Background on myself, how I came to write about this real life person, and why it is important to me.
THE long-awaited sequel to my first book, American Genes is now available. American Genes ended with poor Anna Olson on her way to a state institution called Helmhurst. It wasn’t a cheery proposition because it would separate her from the only two people left in her life who loved her. Here is the back cover description of this new and exciting book. BUY BOTH BOOKS HERE America has a dark past of isolating and sterilizing […]
UPDATED 08.23.21- Speaking of unacceptable words, check out the reaction one professional organization had to something an attorney for a January 6 defendant said. IDD reacts to comments of attorney Albert Watkins. I think everyone reading this blog knows using the R-word is offensive. Over 100 organizations have made a coordinated effort to equate the R-word and its variants with the N-word. Calling someone a retard, or something retarded, has led to the shaming […]
I’m afraid of tyranny. I fear that America is slipping and sliding into an autocratic takeover of our government. It’s happening right here, right now, before our very eyes. Many of our wisest leaders say that we’ve reached the “red zone” danger level. When I think of tyranny, I recall post-WWII and the observations made by a German pastor, Martin Niemoller, who first supported, then opposed the Nazis. You’ve probably heard or read this before, […]
Late last fall I went for a walk on a gloomy, misty, day in Oak Park, Illinois. I noticed the sign above on the side of an old church. The big white banner stood out against the faded limestone. I’ve written about INCLUSION before, but on that day, I saw it in a different light. Up to that point, I thought of INCLUSION as all things to do with access for people with physical […]
I’m a relic of sorts. A throwback to the time when words like retarded and disabled were used professionally. In the late 1960’s I was a direct care giver for seriously emotionally disturbed children. Later, I oversaw professional services in a state hospital unit for the mentally retarded. In the late 1970’s I directed two facilities for severely mentally and physically handicapped children. The labels I used above were accepted at the time. I was […]
ANNA OLSON I met the real life Anna Olson only once although I was briefed extensively on her background and test results by my staff. There are some basic facts that my staff and I knew about the real Anna. She spent over 40 years in various institutions in Minnesota, she scored exactly 100 (normal) on two separate intelligence tests, and she was able to independently care for all her day to day self care needs. Apparently, somewhere […]
BACKGROUND After finishing my Masters degree in child clinical psychology (Drake University in Des Moines, 1974) I went to work in the field of what today is called developmental disabilities. In a relatively short period of time I worked as the Director of Professional Services at the Glacial Ridge Training Center in Willmar, Mn., the Director of Winnebago Handicapped Services in Forrest City Iowa, and the Director of the Greenbrier Center in Lewisburg, W.Va. All […]
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