National Radio Interview (RTE) with Pat Kenny

Hello to everyone and greetings from Ireland. On Monday May 8th, RTE Radio Telefis Eireann, which is our National Radio and Television Service, came to my hometown, Westport, to stage a public awareness meeting on "the Future of Broadcasting in Ireland." These meetings, which are being held at various venues around the country, are part of a strategy by RTE to promote their station and to get public opinion on the programs being shown and listened to on RTE. I went along to the meeting because, since returning from the TMA Symposium in Seattle, I have wanted to get some awareness out there into the public in Ireland. But I had not done anything about it and had become annoyed with myself. So, when I discovered that RTE was coming to Westport, and that Pat Kenny was also coming, I just knew I had to go to the meeting. I must explain now about the RTE people who were at the meeting. There was a panel of six people who were producers and/or presenters of programs, both on TV and radio. Other reporters and presenters from the west of Ireland were also in attendance. But the most important person was Pat Kenny. Pat is one of RTE's, most popular presenters. He hosts a weekly TV program of chat and entertainment called "The Late Late Show." He also does a radio program called "Kenny Live." Pat is such a pleasant person, and I found him easy to talk with. He is well liked here.

I am not so great about speaking out and was just going to see one of the producers after the question and answer session. But then I got to thinking; that was the wrong way to go about it. So I got up the courage to raise my hand to put a question to the panel of producers. I explained about how I had acquired this disability and I described TM. There was great interest. By talking out at the meeting, I made all of the people there, around two to three hundred, aware of TM. Pat was actually sitting in the audience, just two rows from me. And when I told about my disability and a request for an awareness program interview, Pat turned around straight away and said that he would certainly do it and that I was to talk with his producer after the meeting. Pat did come and talk to me himself afterwards, as well. He was very interested. He asked me, "so this could happen to anyone, even me?" I told him that TM knows no age or class differences. It can happen to anyone.

An interview was to be set up for the following week. We uncovered another 'awareness' problem. The studios, which are about eleven miles from me, were found to have three flights of concrete steps up to it. I guess that no one volunteered to carry me up as they put the interview off until the next week, and I was asked to travel to Galway, which is 52 miles from me!
Since then I have also done an interview with one local radio station, a lot of which was about disability and I did get a plug in about TM.

Well, I had my "few minutes of fame." I did the interview on the morning of Wednesday, May 24th. All went very well, and I found that I didn't have enough airtime to tell all of what I had planned! I only had about twenty minutes. I had a whole pile of notes on the table in front of me, and I didn't get to use any of them. I had butterflies on the journey to Galway studios, which is about 50 miles from my town. Anyway, I kept quiet calm. My daughter taped the interview for me, and when I listened, I couldn't believe how confident I sounded. My other daughter, who is a reflexologist, was working on a local bank manager (doing reflex) when the interview came on the air, so she asked if he would mind if she listened to it while working. He was interested in hearing it also. Afterwards, he said how articulate I sounded. Okay, Okay, I'll stop being big-headed!

There were a few calls into the studio before I left, so I was able to take them. I got home around 3 PM and spent almost all of the rest of the day, until 10 PM, on the telephone answering calls about TM. I had the same feelings with some of these people, just how we all felt in Seattle when we met; the sheer relief of having some other person to talk to who knows and understands how and what you feel like. I even had a call from the Rehabilitation Centre from a lady who had been recently diagnosed. We spoke for almost an hour. I think it was also a relief for her. They had not told her much at the hospital where she was diagnosed, and had sent her on to rehabilitation. Thursday was full of many calls also. It feels so good to be able to help others, and particularly thinking back on my own experiences. I also spent a lot of time on the telephone on Friday. I have been contacted by 28 people. I have given all of these people the address for the TMA and also the tmic. For those who do not have access to the Internet, I will be sending them information about the TMA. I will be keeping in touch with all of these people.

