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Bill Heitman wrote: >the young people I have seen it take out are almost all great >people. Many of us have the potential for doing so much >more in the community. and later >Nobody wants us on his or her team. There was a time in >grade school when that happened to me so I took steps to >make certain it didn't happen again. Now here I am again. Surely there are better ways to do things. Bill - what can I say, you are right on both counts (though in my own case I doubt that the community is greatly shaken by the early retirement of one more middle manager.) To give society its due, I can't blame it for not picking me for the football team when I can no longer kick the ball, nor can I expect that football be changed to accommodate my needs. But I do want to stay an active member of society. Which puts the onus on me to find a game I can play before demanding I be considered for selection. Whilst there is no doubt that society needs to change as regards its attitudes to people with disabilities, it is equally true that we as individuals need to make changes to our expectations of society and of ourselves. Which is not to say that we must accept the status quo. Things are better than they were and they will be better yet, but this will only happen if those of us with a vested interest make it happen. So what if changing society is going to take time? So what if the cure (even if years away) arrives before we achieve being treated fairly? We are not just PWP, we are also part of the wider community of PWD (people with disabilities) and of the general community, and every gain we make we make for ourselves, our PWP community, our PWD community and our society as a whole. This may not be the contribution we envisaged making to society, but there can be few more important. Dennis. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Dennis Greene 48/11 "It is better to be a crystal and be broken, Than to remain perfect like a tile upon the housetop." [log in to unmask] http://members.networx.net.au/~dennisg/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++