Tag: true stories

What’s Been Happening?

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As you have no doubt noticed it’s been significant time since my last posting. Have I been on vacation? Lost interest maybe? Have nothing to say? Hardly!

Actually, some pretty exciting stuff has been taking place in my (and disabilitypride.net’s) life.

First, both of us have been given a huge show of support in a matter of speaking. As many of you know, an immense concern in my life these past few years has been around the issue of not having enough attendant hours/funding to adequately cover my needs.

In Nova Scotia there is another program besides the “Self-Managed Care Program” called the “Workplace Attendant Program,” which is run by our Department of Community Services. In most cases this program has supported those who are “employed” but not “self-employed.” After meeting with the program’s decision makers on May 1st, I was granted additional hours as a self-employed blogger. I and (and disabilitypride.net) will be a test case for possibly supporting future self-employment situations.

Our Department of Community Services (DCS) is now recognizing that even when an individual is highly skilled with many talents, conventional employment may not be practical for some people with disabilities. Although an increasing number of employers are open-minded enough to hire someone with a disability, there’s still a long way to go. Still, even among the employers who are open-minded enough to hire someone with a disability, they mostly hire those I refer to as the “able-bodied disabled” – the blind, the deaf, those with Down’s Syndrome or Autism. Those whose looks, speech, and movements are fairly “normal.”

In his article titled “The Business Case for Inclusive Workplaces for Persons with Disabilities”, Marcus Jamieson of TEAM Work Cooperative says: “…..according to the United Nations, there are over one billion people in the world living with a disability…. Even with these staggering facts, persons with disabilities participation in the workforce is not favorably reflected in our province’s employment statistics. Unemployment rates in Nova Scotia for persons with disabilities are twice the number of those without disabilities – 16% vs 8.8%. Also, the more severe the disability, the higher the unemployment rate.” That night, after my meeting with DCS’s WPA program managers, was the first night in over 3 years that I was able sleep without fear or worry of how to fully pay for all the attendant hours I need; without having to ask myself questions such as: “How do I hire new/replacement attendants when I don’t know how I’m going to fully pay for the hours I need now? How/where can I cut back without losing the ones that are extremely rock-solid reliable?” Living in that fear is horrifying. Our governments and agencies have no clue about what kind of utter fear this causes for people with disabilities who very much want to and are making immense efforts to be full members of the community. The system’s concept of getting back to you quickly is within a few months. They don’t even think about how people are going to manage “in the mean time.”

For this meeting I needed to have a prepared business plan. Alongside an exceptionally talented recent Dal Business Management graduate, Victoria Palmer, the collaboration of a solid document came into being. I am planning to put my business plan on disabilitypride.net in the near future.

Following the WPA decision came another first of sorts. I was requested by one of the Editors of the “International Journal for Direct Support Professionals” Dave Hingsburger, to contribute an article on the “Do’s and Don’ts” of staff who provide support to persons with disabilities in their individually private homes. In the past some of my poetry has been published internationally, but this is my first article to go in a professionally recognized international journal.

Yet this very busy couple of weeks started of with my conducting a mini workshop on self-confidence at Teamwork Cooperative. Visiting Teamwork is always such a positive experience for me. Many staff I now know well. Fellow guest speakers are always incredible to listen to; and I love to have current clients engaged in my presentations. It’s awesome!

A History Worth Mentioning

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By: David Morstad

American historian and author, William Loren Katz, who has written extensively on the histories of both African Americans and Native Americans, has observed, “If you believe people have no history worth mentioning, it is easy to believe they have no humanity worth defending.”

While he was speaking of the importance of knowing the histories of non-Europeans in this country, his words have proven to be disastrously true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities as well.

As communities of faith begin to open their doors to those whom they often understand to be somewhat unlike themselves, it might be helpful to know a bit of history. Because, if it looks as though there is something of a disconnect between those with and without disabilities, a certain struggle to find common ground, it may be something more than simply a perceived skill deficit. It may indeed be due at least in part to the weight of the story that people with developmental disabilities are bringing with them.
Eugenics and Institutionalization

This is a people who, in the 20th Century alone, faced the tide of the Eugenics movement which, bolstered by no less than a supreme court decision, turned their very bodies over to the state for compulsory sterilization; then, fewer than 20 years later, were the first victims of the Holocaust through Germany’s Aktion T-4 program that resulted in the extermination of over 200,000 people with disabilities. The official Nazi designation for them was “Lebensunwertes Leben”; in English, “life unworthy of life”.
Christmas in Purgatory

From “Christmas in Purgatory” by Burton Blatt

In the 1960s, institutions for people with developmental disabilities hit their maximum population in the US and conditions were, in many cases, deplorable. Burton Blatt’s 1965 book Christmas in Purgatory, provided a shocking revelation of the conditions in several state-run facilities. While the years since then have seen a steady decline in institutions, their legacy of separation persists to this day. In spite of our awareness of history and our commitment to justice and equality, we always seem ready to believe that people with disabilities are something other than us. Playing by different rules. Regarded with different values.
The 21st Century Disconnect

Stop the shock. These are not ancient stories with limited relevance to our 21st Century thinking. The well-established pattern continues. Torture in the guise of behavior management continues at the Judge Rotenberg Center in Massachusetts, waiting only for a government agency to decide that a device, unthinkable in any other environment in the US, should not be used to inflict intentional pain and suffering on people with disabilities at this facility. The FDA has been deliberating the question for more than four years; meanwhile, the torture goes on.

