h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

<>

Thanks, Shiftyshug! (It's really easy to do links, you just copy-and-paste from the URL bar, and it's better than putting the whole article... It was a great article, by the way!)

<>


Sophie, I have to disagree quite strongly. I have worked with people with disabilities since the 1970s, in psychopaedic hospitals, residences, supported employment and schools. There are people with disabilities who can live in the community, and work in supported employment, probably the majority of disabled people. But there are a few who, no matter their parents' desire to the contrary, who will always need more support. With the best will in the world, their physical or intellectual disabilities are such that they require 24 hour care, or in the case of some, a level of physical care that means that a mainstream classroom is inappropriate for them. (It would mean that either their needs inevitably weren't able to be met, even with a full-time aide, or that the needs of the rest of the class had to take second place, which would not be true mainstreaming.)

For the majority, it's true that although the person has the disability, society creates the handicap. But for the minority, special schools are a necessity. I have worked in one here in Auckland, the Carlson School for children with Cerebral Palsy. Many children move from the Carlson school to the mainstream primary school next door, as they make progress. Some never will, but the quality of the Carlson school, which provides physiotherapy and other care alongside a very high standard of teaching, means that the children who have to have their whole education there, don't lose by it.

<< but in the long term inclusion is the objective of all the best 'special' schools>>

Yes, if that's at all possible - but in the case of some pupils it never will be, and that should be taken into account!

Hello, Mistdancer...

<>

<>

azahar, this is the most spiteful statement I have ever seen from you! (And that's saying something!) How dare you judge the level of someone's disability? Just because Shifty once committed the crime of disagreeing with You, you feel you have the right to dismiss his experience!

az, you have gone too far - even for you!

apple there sre a sad bunch on here at times,anyone that mocks people with learning problems needs to take a good look in the mirror, az thinks she runs this thread with her know it all manner ,just because she does not get her own way all the time .

<< Obviously he has yet to learn basic manners.>>]

Look at the pot calling the kettle black!

onething is that az does not no nowt about ms,but shes not alone there is a lot of people like her that just opens there gob and lets there bellys rumble.

<>

Well, I don't... but then I am not about judging people because they don't match up to my idea of perfection - which in your case, az, seems to be holding views acceptable to the Mighty az!

If he is 'embittered', then he has reason! He's been copping the kind of insults here that I've got used to - he hasn't had time to, and yet he's had to learn that dissent gets ruthlessly attacked.

He has a reason to be bitter - what is *your* excuse?

<>

Apple the reason az acts like that is because her and her sad band of so-called sly mates dont want anyone here that goes against anything they say. ok iam bitter only because people with rblems get a raw deal from people in power (goverment etc) and we aways will feed there greed to save money and crap on the people who need help the most .

<<

azahar, this is the most spiteful statement I have ever seen from you! (And that's saying something!) How dare you judge the level of someone's disability? Just because Shifty once committed the crime of disagreeing with You, you feel you have the right to dismiss his experience!

az, you have gone too far - even for you!>>

Apple, az, et al.

I have found this website ( http://www.mult-sclerosis.org/mssymptoms.html ) which lists symptoms of multiple sclerosis in full. Though I see no mention of spelling and grammar difficulties it strikes me as possible that a difficulty in controlling one's movement (see 'Motor Symptoms' in above link) could lead to great difficulty in typing and therefore lend some rhyme and reason to Shifty's posts which lack capital letters and often put punctuation in the wrong places. If Shifty is having difficulty typing, this could lead to the incoherency of his posts.

However, it is equally likely that, however difficult a process typing may be, Shifty is perfectly capable of using correct grammatical constructions. I do not know enough about the disease to make such a decision.

However mean of me it may be, I must admit that I am curious, Shifty. Are my surmises above in any way accurate? Or have I made a horrible, non-politically correct gaffe and started spouting off about disablities and diseases I know absolutely nothing about? I do apologise if that is the case, but in the interests of preventing further ad hominem attacks and unnecessary spite, I would like to clear this issue up.

