Comments for I am Learning Disabled

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by CJ

CJ — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 04:26:51 +0000

Thanks for clarifying the distinction, Peter. Yes, there is a huge difference between “stigma” and a person’s inability to really “get” (i.e., understand) a particular challenge. It’s an apples and oranges thing. Although people can have a tendency to make uninformed comments in both situations.

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by Valerie

Valerie — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:19:03 +0000

Hi Peter:

I agree with your comments on LD’s. I was not diagnosed with NLD til I was 39. When I try to explain the disability to people who have known me for quite awhile, they say I could not have a disability, because I was always strong in reading and spelling in school. I did really well in elementary school but nearly flunked out of high school because I was taking subjects that I should not have and not getting help with others.

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by Peter

Peter — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 11:02:32 +0000

Hi Yvona
I think it’s a bit different. One question is “getting it” and one question is “stigma”. Certainly people don’t get the problems with lack of binocular vision. But, for me at least, there’s no stigma attached to the disability itself.

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by Yvona

Yvona — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:47:04 +0000

I disagree that there\’s no stigma to vision problems, because i have experienced it. I\’m like you – nearsighted and can\’t see in 3D. I also have other vision problems like limited field of vision. The nearsightedness is not a problem because i wear glasses for that. But people don\’t understand that the fact i can\’t see 3D well is limiting in things like playing ball, hiking (so it slows me down on uneven, rocky / rooty forest trails) and driving and other things, and that my field of vision means that i often don\’t see things that i \’should\’ be able to see – anotherwords that someone else standing in the same spot could see. They just don\’t get that i just can\’t hit a softball for example and it\’s no use trying to get me to be on their team.

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by Peter Flom

Peter Flom — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:20:22 +0000

That’s an excellent point!

Comment on Some thoughts on disorder and stigma by CJ

CJ — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 21:16:34 +0000

I think the problem with acceptance here is that a lot of our disabilities are invisible to others *and* require that others give us the benefit of the doubt that the disability claimed is not merely an excuse for bad behavior, laziness, task avoidance, whatever.

Nearsightedness (although invisible to others) does not trigger the same skepticism in others, as the nearsighted person provides their own corrective lenses in order to conform, and does not typically expect accommodation from others.

Comment on Labels, boxes and groceries by ictus75

ictus75 — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 14:56:17 +0000

Beautiful! We are all more than a label, and we deserve much more than being put in a box.

Comment on Things not to say to LD people (or their parents) by usethebrainsgodgiveyou

usethebrainsgodgiveyou — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:10:32 +0000

_You wouldn’t tell a blind person to try harder to see, would you?_

Perfect. I make this comparison a lot, for my son who is dysgraphic and dyscalculaic. He’s had lots of labels, but THIS is where studying of labeled kids should begin. In order to help, “accommodate”. He got poked in the eye enough, told everything he wasn’t, but not how to get to where he wanted to go. Somehow, he survived with a bit of self esteem.

I love my son: to me, he is the “most interesting person in the world”. And the funniest. He makes my gut hurt once a day, but he is so shy and so aware of his “differences” that few people get to see that side of him.

Comment on Autism – It’s not a spectrum, it’s a ballpark by Admin

Admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:56:44 +0000

Hi Chris

I like ballpark just because this way each person can be at one point in the ballpark. Although a hand of cards is interesting too.

Peter

Comment on Autism – It’s not a spectrum, it’s a ballpark by Chris Brown

Chris Brown — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:28:29 +0000

“Spectrum” is fine given, I suggest, the right understanding.
It’s not so much that each individual is “somewhere” on the autistic spectrum (though that has advantages over thinking of there being two or three step “types” of autism). Rather, it’s much more that each individual is on many different places on the spectrum at the same time for each different personal trait, strength, skill ability or difficulty.
This is where the very spiky ability profile in autism that so surprises people can be found, and why it’s very rare for any of us to fit into tidy pigeon-holes. My language skills happen to be excellent. My major blind-spots (and they are) lie elsewhere.

If a different analogy is desired, an autistic profile as a hand of cards might serve. Each card “dealt” may be of almost any value, independent of those adjacent.