TGN, thank you for your very kind words. I have a great deal of respect for you, too. You are a very articulate, intelligent and thoughtful person. Please understand that what I am about to say is not meant as an insult.
Au contraire! I was impressed when you admitted how old you were and a little embarrassed with myself because I often forget how young some of the people on this board are. ("Young" is NOT an "insult"...just a fact.) I truly believe that some of what is happening in this thread has to do with the nuances and complexities of communication. You are only a few years older than my daughter, so I understand that there is a natural "gap" in our communication. Again, not meant as an "insult," just stating a fact.
Last night, I acknowledged and thanked you for clarifying what you meant in your original post, and I meant that. It may be useful for you to also to try to understand that I have several decades' more life experience and have dealt with EXTREME discrimination, misdiagnoses, inappropriate testing, maltreatment, and wrongful classification directed at my child. We all come to this board with different experiences, perspectives and concerns.
I did not know by your original post that you were 16. Now that I DO, I understand that you made your first statement innocently. You were unaware that you might be making references which have different meaning to someone like me who has been dealing with these issues at the level I have for the past 12 years. Our life experience is vastly different. It's not that one is "better" or "worse." This is not a judgment, just an observation.
I have tried to address some statements that were made in this thread, but it is quite clear that my points have often been missed. For example, I pointed out that "Mental Retardation" and "Down Syndrome" are not the same thing. These are two conditions that can be related or unrelated. Not an opinion, a fact. What did I get? An argument. (It's pretty simple to look these up on the Interent and see what I'm talking about!)
Also, statements were made about people with disabilities that, as postergirl pointed out, were made as "generalities," but the truth is that when dealing with disabilities, we cannot categorically say, "Every disabled person does X" because there are many classifications of disability, many combinations of disabilities and many variables such as education, socio-economics, living conditions, upbringing, conditioning, and so forth.
Just as there are no two snowflakes exactly the same, there are no two people exactly the same. And when it comes to people with disabilities, each and every one must be evaluated independently and uniquely because no two are exactly the same.
Tgn, you are wise beyond your years, and I mean that as a most sincere compliment. Your humility and compassion are refreshing. Once again, I thank you.
"Be on your guard! Jerks on the loose!"
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