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From: era@ncar.ucar.edu (Ed Arnold)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: You
Message-ID: <10711@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 19 Mar 90 03:36:57 GMT
References: <10617@bunker.UUCP> <10703@bunker.UUCP>
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Reply-To: era@ncar.ucar.edu (Ed Arnold)
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Index Number: 7213

In article <10703@bunker.UUCP> ncas@cbnewsj.ATT.COM (Clifford A. Stevens, Jr) writes:
|Index Number: 7205
|
|I missed the parent article, where evidently a man complained about
|the cognitive effects of his injury, but I caught the followup where
|it was said that the man should appreciate what he still does have, 
|stop complaining, and straighten-up and fly right!  

There were two responses complaining about Greg See-Kee's original posting,
in which he discussed the cognitive/emotional effects of his brain injury.
One said he needed to straighten up and take it like a man; the other told
him he was too emotional.

|It's kinda like saying, "So what if he's in a chair, he can still think and
|plan!  He should stop b*tchin', it could be worse! And maybe that's why 
|noone likes him!".  Now we wouldn't let anyone say that for physical
|problems, but it's OK, to say it for cognitive problems!  And haven't you
|ever heard of people being uncomortable around handicapped survivors?

Thanks for writing this, Cliff.  The responses bothered me, too.  I'm not
brain-damaged myself, but being around brain-damaged kids is enough to
make it clear to me that the damage can have far-reaching cognitive and
emotional effects which won't be helped by responses like the two I saw.

|there's no way someone could hear me speak and not
|know I've been cognitively affected (I sound like I'm retarded.).
                                                       ^^^^^^^^

Uh-oh.  The "R-word".  I'll let it pass this time.	:-) :-) :-)
--
Ed Arnold * NCAR * POB 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000 * 303-497-1253(w)
era@ncar.ucar.edu [128.117.64.4] * era@ncario.bitnet * era@ncar.uucp
"See, the human mind is kind of like ... a pinata.  When it breaks open,
there's a lot of surprises inside."	--Jane Wagner/Lily Tomlin