Fifteen years in Social Services has proven to me how much it operates like a machine.That the centers and institutions which are funded by our tax money have become more of a holding ground or babysitter for the disabled, rather than strengthening foundations.That the disabled are excused from some things because their disabled is a disfunction within itself. Everyone can do something. My girlfriend confined to a wheelchair swore she "couldn't dance" until I held her up from under the arms and swayed with her to the music. Then she told people"she loves to dance." In recent years everything from being "not able" to fear of liability with those in the industry, have excused the "disabled", making many of them "dis-healthy" or, so to speak, less able. Has anyone stopped to think of what the actual word "disabled" means in it's literary context? It means "not able". If speaking as the word is, it means having no ability. Not that any or most people would say, "Yes. Every person who is disabled has no ability.", but place a label, any label on someone over and over within time and watch them, to some degree shape to its meaning. Molded even more deeply upon their utra-receptive pysche, is a child who has been taught what they are, without finding out for themselves and then challenged in adulthood to reconstruct an authentic identity. I'm now doing it. Your doing it. Inevitably all grown- ups will have to rediscover the talents they've submissed from being told by guiding authority figures "you can't." Recent years though have shown a change in vocalbulary. What was easier to say "retarded" or "handicapped" is now verbalized "challenged" and "special". Such as we said "the world was flat", "men can't walk on the moon", "a black person will never be president". Why do we now use different words for the disabled? Why not? For they apply to everyone. Everyone has lesser or greater facets. Are you and I not special in some ways compared to others? Or challenged just the same? Like in reason, from the past thousand years we state "convulsing" rather than "possessed", "epileptic" rather than "demonized", " he/she's different" than "they're the devil." We're compassionate and sympathetic with treatment in 2010, as opposed to paranoid and condemning for "stake-burning" in 1010. How ignorant we were. How ignorant we are. For we don't see ourselves any less enlightened, advanced, and sophisticated now as we did then. The best we can give the "disabled" is recognition of what we might not know. What's primitive or barbaric that we'll be looking back shamefully on in 20 years. Who are we "burning" now? I have found no satisfactory employment position lately because I feel one doesn't exist. My aim is to start an interactive soccer juggling group. For however many participants at a time, Soccer is one of my greatest passions, and is some of the best exercise that can be done. All levels and skill will be respected. There's no expectation in performance. It's simply to have people out in a physical activity they'll enjoy among a social atmosphere. There's no adequate exercise program among most NYC institutions. A need is being filled here.This would be done at your childs center or institution, one on one, or grouped. They'll be no obstacle of the centers or institutions administration as this is what your child is entitled to granted it doesn't interfere with the centers curriculum. Full resume and references are available. Please call me, Colin Prendergast at (212) 252-2321, or email [email protected]
Thank you, and I hope to hear from you. Best Wishes, Colin Prendergast ↓
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