Inclusion needs to be repotted in the soil of common sense

I read Haley Flaro’s commentary with her plea not to scrap New Brunswick's system. Children living with challenges to mobility aren’t the main focus in the grand scheme so Ms. Flaro should have no cause for concern. At least we can hope. 

Inclusion isn’t working as well as it could, especially for those children whose challenges compromise their abilities to sit still, to comply with following directions and following rules, and not all of them have impediments to freedom of physical movement. Their deficiencies in those skillsets that actually compromise acquisition of knowledge frustrate the learning processes of the entire class as well as the teacher who is forced to wear several hats at once.That is the reality that classroom instructors face each and every day. It’s not fair.

For decades, educating the differently able, who often have depressed learning capabilities, has been a challenge to our Department of Education, school administrations and those on the front lines — the teachers.  

We must not forget the impact that forcing an inclusion model to fit in a space where it will never fit has on those among us who have no voice — the students themselves. 

Students who are intellectually advanced and require a curriculum that caters to the demand of their insatiable desire to learn get easily frustrated at being forced, yes, forced to slow down so that those who lag, through no fault of their own, can stay connected to the group. Not fair to either. Lots of children with challenges to mobility are of average or above average intelligence; they don’t need sound arms and legs to be gifted in maths, science, language arts and so on. What they need is a landscape that is as architecturally accessible as possible so that they may experience greater participation in those things that other students with no such challenges do with ease. That is a component of inclusion that must remain front and centre.

The ramifications of failing systems go beyond the poor test scores and classroom behaviour and it’s abundantly clear that a change needs to happen now, with no more time and money spent pondering how to tweak a plan that just won’t work. Spend both where they will work.

It’s time for common sense to prevail so that children will stop being punished and be able to get on with their job — the job of becoming accomplished and successful students to the best of their ability in environments that will meet their needs in the long-term. Short-term ‘bandaid’ solutions serve no one and cost everyone.

This forced compliance to stay the course with a model that won’t work is wasting valuable time and resources. Not to be forgotten is the essential waste of taxpayer dollars plodding along with continued failing grades in maths and science, and abyssmal literacy scores. The message these results send is clear - time for a change all around.

Efforts to improve the chances of successful inclusion actually begins in the home, with parents being as proactive and involved in their child’s life as they can be with regard to meetings special needs while the child still spends most of his time with the parent, in the home. Readying the child for the outside world, the real, the messy world, is the job of parents. Doing their part early on allows teachers to better gauge what the child will need within the 4 classroom walls.

For far too long, people have been locked into the notion that separating those with different learning styles, often coupled with behaviour problems and/or challenges to mobility is unacceptable given the goal of mainstreaming is inclusion. Take a step back and see what that rigid position is doing to the children. Because they just don’t get it, some children will become more frustrated and act out. The teacher, reacting or sometimes over-reacting, lowers the boom and unwittingly escalates the situation. 

Having free-standing learning centres, either on or off campus allows students who may become ‘at risk’ out there in the world, to thrive in a non-threatening, less pressured environment — allowing them to be who they’re meant to be stimulates learning opportunities across a number of disciplines. What could be better than that?

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca 

A Minister of Loneliness would be a step in the right direction

       Some weeks ago, as I was reading about Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May’s appointment of a ‘minister of loneliness’, my thoughts were drawn back to an event from my past in which I and young man from the UK became part of an ‘international incident’ over a game of scrabble.

John Elliot, age 24 in 1997 and living with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, was involved in a lively round of the popular word game with me when he had a muscle spasm and was flung forward out of his wheelchair, striking his head and becoming unconscious. A mad scramble to get him help ensued in what became our “15 minutes of fame” as media outlets in Canada, the US and the UK picked up the story.

On more than one occasion I had advised John to secure his lap harness to avoid the very thing that caused his tumble while we were in game. We, he and I, and others in like circumstance, can’t know when our brain is going to hiccup and cause us to go into spasm. It’s for that reason that, because I still walk, aging with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy,  I turn the phone ringer off when I’m on the move. Startling sounds can cause a loss of balance. Safety first!

In 1997, John Elliot lived alone and the internet, with its Internet Relay Chat and other such tools of text-based communication, were his connection to social interaction as he wasn’t able to readily get out and about in his "real" life. John was not alone in using the Internet for such a purpose. Sadly, for some, it is their only connection with human beings. People never to be met in person so there’ll never be opportunities for up close and personal exchanges over a coffee or a meal.

Appointment of a Minister of Loneliness makes a lot of sense but only if there’s follow through on developing and maintaining various programs of care and assistance to those who are in most need. Our province would benefit from such an intervention on behalf of the often disenfranchised such as many persons with disability and the elderly are.

