Exploring Possibilities

Imagine . . .

If you could help change the world, to make society a more inclusive world for people with disabilities. This October you have the opportunity to join others around the world to bring change to those living with disability, through World CP Day 02.10.13

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A global exchange of ideas to benefit the 17 million people around the world living with CP. In Australia it is estimated Every 18 hours a child is born with Cerebral Palsy or  CP. 

There are a number of identified cause than may lead to cerebral palsy but no known cure's for the five different types of C.P.  The term Cerebral Palsy, is actually a general term for a number of brain disorders. 

It is a physical disability  that primarily affects the skeletal system and  muscles control. However these symptoms are caused by damage to the developing brain. Put into its most simple terms C.P. is the result of brain damage caused in the womb,  birth or firsts months of life;  and it can mirror thy symptoms of acquired brain injury in adults. 

    

How that presents in an individual is dependent on where the damage to the brain occurs and the extent for cell function that is loss.  The above diagram illustrates some of the functions of the brain and how damage in that area may affect the individual. 

Cerebral Palsy may be characterized by the following. 

• tightness of the muscles and/or muscle spasms
• involuntarily movements    
• difficulties with motor skills, effecting the ability to walk, balance, move limbs, hand eye coordination and speech. 
• perception and sensory  difficulties 

Many people living with C.P have secondary disability related to their cerebral palsy. These are often confused by the physical disability itself.  Those with C.P. may experience hearing loss, low vision, epilepsy and intellectual ability, in the same way an acquired brain injury.  The common belief CP and intellectual disabilities go hand in hand is a myths.  The majority of people with  do not have an intellectual disability something the urgently needs correctly, especially in the medical profession. 

  

I sometimes tell people I have an acquired brain injury the happen at birth because the results are the same.  CP can affect one, two or all four limbs.

Living with CP brings many challenges including the barriers that myths create. Each year WORLD CP DAY seeks to address some of these. Through advocacy, invention, technology and the sharing of ideas . 

October is your opportunity to be involved in the sharing and development of these ideas. You can SHARE, READ, VOTE  OR OFFER TO INVENT AND DEVELOP THESE IDEAS by visiting  website.

Tomorrow I have a guess blogger who will share her story and will repost Marlene's story and u-tube clip to raise awareness, you can help raise awareness by sharing this posts with others. 

Debbie   

October 2nd is World CP Day!

02.10.13

World CP Day is not another awareness campaign. WORLD CP DAY  is a movement to change the world to make it a better place for the millions of people living with CP around the world.  People born with CP are some of the most disadvantage people, especial in the third world.  In the third world being born with disability often brings shame to the family.  Many children are left to die or place in orphanages.

WORLD CP DAY is in essence a sharing of ideas among people with CP across the world with people encourage to design inventions and technologies that will improve the lives of others with CP. With the top ideas awarded money to develop their ideas and make them a reality.  You can view the ideas from 2013 on the website.

I think as an artists I world love to see an easel that could move at the push of the button and the artist could position the canvas where the want. As an artist living with CP it is frustrating to ask someone to do what my hands won't.  I can't imagine how frustrating that must be for an artist who happens to be non-verbal.  From experience paint and ipads to communicate don't mix well.

Artists Living with Disability
Disability Action Week 2013

Those living with CP are often creative out of necessity. I quiet cleaver at bamboozling others by my tricks to perform everyday tasks.  We don't get to choose what cards we are deal, only how we play them out.  The people involved in World CP Day certainly play their cards well!

You to can help change the world on October 2nd 2013. why going to the WORLD CP DAY  website and voting for your favorite idea during October.         

So put you hand up for ability!

    

Everyone has potential!

October 16 2013 is Blog action day! Its a day where bloggers around the world link up through social media to draw attention to a single issue or event. This is the 4th year I have participated in the event.    Every blogger taking part in the event has a badge to signified their participation. For more information visit the website

  The theme for 2013 is HUMAN RIGHTS. When I think of human rights I naturally thing of issues such as children sold in to sex slavery, the treatment of women in the third world; restrictions on religious practices and children captured by the IRA in Africa. 

However, human rights issues are involved wherever a restriction on individual choice is made.  To read more on current Human Rights concerns for the UN visit their Human Rights Page. 

Right now, it may shock you to know a large Human Right  Issue is emerging here within Australia. 

