D.J. Gregory Inspires UCP of Central Ohio Participants
On Wednesday, May 28, 2008, three participants from UCP of Central Ohio had the opportunity to speak with D.J. Gregory during a visit to the Memorial Golf Tournament. Gregory, a young man with cerebral palsy, is living his dream by walking every PGA Tour event during the 2008 regular season. Gregory sat down with UCP of Central Ohio's participants to answer their questions about his PGA Adventure. During their talk, Gregory reminded them that people with disabilities can do whatever their hearts' desire.
Chris, a participant at UCP, was impressed by the steps Gregory took to make this PGA adventure possible. "D.J. was a real inspiration. He has shown me that no matter the disability, if you want something, be willing to work for it and it can happen," said Chris. Chris and the other UCP of Central Ohio participants really enjoyed the atmosphere at the Memorial Tournament. "It was a wonderful day with a lot of nice people. Talking with D. J and seeing a beautiful golf course was great," said Chris.
When Gregory was an infant, doctors told his parents he would never walk. Now 30 years old, he walks with a cane, holds a masters degree in Sports Management, lives independently, works as an entrepreneur and lets nothing stand in his way. He is truly living his "Life without Limits." Gregory's PGA adventure seeks to encourage people to support him and all people with disabilities who are living full, independent and productive lives.
In early May, this story was submitted to our affiliate in Alberta, Canada, Cerebral Palsy Association. It is a story we can all relate to. A story of people living a "Life Without Limits" in one way or another all around the world every day.
By Laverne Bissky and David Dziadyk
After our daughter Kasenya was born three months prematurely, we were told that she was very likely to have disabilities but that the extent of the disabilities could not be predicted. It took months and even years for us to understand the severity of her Cerebral Palsy. Perhaps this was for the better, because we vowed in the early days, before we fully understood the challenges, that we would never let disabilities hold us back from doing what we wanted to do.
We both have a strong passion for travel as well as discovering other cultures and we both travelled extensively before we had kids. Our passion for travel is something we want to share with our children. We want them to become the type of people that appreciate the human and ecological diversity in the world.
By the time Kasenya was four years old, she still did not speak, sit up or feed herself. Nonetheless, we decided that we should start travelling with her while she was still small, because the mobility challenges would only grow as she did. So when Kasenya was four and our son Devin was six, we decided to make our first oversees trip to Australia. We chose Australia because we have family connections there and because we knew it would be one of the more wheelchair friendly destinations. Following that trip we have travelled extensively within Canada as well as taking two additional overseas trips as a family. Our goal is to visit all seven continents with our children. Two down and five to go!
We are about to embark on our next travel adventure in September 2008. This trip will be to South East Asia and it will be different from previous ones. We want to travel with purpose, not just to see things. We really want to get immersed in the culture. To do that, we need to stay in one spot for a while. So we have been researching opportunities for volunteer work. So far we have had an offer to teach English at a school run by Buddhist monks in Cambodia and an opportunity to work with kids who have CP in Vietnam.
Can you relate to this story? Let us know by commenting on the UCPeople Blog today!
Information & Referral: It's Almost Time for Camp
Summer camp can be a wonderful experience for children with disabilities however parents are often unsure how to find the right camp or have fears about how their child will do at camp.
The National Center on Accessibility has developed a booklet entitled, "Discover Camp: Considerations for Sending your Child with a Disability to Camp for the First Time" that addresses the issues parents face. It includes additional suggestions on what to consider before heading to camp, as well as other resources. The booklet is online at: http://www.ncpad.org/get/discover/index.html or can be ordered in hard copy via phone/email from the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability at 800-900-8086; ncpad@uic.edu.
The American Camping Association also provides information for parents, including a section on children with special needs: http://www.campparents.org/spclneeds.php
Help parents find camps in your area.
The following links provide listings by State and disability:
Camp is not just for kids. Adults with disabilities can benefit as well. Listings of camps for adults can be found at: http://www.grownupcamps.com/
UCPeople Blog: Look Who's Talking
As part of a continuing effort to help prepare for the transition of UCPeople into a blog, we would like to discuss some more basics - How to post a comment.
To post a comment, you need to first click on the text directly following the UCPeople Blog article that says, "Post a Comment." This action will open up a new window and there you can write your comment. You will also need to verify that you are not a spammer by completing the "CAPTCHA" or mixture of jumbled letters that can distinguish a human from a computer program designed to repeatedly comment irrelevant information. You can post anonymously to the UCPeople Blog without signing in, or if you have a google account (free, you can sign up here), you can sign in to be identified.
