In my literary life, there are four stages:
1 When I did not know how to read (from birth to 3 or so)
2 When I loved to read! (3 to, say, 13)
3 How I hated to read and only took a book when it was assigned (13-17)
4 When I learned some new passion for the written word so much and so I started creating my own (17 today)
In the last four or five years of Phase 2, I would often times books from the public library in Montgomery City (just a stone's throw away,jump and a jump from my hometown). Saturday morning, you might find me sitting on the floor in the back of the library, flipping through picture books huge war, all the spears for the M-16 in the Vietnam conflict. On the shelf is where I value, as there are a lot of knowledge in the scientific world and that's probably why I now want to know everything! The rebellious, lazy teenage years are not thrown into full gear, I was still able, books, digging just because,well, I dig books. It was not cold, do not read (I hope not to emulate today's teenagers.)
However, there at the Montgomery County Public Library was a senior librarian named Laura. The things I remember Laura had been a heavy smoker (yes, that was in the days when no one seemed to be a problem with smoke in the library) and 2 seemed to know everything about books! It was Laura, my first time in JRR Tolkien's Lord of the RingsPart 15 years before the movie trilogy "Hobbitt", a term used!
During his time last week my parents, my mother was the local newspaper mirrors, as did Laura obituary. Laura had not really occurred to me over the years, but the news of his death, I thought of this Saturday morning. I also started something Laura has taught me, not knowing what had remembered to send along a lesson ...
Another employee of the library, who has worked with Laura, was deeplydisabled. I do not think I've ever heard the name of this woman, and my best guess is that she has had a severe case of cerebral palsey. This woman is Laura sat behind the desk in his electric wheelchair, his body twisted corner of what seemed painful, jerky, robotic movements to order books in large metal bins.
What I assume was the CP, this woman was almost stripped of most of sparc in motor function. He could manage a book, but could not sit down gently. Go through the large metal box, the books wouldalmost shaking the rattle windows with a "BANG!" In the years that I went to the library, this woman has never spoken. Guessing here, but it seemed to her disability would not allow verbal communication, either.
Sitting a few meters from Laura, who would have to organize their tasks book, hitting the books all the time. Laura now controls the cards in each of my loans, spoke with me about the contents of each, I asked last books I read, not even the emphasis onRuckus raised by one step removed.
He was oblivious to the noise? Unlikely. It was convenient to work with this woman and her boundaries. At the first loud bang, it would be, what he was doing seemed to fall, run to get the help of the woman on her back, check to see if all is well. But they have not. Why? Probably because they knew nothing was wrong, only the adoption of these women and the disabled minor glitches that went with it. She did not offer help,does not float, we meet the woman her job.
Laura certainly never acted like their colleagues had any type of cognitive disability. I still do not know if I am or not. My guess is no. He lived alone in a body that is more limited than almost any other I have ever met. But Laura did not treat it as if it were profoundly disabled, she could only do their job.
Honestly, it was the comfort of Laura with a person of limited possibilities, my pre-teen, even disturbing. TheHowever, it was exactly like a person with disabilities should be treated: with respect, honor and without disabilities and their unique identity. Some of the best lessons are taught through inaction, a crash would have happened if Laura had not even needed. I wanted to shout, "What has happened? Is he well?" All the time refers to the shape of the electric wheelchair. But I did not. Because Laura did not act like anything was wrong. This made me also think that everything is in order. Laura would finishtheir characterization of my book, I wish you good luck and would turn again to their novel and overflowing ashtrays.
You know, I'm not sure I ever thought, until I heard of the death of Laura, but I think that their actions (or more precisely, lack thereof) have helped to shape my opinion of people with disabilities. Never assume that when the body does not function well, not that their opinions, too. They do not move, do not pamper, protect not only allow that to be human / live their lives and to dotheir work.
When I was a person with a disability, I knew that I wanted in a different way of Laura showed her the respect of colleagues are treated. I hope that this space may recall, faithful reader, how to respect and honor the lives of all people, people with disabilities and those without. If there is no access to the network in the afterlife, I hope Laura can read and rest assured, has helped shape the life of a young bookworm, many years ago.
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