News from the Sitting Position

By cripfemme - About Me - E-mail this page - Add to My Favorites - Add to Blog List - See other blogs in Opinion

Monday, February 17, 2014

Advice to Parents/Gaurdians of PWD kids

I'm going to get on my soap box here. Please, please teach your kids how to self-manage their services. If they need help to pee, or clean, or cook, or whatever fine; so do I... but they need to taught how to run their assistance programs independently. Don't wait for a big moment like starting college or getting a job to help them gain these skills. Start at 15 or earlier, when nothing else big is changing. It's really hard to have 2 or more big changes at the same time. You usually don't do... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 3:51 PM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Help Me Pay My Fine

As people who read me regularly know I commit civil disobedience on a fairly regular basis for various social justice issues. Most often with the disability rights group ADAPT. I just found out today that I owe the organization $165 for the fines imposed during my last two arrests. I am not sorry I was arrested. I WILL be arrested again over issues relating to community-based services. I am as doubtless of this fact as I am of my own name. However, I do not have $165 just lying around. I am as... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 6:45 PM | add or view comments (3) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Help me write a book remembering Laura Hershey and Matthew Shepard

Dear Fellow Activists, Writers, and Whoever may read this: I am a poet from Western Mass who happens to also be a women with a disability. My friend and mentor Laura Hershey died suddenly (at least to me) the Friday after Thanksgiving. Laura was living in Colorado at the time. Her memorial service is scheduled for the 20th. I, of course, planned on going. I also figured while I'm there I could visit the headquarters of ADAPT, an awesome organization dedicated to ending the institutional bias... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 11:11 PM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Weddings!

This is my friend Nick and Alex's wedding, sorry if you don't have Facebook to view them. Nick was in a nursing home less than 9 months ago. I've been having I bad week, so this news was really needed to by me. Sometimes the good guys do win, as I mentioned in my previous Nick blog. The impressive thing to me was he was advocating from in there, rather than just focusing on his own issues and needs. Yay, Nick and Alex! Yay, gimp marriage! Yay love! I wish them both absolute and utter joy in... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 5:41 PM | add or view comments (0) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Home care and Dementia

I am up and writing early. I know I should be pushing hard to make payout on Mylot as it's the last day I can do anything to get Mylot there for I want to get paid in March. I think I'll have about a dollar to go in there. But I woke up this morning early after pee at 6:33 (my time). I got up at 7:27 AM. Hell a early! What woke my generally oversleeping activist body on a Sunday that was supposed to be reserved for hockey? Answer: Ponding how to provide home care to someone with dementia like... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 6:15 AM | add or view comments (0) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, January 28, 2010

In Memorium: J.T. Templeton.

I got this news yesterday on the Mount Holyoke computer which I was using to kill time until the archives opened. J.T. Templeton was from Texas, was an ADAPT member, and is the only one of my friends who I can say truly died the way I want to go. He died at home with his assistants, his friends, his two dogs, and I'm sure thinking all the while about going home to Heaven to join his partner Karen who left us about a year ago. Karen and J.T. were the two most disabled people I knew who had a... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 3:20 PM | add or view comments (0) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Monday, December 28, 2009

I'm annoyed

I got home today and checked Facebook. What do I find three days after Christmas? My friend Carrie, who lives in Colorado and is disabled with 4 disabled adopted children, recently went on a ventilator because her breathing got worse. The state of Colorado decided not to increaser her hours from 12 to 24 hours of attendant services. Carrie is afraid that the ventilator will block up when no one is around to fix it. Now, she's afraid that the state will take her kids away and she, along with 2 of... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 9:23 PM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Disabled People Can Parent!

This article really got my goat. A woman from Chicago has a 5-month-old son. She also has quadriplegia which she acquired from being a hurricane relief volunteer when she was serving the army 10 years ago. She and her son live with her family and a live-n assistant. The boyfriend whom she ditched because he was drinking all the time and having depressive episodes is now suing for custody of the boy. What does this say about society that this even gets brought to court? The woman is not a bad... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 8:30 PM | add or view comments (2) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

You can get a free cell phone if you're disabled, elderly, or on public aid

I've seen commercials for this, and I was suspicious. I thought it was some company trying to rip off the less fortunate. So today, I did some research and it is a real thing. They have programs all across the country. What services you get depends on what zip code you are in. For Massachusetts, you can be on any of the following programs: Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children Supplemental Security Income Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program Food Stamps MassHealth Transitional... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 2:28 PM | add or view comments (2) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

Thursday, October 22, 2009

In memorium: Andre Gaines

I'm sad to report that I found out today that my friend Andre died. She was a long time activist with ADAPT and she still participated with the Texas chapter although she was getting on in years. I hadn't seen her in a while and kept meaning to ask about her, but I think I was afraid of what I would learn. So, I did the ostrich thing and hid my head in the sand. She died last Friday even though I only got an email today. Interestingly enough, that was the day after everyone got back from ADAPT.... Sign in to see full entry.

posted by cripfemme at 4:49 PM | add or view comments (1) | leave calling card | link to this | view only this entry

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