Patti's Blog - Advocate for Elders, People with Disabilities and Their Families

Celebrate ‘Letter From Birmingham Jail’

Excerpt from: Teaching Tolerance (click for full article)

 

Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke powerful words. Words that continue to inspire thousands of people around the world as they work toward equality.  King’s speeches have become so famous, in fact, that we often neglect his equally impassioned written work.

While confined in a Birmingham, Ala., jail in 1963 for violating a law prohibiting demonstrations, King received an open letter from white clergy criticizing his strategy and leadership in the Birmingham struggle for civil rights.

On April 16, 1963, King wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail” in defense of his civil rights actions in Birmingham.

“I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states,” he wrote. “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.”

Today, on the 50^th anniversary of the writing of “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” people all around the world will host readings of King’s letter. Some will be in schools. Others will be in public parks or houses of worship. Still others will be at coffee shops or at bookstores. In Montgomery, Ala., the Civil Rights Memorial Center’s Director Lecia Brooks will read the letter aloud. You can hear the full 32-minute recording here.

Inspiration from (a girl named) Heaven

Excerpt from: Eyewitness News 4 (click for full article)

 

Heaven Mojica was just two years old when she beaten so badly by her mother's ex-boyfriend, doctors didn't expect her to live.

Now, nine years later at age 11, she's thriving with her adoptive mom and overcoming the challenges of a traumatic brain injury. 

Mojica is a miracle by all accounts. When asked how to draw a picture of Heaven she said, "I draw a picture of me." 

She's a survivor with so much love to give.

"I'm thankful for everyone in here, yet." And she loves to laugh. We first met Heaven in 2005. Even then, her charitable spirit was alive, unscathed by a tumultuous path.

"I had many surgeries," Heaven said. "I had brain surgery, eye surgery, hip surgery and leg surgery."

Stiltwalker to stop in Howell on statewide journey

Excerpt from: Livingston Daily (click for full article)

 

Michigan’s stiltwalker, Neil Sautier, is coming to Howell on Saturday as part of his Walk for No Limits journey to raise money and awareness on behalf of United Cerebral Palsy.

Sautier, a professional entertainer who has a mild case of cerebral palsy, is making a high-rise walk of 400 miles, visiting cities from Ann Arbor to Traverse City to Petoskey, in an effort to raise $90,000 for United Cerebral Palsy this spring.

For Sautier, the walk is a way to pay back the help he has received.

“Really, cerebral palsy hasn’t been a big barrier in my life, but I received a college scholarship and, eventually, I began to think I should do something to pay it back,” said Sautier, who studied at Grand Valley State and Michigan State.

Heart of Autism: Making Other Kids Feel Proud

Excerpt from: Autism Speaks (click for full article)

 

Lucas has always been very creative and loved projects. When the idea came up to have Lucas help create his own lap pad, it didn't take much convincing! We went and spoke with his occupational therapist who thought it was a great idea too! So with the help of my mother, we took a trip to the fabric store and picked out fabric. After a few failed attempts, he created a weighted lap pad by explaining what he liked and what he needed. After we finished his new lap pad, he brought it to school and had so many more successful days because he was using the device! The director in his classroom asked us where he got it and he proudly interrupted and declared he created it. She looked at me and then at him and I explained how we made it.

Since then we have designed and made custom weighted shoulder snakes, lap pads, wiggle seats, fidget toys, etc. all of which are based on the designs of my 9-year-old autistic son. We have shipped products to everywhere from New Hampshire to Washington state. Ultimately, our goal is to be able to provide products to children that might not have been able to find these or afford them otherwise. We donate these products whenever we can to help other kids like Lucas. But most importantly, this project has given my son a voice. He is no longer ashamed and he has learned to be proud of who he is! Lucas’ goal is to help other kids like himself, so they are no longer embarrassed by the tools that help them succeed!

