Resurrection Day/ A Room of One’s Own (Using for Blogging Against Disablism Day 2011)
This is so surreal.
From being subject to a roommate or stranger to help me…
I’ve arrived at my accessible apartment, in my new state (a return to Ohio where I was born and raised), begun the explosive process of moving in (by explosive I mean boxes exploding everywhere)…charging up my power chair…so I can roll for three minutes and head to the store…or to the bank…or another twenty minutes and arrive at church, or the drugstore… And realizing I can now do the personal care stuff on my own…and cook, and hang outside (no elevators ) I have no pics yet, but will post some in the next few days…
I’m on assistive tech joy overload. (an unassisted shower is a marvelous thing)
From a year’s worth of crazy all the way to this?
I’m really stunned by having something genuinely good happen. It’s been awhile.
And the house rules here are not:
My former roommate’s, or my parent’s (I don’t have to live with what someone else cooks or buys)
They are my own.
I was an only child, but also am high verbal, and really social. So my most ‘comfortable’ head space is: living in my own place, alone, with a lot of friends and neighbors nearby…I did the marriage thing and the roommate thing fairly well, but all that was a learned behavior as an adult.
This is the setup I’m used to.
I have some anxiety now that I wrestle with, so of course living alone will be tougher…
the downside…The lack of frequent public transportation in this part of the state is unacceptable…so, my first adventure, after settling in, is finding out how an ordinary citizen can get a precis of the Lorain and Cuyahoga county budgets, and do some line item checking on my own….
“So, you say there’s no money to run a connector from the end of the LC transit system to Walker and Bradley, the last corner where the RTA (Cuyahoga county) route 55 ends? Or no money for each transit authority to jointly fund an extension of the 55 route past our complex and a nearby senior center twice a week?
I know, everyone is broke. Hell, *I’m * broke.
But give me the data, some time, and a pencil.
I’ll find the money *for* you, budgetmeisters.
I thought this was most appropriate for BADD this year…so it kinda breaks the rules…but go over to goldfish’s blog and read the stuff that was original to the day and actually linked…, as usual it’s amazing…
Attila the Mom said,
April 21, 2011 at 12:30 PM
Woohoo! So glad to hear you got there in one piece. 🙂
imfunny2 said,
April 21, 2011 at 5:04 PM
Yep…and even the former roommate’s situation is better than it could have been…she got a minimum wage job down in South Carolina and is temporarily staying with her brother…and got to keep our schnauzer pup. A lot better than on the street.
bridgett said,
April 25, 2011 at 5:35 AM
I am overjoyed at this new turn of events for you. Hope it continues going well.
In re: roommate’s sitch — not ideal, but a place to land and a place to build from. She’s got inner resources, life experience, and now needs to catch a break and a little compassion/support to bridge her from here to there — she can do the rest.
Glynis Jolly said,
April 25, 2011 at 12:56 PM
It’s so nice to see you back, Jean. Believe it or not, I’ve missed you and your blog.
Yes, get the local government hopping there. We all know you can do it. In the meantime, you might want to check to see if they have a ‘Handicap’ bus service even though you’re have to schedule your shopping around others. Also check to see if there’s a local Red Cross office. Often they have volunteers who drive people around.
Come visit, okay?
wheelchairdancer said,
May 1, 2011 at 1:35 PM
Hey!!!! Lovely to hear from you and to find that things are going well. you are right about the unacceptability of public transport. One day, when *you* rule the world … smile.
WCD
Ruth said,
May 2, 2011 at 1:10 PM
Hi Jean,
Glad you got this post up for BADD. The transportation issues do have solutions once we get the tude that it can’t be done or doesnt have priority out of the way.