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Book Review: Road Map to Holland - (08/01/2010)
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A church without people with disabilities is itself disabled. Buy levitra cod, – Jürgen Moltmann
"The class filled up right away. Not one class member missed even one hour – great discussions, Colorado CO Colo. , Online levitra, " the Rev. Craig Modahl said about his course that will be offered again this January at the Chicago Theological Seminary, kopen goedkope levitra. Buy levitra, After first teaching "Theology of Ministry with People with Developmental Disabilities" in January of 2008, Modahl will again be teaching the course in an adjunct faculty position and the ongoing offering of his course, buy levitra online cheap. Ordering levitra online without prescription, The Dr. Scott Haldeman, Professor of Worship, will co-teach, buy levitra cod.
"Leaders of faith communities and spiritual guides need to be aware of the implications of disability in the lives of all people they support, billig kaufen levitra, Levitra pedido en línea, " Modahl said. "We need to be able to fully embrace individuals of all abilities through our words, Kaufen levitra, Nebraska NE Nebr. , actions and beliefs."
A 2006 CTS graduate, he has worked with the seminary regarding developmental disabilities in a variety of settings over the years, order levitra no prescription. Om levitra online, "Many experiences within the church have not been supportive, helpful, levitra prescription, För levitra online, or inclusive," he said, levitra online kaufen. Where to buy levitra, "That is what brought me to a seminary known for its political activism and inclusion of the excluded."
Through lectures, assigned readings, levitra farmacia a buon mercato, Buy cheap levitra, conversations with advocates and self-advocates, and active engagement, order levitra c.o.d., Buy levitra no prescription, future pastors and ministers will explore the multiple issues facing people with developmental disabilities and their loved ones. Buy levitra cod, Experiential learning is an important part of the week long intensive. Members of the disability community share experiences and insights, pharmacy levitra. Levitra no prescription, Individual student projects involve engaging the lives of individuals with disabilities.
In addition to being executive director of a nonprofit organization serving individuals with developmental disabilities in a variety of community based settings, buy levitra cod, Købe levitra, he and his wife have for the last two decades provided a home for two men with developmental disabilities.
Craig Modahl serves throughout Wisconsin Conference, cheap levitra overnight delivery, having been ordained by the Southeast Association to a disabilities ministries specialty. He is a member of the board of directors of the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries (UCC DM), buy levitra cod.
"God also is definitely still speaking at Eden Theological Seminary," Ryan Mathews said when telling about a new course offered at the seminary that will explore injustice, inhumanity, and institutional ableism.
"Disability Justice and Spiritual Health: On the Road to Dismantle Ableism in Faith-Based Practice," will address God’s mission of healing, wholeness and reconciliation in the church and in the world.
Mathews said the primary course goal is the pastoral formation of leadership for communities of faith that practice hospitality, inclusion, mutual interdependence, and right relationship.
"The ability to articulate the relationship between inequity and spiritual loss will be fostered," he said. Buy levitra cod, "Both language and tools will be provided to help in the dismantling of such oppression."
Mathews, a second-year Eden seminarian who also serves on the UCC DM board of directors, noted that one of the co-teachers is a person with a mobility disability.
The course will be taught by the Rev. Dr. Marilyn Stavenger, Eden Professor Emerita of Field Education and the Practice of Ministry and Dr. Karen Hagrup, Assistant Professor, University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Education.
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Order Levitra Without Prescription - (11/17/2009)
Order levitra without prescription, WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Oklahoma OK Okla. , Senator Barbara A. Mikulski today introduced “Rosa’s Law,†a bill that will eliminate the terms “mental retardation†and “mentally retarded†from the federal law books, buy levitra from canada. U.S. Senator Michael B, order levitra without prescription. South Dakota SD , Enzi (R-Wyo.), Ranking Member of the Health, Education, Idaho ID , Labor and Pensions Committee, Cheapest levitra, is the Republican sponsor of the bill.
