Being a charter member of the group delicately referred to as Persons with Disabilities, I have a particular interest in the lame, halt, blind, deaf and otherwise "afflicted," as our grandparents used to categorize us.
For me two of the high points of the recent Labor Day parades in Ontonagon, Michigan -- a city on the shore of Lake Superior with more than its share of indomitable folks, disabled or not -- were a little girl named Anna and a grown man named Dean.
She lives with brittle bone disease, he the consequences of an accident. Neither hides their considerable light under a bushel.
Dean in particular is everywhere. He competes in wheelchair races and serves in a hundred civic capacities, including the presidency of the school board.
They and others like them are one important reason why my mystery novels are set in a county based on theirs.
You probably know that about a month ago was the 20th anniversary of the passing of the ADA. I'm glad you posted those! Some people don't think I am legally blind because I have a good bit of usable sight (straight ahead only) in one eye. Here in Birmingham, Alabama is the ONLY paralympic training facility in the world. You can look it up at www.lakeshore.org A lot of veterans also come here for rehab. And speaking of wheelchairs, be sure to look up the documentary "Murderball" on the www.imdb.com site. I have seen these guys in action, and they are WILD! Being confined to wheelchairs does not stop them from playing a real "crash & burn", rough sport while seated in their expensive, specially built steel wheelchairs. Used to, I thought the term "differently abled" was stupid, until I became one who still does most things, though "differently". Thanks again for the pictures.
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