Blog [with]tv

"Breaking the Blind Barrier"

As heard today on On Point Radio with host Tom Ashbrook

"This hour, On Point:  we talk with a roundtable of blind Americans about living and working and leading blind."

Cross-posted on Planet of the Blind

"This hour, On Point:  we talk with a roundtable of blind Americans about living and working and leading blind."

Cross-posted on Planet of the Blind

Musique a la Mode

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CHAMBER MUSIC ENSEMBLE MUSIQUE A LA MODE TO PRESENT AN EVENING OF MUSIC BY WOMEN COMPOSERS, FROM THE BAROQUE THROUGH THE PRESENT

Submitted by Laurie Rubin. 

Laurie Rubin is a mezzo-soprano who has sung at The Kennedy Center, The White House, and Carnegie Hall.  Born blind, Ms. Rubin has always advocated for people with disabilities.  She serves as Director of Curriculum in PWdBC' s Summer Institute of The Performing Arts.  You can visit her personal web site at http://laurie-rubin.com/.

Inquiries: Contact Laurie Rubin at (212) 874-1516 or [email protected]

FEATURING THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “ALBEDO .12” BY MARGARET ANNE SCHEDEL

Concert to Also Feature New Music and Appearance by Renowned Composer Gabriela Lena Frank, Pieces by Rebecca Clarke, Libby Larsen, Barbara Strozzi, Shulamit Ran, and Pauline Viardot And a Performance by Baroque Ensemble Callisto Ascending

Sunday, April 13 at 7:30pm at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery NEW YORK ­March 10, 2008 Musique à la Mode, a new chamber music ensemble, today announced the third concert of its debut “Musique at the Bowery” season, a celebration of women composers from the baroque through the present featuring the world premiere of Margaret Anne Schedel’s “Albedo .12” for bass with gut strings and amplifyer.  Schedel, a prominent composer and cellist specializing in the creation and performance of interactive media, will share the stage with world-renowned composer Gabriela Lena Frank, who will perform her “Cuatro Canciones Andinas” with the ensemble, and with Baroque ensemble Callisto Ascending, who will perform "L'Astratto, Voglio sì vò cantar", cantata, Op. 8 by Barbara Strozzi with authentic instruments.  The concert, which also features the Musique a la Mode ensemble performing "Prelude, Allegro and Pastorale" for viola and clarinet by Rebecca Clarke, "Barn Dances" for piano, flute, and clarinet by Libby Larsen, "Soliloquy" for piano trio by Shulamit Ran, and three songs ("Hai Luli", "Havanaise", and "Les Filles de Cadix") by Pauline Viardot, will take place Sunday, April 13, 2008 at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery (131 East 10th Street at Second Avenue in Manhattan’s East Village.)  The concert begins at 7:30pm.

Tickets are $10.00, and $5.00 for students and seniors.  They can be purchased at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/30797 or by calling 1-800-838-3006.

Inquiries: Contact Laurie Rubin at (212) 874-1516 or [email protected]

On Today’s Op Ed Piece in the NY Times

by Stephen Kuusisto

Good morning. I am privileged to have been asked to write an Op Ed piece for the NY Times concerning the ascendancy of David A. Paterson who will be sworn in as the nation’s first blind governor on Monday. You can follow this link to read the piece.

I wish that the Times hadn’t called the editorial “The Vision Thing” since I hate to be associated with George Herbert Walker Bush or his progeny. But they didn’t ask me.

Still, the success of David Paterson is something that all people with disabilities can celebrate!

S.K.

Professor Stephen Kuusisto
Department of English
The University of Iowa
308 EPB
Iowa City, IA 52242

LINKS:

What It Means to be New York's First Legally Blind Governor
Who Is David Paterson?

Allies: the Theme of the 33rd Disability Blog Carnival

Ruth has put together the 33rd (WOW!) Disability Blog Carnival and it is now available on her blog, WHEELIE CATHOLIC.  Borrowing from Ruth:

"The theme of this carnival is "Appreciating Allies". So, what and who are allies? Wikipedia says that " those who share a common goal and whose work toward that goal is complementary may be viewed as allies for various purposes even when no explicit agreement has been worked out between them."

Ruth pointed out that there are opportunities for those of us in the disability community to act as allies. In so doing, she was kind enough to mention Anna's Pakman's survey on Media Consumption and people with disabilities on her carnival.  According to Anna:

“the Nielsen ratings track media consumption for just about every population EXCEPT our community so the only way I can get this data is through your assistance. All individual survey responses are anonymous and will be kept strictly confidential.”

This is a perfect opportunity to say "thanks" to all ALLIES who in one way or the other support our efforts. And a special thanks to Ruth.  We are fortunate to consider her an ally, as are many others.  Of that we have no doubt.

