FRI, 10/15: At 7am, I was back at the Balcarel home. By 8am, I was in the truck of Mr. Gilberto Calderon, a family friend. He planned to show me the "real Guatemala". First, we went to the ancient city of ANTIGUA. A very special place! Tourists from all over the world come here to shop, study Spanish, learn Guatemalan history. The weather is always sunny and pleasant. I visited the old church of St. Francis (almost 500 years old) and then the Convent of the Capuchin Sisters, now empty, that is a place of great history and research. From there, we drove over highways blocked and partially destroyed by terrible mud slides from the hurricanes and rain of the last three months. Most of the people in Guatemala travel by the busses that go all over the country. The busses are always filled with young men hanging out the doors. On the roof of the busses, people put their bags, food, etc. The busses have no pollution protections and the drivers drive like their are race cars! Walking along the side of the roads, you often see women carrying laundry, pots, food, perfectly balanced on their heads.
In about two hours, we were driving through very deep valleys and into high mountains. This is the area called Quiche (Kee-chay). The people here are all indians. (There are 22-25 different indian tribes in Guatemala. The most famous are the Mayans. Each has their own language.) Depending what tribe you belong to, the color of your clothes and the patterns on them are different. We visited several towns where I certainly was the tallest person in the town. The Church and the indian religions here seem to be all mixed together and some of the churches I visited were, well, very strange to my American eyes.
As it grew darker, we drove back to Quetaltzinango, th 2nd largest city in Guatemala. There we visited the magnificent church dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. It was getting dark, so Gilberto drove me to his home town Salajca. I visited his family members; we had a great meal (meat, black beans - of course; breakfast, lunch and dinner in Guatemala - tamals, fresh vegetables). By the time we got to his farm, I was exhausted and was in bed by 8:30am.
Part 3 tomorrow.

The Church does not tell people to vote for one candidate over another. The law of the United States is very clear about the separation of "Church & State." This law makes sense and I certainly do NOT want to tell anyone who to vote for in the coming election.
I do suggest that it is fair to ask candidates what ideas they support or do not support. So, I do have some suggestions about important questions to ask candidates running for public office.
For those running for U.S. SENATE & U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: 1 Do you fully support the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)? Do you promise NOT to vote to weaken the ADA?
2 Do you fully support IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)? Do you promise NOT to vote to weaken the IDEA?
3 Do you support ending the war in Afghanistan as quickly as possible to bring all our troops back home to their families?
For those running for GOVERNOR, STATE SENATOR, STATE REPRESENTATIVE:
1 Do you promise NOT to cut funding for SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS in our state?
2 Do you promise NOT to cut funding for MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS & SUBSTANCE ABUSE PROGRAMS in our state?
3 Do you promise to fully support programs to feed hungry people in our state, especially our children?
These are fair questions to ask anyone running for public office. We have a right to get honest and clear answers to these questions.