Under Rosa’s Law, those terms would be replaced with “intellectual disability†and “individual with an intellectual disability†in federal education, Tennessee TN Tenn. , health and labor law. Louisiana LA , The bill does not expand or diminish services, rights or educational opportunities. It simply makes the federal law language consistent with that used by the Centers for Disease Control, levitra pills, the World Health Organization and the President of the United States, Buy levitra online without prescription, through his Committee on Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. Order levitra without prescription, FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 17, 2009
Contact:
Annie Acosta
The Disability Policy Collaboration
(202) 783-2229/ acosta@thedpc.org
The Disability Policy Collaboration Applauds the U.S. Senate’s Introduction of Legislation to Use the Term “Intellectual Disabilityâ€
Washington, D.C, buy levitra online. – The Disability Policy Collaboration (DPC), Ordering levitra online, a partnership of The Arc of the United States (The Arc) and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) to advance federal disability public policy, applauds today’s introduction of “Rosa’s Law,†a bipartisan bill introduced by U.S, purchase levitra online. Senators Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) and Michael Enzi (R-WY). Levitra no prescription, Modeled after a recently enacted law in the state of Maryland, this legislation would substitute the outdated, stigmatizing terms “mental retardation†and “mentally retarded†with the terms “intellectual disability†and “individual with an intellectual disability†in federal health, order levitra online without prescription, education and labor policy statutes.
The term “intellectual disability†covers the same population of individuals who were previously diagnosed with the term “mental retardation,†and “mentally retarded.†Therefore, the change in terminology would in no way alter the eligibility requirements for services and supports, order levitra without prescription. Utah UT , “This bill is very important for people with intellectual disabilities who understand that language plays a crucial role in how they are perceived and treated in society and are actively advocating for terminology changes in federal and state laws. ‘Retard,’ ‘retarded’ and ‘retardation, price of levitra,’ once accepted medical terms, Order levitra cod, are now often used to demean and insult people,†stated Peter V. Berns, levitra prices, Chief Executive Officer of The Arc. Purchase levitra, “The Arc believes that changing how we talk about people with disabilities is a critical step in promoting and protecting their basic civil and human rights.â€
According to Stephen Bennett, President and CEO, UCP, Køb discount levitra, “By using the term ‘intellectual disability, Ordering levitra without prescription, ’ we expect citizens of the U.S. Order levitra without prescription, and the world to understand and treat people experiencing this condition – whether it is a result of genetics, injury, illness or unknown causes – with dignity and respect. The descriptions of people are very important and imply how we value people, and the Senate’s introduction of ‘Rosa’s Law’ is aligned with the aim of UCP and its nationwide network of affiliates to ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities in every facet of society.â€
Senator Mikulski’s statement to the U.S, Pennsylvania PA Penn. . Senate upon introduction of the bill is available at: http://mikulski.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=319975&. Alaska AK , While the DPC supports the U.S. Senate’s introduction of Rosa’s Law, it is only the first step in a lengthy process towards enactment, παραγγείλετε online levitra. The Arc and UCP will continue to work together to ensure the bill’s introduction in the U.S, order levitra without prescription. House of Representatives and its progression through the entire legislative process. Buy levitra cheap, About the Disability Policy Collaboration
The Disability Policy Collaboration (DPC) is a partnership of The Arc of the United States (The Arc) and United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) to advance federal disability public policy through a merged government affairs office, which combines resources and talent from both organizations. Begun in 2003, the collaboration assures cost-effective performance for its parent organizations, while combining for a more powerful voice for people with disabilities. The DPC leads efforts in mobilizing chapters, affiliates, self-advocates, families and other supporters to become active players in national public policy. Order levitra without prescription, The Arc is the largest community-based nonprofit working through a network of 732 state and local chapters and their members to advocate on behalf of and serve people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities and their families. The Arc works to improve systems of supports and services, connect families, inspire communities, and influence public policy. It is the only organization that supports persons from pre-natal care through end-of-life issues and over 100 diagnoses that may include the effects of intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Autism. For more information, please visit www.thearc.org.
UCP is a leading service provider for adults and children with disabilities. UCP’s mission is to advance the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities through an affiliate network, and its services reach over 176,000 adults and children daily through its network of approximately 100 affiliates in the U.S., Canada, Scotland and Australia, order levitra without prescription. For more information, please visit www.ucp.org.