Cross-posted on Planet of the Blind and Crimes Against People with Disabilities.

This Week in Sports

Written by: Jamie Lazaroff
Edited by: Bob Lazzari

Sorry I haven't written in awhile, folks.  Last week, I was in not-so-sunny San Diego for a Special Olympics meeting.  This past week, the flu bug hit me--and hit me BIG.  But now I’m back and, hopefully, better than ever.

*Saturday, February 16, 2008 was the re-airing of the 2007 Ironman Triathlon World Championship from Kailua-Kona, Hawaii.  For those of you who are unaware, the Ironman consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride, and  finishes off with a full 26.2-mile marathon run.  The Ironman is the greatest test for any athlete, but the real stories involve the "average Joes" that come from all walks of life to cross the finish line.  You see, you have to get to the finish line before the course is closed at midnight to be considered an "Ironman."  This year, the show focused on four remarkable stories:  a person with Cystic fibrosis, another who is blind, and also a person who was born with no feet.  The last person was a young man who was in a car accident and was on the brink of death--but came back to become an Ironman.  The Ironman is the best-written event all year and has won 14 sports Emmy awards over the years.  As I've said in this column beofre, I cry each year I see it and it gives me more motivation than any other event  I watch on a yearly basis.

*The NBA slam-dunk contest is back!  Dwight Howard and Gerald Green truly put on a show.  Green’s 'birthday dunk' featured him placing a cupcake (with a lit candle) on the back on the rim and then blowing the candle out before doing a dunk--which was so creative.  I thought it was a 10!  Howard is a man beast; the 'superman dunk' was just so awesome.  He didn't even dunk the ball; he threw it in and jumped SO high.  This was the best dunk contest in many years.  You'd have to go back to the late ‘80’s with Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb to see any slam dunk contest quite like the most recent one during the NBA's All-Star weekend.  I hope these kids come back next year to put on an even better show.

*Breaking News:  Brett Favre of the Green Bay Packers is retiring after 13 seasons and 3 MVP awards.  Brett Favre is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history.  I'll have more on this in a later column.

*The question on ESPN last week was this:  If you were an NFL GM, would you build your team through the draft or free agency?  I would build through free agency because the draft is such a crapshoot these days.  In fact, the NFL draft is the biggest unknown in sports.  You can evaluate players all you want but no one ever quite knows how good a player will be as a pro.  There are so many stories of first-round draft busts that I would trade all my first day picks to get more on the second day.  Remember, Tom Brady was a fifth-round pick.  On a side note, it was good to see Randy Moss re-sign with the Pats.  He and Brady have unfinished business--like winning a championship. 

*This week’s spotlight comes from Dave Reynolds of the Inclusion Daily Express:

CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY--His teammates call him "B-Rad." Nineteen-year-old Brad Hennefer is a celebrity at Cherry Hill East High School. He's one of a growing number of examples of what can happen when students with disabilities are included in their schools and school athletics. Hennefer is also believed to be the only student-athlete with Down syndrome in the country to earn letters in two varsity sports --basketball and golf.  "I'm a very good shooter, good behind the black lines," he told WPVI-TV recently. He's not joking, either.  This week, ABC News ran video from a recent game, showing the 5-foot 10-inch, 155-pound Hennefer making a clean three-pointer at the closing buzzer. "All the kids in basketball, they look at me and are proud of me," he said. In golf, Hennefer has a mean 280-yard tee shot that his teammates envy. Hennefer said that after high school, he plans to go on to college to work in business or on computers. "Nothing Brad does surprises us," said his dad, Bob. "Being a part of a team is always a kid's dream. And it's been great for him."

That’s my take, I like to hear yours.

Jamie Lazaroff

Danny Murphy Stars in "The History of Bowling"

From Dan Murphy:

Friends:

Please come and see me in a great co starring role in this quirky romantic comedy that turns disability stereotypes upside down. This unique theatre piece is getting a lot of attention and will change the way you see disability for sure. Place your order now at 818.508.7101 ext 211. For more info go to www.performerswithdisabilities.com. And please...help spread the word!

March 21 - April 27
Fridays and Saturdays 8:00 pm
Sundays at 3:00 pm (no performance on March 23)

Tickets: $20

Produced by Danny Murphy and Teal Sherer
Directed by Sara Botsford
Written by: Michael Ervin
Starring: Danny Murphy, Tara Samuels, Lynn Manning, Chris Scoles, and Anya Profumo

The History of Bowling is the inaugural play for Blue Zone Productions, a theatre company dedicated to producing professional, quality theatre that nurtures and promotes artists with disabilities. Set on a college campus on the East Coast, The History of Bowling is a hilarious romantic comedy between a quadriplegic and epileptic student who are forced to write a PE term paper together because they can't physically participate in the class.