Thank you for your cooperation,

EMR, you are a very judgmental friend of azahar's, and as such, your 'enquiry' doesn't come across as being at all genuine.

But I will leave it to him to answer if he chooses - but he should not have to defend himself from az's selfish and spiteful insults.

Apple, do you even bother to read what's in a post? Or do you just look at the author's name and then hit reply?

Apple, I am a friend of az's. I believe she can sometimes be judgemental, if stretched to the limit of her patience. So am I judgemental by association? I wouldn't like to think that. I always strive to be the best person I can be, and that involves trying to be the most tolerant person I can be. This is why I am truly trying to discover if Shifty's difficulty in conveying his thoughts readably is in fact a product of his illness. I would like to know this before I get upset with him for something he cannot possibly help. I try not to be one of the people who 'just doesn't understand', and that was why I was perfectly willing to undertake a few minutes' research to try to resolve this.

I would very much like to hear Shifty's reply, because I would like to be friends with all of you here - that is, if you're willing to accept me - and I do not want you to be estranged any more than necessary. Call me an emotional child, but it truly upsets me when you (Apple and az especially) are bickering with each other. I'm just trying to help. This is going to sound elementary-school-ish - I just know it is - but it makes me feel even worse when you accuse me of being judgemental when I am acting out of genuine concern and interest for Shifty and out of friendship for you and az.

I understand why az is losing her patience. I understand a little why Shifty is bitter about the world. I understand why he may have problems communicating. I understand why you are annoyed on his behalf. But I don't know how much I can understand anymore. I want to make it all better and I wish I could - but you and az have had a history which has been getting worse even in the small time that I have been here and I'm afraid there's nothing I can do about that. I sometimes find Shifty annoying - I sometimes find you annoying, Apple, and I sometimes find az annoying. But you have all said things that have made me think. I am a friend of azahar's, as you say, because she has practically saved my emotional life. I would like to be your friend, Apple, if you will let me. I would like to be Shifty's friend, if he will let me. I would like us all to exist in peace and harmony, like the idealist dream of 'Age of Aquarius' from the musical Hair.

Well, this post has become self-centred enough and has rambled enough. But try to understand where I'm coming from. I'm just a kid and I think this has gotten bigger than I can cope with and I just want it all to stop. I'm trying to help in the paltry ways that I think maybe I can and I just ask not to be insulted in return. Please?

I was going to shut up when I saw Della's post.

Della, you've only been here a little while and you've already dragged yourself into this quagmire. We're all getting sucked in and down and we're choking in the proverbial quicksands. Why? Can we have disparate views without making a federal case about it?

I guess not.

I have a feeling this is just naivete, and I'm sorry if it's so - please do call me on it if you out there think so - but as I said above, I just want it to stop. I'm not ready yet to face the real world; I want a happy world, a safe world. You guys are just making me despair because I know I'm going to grow up someday and this is the world I'm going to have to face. Maybe it's not entirely your fault; I dunno. But I feel caught in the middle and I'm going to be all egocentric again and say that it's really not fair to me. Sorry. That was really unforgivably egocentric. But it's what I feel and I said it and I make a point of not deleting things once I've typed them out.

Am I getting my point across? Oh, what the hell does it matter? The cynic'll just get the better of me in the end.

<<. I would like us all to exist in peace and harmony, like the idealist dream of 'Age of Aquarius' from the musical Hair.>>

Call me naive, EMR, but I am with you on that!

So why the hell did you just call me judgemental simply because I am a friend of az's?

Shit, now I'm getting involved in it. God, I think I'm going to cry.

<>

Because sometimes, you are! I have an 18 year old, and I remember being 15-18 - it goes with the territory.

Also, I admit it, azahar gets up my goat (Kath & Kim) so much, which IMO, she wants - and it spilled over on to you. But that doesn't preclude me wanting everyone to overcome misunderstanding and get along!

echomikeromeo...better to learn now when you're less likely to get hurt, than in RL when it might actually matter.

I don't think you're going to have much success with your current project, kind of like tilting at windmills. It's noble of you to try though - but don't let yourself get hurt if it doesn't work out.

U1283096
U1544268
U531377



az