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Subject:
From:
Betty Alfred <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
St. John's University Cerebral Palsy List
Date:
Mon, 6 Dec 1999 09:45:01 EST
Content-Type:
text/plain
Parts/Attachments:
text/plain (39 lines)
In a message dated 12/06/1999 7:14:48 AM Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask]
writes:

<< the woman who wrote was the one being rude in my point of view.
 sorry if that person is reading the post, but, that is my opinion. >>

To be honest, it seemed a little cold-hearted to me, but this was in writing
so it's hard to know what her demeanor is when she responds to a child.
Hopefully, there is kindness in the delivery.  This person is probably not on
the list, by the way.  I read this someplace else.

Last year, I went on my first vacation since my disability to visit friends
in San Diego.  While I was there, I met a man who was into birdwatching as I
am.  He and a buddy took me on a birdwatching expedition, and saved me a lot
of time because they knew where all the accessible birding spots were.  He
has osteogenesis imperfecta.  Anyway, we were in La Jolla, doing our birding
thing, and a little girl came up to me and asked "why that man was so small."
 I was very embarrassed because I had just met him, and I didn't know how he
responded to questions like that.  I said, "Why don't you ask him?"  She
didn't and left instead.  It was a first for me to be approached about
someone else's disability.  I also thought it was interesting that she came
to me and not him.  We were both in wheelchairs.  The only difference is that
I don't look physically different from nondisabled people; he does.  Maybe
she just happened to be nearer me or something, but at the time I thought it
was because she was afraid to talk with him directly.

I haven't been able to get out for birding in a while.  But when I do, I
attach my spotting scope to the side of my chair in a way that if I see
something interesting, I can let somebody else look through the scope to see
it too.  I've noticed that most birders will share their scope sightings.
But since my scope is automatically "kid height" I can share my sightings
with children.  They don't usually get this opportunity since all the scopes
around them are situated at a much higher level.  They get to use a scope and
see a bird they would have otherwise missed, and it gives them a chance to
see that a person with a disability is just like they are.  It's a pretty
cool experience actually.

Betty

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