RESEARCH SHOWS THAT 30% OF PEOPLE DON’T TRUST THEIR NEIGHBORS. Now the fact is, 30% of the population are NOT untrustworthy its just that we don’t know who our neighbors are so we feel we can’t trust them!!!! I don’t know if it is because I come from the Aussie bush where houses are few and far between and kangaroos are …
I recently presented at the 50th ASID (Australasian Society of Intellectual Disability).What a wonderful event is was, held in sunnyish Melbourne, Australia. There were many interesting speakers and the common theme was ‘SELF-ADVOCACY’ & “CHANGING MINDSETS”I sat in the room and listened to the 2 speakers before me. Before sittng down, I was a little anxious BUT once the first speaker opened …
So, the first Tuesday in November has come and the Race that stops a Nation (The Aussie nation) has been run & won. I LOVE this day…I come from horse-racing stock, so I must confess, I love the races, thought I only take notice on that ONE DAY IN NOVEMBER these days. I LOVE the glam and the glitz associated …
No, not a breed of dog,it is a trait many people who have intellectual disabilities have. I remember when Miss Chloe was born, all the nurses said: “Oh, these children LOOOVVE routine, they thrive on it”. I was terrified, as routine was not something I aspired to, being a bit of a free spirit. When I mentioned this to …
For 1 week out of 52 weeks in the year, Carers are allowed to give themselves permission to do something nice for themselves. Carers Week has just passed in Australia and Councils and other organizations arrange outings and lunches to celebrate these unsung heros of our society, and that is great.. But…If we were waiting for the one week of the year to …
Moving away from ‘Burnt Toast’ Syndrome For the past few years, the buzz word in the disability world, has been NDIS in Australia.You would think NDIS was some great white horse, coming to sweep people with disabilities and their families up and out of the challenges and scarcity or today and onto a fluffy white cloud of abundance and peace. …
Social media went mad, and so it should have, what a disgrace. A young man, with his family were refused entry to a JB HiFi shop in QLD. Apparently the security guard reviewed a photo on his phone and saidhe ‘looked like someone else who has Down syndrome’What makes this event even worse, was that even after realizing the mistaken identity, the …
It’s a sad fact, that Down syndrome has only been recognised as a permanent disability in this country by Federal Government in the last 4 years. Prior to this, people with Down syndrome were put through disgusting and embarrassing processes including having to justify their “condition” by filling in copious pages of forms AND have their doctor …
When we have our babies with Down syndrome, we tend to be full of fear for them & us & what sorts of horrible things will happen to them.I made a very conscious decision very early on in Chloe’s life that I wasn’t going to look after her forever. I was told our kids LOVE routine. I HATE routine and …
Inclusion seems to be the answer to everything, but it’s important to remember that just because you include, doesn’t mean you solve the problem. In many cases exposure to the elements, isn’t going to create some new inner self esteem and super powers to overcome fear, and social inhibitions, in’fact it does just the opposite. There is a myth that …