# # #
The Disability Policy Collaboration of The Arc and UCP
1660 L Street, NW
Washington, DC 200136
p. 202.783.2229 | f. 202.783.8250
.
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Buy Soma No Prescription - (10/03/2009)
Buy soma no prescription, Strategies for balanced living for parents of children with special needs: www.specialneedsparentcoach.com
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Order Soma - (09/26/2009)
Order soma, From the notebook of the Rev. Linda Bigler, soma pharmacy, North Dakota ND , pastor of Humboldt Congregational UCC in Iowa and a member of the United Church of Christ Board of Directors:
September 26, 2009
The Homecoming Court
Homecoming wouldn’t be Homecoming without a King and Queen, ordering soma overnight delivery, Where to buy cheap soma, and Humboldt is no exception of course. Each girl and boy being considered for King or Queen rode in their own convertible in the (Homecoming) parade, New Mexico NM N.Mex. . Buy soma online, Of course they were all dressed to the nines and were having fun waving to all of us along the way.
But our Homecoming Court story made news throughout the state and maybe it will make the national “feel good†news, buy soma, Utah UT , too.
A boy named Brent was one of the candidates for Homecoming King, order soma. Since the day he started school, buy soma c.o.d., Pennsylvania PA Penn. , everyone has loved him: teachers, students, buy soma online, Indiana IN Ind. , coaches – everyone. What makes this story different is that Brent is a Down’s Syndrome child, Wyoming WY Wyo. . Buy soma no rx, His classmates took them under their wing at an early age, protecting him from teasing and other slings and arrows children – and grownups, soma pills. Florida FL Fla. , – with a disability are subjected to. Order soma, Teachers included him in school activities without question. He is on the wrestling team and works out with the football team at his own pace, soma discount. Discount soma, His enthusiasm for school and people and life in general is well known and loved here.
Last night at half-time, αγοράζουν online soma, Cheapest soma, Brent learned that he had been voted Homecoming King. They showed video of it on the news last night, comprare soma sconto. Cheap soma online, The expression of surprise and delight on his face was priceless. And the news comes out of Des Moines here – not some repeater station in the middle of nowhere, kopen goedkope soma. New Hampshire NH N.H. , WHO TV may have the video on their website; so also may KCCI.
O, buy cheap soma online, for a world where even grownups with disabilities could be loved, nurtured, respected, and appreciated like this boy has been.
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Buy Aricept Without Prescription - (08/16/2009)
Buy aricept without prescription, Kevin Pettit, a theology student at Iliff Seminary in Denver, has been involved in PHAMALY, the Physically Handicapped Actors and Musical Artists League (www.phamaly.org) for the last four years.
"I am more proud of this company than almost anything I have done, Kaufen aricept, Farmacia aricept baratos, " he said. Theology is Pettit's second career, Kjøp Discount aricept. Aricept online, His first, as a physics professor, halvalla aricept apteekki, Comprare aricept, was cut short by an accident that caused serious brain damage.
View an ABC's World News Tonight video clip of and commentary on the theatre company's present production, Utah UT , District of Columbia DC D.C. , "The Man of La Mancha," at http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex??id=8327964, buy aricept no rx. Aricept. Washington WA Wash. . Acheter aricept. North Carolina NC N.C. . Kjøpe aricept. Købe aricept online. New Jersey NJ N.J. . Generic aricept. Missouri MO Mo. . Kansas KS Kans. . Cheapest aricept in the world. Kjøpe billig aricept. Aricept farmacia a buon mercato. Buy aricept from canada. Order aricept overnight delivery. Acheter en ligne aricept.
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Buy aricept no prescription, The goal of Developmental Delay Resources (DDR) is to integrate conventional and wholistic approaches to learning and behavioral problems. The network hopes to meet the needs of children with developmental delays in sensory, cheap generic aricept, φτηνές φαρμακείο aricept, motor, language, goedkope aricept apotheek, Buy cheap aricept, social and emotional areas.