Some of the benefits of posting a comment:
» Respond to the article immediately with your thoughts and feelings.
» Interact and respond to other comments made about the article.
» Reinforce the UCPeople sense of community in sharing ideas and feelings about a particular article.
» Interact with the article's author by giving feedback directly and instantaneously.
» Grow to know and become friends with others from the UCPeople community by interacting regularly.
» And much more...
Look for the "Discussion Board" on the right sidebar of the UCPeople Blog where you can read the most recent comments from the UCPeople community. Click on those comments to go directly to the article and its related responses.
We all look forward to reading and responding to your comments.
For more information on how to comment or help in setting up a Google account, please contact Will Hull at (202) 776-0406 x7106
Believable Hope Online Auction opens June 9th
UCP is hosting an online auction in conjunction with the 2008 Believable Hope Conference to help raise awareness and funds to support the services UCP National provides UCP affiliates. All proceeds from the auction benefit the UCP National Office, which in turn, benefits UCP Affiliates and their programs.
Participating in the auction is your chance… chance to create real hope, hope to transform the lives of people with disabilities and hope for a future where our children can live Life Without Limits.
» 2008 Conference of the National Association of Disabled Students (NEADS): Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow. (Ottawa, Ontario, November 14 - 16, 2008).
Photo Story: Man crosses Michigan on stilts Traverse City Record-Eagle, 6/2/08 He's the first to feel a drop of rain or flinch at blustery northern winds. Blissfield resident Neil Sauter teeters 8 feet, 8 inches above the ground, so it isn't difficult to understand why he'd prefer a grueling ascent up a steep hill rather than perform a balancing act in a howling breeze.
E-bingo fight continues Sacramento Bee, 6/2/08 Two local charities - backed by an electronic bingo machine manufacturer - are asking the federal courts to block state action banning e-bingo from charity halls.
Beijing 'sorry' for offending disabled Sydney Morning Herald, 6/2/08 Beijing Olympics organizers have apologized for offending disabled people and scrapped a training manual for volunteers which sparked a wave of protest.
The offending guide has been pulled while authorities revise "inappropriate language" applied to the disabled.
Low Birth Weight May Increase Autism Risk in Girls Bloomberg News, 6/2/08 Autism strikes low birth weight baby girls at a higher rate than similar-sized boys when the infants are compared with larger children, according to a study that suggests risk factors for the disorder vary by sex.
Dancing to Dreams At the Cinderella Ball: Students With Disabilities Savor Their Night in the Limelight Washington Post, 6/1/08 Stella, who has cerebral palsy, soon was shimmying and swaying to the booming music of Hillary Duff and Mary J. Blige at the Cinderella Ball, an annual prom for students with disabilities held Saturday night in downtown Washington. Under a swirl of colored lights, girls in sparkly dresses tossed aside high-heeled shoes. Boys in tuxedos pulled off ties. But at a prom like no other, the labels, insecurities and inhibitions that are part of high school life for all students also were shed on that dance floor.
Property auctions may bring $519,000 Connecticut Post, 5/31/08 A vacant parcel at 115 Madison Ave. was taken off Wednesday's auction list and offered to the United Cerebral Palsy Association of Southern Connecticut, which plans to build handicapped-accessible, single-family homes throughout the city. "We've met with the UCP and the mayor has eight lots pledged to them," Liskov said, adding that the lots are not given to the organization for free.
Fright Factory looking for a home Tide Sports, 5/31/08 United Cerebral Palsy of West Alabama volunteers are afraid they won't have a house to haunt this year.
Health: Oxygen therapy helps kids with cerebral palsy Freedom News Service, 5/30/08 The long-term benefits of hyperbaric therapy for children with cerebral palsy are still unknown, according to Angie Ghrist, a spokeswoman for United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona and the mother of an 11-year-old son with cerebral palsy.
Blind New York governor embraces his disability Associated Press, 5/29/08 As a young man, David Paterson never looked for dropped change because he didn't want people to see a blind man crawling on the floor for nickels and dimes. He didn't use a white cane, either: it would make him a target in his New York City neighborhood.
Santa Fe Group Says Wi-Fi Allergy Nothing To Sneeze At Channel Web, 5/29/08 Firstenberg isn't alone. He said he and dozens of other folks are "electro-sensitive" and they plan to fight Santa Fe's proposal for Wi-Fi hot spots in public places, claiming that it is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The Santa Fe city attorney has been notified.
Amputee Du Toit qualifies for Beijing Reuters, 5/3/08 South African amputee Natalie Du Toit qualified for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday after she finished fourth in the 10km race in the Open Water World Championships.
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