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From: Greg.See-Kee@f631.n712.z3.fidonet.org (Greg See-Kee)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Re: independence
Message-ID: <12217@bunker.UUCP>
Date: 5 Jun 90 02:31:41 GMT
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 FW>         True, you must be very careful with finding the proper 
 FW> attendant.

As I prepared disabled people (before my own accident) for giving
orders to attendants, I suddenly became aware of the enormity of
the task.

The professional do-gooders in the agencies still seem unaware of
the difficulties.

 1) Clear communication

 2) Naming EVERYTHING in "words".   Not even ABs (able-bodieds)
    need to do this.

 3) Dealing with social taboos eg certain types of cleanliness,
    and dealing with actions that ABs associate with "adult
    love" or "intimacy".

 4) In the morning & late evening, trying to give clear &
    explicit instructions, trying to make complex plans.  For
    everyone, this is very difficult to to be a "boss".

 5) Supervising, with good and bad feedback to the attendant.
    Very difficult for everyone to do, unless they are highly
    skilled senior-managers.

 6) Maintaining "professional distance" between the atendant &
    yourself.  Usually we disabled people need such intimate &
    emotional supports for our private, inner selves.

 FW> I tried 3 men all were gay they never harmed me but for
 FW> other reasons I had to let them go.

Now I know why the other senior staff thought I was gay!  Only ny
own car accident, resulting in myself becoming disabled, stopped
me from further employment as Personal Attendant to Australia's
most high-powered quadriplegics.

 FW> I've had mixed success with
 FW> women when I didn't have good commuication. One of the gay men 
 FW> ripped me off

And the women do similar things too.  The most common is "sloppy
work", especially in not cleaning where they think you will never
find out, or in using the time that they should be with you, to
do their own personal business.

In fact, the full range of office politics is usedagainst us
disabled people who personal attendants who are working for us.

--
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