This Blog

Reading and writing have been important parts of my life all my life.  I grew up in a home with two teachers (an English prof father and a preschool teacher mom) in a family full of teachers (my sister teaches music, my brother-in-law is a sociology prof, one cousin directs preschool education for a major bank, another is a political science prof, my brother taught theater for a few years, and I’m sure I’ve forgotten someone) in a home full of books.

Disability expressed itself as difference in my youth, and seems most relevant in that context in the work that I do today.  My cousin, Darrell, was a fellow with intellectual disabilities who was able to live fairly independently and hold down a series of jobs.  Darrell drooled if he didn’t concentrate, and my grandmother explained it matter-of-factly.  Charlie, a fellow with cerebral palsy, was a regular summer visitor as a Fuller Brush salesman in our neighborhood.  Charlie walked with a limp and was difficult to understand, but it didn’t seem to bother my mother, so it didn’t matter to me.  Dick, an older teen with intellectual disabilities, was one of my two best friends in third grade.  Dick was a teenager, and very tall, so his height was a great advantage in neighborhood basketball and football games.

Technology has always been a set of tools that enable me to do things I couldn’t without them.  My first computer, a Kay-Pro, came with all the software and a letter-quality printer that enabled me to thrive in grad school.  My car takes me over great distances quickly.  My telephone helps me communicate with friends and family (and, unfortunately, telemarketers and political pollsters).  The toaster oven, microwave, video iPod, flash drive, Palm Pilot, answering machine, internet…they all change the quality of my life, mostly for the better.

Literacy, disability, and technology are the topics I will reflect on in this blog.