Meanwhile, quiet citizen petitions (largely unsuccessful) continue the nagging mythology that people with disabilities will somehow make the rest of us unsafe in our neighborhoods when, in fact, they are much more likely to be victims than perpetrators. Quieter still, prenatal testing is steadily providing the information many will use to stop the birth of people with certain genetic characteristics all together.

If faith communities are to place themselves in a position of advocacy – to literally defend the humanity of their fellow believers – we may do well to gain a greater understanding and sensitivity to the burden of their “history worth mentioning.”

Enjoy more of David Morstad’s articles at: https://largertable.com/”

“Gerianne” Turns 38 Today!

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Well “Gerianne” turns 38 today! No, not me. I’m much older than 38! (Although I feel around 38!) “Gerianne” is 38 today. “But…. YOU’RE Gerianne.” This is very true!

For those of you who hate the name you were given when you were far too young to protest and since that day you truly believe you’re “stuck with it” for the rest of your life, I have very good news for you…… YOU’RE NOT AT ALL STUCK WITH IT! Yaaaay!!!

I occasionally get asked how I got the name Gerianne. Who gave it to me? When I answer “I did.” I either get a very confused look, or I’ll get a response of something like “Ohhh, Gerianne’s not your real name.” Then when I reply with “Yes, Gerianne is my real and legal name.” then the really confused looks start coming.

Ok, so an explanation is obviously required here. First let met say that, yes, Gerianne truly is my legal and rightful name, but that hasn’t always been the case. I was actually Christened/Baptised Geraldine ( which was chosen by a relative whom I don’t at all get along with) Beatrice (which was chosen by my mother) Anne (which was my mother’s name.) [Boy, what a mouthful!]

When I came into my early teens in Ontario, people started calling me Gerry for short because Geraldine was considered “too old fashioned.” In addition Flip Wilson’s comedic character “Geraldine Jones” brought on another branch of unappreciated teasing to my life.

Then when I was nearing twenty I went through a delayed and severe stage of grieving, in really missing my mother, who had died of cancer when I was just seven years old. I decided that I wanted something of her’s that would be a constant part of my life and that I could have with me every single day of the rest of my life. Since Anne was already my third name, I thought of the idea of combining it with the “Gerry.” (Honestly, at that point I had never heard the name Gerianne ever before. I thought I was coming up with a truly one-of-a-kind name.) I then sat down and typed out (on an electric typewriter) all the different ways that I could think of to spell Gerianne. I think I came up with 264 ways of spelling it. I may still have that list somewhere. I’m not sure. It included G’s or J’s, one r or two, hyphen or not, double n or not, with or without an e at the end, etc. I decided that I liked the way my chosen spelling is the best. It’s all one word and looks nice.

But I knew that if I just starting calling myself Gerianne I would have acquaintances and others saying “I don’t have to call you that. That’s not your rightful name.” So I made it my rightful name – legally. On April 16, 1980, I went to court and had my first name legally changed to Gerianne. Unfortunately, I still have a few relatives who are stuck in their ways and still call me either Gerry, or worse Geraldine, (which is a real pet peeve of mine – I hate both immensely) but I realize that I can’t convert everyone.

The first other Gerianne I’d heard of wasn’t an awareness gained under the best of terms. My then husband was reading a Newfoundland newspaper and read about a Gerianne (spelled the same as mine) who was murdered in St. John’s NL. The article really upset him for a long time.

I later did a search on the web once for Gerianne and I was really surprised to see how many results came up – varying spellings of course. I forget which search engine I used but it was interesting. I also “met” a Gerianne on the net who was named after St. Gerard – the patron saint of pregnant women. She was living in Alaska when we “met” online.

These days I also go by Annie, which was what everyone called my Mom. I’m honestly very comfortable with both – Gerianne and/or Annie; and yes I really did meet Tim Horton – although the captions are just for fun. (But I don’t remember what we talked about, so ya never know….. maybe! Haha!)

The Kabalarians website give the following analysis of the name Gerianne, which actually seems fairly accurate:
The name of Gerianne creates a friendly, sociable, charming nature, but causes you to be too easily influenced by others. While you find it easy to meet and mix, and can appear agreeable and compromising in conversation, you can become dogmatic and forceful if pressed too far. Others learn that you cannot be told what to do and you seldom change your mind once it is made up. You prefer situations that allow a degree of independence, but are reluctant to take on a demanding work-load or responsibility. In a position dealing with the public, you could do well because of your friendly personality, interest in people, and desire to please. When asked, you are able to give others good advice that you would probably not follow yourself, but must guard against being too opinionated in controversial matters.

The physical weaknesses due to this name, centre in the fluids of the body and the senses of the head, causing headaches, eye, teeth, or severe sinus conditions; also, kidney or bladder weaknesses.

You can get information your name at the Kabalarian Philosophy™, website, at: www.kabalarians.com Try it for fun. You might learn a little more about yourself.