Shame on You for Letting Me Live!

[RichieB16]

Fortunately that is not my decision. I cannot lock topics & most people might well be thankful for that.

Thats true, it would be a scarey world if ole Doug was running around with his finger on a button.  

[MattNW]

Just a little off topic, how do you communicate if you're blind and deaf?

Sign language can be read by feeling a person's hands while signing and the blind can learn to sign to communicate with others. That's how Hellen Keller eventually learned to communicate.

[H]

Unfortunately, she wasn't born in the right era nor in ancient Sparta.
Hmn. Could I please have a list of those here who are certain that they asked to be born. How about those who specifically demanded, "give birth to me or else!" even though most any mother may so testify that, under torturous pain, it was the case -- no matter the condition of the one born?

[61_OTU]

How's about opening the floodgates for every Disabled person to sue the medical profession? Because that's what it amounts to.

Eno's right. Shit happens, no one's necessarily to blame just because they were wrong, mistaken or working from incomplete information.

We have a son with a disability. Antenatal tests could have shown the disability but we chose not to have them. We didn't think knowledge would influence any decision we might make, and there is a risk inherent in taking the tests.

The disability was not diagnosed for 3 months. It could have been, and it was upsetting and frustrating that it wasn't, but does it have a financial value?

So are they right to sue? I don't think so. More of a question is why do they want to.

I don't know about Australia, but our experiences of the financial and practical support offered to the parents of children with disabilities is appalling. You have to fight for everything your child is entitled to. What I earn directly determines whether some benefits are open to my son, irrespective of the severity of his disability. My son's first bike (a custom built trike) cost 750stlg, and no one was offering to buy it for us.

We're ok, but we're articulate, fortunate in our employment and we fight for our son. There are plenty of people not so well off however, and maybe this sort of law suit looks like their only way forward.

Trust me I know how desperate it can feel. Disagree with people, fine, but don't judge them until you've been there. And by the way, for you young guys, birth defects and disabilities are more common than you think, members of this forum will go on to experience what we have, it's not the end of the world, but it's never the same again.

Sorry, bummer post.........

[jordonj]

I know a woman whose daughter has Fragile X syndrome.  Her daughter needs 24-hour care, is violent, and won't improve.

And aid is difficult to get, and is being cut.

Remember that the woman was born not only blind and deaf, but mentally retarded and spastic.  Ever had to care for such a person?  Take it from someone who has worked in the nursing home industry (as an aide).  They are a handful.  Caring for such a child is hell for a single parent.  And what does she have to look forward to?  Living in a long term care facility (nursing home) where the food is lousy, it smells bad, other residents might assault her (lots of horny men in places like that...some women too).  

Now we can laugh at this situation, but when you step back and look at the rest of the story...what's so funny.  Or to put is as Samuel Clemens did:

Show me something that is funny, and I'll show you something that is not.

What really should be done is to take away the reasons for her misery.  Give her stimulation in her life.  This takes a lot of work, which translates into money.  Something that often doens't get spent on people like her.

[Saitek]

Interesting points all round. Enjoyed this thead.

I know a family who adopted a girl with Down's Syndrome. She has it serious too. I cannot usher enough praise on them for doing it, as sadly and ashamedly I admit - I just couldn't do it. They have a real hardhip on their hands that they voluntarily took on and I think that is a very honourable to do.

I also happen to know someone who is deaf as deaf could  get. She has never heard a single sound and yet can talk in sign langauge as fast as anyone can speak!

Just a little off topic, how do you communicate if you're blind and deaf?

As already said by another member James, they use sign language. It is very time-consuming to learn as you can imagine - but children pick it up quite quickly which is much easier therefore for them to grasp than might be expected.

If you want to see how really hard it is for us adults... look here:

http://www.masterstech-home.com/ASLDict.html

Click some letters and read the descriptions of some words! Some are self explanatory, others are not.

I leant a bit of it and some of the alphabet myself. Here is the alphabet.

[jordonj]

I know a family who adopted a girl with Down's Syndrome. She has it serious too.

Is she Autistic too?

[ATI_7500]

My brother is slightly autistic. But he's sometimes giving us a hard time nonetheless.

And he's the reason I don't want to have kids later.

[Woodlouse2002]

So explain to me, how can a blind person read sign language?

[beefhole]

So explain to me, how can a blind person read sign language?

They feel the hands of the person signing.  It's a bit clumsy, but it works.

[Hagar]

Woody brings up a very good point. I know that disabled people can do remarkable things but I assume that this woman has been both blind & deaf from birth. If this is the case I was wondering how you would possibly start communicating with her, let alone teach her sign language by feel alone. It might be different for someone who had lost either their sight or hearing (or both) after once having these senses. Losing one must be bad enough but I don't even want to imagine what it's like to be both deaf & blind.

[Woodlouse2002]

The artical says that this person was born deaf, blind, mentally retarded and spastic. Now how in the name of god do you communicate with someone who's been like that from birth. I somehow feel that the person at the centre of this case has no idea about it at all.

[jordonj]

From what I read, she is the one bringing on the lawsuit...

Just because she's "retarded" doesn't mean she's unaware...or stupid.

I have worked with the handicapped.  And while they may be say...a few guppies short of an aquarium, they are definitely not stupid...far from it in fact.

My daughter has been having difficulty in school.  They suspect that she may have Asperger Syndrome.  It's not extreme, and she excells at Math, Music, and writing, but it explains some of the challenges I've had to face.

There's an attorney here in Michigan who specializes in cases for head-injured people.  It is often the only way that a person who is now congnitively impaired as the result of an accident (usually automobile) can hope to remain solvent.  I heard of a woman who lost her house due to such an injury and her condition precluded employment.  In her words "what the rest of you do at the speed of a supercomputer, we do at the speed of a handheld calculator...and the batteries run really low on juice late in the afternoon" (people with such injuries often need a nap at that time...).  The attorney, whose name escapes me right now, often encounters difficulty in getting restitution because of ignorance and plain old mean-spiritedness.

This suit might very well be the only way she can hope to get some aid.  After all, she may well outlive her mother...

[H]

There is no rebut to your overall statements, jordon. Actually, Ozzy and I have had a similar case amongst our relatives (I had a cousin with Downs Syndrome).  However, I do have issue with whom gets sued and, particularly with an individual, why (if they were operating according to law/procedures, it's not they who should be sued).

[Hagar]

[quote]From what I read, she is the one bringing on the lawsuit...

Just because she's "retarded" doesn't mean she's unaware...or stupid.

I have worked with the handicapped.