Kathie Snow

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

TO UNSUBSCRIBE: To be removed from our announcement list, send an email with "remove" in the subject line to: announcements@disabilityisnatural.com Or visit www.disabilityisnatural.com

TO SUBSCRIBE: If you received this message from a friend and would like to subscribe to our email announcement list, send an email to: announcements@disabilityisnatural.com Or visit any page at www.disabilityisnatural.com