When I was in high school the Vietnam War was in full swing and many friends either signed up to serve our country or were drafted. Bruce, a good friend, signed up for the marines and was stationed in California. He was trained as an air traffic controller. After the war ended he had a lot of free time on his hands so we decided to visit. Bruce was always a very active guy. In high school he was a runner and it wasn’t unusual for him to run from his home on the east side of Toledo to my house on the south end. When visiting Bruce in California we visited many of the state and national parks in the area. Bruce always took his one year old daughter with him no matter how high we were going to climb. We had a lot of fun that visit hiking and exploring the area.
When Bruce’s tour of duty ended he came back to the Toledo area and planned on continuing his career as an air traffic controller. One hot summer day Bruce and four of his friends decided to go fishing in Lake Erie. They fished all day in the scorching hot sun and decided to go for a swim before coming in. Three of the guys jumped in and Bruce was to follow. Bruce dove in and hit a sand bar which broke his neck. His life was changed forever.
Bruce was 22 years old on that day and his life would never be the same. Technically he was paralyzed from the neck down. However he could breathe without a ventilator and he had some limited movement of his arms. He could move them forward about eight inches and backward about six inches. He could not bring his arms up over his head. He couldn’t move his hands or fingers, but could cock his wrists enough to hold a glass. Even with his very limited ability, Bruce has lived the past 20 years on his own. He has driven across America on several occasions in a modified van - alone. To this day Bruce lives alone in San Diego, California and is still a very active man. How is this possible? Yes, he does have people come in to help him with his personal need such as toilet, showering and such. But he is active and mobile. Assistive technology has improved the quality of life for millions of people with various issues. Your project this week is to research assistive technology and how these advances improve the quality of life for millions. Bruce’s story is just one of millions. Do you know anyone with special needs? Share your thoughts.
I don't think I know anyone with special needs. But my old neighbor, whenever he had his family over i would see his grandson and he was in a wheelchair. He could barely move his head and only move his hands very little. I don't remember his name but I could tell he was taken good care of. He had a good family. Hopefully technology for the disabled is growing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do know some poeple with special needs. When you look at those people and know that there's nothing you can do, it's one of the worst feelings in the world. People don't realize how much they take advantage of what they have, and a lot of people with special needs don't have the same privileges as you do. What's really sad is when you see people make fun of or take advantage of someone who's different, they can't help it, so why make them feel worse about it.
ReplyDeleteM. Foster
I do not know anyone with special needs but i think its pretty cool that someone that is paralized can live by themselves for that long.
ReplyDeleteJ. Maynard
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ReplyDeleteYes, one of my friends "codie" is mentally retarded. He can be very smart at some times, and will do anything for you. On the other hand somethimes he will chase you with a nife and try to kill you. Most of all thoe he is a nice guy!
ReplyDeleteYes, I do know someone with special needs. Her name is Kimmy, and she became paralyzed from a diving accident, also. She uses a motorized wheelchair and a special van to get around. She cannot feel anything from her waist-down.
ReplyDeleteSomeone that I know with special needs is my friend's brother. He has down syndrome. Her brother was born with this disease but he doesn't mind that he has the disability because he still goes through his life like an everyday person, although he learns at a slower pace and can not read yet. At the age of 26 he volenteers at a Monroe hospital and graduated school at age 25. Knowing him has also helped me realize that I shouldn't take my life for granted because some people don't get the luxaries that I have.
ReplyDeleteM.Blake
yes, I have someone in my own family who has a disability. My mom is legally blind and needs help to get around outside of our house and places she knows. She has a leader dog to help her though and she(the dog) does her job very well. She can still see a small amount but her retinas are slowly disintegrating and she will eventually lose her vision completely, but that wont stop her from getting out and doing some of the things that she likes to do.
ReplyDeleteNo, I don't know anyone personally who has special needs, but my neighbor has a niece who is unable to walk and has to use a wheelchair. She has a limited amount of ways that she can move her arms and she needs help doing everyday things such as eating and bathing. Hopefully the technology used for special needs will improve and grow.
ReplyDelete-Katy Audet
my mom works with people who have special needs and i think tecnoligy can help a little but not a lot
ReplyDeleteMy 12 year old brother was born with Cerebral Palsey. He can't walk or talk, so he is in a wheel chair. He also has seizures that he is on several meds for. He was born like this. The doctors told us that we did nothing wrong. My mom didn't smoke or drink and she took all her vitamins.
ReplyDeleteE.Woods
no, i do not know anyone with speacial needs or disabilities. therefor, i harbor no thoughts on the matter. E. Askins
ReplyDeleteNo i dont know anyone with special needs, but i do know that they can never change anything about that so i feel bad.
ReplyDeleteA. Welniak
No, I don't think i know anyone with special needs. But i know that people i hear about with special needs still try to live life to the fullest.They might not be able to do what they wanted to do but they try not to let what is wrong with them get in the way of living there lifes.
ReplyDeleteYes, my grandfather had polio in one of his legs and the docter tried keeping him from being active but now he found out that when he remained active that saved his leg and now he bowls twice a week and golfs all the time.
ReplyDeleteD.Janssen
I don't know anyone with special needs, I dont think I do atleast. I dont take my life for granted just because there will always be someone you could help out and make their life a better life.
ReplyDeleteC. Garrett
Yes I do know someone who has autism. His name is jason rydner and he goes to my school. He gets a lot of help from people around the school and it looks like he has a good time.
ReplyDeleteyes i know someone who is menatally retarted. He was in my gym last year. he has autism. he is a really nice kid if you get to know him. we help him out when he needs help and are nice to him.
ReplyDeleteYes, I do know someone with special needs. He was my old neighbor and he barley understood anything I said. I felt so bad for him because it seemed like he didn't seem like he was on planet Earth. He was in his own little world. I wish i could have done something to help, but there was nothing I could do, which made me upset.
ReplyDeleteJ.Spotts
i do not know anybody who has special needs but it is sad when i see someone who makes fun of them. they know that they can't do anything but they continue to make fun of them. i would like to see someone be in there position to see how they feel.
ReplyDeleteYes I do know someone who is mentally handicapped. His name is Scottie, he goes to my youth group. He is 23 years old but he is incapable of acting his age. He is a great person, very sweet and gentle. He can say all the fruits in alphabetical order. With that, he is very smart. People take advantage of people with special needs, but they are worth the same as everyone else. They deserve to be treated with respect and like everyone else in this world. They are great people to talk to and we all need to be very careful about what we say.
ReplyDeleteH.Nowak
no i do not know anybody with special needs
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ReplyDeleteI know a couple people with special needs and whenever I see them I feel bad and I wish that I could help them. My mom's friends son has down sydrome and he can't walk so he has an electric wheel chair. He can't really do much for himself so someone has to take care of him all the time. Whenever Im around him I just want to cure his needs because he is the nicest kid ever.
ReplyDelete-J. Copciac
I do not know anyone with special needs. But I think it is horrible that anyone who is mentally challenged is made fun of. They can't help who they are. There should be punishment for making fun of anybody with a disability. People shouldn't EVER take advantage of a mentally challenged person.
ReplyDelete-B. Horst
I know some people with special needs. I feel bad for them. I am sorry for them, They cant live a normal life cause they are disabled. But its cool that someone can live by them selfs for that long
ReplyDeleteMy sister works with people with autism that need extra help. The person that she works with is named Blake and he is 18 with autism.
ReplyDeleteZack S.
I do not know anyone with special needs. I think there is hope for disabled people with advancing technology.
ReplyDelete