You are an important person, the result of a complex mixture of characteristics that combine to form your personality. You have both positive and negative qualities – strengths and weaknesses – as well as personal likes and dislikes. This makes you totally unique and different from everyone else. You belong to the human family and yet you are an individual. You defy simple descriptions and labels because you are more than just a “type of person”. Each of us is convinced of our own worth. We each believe that the world would be changed forever if we were not present, and that is certainly true. We all play our respective roles in life, and without us things could not possibly be the same. These are the perceptions we embrace concerning our own lives.
Originally posted by Stephanie Holland 5/12/14 This is the opening paragraph to blog post by Michael Crawley - Saturday, March 22, 2014. The article goes on to talk about perceptions of people with developmental disabilities:
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“The prom is an iconic event in American culture, one that is consistently drawn upon in contemporary media to show the triumphs and travails of youth. Along with high school graduation, the prom is often heralded as one of the most important experiences in high school, perhaps even of all adolescence. Images of the prom as a coming-of-age rite permeate our culture. Yet, if we were to presume that the prom is a rite of passage, to what precisely would it be a rite of passage?” p.2 Best, Amy L. 2000 Prom Night: Youth, schools, and popular culture. Routledge, New York, NY. Big news in the special needs community! Lately there has been quite a buzz about a sports figure and his foundation paying for dances to be held at churches across the U.S.
Josh, Marcus, and Josh all have had positive work experiences, however, each of them have faced challenges with finding employment placement as well, with varying levels of current success in that area.
Karen posted this originally at the end of May, as the Workshop discussion was picking up steam. To catch up on Josh's experiences thus far, check out his Facebook page Just Joshin' Ya. Work - in this house - The purpose of this post is not to debate sheltered workshops, but to give those who are interested, insight into the vocational process we have experienced with Josh. His "resume" of sorts.
These are OUR OPINIONS & OUR EXPERIENCES, nothing more and nothing less. I will start by saying that Josh will never be allowed to stay home on a daily basis unless he is sick. I have to work, dad has to work, big brother has to work, AND Josh has to work. Plain and simple, Josh has to work just like the rest of us. Even if he were to be home all day long WITH a list of chores to be accomplish everyday, he still would go crazy (as would I). His mind is very active and he needs something to occupy it. So, work, in this house, is a requirement. You first must understand how the process works here in our state. Every state is different. Any educational or vocational program we design for Josh is paid for by the city that we live in until he turns 22 years old. Josh only turned 19 yesterday, so we continue to work with the city to develop a program for Josh. Written by Stephanie Holland (Walkersvillemom)
We may have different visions of how that plays out, but on this basic premise we agree: when the public at large makes unilateral decisions based on theory, there is considerable potential to limit individual choices that should be made based on need and experience.
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