First off, i should firmly declare that there is nothing wrong with pasta. i love pasta and would probably be fine eating pasta every day if it was allowed. 'Pasta is life' as i imagine the Latin Americans say, or more accurately, 'Pasta la vista, baby.' Or something. But i have found that for me [and possibly for Val's sister and bro who we live with at the moment] pasta becomes the default easy go-to meal. [...]
My name is Shaina Cilimberg and I am almost 27 years old. I was diagnosed with Asperger's in the Dark Age, the 2000s. Back then, there was limited knowledge on Asperger's Disorder. It was a time when mental illness was seen as demon possession or an excuse for sin. While Satan does attack everyone's (neurotypical or not) minds, mental illness is not demon possession. Demon possession has more to do with the individual, not with [...]
So this past week all the bloggers of colour have been writing to all the other bloggers of other colour but since they do not know each other personally [maybe the main problem?] they are simply sticking them on their blog for mostly people of their own colour to read and cheer and like and comment on... although every now and then a person of the other colour stumbles upon it and makes themselves known... [...]
I am a mom to a child with special needs. This is not something we were prepared for or ever expected. Noah looks like a normal little boy and his disability, for want of a better word, is not visible. It makes it easier and infinitely more difficult for him. Because he is not visibly disabled there are no allowances given for what he battles with every day. He is labelled as naughty, undisciplined, disobedient [...]
At two years old, after numerous visits to various specialists, I was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), a degenerative sight condition. RP affects the cells of the retina and results in tunnel vision, night blindness, severe light sensitivity and consistent sight loss. In short, I was going steadily and irreversibly blind. It has been quite a journey so far. Moving from sight to blindness brings with it a set of challenges somewhat different to those [...]
Hi, my name is Uel and pre-December 2011 I was an avid rock climber, swam in the sea a lot, gymed, organized adventure camps and helped out at church. But in December 2011 i dived into a river and well, i didn't end up winning any medals for my attempt but did unfortunately break my neck leaving me paralyzed from the chest down..... I was air lifted to hospital where I spent 100 days, eish. [...]
I’m a quadriplegic, not an inspiration By Lachlan Nicholson Fresh off of my twenty-fourth birthday and living with a condition known as spastic cerebral palsy, I consider most things in my life to be causes for joy and gratitude. After all, I have a full-time job, several good friends and though severe, my disability is not in any way degenerative. However, one thing which has become a major annoyance, particularly since entering adulthood is constantly [...]
From my friend, Dalene Reyburn: So, I’m honoured to be hanging out with Brett in this bustling corner of the internet to introduce the next Taboo Topics series: people with special needs. I think Brett’s a hero for having the courage to open up these sorts of topics – things that are often ignored or misunderstood or too fraught with pain to be voiced. This series will give parents and others a safe space to [...]
A lot of people, yes white ones [like me], switch off when we hear the term 'white privilege' [please don't!] Some people, yes white ones, get angry when we hear the term 'white privilege' [please don't!] But i sometimes wonder if it is because of a misunderstanding of what people who talk about 'white privilege' mean when they do so. So please take a deep breath and try and approach this piece with fresh eyes [forget [...]
A few weeks ago, tbV and our two housemates Aaron and Sarah went for a meal and games-playing evening [yes, Settlers of Catan] to our friends from church, Mike and Leah. Aaron and Mike have at least one thing in common in that they both work in what must be one of the best jobs in the world - teaching young children engineering concepts through Lego [or Legos if you're Americanese!]. So before we went to [...]