The Best of Quentin Tarantino: Celebrating the Director’s 50th Birthday with our Favorite Videos

Excerpt from: Open Culture (click for full article)

 

We recently featured a Vanity Fair article on the making of Quentin Tarantino’s  Pulp Fiction, marking the only semi-believable fact that its making happened 20 years ago. But can you accept that the making of Tarantino himself happened 50 years ago? We think of the motormouthed, grammatically unconcerned, pop-cultural blender of a filmmaker as an eternal genius adolescent, consummately skilled and passionate but never well served by the rigid structures of traditional education and craft. His recent releases like Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained don’t even hint at a cooling of the fire within. As the man who (for better or for worse) represents the past two decades of creativity in American cinema crosses the middle-age rubicon, seemingly untroubled, we ask this: how does Quentin Tarantino do it? To help you find the answer yourself, we’ve rounded up all of our choicest pieces of Tarantino-related material.

Humor and Chronic Pain: A Top 10 List

Excerpt from: Psych Central (click for full article)

 

The Top 10 Clues You Live with Chronic Pain:

10- You wish there really was a Dr. House, M.D.

9- You watch every medical drama and understand the medical jargon, the differential diagnosis and worse yet, half the cases sound like they could be yours.

8- Your doctors talk to you like colleagues, instead of patients, because you are so well-educated on your condition(s).

7- The “middle of the night” for you is actually more like 2 o’clock in the afternoon because you deal with “sleep issues.”

6- Doing your chores, sometimes literally means just getting out of bed and taking a shower.

5- Everyday feels like PMS. (For Women)

4- You carry more pills than a pharmacy.

3- Your moods change…frequently.

2- You forget things like…wait, what was I talking about?

1- Your doctor sees you and touches you more than your spouse! (Ba-Dum-Ching)

Teen Makes Disability History At Mount Everest

Excerpt from: Disability Scoop (click for full article)

 

A 15-year-old with Down syndrome is said to be the first American with the chromosomal disorder to make it to the base camp of the world’s tallest mountain.

For 10 days, Eli Reimer trekked rugged terrain in below-freezing temperatures to make it to the base of Mt. Everest. Traveling along with his father, Justin, and six others, the Oregon teen ultimately reached an elevation of 17,000 feet.

Reimer was the first of his group to reach base camp, making history with his physical feat.

NYer Of The Week: Ken McGrory Helps Youths With Disabilities Build Skills Through Basketball

Excerpt from: NY 1 (click for full article)

 

Nothing gets in the way of Ken McGrory’s love for basketball.

"I've played basketball my whole life. At 17, I had an accident to my right arm, so I learned to play basketball all over again left-handed," he says. "An injury should not stop you, or a perceived disability should not stop you from trying something that you want to do."

Today, McGrory shares that lesson by coaching young players with special needs.

"There are players that are on all levels of the autism spectrum," McGrory says. "We have players who have physical disabilities, and perhaps, we have a number of players who have brain issues. Typically, they would not be invited to play in a in a typical league because of whatever issues they may have. I think it's inside of me that I encourage every single kid to do their best."

Gadgets for people with disabilities

Global News (click for more information)

 

Video is available at the link above.  U of S students are making the lives of people with disabilities easier through innovative technology. Emily Fitzpatrick reports.

AAHD Announces Scholarship Programs for Students with Disabilities

Excerpt from: What Disability (click for full article)

 

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) has announced their 2013-2014 scholarship program for students with disabilities. It has long been a policy of AAHD to assist those with disabilities in pursuing higher education. Last year four scholarships were awarded from a pool of over 100 qualified applicants.

The mission of AAHD is to contribute to national, state, and local efforts to promote health and wellness in people with disabilities and identify effective intervention strategies that reduce health disparities between people with disabilities and the general

population. AAHD accomplishes its mission through research, education and advocacy at the national, state and community level.

To apply for this scholarship program, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited United States university, part time or full time if in graduate school or full time if in undergraduate school. They must have a documented disability and be able to provide documentation. They must also be a US citizen or legal resident living in the US.