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Aricept Over The Counter - (08/11/2009)
Aricept over the counter, Below please find excerpts from Timothy Shriver to the Special Olympics movement is with a heavy heart that I write to let you know that my mother, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, passed away early this morning [August 11, 2009]. Michigan MI Mich. , .... As I write to you, Koop korting aricept, California CA Calif. , her extended family of the Special Olympics movement that she loved so deeply, it is hard not to recognize that [the traits of faith, comprar aricept baratos, Colorado CO Colo. , hope, and love] that sustained her at the time of her death had fulfilled and motivated her throughout her lifetime of advocacy for people with intellectual disabilities -- or as she always said, cheapest aricept prices, Cheap aricept, her "special friends."
Her faith in the athletes of Special Olympics was unfailing, even from the very start, Mississippi MS Miss. . Order aricept cod, When she was young and Special Olympics was still just an idea, few people particularly cared or knew about people with intellectual disabilities, Georgia GA Ga. . North Dakota ND , Fewer still shared or understood her dream to awaken the spirit and denied potential of this forgotten population. And yet, though others could not see, she still believed, conceiving Special Olympics in her heart before she could unveil it on the field of play, aricept over the counter.
She believed that people with intellectual disabilities could - individually and collectively - achieve more than anyone thought possible, aricept online kaufen. Vermont VT Vt. , This much she knew with unbridled faith and certainty. And this faith in turn gave her hope that their future might be radically different, Jotta aricept verkossa. Aricept no prescription, Her faith in them allowed her to hope for an army of supporters - coaches, volunteers, købe aricept, Order aricept, donors, fans - that would emerge and grow and become the foundation upon which a worldwide human rights movement would be built, Om aricept online. Aricept over the counter, It allowed her to envision a world of formerly skeptical people who would witness the accomplishments of our athletes and say "Yes. Buy aricept cheap, I understand!" Hope allowed her to see the invisible, fight for the isolated and achieve the impossible, order aricept. Aricept pharmacy, But mostly, it was her unconditional love for the athletes of Special Olympics that so fulfilled her life, comprare aricept sconto. Køb discount aricept, As Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and social activist reminded us: "the beginning of love is to let those we love be perfectly themselves, Osta aricept online, Billiga aricept apotek, and not to twist them to fit our own image, lest we love only the reflection of ourselves we find in them."
Her love for the athletes of Special Olympics was always just like that. She never hoped that people with intellectual disabilities should be somehow changed into something they were not. Rather, she fought throughout her life to ensure that they would be allowed to reach their full potential so that we might in turn be changed by them, forced to recognize our own false assumptions and their inherent gifts, aricept over the counter.
She fought the good fight, she kept the faith, and though she knew the race for equality was not finished, she knew that the army of supporters she had hoped for long ago had become a reality that would carry and someday complete her vision. On her behalf, as we prepare to say our last goodbyes, my family and I thank you for your shared commitment to that dream.
My family and I would be proud and honored if you would take some time to learn more about her life, share your own remembrances about her, and read the remembrances of others at a website that was recently established to honor her legacy, www.EuniceKennedyShriver.org. In the spirit of her hope that everyone would share in the power of Special Olympics, I hope you'll not only read and contribute to the site, but share it with friends.
With great appreciation,
https://www.kintera.com/accounttempfiles/account402023/images/tim.jpg
Timothy P. Shriver
Chairman & CEO
Special Olympics
From the Committee on Disabilities - National Council of Churches, USA. nccusa.org
For more, search Shriver at uccdm.org
.
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Book: Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities - (03/18/2009)
- Autism and Your Church
Book: Autism and Your Church - (03/18/2009)
-
Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities
DVD Resource: Praying with Lior - (03/06/2009)
“Reaching an Autistic Teenager” - (02/22/2009)
November 29th, 2007
Dr. Rev. Hartmut Kramer-Mills
Since 2000 he and his wife serve the First Reformed Church in New Brunswick, New Jersey, as co-pastors.