It's the issue I wrote about in last years blog post for Blog Acton Day or BAD#12. The National Disability Insurance Scheme or the  NDIS. Since that time the NDIS has undergone a name change and current under trail in five states around Australia, and will be phase in across all states over next five years.  Recently here in Australia we had an election and the new government has reverted back to the name of the NDIS.

For the first all levels of government across Australia recognized that people with disability and their families have the right to CHOICE. This recognition brings us into line with the UN charter of Human Rights. In making this recognition Australia highlights the are different possibilities for individuals, regardless of the nature of their disability and the level of impairment.  

However Australia has a long road to travel insuring the Human Rights of all Australian's living with disability have all their basic Human Rights meet. Even in Australia people living with disability are three to four times likely to be living below the poverty live, have little say about their residential address, are denied basic medical treatment on the bases they are already disabled, 1 in 3 women with disability experience some form of sexual assault with is higher among women living in residential care and most preputaters are male staff.           

This is a no frills approach to disability care. 

• No choice in meal times
• Little choice in what they eat.
• Set shower times
•   Clothing chosen for them
• Set activities

These are major breeches in the UN's charter to Human Rights. Breeches that could cost Australian its position on the security council.  Other issues include better access to the community, transport, education, skills development, full employment and  equal pay issues.  It is undeniable that Australians with disabilities continue to have restricted choices and at high risk of abuse from those who care for them.   

Hearings and reports to the UN have recently taken place. On blog Action Day I am going to tell you some person stories of breeches I know of in terms of Humane Rights.  

Ways To change the world!

We can not change the world, not can to block every single cause of CP. But we can improve the ability of people with CP to be more independent in their daily lives. 

CP or Cerebral Palsy is the  most common form of disability in childhood and affects around 34, 000 children and there is not cure although many different treatments for the various types of CP have been developed.  Cerebral Palsy is the name for a number of different impairments or disorders cause by damage to an infants brain.  This damage can occur in the womb, at birth or during early infancy. General clusters of disorders include spastic, ataxic,athetold, or a combination of two or more of these.  

CP is a physical disability which affects the person motor system, resulting in difficulties with mobility, balance, coordination. and speech.

Children who have cerebral palsy often have secondary disabilities associated with trauma to the brain. Such as hearing loss, low vision, epilepsy, and intellectual impairments. In Australia a child is born with CP about every 18 hours.  You can read more facts about Cerebral Palsy here.

Life is for embracing - not for wishing for what we don't have

World CP Day on October 2nd is a chance to put our collective thoughts together and create and develop new technologies or gadtics that will improve the lives of people living with CP in some way.  It about doing something positive about the challengers we face.  People have being suggesting all sorts of things. Check out there ideas to change the world !

So come on and join us as we change the world for those living with CP!

The UN eyes are on us!

When we think of human rights is often involves young girls being sold into the sex salve industry by families in Asia and Africa or children being recruit to the RIA army in Uganda.  However this week the UN in Geneva has it eyes fixed on Australia for breaches in Human Rights.

The UN is demanding Australian lifts its game around its treatment of people living with disability.  Members of Australian Society living with Disability are marginalizes from  the community and yet to experience full integration into the community.

People with disabilities experience isolation, unemployment, underemployment, poor access to education, lack of appropriate health care and barriers to gaining access to mobility equipment and communication devices.  This is in one of the most prospers countries in the world.  We escape relativity unaffected by the global financial crisis.

Parents needing to fundraise to by a wheelchair for their child and then wait for the chair to be prescribe only to wait years for a chair to arrive, more often than not to find the chair that arrives at the doorstep is unusable due to the grow of the child.

The week the UN puts Australia on noticed and their timing couldn’t be more appropriate with Australians going to the polls on Saturday. While criticisms of the Labors parties handling of Disability Care Australia continues, the LNP is not clearly define the changes it will make to the system and how it will be funded and maintain. 

On the human rights issues concerning people with disabilities and their continual marginalization   the LNP remain silent. Is their attitude towards refugees and turning back the boats policies and indication on how under a LNP government, Australian will continue to fail to meet the Humane Rights Standards of the UN when it comes to people living with disabilities.

Is that something as Australians we are willing to accept?  Unless we lift our game we will find ourselves in danger of losing of seat on the UN Council.

Disability Care Australia is not the latest response to fund the support and care needs of Australians with disabilities.  It is a response to allow Australia to meet the standards of Human Rights of all Australians as outlined by the UN.

A summary of the UN's dialogue can be heard here