(October 2001)
My lovely Grandaughter is 10 years old. She has CP
and is totally dependent on her Mom and Dad and her
precious 12 year old brother. I had the great privilege
of taking care of her the first seven years of her life
while her mother worked as a pharmacist. Her mom and dad
both have jobs now that they are able to work at home.
Therefore are able to take care of her and homeschool
her. She is so very intelligent. We are so very blessed
God has been so good to us. We have tried to let her
participate in anything she wanted to do. One of the most
important things one can do is build their self esteem as
you would any child. Again, don't give up, you will be
blessed.
From Carolyn (October 2001)
Jessica, thank you for your wonderful page on
autism.I have a nephew who is autistic and now I'm on a
quest to read a few things and learn a little about this
condition.We love him so very much and pray for him ALL
the time.I'll also say a special prayer for your
brother.
From Shelbyville, Indiana (October 2001)
Thank you for maintaining this site. I am a second
grade teacher in Shelbyville, Indiana, and the proud
parent of two children. My daughter has mild cerebral
palsy. I appreciate the information you have for
students on cp. Often kids have questions, and this site
does a great job of answering them! I know your teachers
(past and present) and school are proud of you for your
efforts on this site.
From Bryan (June 2001)
My name is Bryan, and a friend of mine pointed out your website
to me. I have had muscular dystrophy my entire life and I just wrote
a book documenting my life which was published in April. The title of
the book is Look Beyond This Cover. The proceeds of this book will benefit
Disability Outreach Foundation, created to enhance the health andwellness
among people with disabilities. You can find more information about
my book and foundation at bryanpratt.com and disabilityoutreach.org
respectively. Hope to hear from you soon.
From Barbara (May 2001)
I am not only a parent of a child with special
needs, I am a social worker that works with individuals
of all ages with special needs. Your site is a great
experience. You have done a terrific job getting a
message out that is very hard to express. You are to be
commended for doing this. Thank you again for a most
comprehensive site. I will be referring all my clients
and parents of other children here.
From Amy (April 2001)...
Hi, My name is Amy and I am a teacher of the deaf.
I was reading your page on communicating with deaf people
and I noticed that although you mentioned the use of
hearing aids, it didn't say anything about deaf people
who can listen and talk. I teach deaf children using the
auditory-oral approach. This means the children either
use high powered hearing aids or a device called a
cochlear implant (which allows people with a profound
hearing loss to hear sounds almost like hearing people
do) and we teach them how to listen and talk. The
students, their families, their teachers and their speech
therapists have to work very hard, but it is worth it!
From Sarah (April 2001)...
I am a kid, and I dance at a dance studio. I go to
another studio and help teach children with disabilities.
Most of them have autism. I love to teach them. They are
so fun, and such great friends, though I only see them
about once a week. We play games and learn ballet. The
teacher that teaches says that a lot of people that help
teach her classes usually don't come back, either there
afraid or whatever, but she says I am probably the first
one who LOVES it, besides her. It makes me sad to see how
people treat others with disabilities, but your website
has inspired me more, and it is sure to inspire others.
Have a great day!! Sarah : )
From Victoria (USA, October
2000)...
Dear Jessica,
My 71/2 year-old Brother, Eli, is autistic, too. I
would answer yes to the question, "Do I get embarrassed
when people ask me about him?" When Eli starts screaming
if he has to go home and leave his friend's house, what
am I supposed to say? (My parents don't like people
knowing he is autisitic.) I don't know what it's like to
have a non-autisitic sibling. He isn't different at all,
he just doesn't always understand. I agree, I love him.
He's MY baby brother!
From Maddy (USA, May
2000)...
Hi! My name is Maddy, and I'm 12 years old. I have
a brother who is 9, and he is autistic. He has a lot of
trouble doing many things. Although he is the age of a
fourth-grader, he can only read kindergarten-level books
and has the attention span of an average two-year-old.
This is hard for me because he screams and jumps and
makes unusual, jerky hand motions in public. It doesn't
embarrass me, but it makes him unable to go to important
events like my Elementary School graduation and my Sixth
Grade Play in which I played a leading role. I was very
disappointed when he couldn't see me graduate because I
asked my classmates "Is everybody's siblings coming to
see graduation?" and they replied "Of COURSE, duh, why
would anybody's sibling NOT come to
graduation????"
I also get upset sometimes because my brother Simon
can't interact with other people well and, unlike other
siblings, he NEVER has a real conversation with me or
plays with me AT ALL. I also feel kind of sorry for Simon
because he can't have fun on weekends or during the
summer. He has therapy ALL DAY every weekend and his
school lasts all year round. I think the worst part of
having an autistic sibling or being autistic is the
staring. People in public places are always hurting me
and Simon with cruel stares and harsh mumbled words like
"What a spoiled little brat, screaming all the time," or,
from a kid, "Daddy, MAKE THAT ANNOYING LITTLE BOY STOP
YELLING! HE'S HURTING MY EARS!" I really hate when people
do that.
Do I love Simon more than any other sibling in the
universe? YES. Is the love I feel for him unconditional?
YES. Does Simon annoy me sometimes? YES, BUT THAT'S
NORMAL. Do I hate the world for doing this to me and my
family? NO. WHY? Because I know for sure in my heart that
Simon loves me and that he knows that I love him. I also
know how smart he really is. In my eyes, Simon has as
much, if not more potential, than other people in the
world, and I will always have faith in him.
From Nicole (Poland, August
1999)...
I went on to your site, it's fantastic! I was in
class with a girl who was in a wheelchair. Her name was
Magda. She came from a poor family and her mother was a
cleaner in the school. Each day her mom took her off her
wheelchair and into a normal one for the lesson. She
visited her on breaks and took her to the toilet. When
she needed to go down some steps people needed to carry
her down. However the next year they made something like
rails on the stairs for her chair and she could go up and
down. I never was close friends with her, although I
can't say I didn't try. Now I'm in a different school and
have no contact with her.
From Jessica (August 1999)...
Hi, I am Jessica. I really like the web site
"Seeing Disabilities from a Different Perspective." It
helps people like me. I have Cerebral Palsy and walk
uneven. When it is damp out I use a cane sometimes. I
always get asked questions like why do I walk like a duck
and penguin. Am I retarded. I do not feel retarded but I
know I am different. Your web page has helped me cope.
Famous people had disabilities. Inventors had a
disability and so do I. I guess I will see a different
view on life now.
Note: Jessica would like to hear from kids with
cerebral palsy or other disabilities. You can write to
her at the email address shown above.
From Lori Finley (Michigan, USA, July
1999)...
I have an 8 year old stepson with cerebral palsy.
He works very hard every night stretching his leg and
makes sure he's got his brace on almost all the time!
Well, this little boy has done so well, that he was on a
little league team this spring with children 1-2 years
older than him (without any disabilities)...and there's
more...he was one of the starring pitchers. He is very
determined. Remember his name, because someday he's going
to be an astronaut...Zac Taube ("Taw-bee").
From Jeff Shaw (Illinois, USA, July
1999)...
I want to salute Shaun, a student in my third-grade
class last year. Shaun did a very fine job as a student,
excelling in many areas such as math and spelling. He is
also a good all-around athlete and an avid hockey player.
It seems to matter little to himself or to his peers that
he is deaf. He has an interpreter to assist him in the
classroom, but he is able to speak and communicate
remarkably well with his classmates and teachers with
very little assistance. I was impressed with how well
Shaun copes with his disability.