Camp of the Heart - (02/06/2009)
Developmental Delay Resource - (12/10/2008)
Interfaith Resource Guide on Autism - (07/01/2008)
Request for Appropriate Confirmation Materials - (04/23/2008)
For Discussion: What is Normal? - (01/24/2008)
“Prenatal Test Puts Down Syndrome in Hard Focus” - (05/15/2007)
“Genetic Testing + Abortion = ??? - (05/15/2007)
“Don’t Ask My Child To Fly” - (05/13/2007)
Manual: Building a Developmental Ministry - (05/13/2007)
“There is No End to this Rope” - (05/13/2007)
“Theology, Ministry and People with Developmental Disabilities” one-week intensive course to be offered - (02/27/2007)
Developmental Disabilities – Adventures in Community Camp - (02/07/2007)
Kamp Kaleo Wisdom - (01/03/2004)
Developmentally challenged persons do not come with a recipe card. We try this, we try that. Treat Adventures campers as you do everybody else, according to abilities.†– Jeannette Blaser First, God is somebody who accepts and affirms us. It is okay to have limitations. – Jeanne Tyler I admire AIC camper tenacity. Most believe that God is and that God is taking care of them. –Bob Brauninger We get bogged down. They put things into perspective. AIC campers show us how to experience our world freely. –Ruth Albrecht I see joy in their love for camp, each other, and the leadership. -Judie LutherThe first camp of the Kamp Kaleo season is Adventures in Community (AIC). Its name, coined by Carl Burkhardt, a Disciples of Christ pastor, reflects the spirit of the thriving 25-year-old camp in the Nebraska Conference UCC/DOC outdoor ministry program near Burwell. Camp wisdom encourages local churches to offer the ministry of community from, for, and with developmentally challenged persons. AIC campers feel welcome. Companion campers from our churches are not as interested in structuring campers’ lives as in doing things with them. With two or three campers to one companion, all play together as family. Except for morning watch, which the chaplain does within several small groups, they follow regular camp schedule. Highlights include a sack lunch at the fish hatchery, contact with farm animals, fishing, crafts, skit night, and “The Dance.†The companion campers enjoy a chance to help someone else so the camp has a mission project. “Campers learn that God is love by the love that is shown by others,†said Alice Ulch. “Bob Essig is always around. The guys love to go fishing at the lagoon with this caring and gentle man.†A blind woman in Alice’s cabin was strong-minded enough to tell her how to guide. At first she tried to guide by arm then found she could guide by speech. The woman’s glow while explaining how she uses her cane changed camp attitude. “When somebody does something good, everybody is happy about it,†said Ulch. “Everything relating to God is tender and generic,†said Bob Brauninger, chaplain at the first of two, four-day sessions. What he notices each camper can do enters his prayers. “Campers teach us that God enables us to find a way to get through and to find meaning in the process of our imperfections,†he continued. AIC wisdom translates to local church ministry with developmentally disabled folk. Practice the art of accepting, befriending, and meeting others where they are without placing too many demands. Schoolteachers, trained to adapt to individual levels, can help in leader training. Involved with AIC from its genesis, Gwen Hurst-Anderson recalls a counselor who spent most of the camp patiently feeding “Marilyn.†Coming late one noon, she found Marilyn feeding herself. “We had difficulty understanding her speech,†said Gwen, “but figured out she was telling us it was easier (and more fun) to have the counselor feed her! Marilyn taught us not to underestimate campers’ abilities and to ask first what they need.†Part of AIC success is camper selection. Those whom the camp fits best can get the most out of it. “You never really know until the next year the impact you made,†said Jeanette Blaser, retired school administrator. “That same person you wondered if even cared they were here, returns, gives you a big hug, and says, ‘I couldn’t wait to get back.’†AIC’s outreach brings companions not ordinarily at Kaleo. “The local church’s mission,†said Judie Luther, Conference regional outdoor ministries and youth minister, “is to send a companion as well as pay tuition.†“What we do best at this camp is create and nurture community and friendship among people we might never meet otherwise,†said chaplain Jeanne Tyler. “In community with each other, we experience strength that emerges from our prayers and songs, we know acceptance that comes from knowledge, and we know compassion that longs for justice. “The power of community lies in its capacity to hold trust dear and to offer wholeness and holiness. Instead of a sign of weakness, helping one another becomes a way of life, a pilgrimage to wholeness/holiness. The whole of the community becomes that which is holy.†From UCC DM Newsletter Archive, written by Dee Brauninger
2001 Awardees Van Brandt, Janet Fadley and Robert DeBlois - (09/21/2001)
Difficulties From a Different Perspective – Henry B. Reiff - (07/21/2000)