On Thursday, 10/14, I flew to GUATEMALA. An amazing trip! I traveled to that country to celebrate a wedding for a deaf couple from Chicago. The groom, ERIC BALCAREL, was born in Guatemala.
Flying into Guatemala, I was amazed at the scenery. The country is very mountainous. Even in Guatemala City itself, there are deep ravines, and high mountains, and several volcanos!(GUATEMALA has 22 "Departments" - similar to our "States"; and Guatemala City has 27 "zones" - similar to wards or neighborhoods.) Eric's father met me at the airport(Guatenmala City) and drove me to the family home. The traffic was crazy, worse than Mexico! That afternoon, we had a big reunion at the house: Eric's family; his brother and wife, JUAN & JOANNE BALCAREL and daughter KAROLINA; JULIAN, a deaf friend who now lives in Canada. The home is very small by American standards, but the food and hospitality were wonderful.
Even the smallest Guatemalan homes have a roof or small porch. Every roof has a big barrel (or several barrels) to collect rain. Water is a real problem in Guatemala (it does not rain from October till June!). The plumbing is very old, and often does not work in the entire country.
That evening,we had the wedding rehearsal at the small neighborhood church. The church is located in an area that must have guards with guns to protect the homes. Afterwards, we went back to the home. More deaf joined us, including BRENDA FAJARDO, a deaf young woman I met in Miami eight years ago, and her husband SERGIO. BRENDA teaches at the School for the Deaf in Guatemala City. Guatemalan sign-language is very different, but we were able to communicate. I had a long discussion with Brenda re: education for deaf students in Guatemala. The Guatemalan government does nothing for the deaf! The school for the deaf is funded by money from SPAIN! In general, education for deaf students and opportunities are improving, but still very limited.Brenda explained that what complicates deaf education is the situation of the deaf who come from native tribes. In Guatemala(more in part 2), there are about twenty different tribes. (The strongest is the Mayans). Each tribe has their own dialect (language). So, deaf chidlren growing up in the tribal areas, learn a sign-language that is more gesture than sign. So, education and communication for them is a problem. Even though we were all crowded into a tiny kitchen, the home-cooked food was excellent: meat (Guatemalas eat a lot of meat!), black beans, delicious breads and tortillas, fresh vegetables and potatoes. I finally got to bed at the home of one of the priests. He was very welcoming and hospitable.I fell asleep immediately.. More in Part 2.

I certainly do not want to sell items in this space. However, once in a while a product comes along that is truly needed. Recent studies have shown that millions of young teens (and those 10-12) often experiment with drugs to get "high". Where do they get these drugs? In the medicine cabinets of their own homes or those of their grandparents and relatives. In addition, every year, many senior citizens become ill or die because they overdosed (accidently) on medications left in their own medicine cabinets. Drug companies have warned people NOT to throw drugs into their toilets because of contaminating the water supply. What to do with old, out of date medications?
WALGREEN DRUG STORES are now selling a product called "TAKEAWAY". For $2..99 you can buy a special envelope with the postage already paid. There is an easy to understand (English and Spanish) instruction sheet inside. You can put your old, out of date, no longer in use medications into this envelope, easily seal it, and drop it in the mailbox. The drugs will be safely destroyed. Protect your families, young and old. This is a product worth buying and using. (By the way, I have no stake in this. I bought my own envelope for $2.99!)
A friend of mine told me about this product. She bought four envelopes and filled them all with what she found in her mother's drug cabinet, including blood pressure medicine from 1997!

Everyone knows that the Catholic Church has made serious, tragic mistakes re: the sexual abuse of children. Thousands of children and their families have suffered terribly because priests sexually attacked children, and bishops and archbishops covered up these crimes. They were crimes. The Church failed in its responsibility to protect these children.
In the last few years, the Catholic Church has changed its policies and practices. Now, if a person makes an allegation against a Catholic priest and if even one allegation APPEARS to be true, the Church removes that priest from Church work TILL HE DIES. The Catholic Church, at least in the United States, has a very strict program for dealing with priests who may or may not have committed a crime. Still, as we saw on the Pope's recent trip to England, many people continue to criticize the Church re: sexual abuse of children.
Yet, apparently, the same "concern" and response to other people who sexually abuse children is NOT the same. An article on the "Chicago Tribune" 10/7/10, pointed out that DOCTORS/MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS who may have sexually abused children are treated very differently than Catholic priests. If someone alleges sexual abuse by the doctor, the State of Illinois allows these people to continue to "treat" people, including children. Where are the protesters? Where are all the law enforcement people who are so upset about sexual abuse when it happens in a church hall, but not so worried when it happens in a doctor's office?
Seventy-five per cent (75%) of all sexual abuse happens in families. This is true in Chicago, and throughout the United States. Yet, very few families ever report the actions of their relatives when it is clear that these relatives are harming children.(Ask anyone who works at a children's advocacy center.) It is easy to blame "the Church". It is much harder to accept responsibility for what happens in ones own family.
This all leaves me wondering. Are all the people who become so upset when they learn a priest has abused a child, just as upset and angry when it is the family doctor/dentist, older brother/uncle or aunt who is the perpetrator? Why are authorities in the State of Illinois so concerned about arresting any priest who hurts a child (they should arrest him!), not as concerned when it is someone with M.D. after his/her name?