Did the Internet save John's life, as many suggest it did? John was in no immediate physical danger as it turned out, but the fact that he was alone and suffered a shock to his system was frightening enough. The tools that were used to stay connected to John and get him the help he needed are tools that more and more persons with disability are using today to keep them connected. But there needs to be more. Community leaders must become more proactive and work to develop mechanisms that connect the isolated to the community. 

Certainly the internet provides a link to humans, but there needs to be a link to humanity and humaneness up close and personal in the form of people we can actually see breathing; people with whom we may share a meal or a movie, or a drive in the country.  The socially isolated need all of those things, every now and then, to stay physically healthy, to stay mentally healthy and engaged. To stay involved in life and living. 

Over the past few decades, I’ve read copious literature about the cause and effect of isolation amongst infants, youngsters and older children with disability, with children in care experience varying degrees of failure to thrive; some actually die. Parents who adopt such deprived children have a tough road ahead. They, too, could benefit from a Minister of Loneliness.

More and more, people are experiencing periods of isolation with far more frequency. Sadly, those living right under their noses, the neighbour across the street, the neighbour next door, the neighbour two houses away may have no idea. Would it make a difference if they did? I should like to think it would. I should like to think that if Mr. Jones realised that Mrs. Baker hadn’t been out to the store in a month, he’d step in and offer a helping hand. 

Imagine going weeks without contact with anyone. Think about what that deficiency in your world would mean to you. It’s not just the elderly or disabled who are lonely. Very often, their caregivers are isolated, too. Caregiving is not easy and people who take on that role are often same age-spouses/partners, close in age siblings, or elderly parents of disabled adult children. The numbers are growing and the needs are many and they aren’t going away. Loneliness affects every facet of one’s being and as much as one may try to minimize its impact in their lives, there is no denying that being lonely can and does make us sick.

Lives can change by reconnecting people, both young and old, with their communities which concurrently improves their overall health through more sustained interactions with others. So you see, what goes around really does come around.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca 

What I’ll be doing to make 2018 a very good year

“When I was 17, it was a very good year”. Isn’t that always the way with a popular song archived in our memories.  Then reality waves its not so magic wand and we are brought to our senses and realise that along with the ‘very good’, were some absolutely horrendous times in our lives that we try to forget. 

As we settle in to the first months of a brand spankin’ new year, it might be helpful for us to have a master plan with a few ‘to do’ things noted. My very mild OCD compelled me to pick an even number; 4 things! Going with five, however, helps me with my own ‘to do’ list — to be less focused on ‘a place for everything and everything in it’s place’. So, 5 it is!

My free time is not always ME time. Though I am somewhat restricted with regard to getting out and about, especially in the winter months, I occupy myself with an array of mental aerobics since the physical ones are not so much a part of the landscape of my world in snowy weather. 

I am quite physically active; in fact, by virtue of constraints imposed by spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, I am possibly more physically active than lots of people. How can that be, you ask? Well, it’s simple — it takes a considerable amount of energy for me to vacuum, to dust, to keep floors clean, to look after pets, to prepare meals. The list of oft-repeated daily chores seems unending. While you may expend fifteen minutes worth of energy doing a particular task, I’d expend the equivalent of one hour of energy in the same amount of time doing the same chore. Then it’s smoothie time to replenish the reserves to carry on with my daily ‘to do’ list.

I’m all about food and healthy eating so bulk cooking and baking will always be number one for me; I’m rarely at a loss for prepared meal choices. Tonight, it’s lasagna - made, cut in portions and frozen a few weeks ago, along with a small salad and a slice of home made herb bread. As well, there’s always a slice of this and a container of that to share with my dinner and a movie pal. Spending time in my world  has expanded her palate. 

Next is keeping my home tidy and clean; I’m a room by room tidier upper, carrying all the tools for that task in a little plastic waste basket. In the bathroom, I fill the sink with hot water and liquid surface cleaner, swish cloth around and off I go, cleaning fixtures. With a 2nd cloth swished in that same hot water, I wipe the floor, from corner to corner, on my hands and knees. Nothing like giving the spine a good stretch so that I can carry on with other chores. 

As a senior with aging pets, it is important for me to ensure that my home is well maintained and pleasant for not only my enjoyment, but also for visitors. I discovered a great cleaning tip, ideal for those with aging dogs (and possibly cats) in a home that has carpeting in various areas. Mr. Digby has the occasional accident, often in the same spot that was visited by a previous canine occupant, a Cairn terrier. 