Editors Note: Although the following article by Henry Reiff focuses particularly on persons with learning disabilities, it is a helpful contribution to our understanding of all persons who have disabilities.) Although much of my training 25 years ago as a special educator had a decidedly pathological orientation, we focused on all the problems kids with handicaps had. It was as though a handicap was some kind of disease and we would learn how to cure it, or, perhaps, help the patient cope better with symptoms. This all sounds like ancient history, and quite patronizing if not downright degrading. Of course, times have changed. We no longer speak of "the handicapped.' We reject the term handicapped as pejorative (it literally stems from a time when persons with disabilities had to beg in the street with "cap in hand"), preferring disability because it has a specific focus on functionality. We don't say "disabled persons." It's the person first, who happens to have a disability, so we refer to persons with disabilities. The public school system has moved from main-streaming (where the handicapped had to earn their way into spending sometime with "normal" children) to embracing inclusion (where students with and without disabilities share the same classrooms, activities, and teachers). In 1990 President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into law. Taking his cue from events in Eastern Europe, he welcomed persons with disabilities into the mainstream of American society by proclaiming, "Let the shameful wall of exclusion come tumbling down." Clearly a great deal has changed in the last 25 years. Yet in spite of major legislative, educational, and social advances, I believe we still view persons with disabilities as broken entities in need of fixing. Take a look at virtually any introductory text in special education. Most of the content focuses on all the educational deficits associated with or caused by disabilities. Spend some time talking to teachers who work with students with disabilities. They tell you about all the things with which those students have problems, how far behind they are, how much extra time and effort it takes to work with them, and how it is often unfair to the "normal" kids to have them in the same classroom. Although the ADA has improved employment opportunities and overall access for people with disabilities, many employers still doubt that an individual with a disability is as capable of making the same contribution as a person without a disability. Furthermore, it's not unusual to hear someone grousing that a ramp or a designated parking place is some kind of special privilege. Such disparaging attitudes are rarely the result of overt hostility or conscious prejudice. Patronization of persons with disabilities is largely unintentional, stemming primarily from a lack of awareness and realization of the capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Twenty years ago, when I was teaching children with learning disabilities, I recognized that they had significant difficulties with various aspects of traditional schoolwork, usually in some area of language (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and spelling) and/or math. But I also saw that no two students were alike; I could not begin to make generalizations about these young people. Most importantly, I realized that in spite of their difficulties, all of these children possessed a vast array of skills and talents - in a sense, their hidden treasures. Some who struggled with language had excellent math skills. A child who could only read stories significantly below grade level could understand material above grade level if it were read aloud. Some children were musical, others artistic or dramatic. Some had unbelievably engaging personalities; they could charm their way into, through, or out of any situation. The list went on and on. I began to wonder what happened to these children as they grew up. As a result, I teamed up with other researchers to find out what life was like in adulthood for persons with disabilities. We thought the best research method was the simplest: talk with these adults and try to see the world through their eyes. We began a series of interviews which resulted in a book, Speaking for Themselves: Ethnographic Interviews With Adults With Learning Disabilities. We discovered that adulthood held a whole range of possibilities, the same way it would for anyone. Some of the individuals we interviewed were dearly struggling. Some were doing fine, looking forward to moving forward in their lives. And some had been extremely successful, particularly in their careers. They were respected professionals earning enviable levels of money and respect. These were the same people who had struggled so much in school, often being told they would never amount to anything. Clearly, people with learning disabilities experienced a wide range of possible outcomes in adulthood. Yet society was still focusing on all the things that prevented people with learning disabilities (and disabilities in general) from succeeding. Perhaps we could turn our attention to what people with learning disabilities could do instead of what they could not do, on success instead of failure, on ability rather than disability. Furthermore, if successful individuals with learning disabilities shared traits and experiences related to how they had achieved, perhaps their stories could help others with learning disabilities find paths to success. In order to explore these possibilities, we located 71 highly successful adults with learning disabilities from all over the country. In order to qualify for our study, the participants had to present solid evidence of having had a learning disability and received a high ranking in at least four of five of the following categories: income, education, type of career (i.e., professional), eminence in the field, and job satisfaction. From Connecticut to California, we traveled and met with these people, spending three to six hours interviewing and simply talking to each one. What we found gave us a whole new appreciation of not only learning disabilities, but of the power of the human spirit. The result of our work was another book, Exceeding Expectations: Successful Adults with Learning Disabilities. Before I go into what we learned, allow me to introduce you to a few of these highly successful adults with learning disabilities, to present small snapshots of them and their stories: (a.) M.T. is one of the most respected executives of his Fortune 500 company. Known as "the hit man" because of his uncanny ability to solve problems quickly with wizard-like incisiveness, he supervises MBAs from Harvard and Stanford. Yet he often feels as if he is an impostor. Why? Because he is still acutely aware of his learning disabilities. School was always difficult. In traditional school, he was not a winner. But in the school of hard knocks, he found success. As a child, he practically had to run his father's butcher shop. As an adult, he rose through the ranks as a salesman. He was a super-performer because he worked unbelievably hard, never gave up, figured out what to do and how to do it on his own, and did not follow routines. As he entered the corporate world, aspects of his learning disabilities evolved into strengths. Because he had learned to simplify complexities in order to understand, in order to survive, he became able to come up with straightforward, workable solutions to seemingly inscrutable problems-hence, "the hit man." (b.) Another successful adult with learning disabilities, K.M., remembers the pain and embarrassment of always being the first child to sit down in a spelling bee. She struggled to read and always looked for the skinniest book for book reports. On the other hand, she was dearly gifted in art, a gift her parents nurtured and supported from third grade on. Nevertheless, others focused on her weaknesses, and by the time she had finally made it to community college a guidance counselor told her, "You have third year college visual perception. But you are retarded in all other areas." Refusing to let this devastating assessment knock her down, she moved on with her life, enrolled in and graduated from an art institute, established a strong reputation as a visual artist, and joined the faculty of the art department at a major university. She has received international recognition for her world. She is a confident, caring individual. Yet the pain of the failures and judgments from her childhood remain with her. (c.) J. C. is an individual who embodies the American dream. He single-handedly built a contracting and building venture that has done as much as $ 50 million worth of business in one year. And for most of his life, J. C. harbored a harrowing secret: He could not read or write. He got through school by "faking it" -- not coincidentally the name of a book detailing the life of an individual with learning disabilities. He did whatever it took to play the game and passed through the system because, as he says, "I'm an athlete, six foot four, blue eyed, and I had adapted socially." He found his calling as a builder and entrepreneur. His visual and conceptual way of thinking may have made it difficult to read and write, but it was ideally suited to his career, particularly a career where he developed his own systems instead of struggling with someone else's. He explains his achievements simply: "The key to success is hard work. Tenacity is more valuable than knowledge and skills." As we interviewed the 71 adults in the study, we heard story after story similar to the preceding ones. We discovered that these adults with learning disabilities shared characteristics and behaviors that led to their success: 1. They all evidenced a strong desire to succeed. In most cases, they credited their parents or someone very meaningful who encouraged and supported them. At the same time, many were so angry at being told what they could not do that they set out to prove themselves, and they were not going to be denied. 2. They had developed a strong sense of goal orientation. They set ambitious but realistic goals, determined pathways to get there, and were willing to go one step at a time, no matter how many steps it would take. 3. They developed a positive appreciation of themselves and their learning disabilities, a process we called "refraining," a kind of specialized self-actualization. They came to know themselves and their learning disabilities well. Recognizing their weaknesses, they also discovered and built upon their strengths. They saw themselves not primarily as disabled but unique. They knew when they would need help, but they also knew when they could go it alone. Equally important, they put this knowledge into action. They planned how they would deal with the world based on an accurate and positive understanding of themselves. 