Autism Speaks...
Sep. 13th, 2011 08:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
femkes_follies...but apparently not very loudly. Or at least, it gets drowned out by the politicians.
Mom and I loaded up the girls on Saturday and went to the Walk Now! For Autism Speaks event in Auburn Hills. And while it's a good and worthy cause, I'm just a weensy pit frustrated. We walked in.... to find that right behind the registration tent was a DJ tent. Playing loud music. This, note, is an event for and in support of Autistic individuals. Who very frequently have sound sensitivities. Now, there were arrows on the pavement pointing the way to a "Quiet Zone". But it was neither far enough from the DJ to be truly quiet, nor did it obviate the need to stand next to the DJ to register and go by the tent to get in and out of the event area. (Which was pretty effectively cordoned off, too).
Then there was the refreshment tent. Now, I don't really expect anything at these events. But this one had promoted that Whole Foods was providing Gluten Free refreshments. The tent had bottled water. Good enough. Also cereal bars. I reached for one to read the ingredients, and the woman running the tent says: "They DO have nuts." So I ask, "But they're gluten free, right?" As Anneliese is angling for a berry flavored one, she replies, "No, they're not." O.o So I divert her from those, and hand her a banana. The woman says, "Would you like more banans?" I look into the recesses of the tent and their are boxes upon boxes of bananas. I'd guess somebody threw away hundreds of bananas after the event.
And finally we got to the pre-show. For over 40 minutes, a parade of politicians and Mrs Michigan (Mrs? Really? WHY?) dance across the stage promoting some legislation to require insurance companies to cover evidence-based therapies for Autism. This is something I'm in favor of. Though it would mean more to me if I HAD insurance. But what irritated me most was that each of them regaled the crowd with their own "My kid is Autistic" sob story. For 40 minutes. Srsly? Everybody IN the crowd knows that story. We are that story. Save it for when you've got a captive audience of people who don't and aren't. Gah!
Even though I generally tend toward a Conservative point of view, I really don't make a good Republican. Especially of the Crazy-Please-Slap-Me variety a la Michelle Bachman. Forced vaccination? Really? Very few things annoy me more than people who try to have Great Sweeping Opinions about science/medicine issues that they're much too stupid to understand. Vaccines are something most politicians are way, way too stupid to understand. Someone please drown this woman.
I did come away thankful that I live where I live. All those hours of teaching, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy that my girls get at school and in their special programming? If I weren't in Ottawa County, I'd be paying for that out of my own pocket, or not getting it at all. Which runs the folks in the SE side of the state something to the tune of $60K/kid/year. Oi.
But I still had to get the taste out of my mouth a little bit. :-D Which meant... shopping!! Over the course of the weekend this meant a trip into Great Lakes Crossing (well, it WAS right on the way home) to get new shoes for Rori. We tried to take them for a ride on the Carousel. But once we got on, it broke down. I was impressed at how well my two tired little girls took that bit of disappointment. Maybe they realized, like I did, that it was not near as nice a Carousel as the one in Grand Rapids. On Sunday, we managed to run up to Birch Run to the outlet mall - without Mom, so that she couldn't try to buy us everything that wasn't nailed down and a few things that were. I managed to score a set of Pottery Barn sheets for the girls and an insulated lunch bag for Rori. I might have to wander back and see if they have any pillows for cheap. :-D Though I suspect there are better outlets for that sort of thing. And Rori still sleeps in Toddler Sleep Position Alpha (face down, butt in the air, legs tucked up).
I managed to get the new blog decorated a little. I might or might not get a new costuming article up soonish.
And hopefully we'll get to spend some time this weekend at the Muskegon Feis. But I think I'll still wait till the Chicago Feis to get Liesl her new dance shoes. :-)
Mom and I loaded up the girls on Saturday and went to the Walk Now! For Autism Speaks event in Auburn Hills. And while it's a good and worthy cause, I'm just a weensy pit frustrated. We walked in.... to find that right behind the registration tent was a DJ tent. Playing loud music. This, note, is an event for and in support of Autistic individuals. Who very frequently have sound sensitivities. Now, there were arrows on the pavement pointing the way to a "Quiet Zone". But it was neither far enough from the DJ to be truly quiet, nor did it obviate the need to stand next to the DJ to register and go by the tent to get in and out of the event area. (Which was pretty effectively cordoned off, too).
Then there was the refreshment tent. Now, I don't really expect anything at these events. But this one had promoted that Whole Foods was providing Gluten Free refreshments. The tent had bottled water. Good enough. Also cereal bars. I reached for one to read the ingredients, and the woman running the tent says: "They DO have nuts." So I ask, "But they're gluten free, right?" As Anneliese is angling for a berry flavored one, she replies, "No, they're not." O.o So I divert her from those, and hand her a banana. The woman says, "Would you like more banans?" I look into the recesses of the tent and their are boxes upon boxes of bananas. I'd guess somebody threw away hundreds of bananas after the event.
And finally we got to the pre-show. For over 40 minutes, a parade of politicians and Mrs Michigan (Mrs? Really? WHY?) dance across the stage promoting some legislation to require insurance companies to cover evidence-based therapies for Autism. This is something I'm in favor of. Though it would mean more to me if I HAD insurance. But what irritated me most was that each of them regaled the crowd with their own "My kid is Autistic" sob story. For 40 minutes. Srsly? Everybody IN the crowd knows that story. We are that story. Save it for when you've got a captive audience of people who don't and aren't. Gah!
Even though I generally tend toward a Conservative point of view, I really don't make a good Republican. Especially of the Crazy-Please-Slap-Me variety a la Michelle Bachman. Forced vaccination? Really? Very few things annoy me more than people who try to have Great Sweeping Opinions about science/medicine issues that they're much too stupid to understand. Vaccines are something most politicians are way, way too stupid to understand. Someone please drown this woman.
I did come away thankful that I live where I live. All those hours of teaching, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy that my girls get at school and in their special programming? If I weren't in Ottawa County, I'd be paying for that out of my own pocket, or not getting it at all. Which runs the folks in the SE side of the state something to the tune of $60K/kid/year. Oi.
But I still had to get the taste out of my mouth a little bit. :-D Which meant... shopping!! Over the course of the weekend this meant a trip into Great Lakes Crossing (well, it WAS right on the way home) to get new shoes for Rori. We tried to take them for a ride on the Carousel. But once we got on, it broke down. I was impressed at how well my two tired little girls took that bit of disappointment. Maybe they realized, like I did, that it was not near as nice a Carousel as the one in Grand Rapids. On Sunday, we managed to run up to Birch Run to the outlet mall - without Mom, so that she couldn't try to buy us everything that wasn't nailed down and a few things that were. I managed to score a set of Pottery Barn sheets for the girls and an insulated lunch bag for Rori. I might have to wander back and see if they have any pillows for cheap. :-D Though I suspect there are better outlets for that sort of thing. And Rori still sleeps in Toddler Sleep Position Alpha (face down, butt in the air, legs tucked up).
I managed to get the new blog decorated a little. I might or might not get a new costuming article up soonish.
And hopefully we'll get to spend some time this weekend at the Muskegon Feis. But I think I'll still wait till the Chicago Feis to get Liesl her new dance shoes. :-)