Gifts|Grandma Gets a Thong

Helen Otten, my mom, died April 3 at the age of almost 93. I’m posting this in her memory. I’m also reminded of the importance of family. The twelfth day of Christmas is Jan. 6th–Little Christmas, The Feast of the Magi. Actually, it’s all the...

Halloween Fun, Plus

Are they adorable, or what? Aaron and Tommy always loved Halloween. Me too. The holiday is such a great way to build an inclusive community. There were some segregated, handicap-only Halloween parties for just kids with autism and developmental disabilities, but I...

The Power of our Words| We,They–Us, Them

The Power of our Words This is part 3 of a series on classic concepts to understand Normalization and Inclusion. The first was Norm Kunc| A Credo of Support The second was about The difference between the words “Disability” and “Handicapped.” Mayer Shevin wrote this...

Systems Theory| Family Reunions part 2

This is Part 2 of a 3 part series: Going to the family reunion, or not? Part 2: The Circles of Life See Part 1: Going to the family reunion, or not? See Part 3: Going to the family reunion? Shave your armpits. The Circles of Life We’ve all heard the quote about...

The “yet-to-be-disabled”

Crossing the “yet” Ed Roberts was an amazing guy. We were both on the TASH board and I got to spend some time with he and his son (pictured). Click on his name and see his incredible accomplishments. Ed was into action, not words. He was asked to be one of...