The primary intention of this page is to raise awareness about life with a disability
It is also for those concerned with the way we treat our fellow human beings
Whether life besets you with troubles or roses, it helps to try and be at peace with what you have. " For this too shall pass." After all, "The only certainty in life is the probability of uncertainty." MC ESCHER
You have my empathy those of you that struggle. I pray that whatever struggle,trial,or hardsip you encounter on the path you may be walking right now, may something transformational come of it. For me,the most traumatic twelve years of my life have brought such growth and spiritual renewal, I can only be thankful for the lessons. Forgive the presumptuous nature of the sentiment, but, even the darkest days give way to light eventually. My hopes are that this page can shed a little light on your lifeor bring some words of solace. For those of you temporarily abled, may it give you food for thought.
What is my life if I do not give,
Compassion and caring so that others may live?
What is my life if I have no care
If someone is suffering? It doesn't matter where.
What is my life if I turn away
From those who have lost much today?
And do not help them find their way,
What is my life if I do not hear
A soul in need of kinder ears
To share their suffering and what they most fear?
Life is meaningless, lived only for self!
When hearts and minds are put on a shelf.
If folks are starving and hurting and we turn away
Will we be able to face ourselves at the end of the day?
Great changes are unfolding in the USA regarding healthcare. Legislation that affects the health and well-being of millions are being decided by legislatures who do not appear to care what happens to the disabled, poor, elderly and children. Recent cuts in Medicare/Medicaid contribute to the deaths of many people, especially the elderly,children and the disabled. Over-billing and mishandling of these funds by an uncaring bureacracy is what is causing the shortfalls. It is a lie to blame it on those least able to raise their voices. Hospitals across the USA are overbilling MEDICAID/MEDICARE while at the same time denying the disabled timely diagnosis and treatment. This is GENOCIDE plain and simple
Health care and education are basic human rights. Everyone should have access to education and health care. If this were true , there would be a drastic reduction in poverty, crime and suffering. Empowering people is far cheaper than rescuing them after they fall. Preventing the falls and helping folks reach self-determination makes far more sense. One only has to look at the countries that provide this for their citizens to see we are a long way from being civilized. The "survival of the fittest " mentality that founded this country still exists and if it does not change soon, may be our downfall. How can we let folks suffer, starve and die in the richest country in the world? IT IS GENOCIDE! The media tends to portray the poor and disabled in only negative or predjudicial ways. This is an intentional and misleading tendency that blinds the public to the truth of the lives of those individuals we call in our country "lower-class". Oftentimes , it is a lack of access to resources that are pro-active and promote self sufficiency that keep people from contributing to the world and finding their way to empowerment. Often, it is unequal healthcare that keeps them ill. While great strides have been made in awareness of the struggles folks with disabilities encounter , while trying to attain rehabilitation and return to work, in many states nothing is being done to help the disabled achieve real independent living services. Folks who would rather work are not recieving the very thing they need to become employed . Children with disabilities are being denied the education they need to become productive citizens. This will deny them their right to contribute to society and feel a part of the community. And, begat a dependent class unable to provide for themselves. Prevention is more cost effective than intervention. It's wrong to not provide the resouces for folks to help them support themselves. It isolates their lives and underminds their very survival. It denies them their basic civil and human rights. And, it is highly unethical.In truth , it is no different than the smallpox blankets given to the Native Americans by greedy seekers of power. The powerful are seeking to eliminate the weakest among us. Is that something that sounds like part of the democratic process to you? Can you honestly say that this is something you think is a just way to deal with the poor? Prevarication and dissemination of misinformation are turning folks hearts away from considering these issues. This is deliberate. We have a NAZI -like agenda alive and well in America.
Will future generations to come note the great disparity between wealth and poverty in America during these last years of the twentieth century? Will future generations note how we allowed certain issues to go unmentioned and unadressed. Or, will they note how we all worked in consort to bring about real positive social change. I hope and pray it is the latter as opposed to the former. This is but one small voice attempting to be a part of those working to change the status quo for the disabled and others who deal with social/political injustice. Please, gentle reader, suspend what you think you might know about these issues and approach this page with an open mind and heart
Below are links to related issues and resources along with links to a few favorite sites.
