In the Pink!

Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments, stars and favs on yesterday's blip. I am completely humbled by your heartfelt responses and once again I'm reminded of just what a wonderful community Blip is! :-))

Back to normal today but with a little glow about us after yesterday. I think the fact Alan worked out how to use the software all by himself is what tickled me the most. Since the day Alan was born we have believed in him 100% but so many professionals just can't see beyond his physical difficulties and based on that, assume he is not capable of learning.

Previously we begged the education Dept to allow him to trial a similar piece of kit. They contacted the people they deal with and he had it at home for a weekend trial and loved it. He cried when they took it away. A few weeks later at our instigation, they tried it out at school too. But they set it up in a small room so he had to come out of classes he enjoys, leave his friends behind and sit with a woman he doesn't know very well, while she tried to persuade him to use the machine on her terms. In effect, they gave him a voice but then told him what he had to say!!! He refused.

The resulting report said she had no doubt that Alan understood how to use the software for "fun", but his unwillingness to use it for formal learning purposes meant she could not recommend the authority purchase it for him. They just couldn't get the notion that having not had a voice for 15 years, when given one, the last thing he wanted to use it for was to demonstrate that he knew the difference between a bike and a book!

To say this sickened us is an understatement. So fuck stuff them we say! He will have this technology without their support and I don't care if he never uses it to formally demonstrate his knowledge. So long as it gives him the ability to say "piss off mum , I'm too old for your slobbery kisses!!!" I will be a happy woman! :D

Sorry....didn't mean to rant! (and I should point out it's not the school's fault....they are fantastic.)

Anyhoo, busy day at work today but got a few things ticked off the to-do list (sorry A, I promise the newsletter info will be with you tomorrow! ;-). Nothing much planned for this evening so hopefully will get some catch up done on here. :-))

Apologies in advance...I am in mischievious mood!......and it matches my BLIP :-))) xx