tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post5846514466130848827..comments2024-03-19T07:36:33.915-04:00Comments on Of Battered Aspect: He Didn't Believe MeDave Hingsburgerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11918601687946534172noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-47688144799418270452017-04-25T09:23:30.098-04:002017-04-25T09:23:30.098-04:00Not all people with Down have below average intell...Not all people with Down have below average intelligence/IQ scores. People with Down have earned college degrees. I know of one person with Down who is a veterinarian and that's really hard intellectual work to get there. While most people with Down have ID (there's a really wide range) it is not an automatic given.<br /><br />My teenage cousin has Down and I'm eager to see what she chooses to do with her life because she is bright and has lots of dreams and the ability to pursue them.Sparrow Rosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00605007402119856421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-80801393671867932472017-04-24T12:35:32.173-04:002017-04-24T12:35:32.173-04:00Hi Dave,
Can I ask you a question that I often wo...Hi Dave,<br /><br />Can I ask you a question that I often wonder when I'm reading your post? I often see you referring to people you see in the community as having intellectual disabilities. Often, it appears that these are people you don't know, so you're making a guess based on physical appearance, or perhaps behavior. In this case, you might have made this guess based on facial characteristics of Down syndrome.<br /><br />I'm a teacher, I work with students with disabilities. About half of my students have Down syndrome. Many of them self-identify as having intellectual disabilities. Others may be identified as such by their parents or their educational teams. But some of my students (both with and without Down syndrome) don't identify with the term ID. That may be a matter of personal preference, or it may be because they don't meet criteria because their skills are too high, or because they are young and their parents have decided to delay testing. At school, one thing we really emphasize is that they can choose how they describe themselves and identify themselves to the world. <br /><br />It's not that I think labels are a bad thing. However, I feel pretty strongly that people should be able to choose the labels that they identify with and want to use for themselves. <br /><br />Given that, it surprises me when I see you use a specific label, for someone who doesn't seem to have communicated to you the label that they choose for themselves. I'd love to hear your thoughts on why you choose to do that.<br /> <br />Thanks!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01058252265983299972noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-30866932130039106552017-04-24T10:18:29.934-04:002017-04-24T10:18:29.934-04:00The clerk shared his story with you and the two of...The clerk shared his story with you and the two of you talked about what happened. So your reaching out to him helped him move from 'frozen' to opening up a bit. As you have written so well, transformation takes times.....and we humans move in meandering circles, not straight lines. <br />I'm so glad you and Joe were in the store..for the little boy, for his mom, and for the clerk. <br />Maybe one of those kids will have some qualms of conscience. At that age belonging to the group is so important that kids do stuff that they wouldn't usually do, and don't continue it very long, either. <br />But, of course, the damage is done. <br />clairesmumUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13382503094929375543noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35743239.post-30900695686876857352017-04-24T01:50:41.970-04:002017-04-24T01:50:41.970-04:00Next time he may be able to do something more.
Be...Next time he may be able to do something more.<br /><br />Between now and then, I hope he asks a superior how to handle such situations.<br /><br />Meanwhile, you're right - and it's too bad there wasn't an adult from their church to call those cruel teens to account for their very public sins. Lack of adult supervision is what allows these things to continue to happen; children out of control and with their peers are egging each other on. I would have been so ashamed had one of them been mine.ABEhrhardthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17211038591900883672noreply@blogger.com