To do any less than be wise custodians of this planet
and each other is to be unaware of how precious life is. Each persons life is precious and has validity. Whenever a human being suffers on this planet,our humanity suffers as well. For we are all intrinsicly connected to each other and nature. What we allow to happen to tohers will eventually happen to ourselves. If you stand for the "right to lIfe" of the unborn, why not standing for the rights of the living. They both deserve equal consideration!
Shouldn't we try to get along with each other and find common ground? Try to understand our neighbors path if we expect him to understand our own? To often, in this life ,we compare ourselves to others and note the differences. Why not respect the differences and find commonality? Learn from each other. No matter how different you and another are, you will always find one thing in common. We are all human beings and we all reside on the same fragile planet.
As we approach the election of 2004, the sielnce on the issues of empowerment for the disabled is deafening. The BBC Site has reems of info on the disabled. In America, we are not mentioned. Backlash locally is the lot of those who speak out in North Carolina. Millions of Federal dollars allocated for Special Education ends up in sports programs. Disabled funding gets mishandled as well. I am happy to report that Misssion/St Jospehs has finally been caught taking Federal dollars they were not entitled to. While at the same time denying folks treatment. For ten years they lied about my xrays. Now, we find that my health problems began with my back and heart injuries. They are no longer correctable. So, basically, I have been sentenced to die for becoming ill in America. There are millions like me.B>
SLEEPING JUNE
How many with CFIDS/Fibro must spend their days.
NEWS Alert: for those of you out there on disability who have to use Medicaid/Medicare for Insurance.
The government seems to want to reduce health care for those who can least afford to lose it. Folks are being denied the very thing that could help get them back on their feet. Rationing of health care is already a reality for many. Denial of health care says we do not value those lives.
Similar things happened in Hitler's Germany. The poor, disabled and anyone struggling ended up be wiped out.
Is this what we want to happen in America? Please, write your Senators or Congressman and insist that health care be available for all regardless of income or infirmity.
A song that I think speaks to these issues is Iris Dement's "Wasteland of the Free". It is on her most recent CD "The Way I Should" They state exactly what is happening in our country today!
AND I QUOTE; "WE've got politicians running races on corporate cash. Now don't tell me they don't turn around and kiss those peoples ass. You may call me old -fashioned. But that don't fit my picture of a true democracy. Feels like I am living in the wasteland of the free. Living in the wasteland of the free, where the poor have now become the enemy. Let's blame our troubles on the weak ones. Sounds like some kind of Hitler remedy." Copyright 1997 by Iris Dement. Thanks Ms. Dement for telling it like it is.
One of my many endeavors , is working on a book about living with a disability, the discrimination people face, their methods of coping, how this inhibits their ability to control their lives and be contributing human beings. If you or someone you know have experienced this struggle and would like to have your story included in the book please write to me. Don't allow your voice to go unheard.
Have you ever been treated in an inhumane manner because of your disability? Had a service provider deny you legal access to services? Been treated in a patronizing manner by someone who provided you with services or health care? Have you ever felt like most doctors and service providers and the general public would rather the disabled just disappear? Do you know your rights? Are you allowed to exercise those rights? DO you know someone who has had children removed from home because of their disability? If the above or any other ill treatment has been your lot since becoming disabled please write me!! NO one should have to deal with discrimination because of an illness !
YOUR STORY NEEDS TO BE HEARD
Perhaps by telling these stories the media image of the disabled can be changed and we can all work together to make this world a place where all are welcome , allowed resources to enable them to work and have what they need to survive.
Because I have lived this struggle, I became aware of the general lack of knowledge of folks with disabilities.NO ONE should have to suffer because of someone else's ignorance. Perhaps by raising awareness, things will change and enable those with disabilities to live full and productive lives. Not all states have resources to help folks rise out of their struggle. Not all states adhere to Federal law regarding the "right to rehabilitation". It is my contention that most folks just want to be accepted ,unconditionally accepted for who they are and be able to contribute to their own survival. To return to full employment at their own pace.
