From: rich@tosh.wcc.govt.nz (Richard Naylor )
Newsgroups: nz.general
Subject: From the Kids mailing list
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 92 21:17:59 GMT
Organization: City Net -  Wellington City Council's Community Computer Network

21:16:32
15-Aug-1992

From: Wai-Kin Chiu <waikin@u.washington.edu>

HELLO, MY NAME IS WAI KIN CHIU.  AS YOU CAN SEE, I'M A DISABLED PERSON
AND I'M A FUN PERSON TALKING TO, IF YOU HAVE TIME WITH ME.  IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TIME, OH WELL.  (GRIN!)  I HAVE CP.  THAT CAUSTS THE BRIN
MOVEMENTS.
DON'T WORRY, YOU WON'T GET IT FROM ME OR OTHER CP PERSONS.
I HAVE SINCE I WAS BORN.  I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAUST IT.
I THINK MY MOM BEFORE SHE HAD ME AND SHE WAS SICK.  THAT
MIGHT COUST IT.  I HAVE TROBLE TO CONTROL SOME MY BODY PARTS.
I CAN TALK WITH MY MOUTH BUT NOT REAL
CLEARLY, BUT NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS TROBLE SPEAKING WITH CP.
ALTHOUGH, I HAVE MY TALKER TO HELP ME TALK MORE CLEARLY
TO YOU ALL.  I KNOOW ALL OF YOU HAVE BEEN WONDERING WHY I AM HERE
FOR TODAY RIGHT?
I'M HERE FOR TWO REASONS.  "BY TALKING TO ALL OF YOU ABOUT CP AND MIGHT
HELP YOU TO UNDEERSTAND CP BETTER AND
HOW TO MAKE SOME FRIENDS WITH THE DISABLED PERSONS."  I GET STARTLE SO
EASILY.  IT'S CALLED THE STARTLE REFLX.  I'M SURE EVERYONE WITH CP HAS IT
AND EVERYONE HATED IT.  DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?  WELL, I HATED IT
WHEN IT HAPPENED BECCAUSE I MIGHT HIT SOMEONE WITH MY ARMS BY ASSIDENTLY.
IT HAPPENED WHEN SOMEONE WALKED IN FRONT OF ME FROM BEHIND OR
WALKED AROUND ME OR WHEN SOMETIME MY MUSCLES POPED OR WHEN I HEARD
A LOUD NOICE.  I CAN'T CONTROL MY ARMS, MY HEAD, MY RIGHT LEG.
I CAN CONTROL MY LEFT LEG, A LITTLE BIT OF MY MOUTH, MY LEFT FOOT.  I CAN
WRITE WITH MY LEFT KNEE.  OF CORSE I HAVE SOME ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT TO
HELP ME.  SUCH AS MY COMPUTER WITH AN ADAPTIVE INTERFACE, AND MY
SWITCHES AND OTHERS.
I CAN'T WRITE AND TALK AND GO FOR A WALK WITHOUT MY
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT.  I WROTE MY SPEECH ON A COMPUTER NOT ON MY
LIGHT TALKER.  MY SPEECH THERAPIST PUT MY SPEECH FOR ME
IN THE LIGHT TALKER.  I CAN WRITE IT ON MY LIGHT TALKER
BUT I CAN'T EDIT MY SPEECH ON MY LIGHT TALKER.

DO YOU KNOW HOW NANY PEOPLE WHO ARE DISABLED IN THE WORLD NOW?
IN THE WORLD NOW I WOULD SAY THERE ARE 5,000,000,025 DISABLED PEOPLE.
I THINK BY THE YEAR 2000 THE DISABLED WILL INCREAST BY 40%..  I ONLY
HOPE FOR PEOPLE WOULD MAKE MORE JOBS FOR THE DISABLED TO DO BY THE
YEAR 2000 IN THE WORLD.  THE PROBLEM IS TWE WORLD WOULDN'T CARE FOR
THE DISABLED BECAUSE THE WORLD WOULDN'T HAVE SOME MONEY FOR THE
DISABLED EQUIPMENT FOR THEIR NEEDED FOR THE JOB I DON'T THINK.
LET'S HOPE THAT I'M WRONG ABOUT THAT.  THE ADAPTIVE EQUIIPMENT COST
TOO MUCH OF MONEY BECAUSE THEY ARE RARE.

HOW MANY PEOPLE NOW HAVE SOME DISABLED FRIENDS?  AND HOW MANY OF
YOU WOULD WANT SOME DISABLED FRIENDS NOW?  ANY BODY?  I WOULD SAY
THAT 10% OF YOU WOULD WANT SONE DISABLED FUIENDS.  I WANT TO KNOW
HOW MANY OF YOU ARE SCARED OF ME NOW?  I MIGHT LOOKED LIKE SCARRY TO
ALL OF YOU OUTSIDE OF ME BUT I AM STILL A KID.  YOU MIGHT LIKE ME IF YOU
GET TO KNOWING ME BETTER.  I HAVE SO MANY FRIENDS AREN'T DISABLED IN
THE GLOBE.  I MET THEM IN THE MODEM AND AT CAMP.  MOSTLY THEY ARE
OLDER THAN ME.  I ALWAYS WANTED TO MAKE FRIENDS IN MY AGE
AT SCHOOL, BUT I WERE SHY AND NOBODY WOULD TALK INSIDE OF THE
CLASS AND OUTSIDE.  THE STUDENTS WERE SCARE OF ME.  I DIDN'T KNOW WHY.
I WERE
SO MAD AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO UNTIL THIS SBMMER.  SO, I DECIDED
TO WRITE A SPEECH ABOUT CP AND HOPEFULLY THIS MIGHT HELP YOU OR
OTHER DIISBLED PERSONS ABLE TO MAVE SOME FRIENDS WITH ANYBODY.
I'M NOT SHY AND MAD ANYMORE
BECCAUSE I KNOW WHAT TO DO NOW AND I'M 20TH.  I'LL BE 21ST ON
NEXT VALENTINES' DAY.  ANYWAY, PLEASE TRY TO MAKE SOOE DISABLED
FRIENDS NOW.  THEY NEED SOME FRIENDS LIKE YOU.  YOU NEVER KNOW, YOU MIGHT
LEARN SOMETHING FROM THEM.
THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY.

ANY QUESTONS??

I WANT TO THANK YOU HAVING ME HERE TODAY AND THANKS TO MY
SPEECH THERAPIST FOR HELPING TO PUT MY SPEEECH IN MY LIGHT TALER FOR ME
AND TAKING ME HERE TODAY.


--
rich@tosh.wcc.govt.nz (Richard Naylor )