4. They were incredibly persistent and resilient. They worked harder and longer than others. They possessed the ability to persevere, often in the face of seemingly overwhelming obstacles, made defeat almost impossible. 5. They chose careers that maximized their strengths and downplayed their weaknesses. They also chose careers they genuinely loved. This process, which we termed "goodness-of- fit significantly increased the likelihood that perseverance would pay off. 6. They developed individualized strategies-compensations, accommodations, unique ways of doing things, an art we termed "learned creativity." Almost all of these adults made use of various technologies. In addition, they came up with extremely sophisticated and personalized coping mechanisms. A professor who had difficulty reading names did not read the class roster aloud but rather passed it around so that students would initial it. A lawyer put pictures of his clients on their files to associate names with faces. J.C., who taught high school civics even though he could not read, always walked around with a newspaper under his arm and a paperback book in his back pocket. 7. They nurtured and utilized support systems or favorable social ecologies. They recognized the need for support and used it to overcome hurdles. Sometimes support was emotional, frequently the unflagging love and positive reinforcement of a parent or mentor; other times it was practical, such as having a business partner or spouse who would take on the lion's share of reading or writing demands. This model of success is unique to individuals with learning disabilities in that many of the processes are responses to the difficulties imposed by learning disabilities. On the other hand, the characteristics and behaviors that led to success for the adults in our study have applications for people in general. In fact, the qualities displayed by successful adults with learning disabilities share much in common with the construct of emotional intelligence. In his book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Daniel Goleman defines emotional intelligence as the ability to motivate oneself and persist in the face of frustrations; to control impulse and delay gratification; to regulate one's moods and keep distress from swamping the ability to think; to empathize; and to hope. He contends that people with strong emotional intelligence excel in real life-in work, in leadership, in interpersonal relationships. I began this article by commenting that although much has improved for persons with disabilities in the last 25 years, we still have a ways to go before we can call ourselves a truly inclusive society. The success stories of adults with disabilities represent one step in that direction. First, an awareness of success challenges many preconceived or stereotyped notions about persons with disabilities. When we meet a non-disabled individual, we do not generally focus on what we think that person cannot do. Turning our attention from disability to ability simply means that we are viewing persons with disabilities in the same context we view anyone else. Second, the success of adults with disabilities can teach all of us, not just those with disabilities, much about what it takes to make it. As mentioned before, the adults in our study adeptly tapped into emotional intelligence. Their path to success is a direction we all can follow. Finally, what is the connection between my remarks on disabilities and Christianity? One point should be clear: The UCC promulgates a doctrine of inclusiveness founded on Christ's teachings. Christ instinctively drew himself to the most marginalized of citizens, in many cases those individuals who seemed to be weak and in some cases specifically to persons with disabilities. He saw strengths where others saw weaknesses. Sure we are called on to do the same. Moreover, the experiences of persons with disabilities might teach us something about a core element of Christianity. One commonality of the successful adults with learning disabilities is that they have had to face struggles. They have suffered, but they have persevered. And almost all credited their struggles with making them better persons-resilient, more understanding, more compassionate, more loving. This past Palm Sunday I realized that persons with disabilities perhaps walk a step closer to God than many of us when our congregation invoked, "Let these branches be for us signs of his victory; And grant that we who bear them may also acclaim Jesus Messiah by wailing the way of his suffering and cross; That dying and rising with him, we may enter into Your kingdom. Amen." Sidebar: If we begin to turn our attention from what people with disabilities cannot do to what people with disabilities can do, we will be changing our entire outlook. Sidebar: When we open our minds to allow persons with disabilities to inspire, guide, and teach us, our hearts will invariably follow. We will become more tolerant and accepting. We will become more inclusive. The author, Henry B. Reiff, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Special Education, Western Maryland College, Westminster, MD and an active member of St. Paul's UCC, Westminster
From UCC DM Newsletter Archive