Everyone deserves that.
In this country, we tend to compare ourselves to others and fault those who are different. Their appears to be a head-in the sand/negative attitude towards those with disabilities and others who are percieved as different by society. Why is it easier to label folks rather than learn the truth?? Does illness remind us of the fragility of life? Does it remind us of our own mortality? Why are we uncomfortable with folks that are different than us? The perception that people with physical limitations are using the system to be lazy is a lot of nonsense. Only lazy thinkers label others. Walk a mile in anothers shoes before you rush to label them.
Social prejudice helps no one. "A mind only functions when it is open."
Please, think before you judge others. Labels limit the person be labeled and the labeler's ability to understand.
A few words of encouragement to those dealing with disabilities. All of us are here for a reason . No matter what your disabilty, limitation or troubles there is probably a lesson for you in it. Having learned much from my own struggle, I encourage you to meditate, pray or reflect (whichever is more comfortable) on what are the lessons for you. Trauma can often lead to transformational growth that can make you stronger or help you deal with what comes your way. Think of Christopher Reeve, a man with nothing but his mind left to function with and he functions beautifully and continues to make contributions with his life to this world. Look not so much at your limitations, but look at what you can do and what you can learn.Never let anyone tell you that you are not a vital, wonderful person. Don't allow others to deny you dignity.
Do whatever you can to be a part of life, fight for your rights, tell your story, ask for help doing this if need be, never give up, relent or be discouraged by what the world does to you. Keep the Faith. Believe in your own survival and success.We are who we think we are, not what others think of us.
Call someone worse off than you and offer an ear, write your congressman, write OPRAH but please don't just sit there do something to at least make your own community a better place.
"The only thing it takes for evil to triumph, is for good men to do nothing" Edmund Burke
Those of you reading this who are not disabled, try to see the other persons side of it before you place a judgment on another human being. Walk a mile in their shoes, learn empathy. Certainly there are many of you out there who are compassionate, empathetic individuals and it is to those that I implore you to act now to help alter the way folks with disabilities live and are perceived. There are many things we all can do if we will all just take the time. As Kahil Gibran says: "you give nothing unless you give of yourself" It doesn't always take money to address social change. Sometimes all it takes is a change of heart.
These last ten years have taught me that learning from life's lessons and helping others with what you learn is really all that matters at the end of the day. Refuse to allow anyone to diminish your humanity with their negative perceptions . Income is not always indicitive of anyone's intelligence, intentions nor integrity. We must stop judging others in this country based on what they look like and what they own. Never, will I give up the fight to ensure no one else has to go through what I have. I may curse the darkness, but I will also light a candle and pray that all suffering in this world shall cease someday. It is the dream I hold most dear! Sure, it's an idealistic dream. Yet, all change starts with thought, with dreams. Believe in your own dreams!
HOw much does it cost to care?
It doesn't cost a dime!
All it takes is an open heart,
And a little of your time.
What does it take to care you ask?
It takes an open mind.
A willingness to give of self
To ease a struggling heart and mind.
How is it you ask me
this message hasn't reached all ears
Why are so many suffering
So many live in fear?
I wish I knew the answer
A solution to impart,
All I can say for now my friends,
Is open your mind, your ears and your heart.
So, listen when I tell you that caring cost not a sous
All it takes is a hope and prayer and kindness to pull us all through.
As Elvis Costello said: "What's so funny about peace ,love and understanding?" "IF YOU JUDGE OTHERS, YOU NEED TO TURN THAT MIRROR AROUND"mgb2000
All words not accredited to anyone else are Copyright Earth Mama Prod.1997
So go from here in peace and light.
Work for positive social change
DO what is right
Hold a hand, warm a heart, shed a little light
Above all, fight for what you believe is right!
Never stop believing that YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS WORLD!
