Really?

I have disabilities, but I am a person. I have feelings. I deserve respect.

I dropped my test off at my neuropsych yesterday. A secretary was there that I have never met before. I walked in and gave her the test. It was folded. I handed it to her and started to leave. She opened it and just kept looking at my answers. I said, “That is for the doctor.” She looked up and said, “What?”

“I guess I should have put it in an envelope,” I said.

“I’m the one scoring it, anyway,” she said back to me in a disrespectful tone.

Really?

She is the secretary for a neuropsychologists. Where is the sensitivity?

I was not told she was the one doing the scoring.

And if she is the one doing the scoring, she could have waited until I left before she opened it up and looked at it…right in front of my face.

I was shocked.

At first, I thought…oh boy, I did it again. I have a mouth. I should have kept my mouth shut.

I some friends and they said absolutely not. that was unethical. Others have told me that I need to say something to the doctor and let him know what she did.

I will. Next week when I go for an appointment about my results.

It’s interesting that my first thought was I wondered what they thought of my reaction. One friend of mine said, “They need to worry about what they did to you and how you feel. You are the client.”

True.

Just because I have disabilities does not mean they do not have to give me respect, confidentiality, inform me of what is going on, and treat me with common courtesy.

I wonder if they treat others like that.

Hmmm.

Not cool.

And to add…this is a very hard time for me. I am very sensitive about this. Everything they do and how they handle this is critical.

Really not cool.

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YES!

I know I have not written much in these last months. It’s definitely not because I don’t have anything to write about. Every day seems like a new adventure to me. Life has not been easy living with a disability, lately. There has been absolutely NO normalcy in any of my days. I am a person with routine. I dont just don’t want it. I really do need it. But it is what it is. I am one to wake up every morning and just say “I think I can. I think I can.”…lol…

To me, life really is fun. I really don’t ever know what it going to come next. I have the best job in the world. I couldnt ask for a better boss and co-workers. I work at a school with kids who have Autism. They are just like me so I can connect with them. I really do understand them. I wake up every morning thankful that I get to go to work every day to a place that feels like my second home. People who have FASD or Autism have a joy about them in their eyes and in the way they live that just is a breath of fresh air. There is always something to look forward to and always hope.

Today, I see a lot of hope…and thankfulness. Those of us on any kind of spectrum have to find ways of communicating. Mine has always been writing or photography. I have been blessed with an eye for lines. I can see the beauty in just about everything…on the side of the road, in a field…even in a swampy area. The broken down buildings, the ones that should be condemned have the most personality. I love the personalities of trees. Each one has their own story. The ones that are dying and or bare…have so much to tell. Every leaf, every branch, every line of their wrinkly bark shows their history.

I love to take my camera and capture life in nature. I call it God’s Thumbprints. I have been doing this for awhile, now. It is my way of showing what I see. My way of communicating when the mouth simply doesn’t work. I may not be able to tell you eloquently what I see, but I can sure show you in a photograph. I was given a true blessing. A gallery in a mall wants to house my work. They really want to sell it. I am so thankful!

You see, those of use who live with FASD or Autism really think sometimes…or we are given the message that there is not much out there for us. There is a lot of negative. But we are some of the hardest workers, most passionate, highly creative individuals on this planet. I have had an Etsy Gallery for awhile now. I am so thankful to have the opportunity to display my art…to talk to others and share life with them.

Someone with FASD guys!! I have a full time job at a school and I have a photography business…and I write a little…lol…

We can do it!!

We can be a part of the human race with optimism and postivity! We can make a difference! We can make a living! We can show people our talents, hopes, and dreams and that we are normal people…

I hope you enjoy my gallery...God’s Thumbprints…