Yvonne,

    Youu have earned my deepest respect as a professional and as a parent.
However,
the changes we see today ar eomstimes cosmetic. Other changes are downright
terrifying. We I went to middle school which was exclusively special
education, I used public transportation and would tranfer downtown. We hung
around places our mothers would not approve. But my point is we never worried
about being abductted or being approached by pervert. A friend and I did see
a prostitute's nude body drug from the river with 38 stab wounds. But even
then, for us downtown was safe. I doubt that the is true now.  If I had a
yound child, I would never let them go the places I went alone. Canada is of
course more civilized then the lower 48, but my point is not all changes in
society are positive one and act to inhibit the development of our children's
independence, whether AB or PWD.


Bobby Greer
In a message dated 8/21/00 5:31:01 PM, [log in to unmask] writes:

<< Someone on this list pointed out  to me not too long ago that the images =
of the disabled are more evident in the media, in advertising, in =
entertainment. I think that's true. My children's toys/shows reflect this =
- the little tykes school bus with a wheelchair, the little girl dancing =
in her wheelchair on the Elmo's World video (in a segment on "How do you =
dance?"), or the child with Down's going to the library with his father to =
learn about dinosaurs from the same video. I noticed again last evening =
that a national department store chain here in Canada has a child with CP =
using a walker demonstrating a child's easel in there weekly flyer. These =
are not patronizing or gratuitous examples IMHO, but rather are indicative =
that society on the whole is changing. Maybe I am naive and reading too =
much into this kind of thing but it gives me hope as a parent that my =
son's future will be okay.=20

Just my thoughts.