Wednesday, February 22, 2012

I'm really pleased that D loves her new school, loves all the new experiences, and is getting used slowly and gradually to the school bus. I'm so impressed she is able to all of this, this is the emotional equivalent of a hike to the Himalayas to be undertaken dressed as a chicken, she is doing amazingly.

What I am exceedingly, exceedingly cross about is that the school bus is full of obviously disabled children, much more severely asd kids etc. D will eventually move into main stream where hopefully she will have learnt enough social skills to cope. These poor kids will stay in their special school, to go into supported living and society will never bloody see them. No one will realise that the disabled are part of our society if they are never seen.

It makes sense to have a brilliant school like the one D is gong too, with a centralised pool of resources as money is tight and the kids go, need these resources to learn. But it makes me so cross that because of this, we don't see these disabled children in the streets, we don't see them in the shops, we don't see them anyway. Access is so restricted for a variety of reasons- steps not ramps, no accessible toilets, too much/ little sensory stuff, the list is endless. No one person could solve it all, but in the mean time, we have a sanitised image of a disability free society. Disabled children are looked on as freaks, morons, saints or geniuses, their mothers the same.

Neuro typical adults who should know better categorise and damn. Our schools should be and can be brilliant. To hear Deborah talking about her class mates is a truly profound and moving experience. But if it were recognised that children were humans and benefitted from loving adult contact, were not all identikit robots, and had needs, wow our schools would be amazing. How much do we loose by hiding our disabled people away?

So cross, very Pre menstrual, can you tell?

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Inspired by a friends sculptures.

Tie a thread around a loved one's waist,
Or weave it around their heart,
Let it follow wherever they go,
Let go of the ends you hold.

The threads will disappear
The ties remain still.

Do this for a friend who dies,
Let them go.
Welcome the memory of their love
The tie to their soul stays with you
Until you too let go.

Let love love stay with the world,
Tie us all together
Threads that bind, fast unwind,
Our apartness binding us closer.

Soft as breath
These bonds are forged
Never forget
But just let go.