After drawing up as much of the offending liquid as I can with paper towel, under the watchful eyes of the tenacious one, I fire up the heavy artillery - a wet/dry vac. A bit of boiling water onto the spot, followed by a spritz of vinegar is sucked up; to finish, into a small plastic waste basket I blend a few shots of Tide liquid laundry detergent with really hot water, and using a brush, I clean up a D-dude piddle spot. Works like a charm. Another spritz of vinegar acts as a deterrent — most of the time. What can I say? Mr. Digby is almost 15 years old so lapses are inevitable. Cleaning up after the hairy little old man keeps me in shape, though I sometimes wonder what he’d do if I replaced the living room carpet with laminate. While I’m on my hands and knees, he can’t help wandering right in front of me to stick his tongue up my nose. I know what you’re thinking.

I should point out that I’m not one of those eccentric dog ladies whose creatures have overtaken the home. Their presence contributes to my overall health and wellness and I enjoy their daily antics — ensuring that they are healthy and happy is a duty I owe them. Having a pet to care for is therapeutic and I and the canine contingent look forward to a great 2018 here at Chez Rockwell. 

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca 

Pride goeth before a slip and fall

No doubt you’ve heard the expression ‘getting old isn’t for sissies’.  Getting old, for one having lived a life impacted by disability, as is the case for me, is no easy feat but I’m hanging in there.

I see lots of people my age who are aging badly when there is another way  — a better way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not telling anyone how to live their life, but it really does make me wonder why people abuse their body to the point of ill health, creating sometimes irreversible situations. 

On a daily basis, many eat unhealthy food that, to be honest, cannot be called food at all. Marketing ploys hook us with the promise of ‘the best tasting’, or ‘will leave you wanting more’. It’s actually consuming more that gets us into trouble.

Filler food, as I call it, because it it fills in around the stomach, the hips, the derriere, the neck, and has no nutritional value. To compound the state of unwellness, exercise is ignored. Even a daily walk would go a long way to improving health and wellness.  Those compromised by a gut full of visceral fat and that extra chin along with pain in the hips and ankles need to get serious about assessing what they’re doing to their body. Also critical is sufficient hydration which enables all parts of the body to work together; like a well-oiled machine, parts have to be maintained. Visceral fat is dangerous — a form of gel-like fat that's actually wrapped around major organs, including the liver, pancreas and kidneys. Do you see yourself in that description? Are you going to do something about it?

Stand in front your mirror stark naked and take a good long look. What do you see? What would you want to change, knowing that only you can make the changes? Choose 2 lifestyle habits. Two is do-able.

Youngsters being diagnosed with adult-onset diseases is a scary reality and those rising numbers contribute to the population of unhealthy and ‘at risk’. Those numbers must come down and parents have a duty to say no; “No, you may not go to McDonald’s. You’re staying in for dinner and you’ll eat what the rest of us are having. Period.”  Cook the family meal together, plan menus. Let’s get healthy.

The adults in the home need to pull themselves up by the proverbial bootstraps and accept that their chaotic life style and life choices may well be killing them. Children learn what they live and if examples set by parents are rooted in a series of bad choices, day after day, their problems are no longer just their problems. They’re everyone’s problem. With a commitment to making changes, problems will go away or at the very least their impact will be minimized. 

Recently, several of my friends became grandparents, some for the first time and a few others are enjoying their 2nd and 3rd grandchild. Are they rethinking lifestyle choices? Choices that will no doubt impact the quality and the length of the time they enjoy with those little people in their world. Will they get naked and stand at the mirror to give their bodies a long, hard look. They might not want to, but they must. 

In a way, I’m at an advantage as I approach my 64th year. Living with the challenges of an awkward gait and poor balance, I’ve adapted my environment to my needs from the get-go so I’ve always been ready for the slowing down that often comes with 6 decades of living.

I can’t let pride get in my way with regard to my health/wellness and safety, so if I need help with something I know I cannot do or should not do, I ask for it. As I was contemplating the deconstruction  of Christmas aka taking it all down and putting it all away, I became mentally overwhelmed. Most of you are able to walk and carry things with both hands. I don’t  have that luxury. Yes, it is a luxury. I have to carry an  item with one hand and use my other to balance. I got smart with table top Christmas ornaments. Those in the TV room, I put on the seat of the walker and pushed it to the kitchen gate where they were transferred to a dining chair. That chair was then rolled into the spare room, with Mr. Digby in hot pursuit. He watched as I returned the festive collectibles to the shelf in the closet. I repeated the chair transfer with ornaments in the living room. Other collectibles I was able to get downstairs to the cubby under the stairs, again, using only one hand to carry.

The tree’s still up in the TV room. I’m thinkin’ Christmas in July. 

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her aging Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca