C.E. Jottings

Pessimist-Optimist

"The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees opportunity in every difficulty." Winston Churchill. Having completed, at a particularly difficult time for Paces, my monthly report to Trustees, the then Chair of Trustees asked me for my general view. "OK", I replied. "OK?", he responded (jokingly, I should add): "When things were dire, desperate and bloody suicidal, you said they were 'good'. What sort of state are we in if you say things are only OK?" I'm happy... Read more →

An unexpectedly challenging visit

From the outset, as I reported here, conversations with many people met during this Fellowship, I should have made repeatedly clear that thoughts and opinions expressed are my recollections only of our conversations, for which those who gave so kindly of their time are in no way responsible. This blog entry, and those that precede it, are not 'minutes' of meetings. Indeed, I deliberately took no notes of the many conversations preferring to avoid the intrusion and distraction of recorders,... Read more →

Project ACT NOW

I continue to be surprised and delighted both by the warm welcome I have received everywhere and the dedication of all the quite exceptional individuals I have had the good fortune, thanks to this Fellowship, to meet. Debbie Thorpe is the leader of a research study, Project ACT NOW, that I (and she) believe to be quite unique: to provide an understanding of the importance of fitness for maintaining life-long function and quality of life in adults with cerebral palsy,... Read more →

So no different then? Why worry?

As I was writing up visit notes and checking details online, I came across this recent research report from the University of Newcastle, reported in The Lancet, the opening of which is quoted below. I need to consider it further and, if possible, obtain the full research report. It strikes me as complacent, though I am not yet sure why. Take a look, and see what you think. "Children with Cerebral Palsy have similar quality of life to other children... Read more →

Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act

From the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act: Note especially the extract from Section 4620 in bold: "Section 4501 of the Lanterman Act states: "The State of California accepts a responsibility for persons with developmental disabilities and an obligation to them which it must discharge. Affecting hundreds of thousands of children and adults directly, and having an important impact on the lives of their families, neighbors and whole communities, developmental disabilities present social, medical, economic and legal problems of extreme importance." Section... Read more →

San Andreas Regional Center

Another powerful reminder from California that the way we do things in Sheffield and the UK is not the only possible way. This is from the homepage of San Andreas Regional Center's website. "San Andreas Regional Center is a community-based,private nonprofit corporation that is funded by the State of California to serve people with developmental disabilities as required by the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Act. The Lanterman Act is part of California law that sets out the rights and responsibilities of... Read more →

Parents Helping Parents

California is a powerful reminder that the way we do things in Sheffield and the UK is not the only possible way. The following is from the website of PHP. You should visit and see for yourself. "Parents Helping Parents, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) public benefit agency meets the needs of one of our community's most vulnerable populations-children with any special need and their families. "Parents are a child's greatest resource. The needs of the child are inseparable from that of... Read more →

San Francisco

All our pre-planning for online communication while away on the Study Tour - setting up Skype and Messenger schedules, this blog, Flickr and such - were brought to nought in San Francisco by one simple event: the failure of the hotel's wireless network for the whole time we were there. Only now, in Charlotte, can we catch up with San Francisco events. The Study Tour has been an excellent experience; I have learned much already that will inform Paces work... Read more →

Blink & Leadership

Of all the people I am expecting to meet during the Study Tour, only Scott Newlon have we met before; indeed we regard him both as a personal friend and a friend of Paces. We first made contact some years ago when he was a career-break postgrad at Evergreen State in Seattle, and helped DISC in its first attempt to put the LifeMaps project online. We talked about LifeMaps, about how Web2.0 tools might be used for social networking among... Read more →

Voice of the Cerebral Palsied of Greater Vancouver

Yoshi himself said he was "a born trouble-maker". Well, if that's all he is, then he is magnificent and we need more like him to give voice to adults with cerebral palsy. Yoshi Tanabe is founder and executive director of the Voice of the Cerebral Palsied of Greater Vancouver. If, when Dru and I yesterday met Glenda and Darrell we thought for even one moment that it was not possible we should be so fortunate another inspirational group of people... Read more →