Another Working day

I figured something out today.  I would like a job where I could be creative.  My best jobs might be a movie critic.  Maybe a freelance writer.  Maybe I could be the person you go to to write your speeches or create your presentations for you.  I am awfully comfortable with PowerPoint.  I do tend to like my jobs better when they are different everyday.  When they are the same old stuff day in and day out it gets boring.  I also love disability culture.  I love talking about the sappy disability movies and the good ones.  I love the whole Inspirational book thing.  I don't want to be the inspirational cripple because I don't think I should get pats on the back for trying to have a life.  But I can see how people get hope from these books.  Let us remember I have my heroes too.  Though Lincoln Rhyme is fictional, I aspire to have a great mind like him and do what I love too.

I wish I could write about the disability issues that go on around here.  The problem is not much goes on around here.  Near Baltimore and DC I hear of protests or see an occasional newspaper article.  But here not much goes on.  People with disabilities are even afraid to take fixed route buses.  At least the people I have talked to are.  When I worked as an advocate, I did a survey for people living in group homes or Living units. (sorry about the jargon)  We found that people with disabilities living in these home seemed disconnected from the community.  I think there may be a few reasons for this.

• Who wants to be connected to the community if you get stared at, laughed at, and or bullied while you are out.
• Most people living in these homes don't have a lot of control over their lives.  That means the care provider or someone else is setting up the outing.  If you had no say in it, why put forth the effort.
• People with disabilities do not have much money.  No money It's hard to go places.
• They are just as tired when they get done with their jobs as the everyone else is.  Its easiest to sit home and watch TV.

I remember speaking to a gentleman with downs syndrome who had a problem making his speech understandable.  I did understand this though.  He saw his friend at work 5 days a week. The only time he saw him outside of work was at his birthday party. and very clearly I understood this: "And that's only once a year"   Wouldn't it be neat to have a position like a state funded recreational coordinator.  When an individual with a disability would be involved in creating his yearly plan, the question of recreation would be a part of that plan.  If that person prefers to have friends come visit him, the coordinator would try to make that happen. If he prefers to be out The coordinator would do that too.  Ah to dream the impossible dream.

That being said I had a really bad night last night.  I did not go to bed until almost 3 am.  And I still could not sleep.  I know a lot of it is stress but goodness.  I have been up most of the day. My rear end is wearing out.  I need a new chair and seat.  I was working so hard to get a linked in profile up.  And a web page that has some info about me and some basic rates for speeches etc.  I also did the blog.  I'm going to bed a bit earlier tonight.  Night everyone see ya later.