Handicapped People: More Visible, Accepted and Applauded by Society

January 18, 2013

Last in a Series: Support, Advocacy and Stewardship When Matthew was only months old I recognized his intelligence and sense of humour watching the pantomime he put on for doctors, the people who had written him off. Even though Matt was strong and alert, in their presence he hung limp as Raggedy Andy, crossed his […]

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Driver Education is a story about the Kirk family in a genre I call true fiction. All the events happened, just not on the same day!

January 7, 2013

Driver Education, circa 1989 Everything is perfectly perfect. My daughter Kelley is upstairs in her room doing homework, a.k.a, tying up the phone and listening to the latest rock dysfunction. I know where she is and I’m happy with that. Ed, my un-handyman husband, is in the basement adjusting the air filter. My mother, Elsie, […]

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Family and Friends Support Each Other with Little Effort, but Advocacy can Initiate Admiration and Respect from Strangers

December 18, 2012

After the grocery store incident in 1971, I agonized over how to inspire strangers to appreciate my son, a person with visible imperfections. With Matthew’s swimming debut approaching, I was sure I had the perfect answer. I phoned everyone we knew (or slightly knew) and asked them to tune in to see Matt swim on […]

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Your Child has Been Diagnosed as Handicapped. Now What?

December 7, 2012

A Circle of Support Comes First Our son Matthew suffered severe oxygen loss at his birth on February 19, 1970. He was transferred to the Hospital for Sick Children the next morning. The head of pediatrics wasted no time diagnosing our baby. “Your son is a vegetable with a heartbeat and should be institutionalized as […]

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