It's Me Again!

Yes I know, you thought I'd dropped off the edge of the earth. Well I'm back in more ways than one. I'm about to return to full time employement in the real world, I'm back to mostly Autism advocacy, and I'm back to the blog - after being locked out for a year due to a strange mix-up with my e-mail account. I promise my next post will be filled with pictures and will bring you up to date on all of Frog's adventures (and his latest book and poems). But what brought me back today was another public figure going to the R-word and the heartfelt, intelligent and thought provoking response of a Dad. In this case Ozzie's dad, Dan, from Down with Oz. You can read Dan's Letter Here I have advocated through education programs on this issue with children and adults. I have helped Adults with developmental disabilities learn to self-advocate on this issue by telling their stories to receptive audiences. Harder is to stop a conversation and call someone on this behavior in real time - risking friendships, starting arguments, wondering if you are really being heard through all the defensivness. How have you dealt with this situation? Thanks Dan for the letter, for sticking up for your kid and mine, and for making us stop and think about this again, and again, and again until it is finally done.