Hamas War

Friday, March 6, 2009

Truth Beats Fiction Hands Down

NCSY Alumni is on a "good deed" campaign. As an example, they've posted one of those "pass the hankies" short videos, which could be the seed of a great TV movie.

As a change from my usual politics and rants, I'm posting it. Arm yourself with tissues before clicking it on.




PS If this is the example of a good deed they're looking for, I certainly don't rate. Not that I can really think of anything very extraordinary I've ever done.

7 comments:

rickismom said...

I saw this video when it was new (it was circling the disability blogs), and there was also recently the story of a boy with Down syndrome being allowed to play a bit in a game after NINE years of "couching". Recently several disability bloggers have written about their mixed feelings regarding token "gifts" and being a "mascot". I weighed in here:

http://beneaththewings.blogspot.com/2009/02/down-syndrome-and-mascots.html

Anonymous said...

Thank you

Batya said...

So, Rickismom, if I follow, you don't like it?
I'm sure that it depends on the person concerned, like with anything else.

Josh, glad you enjoyed it.

Anonymous said...

wow, great post. thanks for showing this video. it's a hopeful note for humanity to see this.

Batya said...

Yaakov, I'm glad you find it worth seeing.

Hadassa DeYoung said...

Shalom!
I agree with rickismom - before and after I read her blog. I have a daughter with a very mild learning problem which is classified as a temporary difficulty, not a disability. She's is in a special ed class, maybe only for one year, probably not for more than two. Some of the other girls in her class have been in special ed for much longer. At the end of first semester on Parents' Day a few of the girls "played music", if you define music very loosely. This is just one example of a class event. Why couldn't the teachers find something that the girls, who do not have extreme problems, could actually do properly? Why did they give them the illusion of doing something that they couldn't? Do they think that it'll give them confidence? What happens when they face reality?
Concerning letting disabled children play on teams, why not include them more fully in informal games rather than treat them as Grade B players in the competitive leagues?
Hadassa DeYoung, K'far Darom/Elon Moreh

Batya said...

The amazing thing here is that this guy ended up scoring 3 point baskets, the hardest to do. He enjoyed the comradeship with the other guys.
I guess you wouldn't like the movie "Radio" either.
I don't think the boy was mocked. He had a real job which made him feel valuable. The team learned to treat him as a real person. It gave him confidence.
Every case is individual.
ps My sons are MLD, dyslexia, dysgraphia etc, and in some fields gifted. I used to work with, get help from and later counsel parents of MLD kids in the HILLEL Parents organization which Maggie Goodman used to run.