In November, 2009, MS. CHELO MANERO (hearing psychologist; Mexico City) and MS MARY ANN BARTH, deaf psychologist; Kentucky) gave a presentation on the "Psychological World of Deaf Persons" at the Vatican Conference on Deaf People, Vatican City, Italy. All those in attendance (over 400; hearing and deaf) were very impressed by this talk.
This November 20, 2010, CHELO & MARY ANN will join DR. JIM VAN DER BOSCH & MS. KAREN GRAHAM(both with long time experience in mental health and deafness in Illinois) at our November 20th workshop. These four have been working together the last few months to offer a tremendous workshop on"The Psychological World of Deaf Youth (morning presentation)" and "The Psychological World of Deaf Adults (afternoon)."
This workshop will be particularly helpful to: counselors, mental health professionals,educators, interpreters, and parents of deaf children. The entire workshop will be in voice and sign. The registration sheet is available on line on this web page.

In the USA, the world of deaf and disabled persons before 1960 was difficult. Deaf and disabled persons routinely suffered discrimination in education, employment, and society. Deaf people were dumped into mental institutions simply because they were deaf. Often, they were kept there till they died. State governments would sterilize people because they had mental or emotional disabilities. Then, starting in the 1960's, the laws of this country began to change. First, Public Law 94-142 that said children with disabilities had an equal right to the same education as non-disabled children.(That law is now known as IDEA, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.) Then, the Rehabilitation Act of 1974 (Law 504) banned discrimination in government against people with disabilities. Finally, in 1990, the Congress passed and the President signed the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act, which promised equal rights for deaf and disabled people in this country. In 1993, Joseph Shapiro wrote a wonderful book, NO PITY, which told the story of this movement into a "new world" of equal dignity for people with disabilities. Out of all that came a huge improvement of technologies to assist this community. Now, it seems, there is a different "new world" the deaf and disabled community is facing.
First, there are politicians running for office, nationally and in states, who talk about "scaling back", "reducing the power" of the ADA. These politicians blame the ADA for costing business too much money and that these people will "save" money by making the ADA rules weak.
Second, a number of states have drastically reduced support for programs that benefit people with disabilities. Mental health services, substance abuse services, counseling services have had millions of dollars slashed from their budgets. In addition, we see children with severe mental health problems and other disabilities being dumped into inadequate and even dangerous programs in order to "save money." By doing this, these governments guarantee that we will have to take care of these victims for the rest of their lives!
In addition, governments - state, county, city - do not hire people with disabilities. In the State of Illinois, the Dept. of Children and Family Services (DCFS) is supposed to investigate abuse of children, including families where there are deaf people. In the entire state of Illinois, DCFS does not employ one - 1! - investigator who is deaf, who can effectively communicate with these families!
Third, school districts are making it harder and harder for parents of children with disabilities to get needed services. Very few of these districts are willing to hire teachers with disabilities to work with these children, or any children! Have you seen,in your school district, any teachers in wheel-chairs, teachers who are deaf?
The "new world" facing the disability/deaf communities in the USA is very threatening. Deaf and disabled persons, and their families, could lose much of what has been gained over the last 40 years. What can people do?
1 Any person running for U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, U.S.SENATOR, U.S. PRESIDENT(the primaries will begin soon), must answer one question: "Do you sir/madam fully support the ADA and IDEA laws of this country, and will you not allow them to be weakened?"
2 People with disabilities must try to get more jobs in government positions: city, county, state, and federal. Having people with disabilities in these positions is very important. If a person with a disability applies and is turned down, that person cannot give up. That person needs to get the Office of Civil Rights to investigate why he/she did not get that job.
3 Parents must continue to resist any attempts by school districts to cut back on services to their disabled son/daughter/grandchild.The IEP process gives parents many rights they do not know they have. It is especially important for parents to make sure their children get whatever counseling services they need.
4 If someone in your family needs mental health, substance abuse counseling and you are told, "there are no funds"...you immediately contact your STATE REPRESENTATIVE/STATE SENATOR. These people can make a phone call and get the needed services. If that person refuses or says he/she cannot help you, resolve to do everything possible to vote that politician out of office as soon as possible.
The "new world" of 2010 for people who are deaf and disabled and their families is a difficult one. The risks and threats are very real, and will not go away unless people are willing to act.

