Author Archives: Deborah

In addition to her job as a computer engineer and her single parent responsibilities, Deborah is president of a state-wide family support group for families whose lives are touched by deafblindness, and is a tireless advocate for all people with disabilities. She writes at Pipe Cleaner Dreams and her writing has also been featured in local magazines and newspapers. Ashley’s story has also been chronicled in a book by Jonathan Mooney titled Short Bus Stories.

To You, My Beautiful Deaf Daughter

This video from D-PAN (Deaf Professional Arts Network) says it all… Deborah can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Wednesday, and can also be found at Pipecleaner Dreams.

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Getting Personal

One of the more frightening aspects for me of having a child with significant disabilities has been the hiring of personal care aides. I’m so very grateful that Ashley has aides, but finding and retaining really good people is daunting, to say the least. Personal care aides assist a person with a disability with many…

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Black and Blue

My daughter, Ashley, is blind (and deaf and has seizures and some other stuff too), and because of that, she has a tendency to bump into things. She often has bruises on her shins as a result. I understand those bruises. What I don’t understand are the bruises on her arms that look surprisingly like…

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Simon Says

Dear Ashley, I’ve grown accustomed to having my sleep interrupted by your nightly desire for a party. Why your party urgings strike at 3:00 a.m., I’ll never know. But until last night, I’ve never had my dreams interrupted by party fever, merely my sleep. Last night, Simon Baker (who played the hotshot lawyer, Nick Fallin…

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Growing Dreams

My daughter, Ashley loves plants and flowers. From the first days she was able to wobble across our yard, she has headed straight for bushes and flowers. She seems to have an innate ability to know which plants are edible and which are not. So, just in case you were wondering – pansies are fine…

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The Real Reason

The following is from one of my favorite writers, and reminds me what Christmas is really about. I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday season! A Christmas Prayer by Robert Louis Stevenson Loving Father, Help us remember the birth of Jesus, that we may share in the song of the…

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Speaking Their Mind

My children love teeshirts, especially teeshirts that make a statement, even more especially teeshirts that make a statement about disability issues. So, in searching for some Christmas gifts, I found some shirts I especially liked at CafePress. So if you have ‘mouthy’ children like mine and are in need of some Christmas ideas, here are…

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Not Her Failure

I ran into a girl, actually now a young woman, whose path I have crossed many times through the years. Each time I see her, I leave with a heavier heart. While many people who meet her now would label her a failure, I believe the failure is not hers. Here is a post I…

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Lost Privacy

I really had no idea how my life was going to be turned upside down when I adopted a child with significant disabilities. I thought I did, but I was wrong. When I first brought Ashley home, my only parenting experience had come from raising my birth son as a single parent for 5 years….

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Leftover Children

Leftovers – lots of leftovers – turkey, gravy, yams, stuffing, green beans, rolls. One of the best things about Thanksgiving dinner is having leftovers for the next few days. One of my favorites is a hot turkey sandwich – leftover turkey piled high on leftover yeast rolls and then covered in leftover gravy. After a…

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