Sharing my big communication goals for 2012

One goal for the coming season is to be able to talk to EVERYONE in actual face-to-face interactions. I need to continue regular times of deep conversations with trusted friends—with full physical support when I need it. G and E have promised this. But I also plan to use my portable LightWriter device with everyone, for quick everyday interactions, and with as little physical support as I can manage. Sometimes I can do this with someone only touching my shoulder.
This second goal is VERY important for my relationships with friends and supporters—it means I can talk with them every day. With some of them I might progress to deeper conversations. I need to be able to tell Heidi for example my choices and explain any problems we may encounter in our days together. This will advance our Bridges Dream too, as new communication assistants will gain confidence first gradually and not feel awed by full facilitation.

So I plan to get comfortable with both levels of Supported Typing. My general strategy is to practice less physical support for part of each time one of my communication facilitators visits, to find out what works best. Then I will practice with each support person or friend separately. I have different relationships with each supporter or friend, just like people who talk with their voices. We think this will be more sensitive and less stressful than a group workshop from a cold start. Getting over the initial resistance is the hard part. Don’t give up. I may get it yet!

I am very concerned that, if I get better at quick conversations with just about everyone in my life and with a less physical support, people might think I could do without the deep communication sessions. It would be like throwing out the baby with the bathwater! To have physical support to type about difficult subjects or when I am feeling stressed is very essential and must not be given up or taken away. If a person does type independently but no longer says as much of an important message, someone should offer a hand once in a while to not lose the sophisticated thoughts that might not come out independently. There is a danger in not allowing the deep communication, intelligence and creativity to come out. Right now I could not have said all this without good physical support from an experienced facilitator. So the moment would have come and gone and you wouldn’t know what I was thinking.

It would be dangerous because one might be too upset to say one is upset and then one might hurt oneself. I can talk about my wishes with my hand supported so people know how to plan. Without support it is limited to food choices and what to wear today. I can imagine getting better at the short phrases in time but don’t cut out the chances to really talk or I may lose my way again. I am happy to know the plan is for balance and nothing extreme. I don’t care about independence: I care about communication.

Celebrating Differences

I think I have good people in my life.

Everyone is so different but I need them all.

Thank you for being different.

Different people in my life
(19 Nov 2011)
It takes different things
to make the world work.
I need different people in my life
to make me work like I need to.
That doesn’t mean
that they make me work
or they work for me.
It means I need different people in my life.

I have people who are strong and bold:
they are like pillars
in the bridge of my life.
I have people who are gentle
and kind with a soft heart to
give me encouragement to try:
they are the bricks
in the bridge of my life.
I have people in my life
who are there when I need them—
dependable, respectable, kind people
who respond when I need their help.

People have opinions of
who I am and who I should be.
But the people in my life who matter
are people who give me
the chance to be me.

I need to be encouraged
and given the motivation
to use my determination
but I also need to be given
time and patience to make
a change or mistake.

The people in my life help me
overcome the things in life
that could leave me in the water.
I don’t like to just swim.
I like to walk over the bridge.
I need each of these
unique and wonderful people.
The bricks and the pillars
build the strength of my bridge
to pass over when I need it.

I need different people in my life.
I am me because each person
allows me to be me.
The different people in my life
make me wholly me.

My Autobiography is Published!!!

Click on the link below to find out more: http://www.ont-autism.uoguelph.ca/Bridges-2011-info.pdf

                                   

Hello

This is my very first blog post. I can't wait to share my stories. Here I am infusing almond oil with dried calendula flowers that I grew in my own garden. I let the oil infuse for about a month and then used it to make a soothing lip balm for my friends.