"The play is irreverent and fun, and doesn't take itself too seriously. But the play also examines the more complex issues of accepting who you are as a person and facing the world boldly and without shame." – Sara Botsford – Director

Call Now for Tickets!  818-508-7101  (x211)

SEE YOU AT THE THEATRE!

Danny Murphy
818.762.8969
www.dannymurphy.com

Get Involved: Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities "Blog Swarm"

RatifyNow.org is "a website to support the global grassroots efforts to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities."  There you will find this announcement:

Blog Swarm!

Calling all bloggers and writers! On March 30, 2008, the RatifyNow.org site will be host to the RatifyNow CRPD Blog Swarm 2008! If you’re reading this page, chances are, you care passionately about disability rights. This is your chance to get on a soap box and tell the world what the international disability rights treaty (CRPD) means to you! Learn how to get involved.

If you are not a blogger, you too can be involved.  Simply forward your essay/comments to a blogger, here for instance, to have your thoughts be heard.

Cross-posted on Planet of the Blind and Crimes Against People with Disabilities

Last Call: Apply for the ADAPT Youth Summit!

Subject: [LGT-National] MARCH 16 DEADLINE---Apply for the ADAPT Youth Summit!

LAST CALL

Please feel free to share with any youth you know.

Subject: MARCH 16 DEADLINE---Apply for the ADAPT Youth Summit!

Good morning folks,

We have ONE WEEK left for young people with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 30 to apply for the National ADAPT Youth Summit.  Ever wish you or the young people you know could learn more about direct action or start an ADAPT chapter?  Here's your chance!  As a trainer for this workshop, I can say that our last group of young people did a TERRIFIC job and we are definitely looking forward to meeting the youth who are selected for this round.  Please make every effort to have motivated, risk-taking young adults with disabilities apply for this opportunity.

Please read below for more information and a link for the application.  If you have trouble with the application, just give Rahnee a call.

Pass the word...
Amber Smock
Chicago ADAPT/Youth Leadership Coordinator, Access Living

The National Association of Independent Medical Equipment Suppliers

PRESS RELEASE: NAIMES Launches On-Line Petition To Suspend and Repeal Competitive Bidding.

NAIMES has launched a new tool to help us fight for suspension and repeal of National Competitive Bidding.

Click on this link to visit, view and sign this petition.

Then, pass it on to your employees, and their families. Then, to your referral sources, friends and neighbors. Share it with your patients and their caregivers.YOU and your email address book can make a difference.

Support NAIMES, VGM, Invacare, The MED Group, AAHomecare, and your state association by building signatures to a petition that we will deliver to each member of Congress. Our goal is 30,000 signatures. Add yours to the growing list.

The very existence of the DME industry may depend on our grassroots efforts.

Sieze the day!!

H. Wayne Sale, Chairman
Wayne E. Stanfield, President & CEO
NAIMES - 5037 Halifax Road, Suite L7,
P. O. Box 669
Halifax, Virginia 24558

434-572-9457 - FAX 434-572-6889 - 877-4DMEHELP

www.dmehelp.org - [email protected]

"Normal" Need Not Apply

Kay Olson over at The Gimp Parade has a post about two Hollywood casting calls that are looking for physically deformed or oddly shaped people for two upcoming movies: one about "the hollers" of West Virginia; the other having to do with Cormac McCarthy’s novel "The Road" which is a post-apocalyptic vision that features ghastly survivors.

Kay’s post is "spot on" about the dilemmas of using real disabled people in exploited roles. Just so, she wants to see people with disabilities get the chance to play themselves. The problem is in the scripting of course. Nowadays Hollywood is a cartoon industry rather than a cinematic one. Film after film presents real life actors playing two-dimensional cartoon characters. Disney did this a few years ago with a version of "Mr. McGoo" starring Leslie Nielson. But you can find thousands of examples from "Pretty Woman" to "Edward Scissorhands" and beyond. The days when Hollywood jumped at the chance to film a complex novel featuring three dimensional characters are largely over. I saw only one such film making the rounds this past year. ("Atonement").

Physically challenged people are perfect for 2D roles because in the second dimension they are of course merely symbols for atavistic impulses like the belief that if you see a blind person first thing in the morning you will also go blind; or if you meet a little person you will be crushed by a falling tree. Or worse: physical difference means that you’ve been punished or rewarded by supernatural forces or the gods. This is the kind of stuff that continues to set back the public’s understanding of disabilities and I know whereof I speak for far more often than you might suppose I am accosted by people who want to pray for my recovery.

Cross-posted on Planet of the Blind