New Film: Holding in The Storm

I am happy to announce a new dramatic film to promote community acceptance and inclusion of adults who are different because of disability such as Autism. Launch planned for 29 March 2014.  

Announcing the production of a short dramatic film titled HOLDING IN THE STORM: MY LIFE WITH AUTISM the goal of which is to increase community acceptance and inclusion of people with Autism or similar disabilities, especially adults.

The direction and production team is led by Christine Zorn of Pan Video Services. A short preview of the film is now on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiA9-Ufz69k Editing and post production tasks will take the next 4-5 months.

This new film is inspired by the thoughts and words of the Bridges-Over-Barriers communicators, for whom Christine produced the documentary video In Our Own Words in 2010.

Guelph Services for the Autistic is raising the funds for the project and will distribute the film on DVD together with a Discussion Guide that will continue online.

We plan to host the film launch to mark World Autism Awareness Day next spring. We expect there will be a premiere showing at the University of Guelph Arboretum Centre on 29 March 2014.

Please share this news and the youtube link with any people likely to be interested. You may post comments and questions on youtube.

How Supported Typing works for me....

My friends, especially those I have met only recently, are very intrigued by Supported Typing. My relationship with my ST facilitator is very precious. This is a new poem I composed after a long session in which B supported me to have a conversation with a new running partner. If you use ST, how is it for you?

Opening the Taps
AB 6 Nov 2013
My brain is like a water faucet:
when it is open,
words and feelings pour out of me;
and then it is closed and I shut off.

Nothing helps to open the taps
like being with you.
I feel open when you sit down
and invite me to speak my mind.
If the faucet is stuck
you grease it with your encouraging words.
and when I need to shut off you let me.
Sometimes it is slow to get flowing
 like in the winter when things
start to freeze.
Then you chip away the ice
in a way that is neither mean
nor tentative.

My brain is saying yes thank you
and I will tell you what
is in my heart.
My brain is full to the brim
but I need my writing partner
to help open the faucet,
like I need partners to run
and to work in the garden.

Does this mean you are a plumber
or someone who knows
about water faucets?
You keep your brain open to me
and I think when you invite me
to talk there is a coupling of our minds
and the words come flowing.
Not always but when it is working
it is a monumental thing
and I am grateful for these moments.

Andrew's Garden Photos 2013

Agastache - Apricot Sprite

 

Stevia

Agastache foeniculum

Feverfew

Calendula

Chocolate Mint (far left), Nasturtium, Swiss mint, Spearmint and Peppermint

Lemon Balm (far left), Skullcap, Sorrel 

Moroccan and Orange Mints (far left), Apple and Ginger Mint, Apricot Sprite Agastache

A New Poem

River of Thoughts

8 June 2012 (j)

The river is a beginning and an end.

The river begins to trickle,

The trickle becomes bigger

and a stream forms.

The stream becomes a body of water

to be home to plants and fish.

The bottom is rocky and smooth

from the constant motion of the water.

The river becomes home to many things.

The plants flow like ribbons in the water.

The birds of the river become

the hunters of the fish.

 

The herons stand tall and look like

they are guarding the river.

The geese are a noisy and large presence.

I feel like a goose sometimes:

I am noisy with my unexpected energy.

I can be seen as a threat to those I don’t know.

I am not harmful to anyone:

I just need to get to know you.

 

The river becomes so wide it needs a bridge

to get across this magnificent body of water.

It has many things to stop you

and have you look and listen.

It has to be strong and powerful

to do what it needs to.

The river becomes a forceful stream

that needs a bridge to pass over

to enjoy things on either side.

 

This is like my life:

I need the powerful and noisy things

in my day to make it all work.

I am going back and forth

on the bridge every day.

My life is changing always

but it is full of energy and new things

that form the rocks in my life.

They keep changing and smoothing

as the river in my life moves.

I am thankful for the bridges

I have in my life to cross it

when I need to.

My life is much like the river.

The river is magnificent:

the river of my home and life.

A Restful Night

I want to share something that is now helping me to cope with deep anxiety that has prevented me from sleeping well for many weeks. Last week my friend Beth sang me a Jewish morning blessing and I had the idea of composing a blessing poem for the end of my day. I composed it with the same line to begin each verse and a refrain after the verse. I wanted the words to be spoken clearly with a background of relaxing music. It was very encouraging to me to know I have angels around me. I sleep and it feels good. My friend Lea is helping me to record the words spoken with some soft music.

Now I am working on a morning blessing for A Hopeful Day.

A restful night
I breathe in and I breathe out
and I listen
to my friend's beautiful voice
sing to me of hope.
I wish for a restful night
where angels come
and guide me
with images of good deeds
and nice people who care for each other.

I breathe in and I breathe out
and I recall
the kindness of all my friends.
I wish for a restful night
where angels come
and guide me
with images of good deeds
and nice people who care for each other.

I breathe in and I breathe out
and I see in my imagination
running free.
I run like the wind.
I wish for a restful night
where angels come
and guide me
with images of good deeds
and nice people who care for each other.
I breathe in and I breathe out
and I think about
the warm embrace
of my family
and the intimacy
of my four-legged companion.
I wish for a restful night
where angels come
and guide me
with images of good deeds
and nice people who care for each other.
AB, 29 May 2013

My paintings of running in all seasons



Winter

Spring



Summer

Fall
 




Ken's Christmas trip to Jamaica

Hello Bridges friends,

Here is Ken's story about his Christmas trip to Jamaica!

Please let us know if you need it in some other format.

Thank you Ken!

Andrew

---------------------


January 5, 2013

Ken’s reflections on his vacation in Jamaica.


I had a good time.  Carlo and Donna took me out to see Jamaica with them.  We saw the beach and we took the bus to see different places.  I liked the people.  They were nice to me.  We ate good food – lots of vegetables and fruit.  Inez made a chicken for Christmas Day.  We had her relatives come and eat with us.  They are very happy and laugh a lot.  I liked going to the beach. It was fun to stand in the waves.  They feel strong when you stand in them.  I think Inez and Norris are very happy there.  They have lots of friends and we visited a lot of them after church.  I wore my purple shirt to church and the people told me I looked nice.

I stayed with Inez and Norris.  We worked in the garden and I helped to carry the vegetables and baskets back to the house.  It is a nice big house with lots of rooms. We each had a room to sleep in.  We ate a lot of fish and I had to be careful of the bones.  Inez is a good cook and she gave us a lot to eat.  I was full and did not have to take food.


I saw a lot of places that were nice to see.  I saw a lot of nice flowers growing around the houses and buildings.  The houses are painted many different colours so everything looks bright and pretty.   I liked visiting the relatives.  They were happy to see me. They remembered me from my last visit to Jamaica.


I like the pretty flowers and the blue sky.  I liked the bus ride around to see places.  It is very pretty with all the trees which have bright flowers growing on them.  The roads are full of holes, but we can still drive on them.  Inez cooked lots of fish for breakfast. It was different but it tasted good.  I liked being with Donna and Carlo on our trips to see things.  We saw lots of buildings and lots of nice gardens.  The goats and dogs are free to roam the streets and parks around the place where we stayed.  I thought it was different having goats beside us on the road where we walked.


I liked Inez’s house and it was a very nice place with lots of windows to look out. The sky was blue and the water was warm to swim in.  We had a good time in Jamaica.  It is strange to come back to Canada with all the snow and now I have to wear winter clothes.  I will get used to it again.  I will be able to snowshoe in the woods now.


I gave Inez a hug and Donna thanked her for both of us.  They were kind to us and took good care of us.  They have nice friends at church.


From Ken