All people, whatever their abilities or disabilities, deserve to be treated with dignity. The free online dictionary defines dignity thus: The quality or state of being worthy of esteem or respect. What does this mean when dealing with people who are learning disabled and, more specifically, when dealing with people who have NLD? To me, […]
“In the kingdom of the blind….” thoughts on impairment and disability
January 2, 2013 by
I have read that some people make a useful distinction between impairment and disability. Impairment is about actual neurology, biology, physiology and so on. Disability is about the effects of that impairment on life in the world. There is an old saying that “in the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king”. It […]
How to waste time and irritate people (especially NLDers)
December 13, 2012 by
Do you like wasting your time? Probably not. Do you like irritating people? I hope not! (Although, looking at how some people behave……) So, why are you reading a post called “How to waste time and irritate people?” I hope it’s in order to learn what NOT to do. And, since the post title says […]
Competence should bring confidence – how can we make it more likely to do so?
November 7, 2012 by
If the world were logical, competence would bring confidence. You ought to be more confident about things you are good at than things you are bad at. In many cases it does work that way. Sometimes, it does not. In my case, particularly in my childhood, it did not. If we are lucky, some of […]
Adventures in NLD land: Parking lots
October 18, 2012 by
Parking lots are horrible places. Not, probably, for you neurotypical people. From what I can tell, you park your cars, note where they are, and, later, find them. For me, though, and for others with NLD, it’s different. Personally, I don’t drive so I don’t park my car. But I ride in cars and sometimes […]
Thinking fast, thinking slow, thinking NLD
September 28, 2012 by
I am reading the wonderful book Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow by Daniel Kahnemann. I can’t summarize the whole book here (it’s worth reading) but Kahnemann posits that there are two systems of thought: One system is intuitive, automatic and fast, but prone to error. The other is logical, requires effort and slow (but less prone […]
Making the bed: Every day is a new adventure (adventures in NLD land)
September 5, 2012 by
I got the idea for this post from Rick LaVoie’s book It’s so much work to be your friend. A lot of people make their bed every morning. Maybe you’re one of them. And, if you’re NT, it’s probably pretty simple. You probably do it the same way, each time. There’s some set of steps […]
What doesn’t kill us ….
August 23, 2012 by
Friedrich Nietzsche famously said What doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. What a crock! What doesn’t kill us leaves us wounded, maimed and scarred. We know, we victims. We know that abuse (whether verbal, sexual, physical or whatever; whether by parents or peers or strangers) leaves scars. Those wounds never heal completely. Some victims cope […]
Learning disabled person? Person with learning disabilities? LDer? What?
August 17, 2012 by
There are some people in the learning disability community (often the ones who insist on calling it a learning difference) who dislike the term “learning disabled person” and prefer “person with learning disability”. They often also object to describing a person as “learning disabled”. As you can tell from my site’s name, I am not […]
Diagnosis – the first thing to do is …..
August 11, 2012 by
You’ve had a baby! Congratulations! Now all the questions that were about the mom-to-be will be about the baby and you and your spouse/partner/whoever will be roundly ignored. And there he or she is: Something like 5 or 10 pounds and a size to fit on your forearm (unless, of course, the baby is NOT […]