Links to Inspiration in our World

                                                                     

Sometimes we stumble upon things that validate our beliefs that the world is a better place because of the diversity of people who live in it.  We all hear many put downs and name calling (you are such a "retard" or you are "gay") on a daily basis that is so hurtful yet we don't know how to respond where people can change their perceptions and not just be politically correct.  If you follow this link http://www.blueberryshoes.com/psa/index.html and watch this 30 second Public Service Announcement (and share it with as many people as you can think of) it will guarantee to get you to think a little differently about people with developmental disabilities.

                      

And as you begin to change your thinking about people with developmental disabilities you can start to acknowledge how dismissed, abused and badly mistreated they are in our world at large.  Not so long ago people with disabilities lived a life sentence, through no wrongdoing of their own, in a state institution in NH where horrible abuses took place.  Now students with disabilities have the right to a free and public education but the risk of abuse has not gone away completely.  Our state and federal government is looking to make law the restricted use of restraints used against children in our schools.  Check out this link at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K239Glb77y4 and get as passionate as Rep. George Miller gets about keeping kids with disabilities safe in our communities.

                           

Lastly, the positive possibilities are endless for people's disabilities to be actually seen as attributes and gifts.  On ABC World News Tonight a software company in Copenhagen, Denmark was featured.  The founder of the company has a prerequisite for many of his employees and that is they have autism.  Follow that story by googling www.abcnews.com/ making autism an asset.

                          

The world is changing - for the better!

                          

If you see, hear or are part of an inspiring story about people with disabilities living a good life out in the community let us know at info@ablenh.org .

                             

                                    

Our society is steadily acknowledging that people with disabilities are part of our cultural fabric. Although there are still some physical barriers to overcome, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made the United States more accessible. With many public physical environments set in place via accessible parking, accessible restrooms, ramps and elevators, a continuous message is being reinforced that everyone belongs in our communities. Our mindsets and attitudes are the next frontier to permanently change in order to accept that people with intellectual, physical and mental health diversities have as much to offer our collective humanity as anyone else.

Advocates Building Lasting Equality in New Hampshire (ABLE NH) is on the lookout for hard evidence reflecting inclusion and acceptance of people with disabilities from our NH society at large. All the seeds planted by disability rights activists must be cultivated in the minds of ordinary citizens if any lasting effects will take hold. When we see an image or hear a story in the public realm that speaks to inclusion and acceptance then we know a widespread awareness is happening.

One small example is seen in this elementary school math sheet (generated from a national curriculum developer) that was given out to every 5th grade student in the city of Rochester, NH in May, 2009. It is just a description of the topic the kids would be learning during the month - nothing extraordinary, nothing earth shattering. But if you look at the picture you'll see a boy who uses a wheelchair solving a math problem with a classmate. What is so amazing about this math sheet is that the child with a disability is seen as a typical student. Most, if not all, of the 5th graders probably noticed two students demonstrating a math concept while a disability rights activist probably felt a sense of victory. Inclusion, acceptance and positive expectations are properties displayed in this picture.

Another positive example of a community working together toward an inclusive goal is the Parent/Teacher Organization (PTO) at Beaver Meadow School in Concord, NH and the accessible playground they built. Starting in March, 2006 the Concord Monitor newspaper chronicled the story of parents, children and administrators coming together to create a barrier free playground at their school. Yes, disability rights activists were in the mix but ultimately the idea settled well in the mind of community members and over $135,000 was raised to complete the project.

Each success story demonstrated in the community, by the community, for the community leads us one step closer to actualizing our democratic ideals as a nation. People with disabilities have been undervalued in our society far too long and their time has come to change our country for the better. ABLE NH wants to fan this flame through the Inspiring Communities committee and welcomes any story from the public about ways ordinary citizens have embraced diversity and confirmed the understanding that people are just people.