Feeling--all right
Reading-- The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
Listening to-- nothing

Hi! Welcome to the 32nd Disability Blog Carnival! This is my first time hosting, so I'm a bit nervous. I hope I can please you and live up to past editions, which were excellent. I also have my blog set up differently, so I hope you found this entry ok...

For this edition, I chose a theme that's special to me, one that has become my philosophy in life: Standing Outside the Fire. It's a Garth Brooks' song, and I thought it very apropos to people with any kind of disability who approach life and its challenges with an unconquerable spirit.

This song also goes along with my most favorite quote in the world by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman statesman, philosopher and playwright. He once said, "Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men." *smiles* Jodi of Reimer Reason agrees. She shares an adage with us that she heard recently: "Never trust a man who doesn't walk with a limp."

Everybody has adversity; there's no escaping it in this mortal life. But for those with disabilities, it comes more often and hands us challenges that the able-bodied aren't even aware of. Like using bathrooms in public places. For the able-bodied, it is nothing to them to go into a narrow stall and be about their business and then leave, after seeing to their hygiene and sanitation of course. For the disabled, however, especially those of us in wheelchairs who cannot bear weight or walk short distances, those stalls are a major obstacle. We need wider stalls with the support bars and toilets with backs on them. A lot of the time, we only get two out of the three: wider stalls with support bars and backless toilets, or longer stalls with support bars and toilets with backs. I had to smile at Frida's "wicked dream" of correcting this erroneous view of accessibility and her version of Guerrilla Girl activism.

"I have a wicked dream of invading bathrooms and offices with screwdrivers, hardware, and quick set asphalt, making inaccessible places barrier free by surreptitiously correcting simpler design flaws with the help of a small group of other people with disabilities. Spray painting more curb bumpers blue and stenciling the universal handicap symbol on the asphalt of parking places at hospitals whose disability parking fills up by 9 a.m. every day, however, is a vision that will have to remain a distant fantasy in the era of surveillance cameras and my inability to break most rules."

What a great dream!

Somewhat in line with this challenge, Candy Harrington reminds us of why it is important to be aware of access laws when we travel. We need to be informed, she says, knowing the access rules or policies before we travel and book a hotel room. That way, we can ask the right questions and have things set up as we need them to be--such as having a roll-in shower and/or a high bed--when booking a room and avoiding unpleasant surprises after checking in.

A second challenge for the disabled that the world at large gives not a thought for is snow removal on sidewalks. Again, it is really nothing for the able-bodied to trudge over snow and possibly avoid icy patches on the sidewalks. But, as the Roving Activist points out, snow and ice is a major problem for people with disabilities. Those of us who use wheelchairs often get stuck or mired in the snow, so we're forced to go out in the streets if we must be out and about. And, of course, that's dangerous, for the streets are narrower in the winter thanks to the snow piled up along the sides.

Another obstacle that the able-bodied may not think too much about or consider to be a big deal is buying a new mattress. However, for Ashley and her mom, the challenge wasn't so much in finding the most comfortable mattress for Ashley, it was the disablist attitudes of a couple of salesmen who approached them.

And it's because of attitudes like theirs that we need good books with disabled characters, Carrie Jones asserts. In the first of a series of posts, she writes that children need these kinds of books "to understand the world... to see other people similar to themselves and different." And because "books give information; they influence how children think." But it's not only children who need these stories, it's society in general. She goes on to say: "Society needs those books to combat discrimination and to enlighten its members." I heartily agree and would love to see such books published.

Perhaps such a book about Asperger's Syndrome would help others understand better when Lisa talks about her son and autism. She writes of her frustration when people protest and would rather not hear what she has to say. I like how she puts it:

"If I don't talk about us, how will anyone know that they know a family that lives with autism? How will they know that it's not just something that happens to other people? How will they learn our truth about autism--that it's possible to live with it & love someone with it & be proud of that person--& understand that there isn't just one way to think or feel about autism? How can we change the world if we hide?"

I like her attitude. It's the same as the one from our theme song...

But you got to be tough when consumed by desire
'Cause it's not enough just to stand outside the fire
We call them strong
Those who can face this world alone
Who seem to get by on their own
Those who will never take the fall

Bunny May, Liesl and Ironjawedangel all share the same determined spirit as well. Though they struggle daily with their individual challenges, they refuse to give up, to give in. Bunny May adopted a service dog, Coco, to help her adjust to her new-found "Britney-like fame" and to get around better in public. Liesl is learning to live with the effects of multiple strokes and finding a new norm in life. Ironjawedangel talks about coming to terms with her different identities and hopes that one day soon she can claim all of them as one person.

Emma, a friend of mine, tells us how she views her disability: with acceptance. She even uses another Garth Brooks song to explain.

And now,
I'm glad I didn't know
The way it all would end
The way it all would go
Our lives,
Are better left to chance
I could have missed the pain,
But I'da had to miss the dance.

The Dance

Jeff Charlebois uses humor when dealing with trials and to break the ice with others. What a great way to handle life's challenges and in meeting people!

And last, but definitely not least of all, Terri lists 10 ways for disability advocates to avoid burn-out. My favorite one is Inspire yourself. Terri tells us to "surround yourself with uplifting things as much as you can."

I hope you've enjoyed this edition and seen why I've taken the philosophy of not "standing outside the fire" but in it. I hope these people have helped and inspired you to take on the challenges you face. Stay tuned for the next edition of the carnival, coming to a blog near you (Wheelie Catholic's), with the theme Appreciating Allies. It'll be March 13, and the deadline for submissions is March 10...

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Worlds of Yesterday...
08-18-2009 ¡ Robert the Bruce's Palace Unearthed?
08-22-2009 ¡ Quiz: Know Your Celtic Myths
08-23-2009 ¡ To-Do List For This Week
08-24-2009 ¡ Faerie Tales
08-26-2009 ¡ Favorite Links

moon phase