Center for Independent Living

In 1991/1992 a Center for Independent Living was started up in our capital city, Dublin, with the help of a lady from, Berkeley, California. She had been in Ireland on a holiday and could not believe how people with disabilities had to cope with everything. She went home and was thinking about Dublin all the time, so eventually she returned the next year, gave up what she was doing in Berkeley, and helped to set up the first Center for Independent Living. The Dublin Center was working very well. She then decided to open two more Centers across the country, one here in Mayo, the other in Clare.

Mayo Center started up in May of 1995 and I joined them in June of that year, as a Leader Coordinator (name given to the person with a disability). My duties were to visit with all the people who wanted to be part of a Center for Independent Living (CIL). Becoming a participant in a CIL offered a person the opportunity to work with a Personal Assistant who would assist them in living a more independent life, and also help to take some pressure off of their families. We were able to get Personal Assistants into the Cheshire Foundations (Institutions). This caused a few problems at first with the staff in the homes, but now it is acceptable. The Personal Assistants have helped to provide a new lease on life to a lot of people; people who have often not had a say about their lives, or never been outside an institution, or had always been told what they could and could not do. We have two Personal Assistants in Mayo.

There were also people who lived at home, and were cared for by their families. Many of these people also lost a great deal of their independence, becoming very dependent on their families. As a result of the Centers for Independent Living, many of these people have had a chance to become part of society. Some have found part-time work. Having the opportunity to leave their home environments, get out into their communities, and see how other people live their lives, has made such a difference to many.

There was a 22-year-old man who had always lived at home and rarely went anywhere. When I first started to visit him, I could barely hear him speak, because he was so shy. I would have to coax him and keep asking him questions just to be able to get him to talk. Two years later he really surprised me by giving a thank you speech to our Program Manager. It was short but it was such a joy to hear. He now works three days a week and lives in an Independent Living Unit on the grounds of a Cheshire Home. He has complete control over how he lives his life.

Things are still going very well with Centers for Independent Living. We have an on-going battle with the Government to make permanent funds available for this very necessary service, one which is considered a norm in other European Countries. At the moment it is run on a Community Employment Scheme, which means that people who want to become a Personal Assistant have to be unemployed for a year before they can take this job. Also, when they have completed a year working, if they are less than 35 years of age, they again have to relinquish their roles as a Personal Assistant until they are unemployed for another year. The Leaders (PWD) then have to find another PA. This can be very distressing for some people, as they have gained trust in this person, and they now have to start over with a new PA. I, myself, had to leave the scheme after three years. I have just started back with the group about five weeks ago. I do a lot of my work from home. I am able to work out my own time schedule and try to visit everyone at least twice a month. The rest of the time we keep in touch by telephone. As Mayo is a large county, and the roads are not good, it can take an hour and a half to travel fifty miles. I sometimes have to do more than one hundred miles in a single visit. We are currently working, along with other disability organizations, under the flag of Disability Federation of Ireland (DFI). I had a meeting Tuesday with my Program Manager, who has asked me to apply to DFI to form a Support Group for TM. This was wonderful news, as I may be able to get a little funding to help with phone calls and postage. It will give us an opportunity to appeal for funding for TMA and will also create more awareness about TM.

Stars For A Brighter Future: Raising Funds for TMA

I am making a quilt in order to raise funds for the TMA. I announced this project on the TMIC by requesting that people make blocks of 12 and a half-inch square depicting stars. Any star pattern will be acceptable. The colours I have chosen are predominantly blues and creams. I have chosen to name the quilt "Stars For A Brighter Future."

It was suggested on the TMIC that the Quilt be auctioned over the Internet. This is a good idea, but if I am going to pursue this approach, I will need assistance from someone who has had previous experience in doing this type of auctioning. Another option would be to hold a raffle for the quilt. We will have plenty of time to think about this, as it will take a while to get it together. Members of my quilting group have offered to help me to sandwich it and get it ready for quilting. I will takes pictures of the quilt when it is completed and will send them to Jim to post on our web site for everyone to see. If you would like to contribute a block for the quilt, please contact me via email. I would encourage as many people as possible to participate in this project. I would really like for this to be a truly international quilt by having it composed of blocks from our TMA members from all over the world!

My best to everyone,
Love, Ann, in a rainy Westport
annmoran[AT SIGN]gofree.indigo.ie