Yesterday, I wrote about the risks involved with putting vulnerable children on school busses with older, more aggressive students. In the newspapers this morning, there is a story about a father who had to confront older male students on a school bus because of what they were doing to his 15 year old daughter who has CEREBRAL PALSY!
Also, in the "Chicago Tribune" today (9/22), there is a troubling story of what happens to many young people with mental illness who are put into private "hospitals" for treatment in Illinois. Instead of care and concern, these young people suffer rape and abuse. Why? Because these so called hospitals are more interested in getting money than protecting these children who cannot defend themselves.
The State of Illinois is shameful when it comes to the way it "treats", "educates", "protects" (NONE OF THESE!!!!) its children with disabilities.

Many so-called "leaders in government" are saying that we must cut programs and government support of programs. At the same time, they say, "we are not putting people at risk by these cuts." RIDICULOUS! Of course these cuts make the lives of everyone riskier, especially children. How?
1) There is more and more research that proves that in homes where there is domestic violence and/or substance abuse, there is also a much higher risk of children suffering sexual abuse. Some of the first programs being cut by states and cities are programs for mental health, substance abuse, and domestic violence. As the rates of stress and frustration in households increase, so do dangerous behaviors. These dangerous behaviors often result in children being victims. If government were REALLY concerned about keeping children safe, the programs addressing domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse would be the LAST programs cut, not the first!
2) The states owe huge amounts of money to school districts. School districts try to look for ways to reduce their costs. One way is to put many different children on the same school busses and, at times, cut the number of adults supervising on the busses. So, you sometimes have older children riding with much younger, unprotected children. Worse, you have older, sometimes aggressive students riding with special education children who are vulnerable, "easy targets" of abuse: physical, emotional and sexual abuse.
Parents of children in Special Education have to watch VERY closely who is riding on school busses with their children. Parents have a right to know who the adults are who are on the bus with their children. In addition, parents have to notice any changes in behaviors of their children: the child "gets sick" each morning before riding the bus; the child starts to cry or become upset when the bus is coming; the child comes home after school and immediately goes to his/her room and does not want to talk about what happened that day. If these occur, the parents must immediately ask for a meeting with the school staff to question what is going on with their child.
In the end, cuts in government spending on programs that protect children guarantee that we will continue to have many "wounded" (emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually) young people who grow up to be troubled adults. Then, the "cost" to all of us will be much worse!

For many years, the State of Illinois has given money to provide sign-language interpreters for deaf people in non ADA situations. This grant, DFI, went to CHS (The Chicago Hearing Society). The DFI grant helped deaf people for important events It also paid sign-language interpreters to work. The State of Illinois has announced it will not continue to fund the DFI grant. Starting October 1,2010, CHS will not be able to pay for interpreters in these situations. Deaf people or their families will have to pay.
This is wrong and stupid. The DFI grant was not a lot of money. However, CHS used the money in a good way to help deaf people, especially deaf people who were poor. Interpreters got jobs and received pay which helped them, too. It is important to let the State of Illinois know that the DFI grant should be continued with CHS. What to do?
Email GOVERNOR QUINN. How? Go to: www.illinois.gov/gov/ Under the column Governor Quinn, there is a site, "Contact Us". Simply follow the instructions to contact the Governor. Then, send him this message or use your own words.
Dear Governor Quinn: Recently, the State of Illinois Department of Human Services cancelled a wonderful program for deaf people. The program was titled "The DFI Grant for Interpreting Services". This grant helped the Chicago Hearing Society help deaf people in difficult situations. It also allowed sign-language interpreters to stay employed. As of October 1,2010, the important services under DFI will cease. I am asking you to re-instate this grant immediately so that deaf people will continue to receive this needed service. Sincerely, (Your own name).