Friday, January 27, 2012

Superfast

When Ruby found out we were going to see her in the morning she asked, 'Do we have to come to Toronto?' I told her, that we were coming to Ottawa. She asked if we were staying at their house, an odd question because we never do. I said we were going to be in a hotel. She's been in a lot of hotels with us so I reminded her, 'It's the hotel with the long hallway where you get to run superfast.' She knew immediately which hotel it was and got excited.

After all she likes to run superfast and she knows the hotel has a pool. So she asked, 'Wanna see me run superfast right now??' I asked her how I could see her because I was on the phone. She thought for a minute and said, 'You don't have to SEE me.'

Huh?

'I'll put the phone down hard so you can hear it, I'll run over there, and then I'll run back and pick up the phone and say, hi. And, AND, I'll run superfast both over there and back here.'

Without waiting, she dropped the phone, I heard running steps off into the distance and then all the way back, she picked up the phone and said, breathlessly, 'Hi, Dave.'

'Wow, that was really superfast,' I said, not knowing where she ran to and from but knowing that it must have been superfast any ways.

I struggled to stay on the phone for a few more minutes because I so wanted to get off the phone to tell Joe. So after we said goodbye, I told Joe about the superfast race.

We both agreed that's she's becoming the master of adaptability and accessibility, 'can't see me, who cares? We'll do it a different way!'

For the longest time I thought that Ruby with her penchant for spirituality and lovely discussions about God and his Kid was headed for the ministry.

Now, I'm hoping she's headed for a Ministry in the House of Commons. By gum, with her at the helm, adaptation and creativity will be the norm and accessibility will be the law.

9 comments:

Belinda said...

Ruby makes me smile every time! What imagination and zest for life and love that child has. And truly, she admits to no barriers.

Sher said...

Amen Dave. We need more Rubys in the House!

Colleen said...

Dear Dave:

Ruby would certainly get my vote!

Enjoy your time with family. Colleen

Susan said...

Love it, love it, love it. I'll be smiling all weekend thinking about the stories you're engaged in and gathering up like a bouquet of flowers to bring home... What a perfect antidote for the Winter Doldrums... Ruby! (et al) :)

Andrea S. said...

I will look forward to more Ruby/Sadie stories from you!

I notice that you seem to share more Ruby stories than Sadie stories. Is this simply because Ruby is older and more talkative/active than Sadie is at this stage?

Have a great weekend!

Dave Hingsburger said...

Andrea, yes, I do tell Sadie stories but less frequently. The number of Ruby stories increased as she got older and I'm sure that the same will be true of Sadie. As I try, as much as possible, to have this blog oriented to stories that are about disability or disability themed. To keep it from becoming simply a diary, I try to select stories that fit the theme. So as Sadie grows and relates more to me as a wheelchair user and to the wheelchair itself, there will be more stories of that nature.

theknapper said...

Love your Ruby/Sadie stories.....always a welcome antidote to some realities.

Andrea S. said...

Thanks for the reply, Dave. I will look forward to getting to "know" Sadie a bit more a she grows, as well as Ruby!

Completely different topic, but I wanted to bring this link to your attention:

http://www.ii-livinginthecommunity.org/

The organization Inclusion International is currently collecting stories from self-advocates and others on what is happening in countries around the world, including Canada, in relation to de-institutionalization and living in the community for people with intellectual disabilities. They are doing this as part of a survey on the topic for a report they intend to release in October 2012. Given your tremendous expertise in exactly this field, I thought you or some of your blog readers or colleagues might want to become involved.

When you see the term “Article 19” at this link, this refers to the article in the international human rights treaty, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), that protects the rights of people with disabilities to live outside an institution and in the community. You can find stories here about best practices elsewhere, and can also learn how to contribute your own knowledge. So this could be a way both to learn more about what is happening in other countries and also to bring some of your own best practices to a more global audience.

I'm also emailing this to you to help ensure you get the link. Hope it is as interesting to you (including at a professional level) as I think it will.

Lene Andersen said...

I love kids. Adults' brains calcify, but kids? Kids can think around an obstacle and find a way to do anything (and have more fun than when it's done the regular way).