All people belong. Everywhere. In our homes, schools, churches, communities, government. All people belong.
What Benjamin Sisko, Captain of Deep Space Nine, has to say about adversity... Kirkwood Call Article Sept.18'98 by Student "Whooping" it up... Family Struggles for inclusion of disabled by Krystle Lengoud, Kirkwood High student When he spoke at the senior assembly Aug. 28, Principal Franklin McCallie head what he believed were noisy students in the back of the Keating Center. Asking for complete silence, he continued to speak, but once again heard the disruptions. McCallie glanced to the back and realized Mave O'Brien, senior, was the one he heard. Mave, who is completely blind and who has cerebral palsy and an extreme limited vocabulary, was sitting in the audience in her wheelchair. She recognized McCallie's voice as the voice of a friend. She responded by showing her happiness, Mary O'Brien, her mother, said. As McCallie introduced Mave to the rest of the seniors, she held up her arms and gave a "whoop" as the whole senior class burst into applause. Born three months premature in Anchorage, Alaska, doctors put Mave on a respirator to supply her with the oxygen she needed. She wighed two pounds, 13 ounces, her mother said, and doctors were not sure she would live. At the time, testing procedures were limited. (note from Mom for all you who understand testing; Blood gasses were drawn many times a day, and that gave only what her oxygen level was at the time the test was taken. Nowdays- 19 years later- there is a continuous read out of oxygen levels.) Therefore, doctors did not know the respirator delivered uneven amounts of air to Mave shich caused permanent blindness and cerebral palsy, leaving her quadriplegic for life. (More Mom notes; Mave's lungs collapsed twice each and she had uneven pressure from all the catastrophic bleeding. Hard to tell a student those details for a school newspaper. Quadriplegic for Mave means it affects all 4 limbs. She is not paralized.) After six months in the hospital, doctors allowed Mave to go home. "She was the sickest kid ever to make it out of the hospital alive," her mother said. Seeing Mave's struggle to live inspired Dan O'Brien, her father, to become a health care ethicist. He now teaches others to treat the disabled with dignity. (among a lot of other things!) In order to complete his education Mr. O'Brien and his family moved around the country. When the family lived in Michigan, doctors diagnosed Mave with glaucoma, and in 1991, surgeons removed her eyes, replacing them with prosthetics. She recently recieved a pair of beautiful blue ceramic eyes, her mother said. Two years ago, when the O'Briens settled in Kirkwood, Mrs. O'Brien fought to enroll Mave at the high school. The Special School District (SSD) initially wanted to send Mave to a school for children with disabilities. "Current laws for children with disabilities state that kids must be included in and allowed to attend their neighborhood schools," Mrs. O'Brien said. "What the SSD wanted could have been considered illegal." When repeated phone calls to the district were met with deaf ears, Mrs. O'Brien said, she and her husband decided to arrange for a meeting with McCallie. After Mave and her family met McCallie, he said, he gladly accepted Mave into the district. "The excitement of having someone like Mave in our school, who enjoys being here and yet who has to struggle for life itself," McCallie said, "is a great educational experience for all of us." Mave started at Kirkwood in March of 1997. With the help of Judy Heywood, special education assistant, Mave is able to attend classes and eat lunch. This year her classes include Weights and Conditioning, Marching Band (where Mave goes to the field and listens to the music) and Ceramics. Students readily accepted mave into Ceramics, Dave Spiguzza, Ceramics teacher, said. In fact, he said, he did not have to change the cirriculum of the class at all to help Mave. The O'Briens believe Mave's experiences of being in a public high school where she attends regular classes with her peers are important for Mave. "Her schoolmates will be the ones to become the lawyers, doctors and congressmen of the future," Mrs. O'Brien said. "By being around Mave, they can get to know her and learn how to associate with people who live with disabilities. This should help them work with other disabled people in the future." Although Mave is unable to walk, speak (mom's note; not many words people can understand) or see, she maintains a sunny disposition. Mave only cries when she is in pain, her mother said, and will "whoop" when she gets excited. Otherwise, she is quite cheerful and lives for the moment. Her mother believes Mave never feels sorry for herself because she has a disability. "She is blind, so she does not see everyone else walking around," Mrs. O'Brien said. "People feel bad for her, but she has never known anything else." Mave and her mother belong to ADAPT, an organization devoted to equal access for everyone. Through the group, the O'Briens have attended protests and have lobbied for the inclusion of the disabled in society. Mrs. O'Brien hopes to march in Washington D.C. in November for Bill HR2020, which allows people with disabilities to recieve insurance covered help in their homes. Mrs. O'Brien said the motto "all people belong" has kept her strong in her fight for equal rights for people with disabilities. In the future, she hopes the downtown Kirkwood area will become more accissible for the disabled as the Kirkwood library has by creating a lift van parking space. Mrs. O'Brien often takes Mave out to the mall or the movies, and they attended the Greentree Festival in Kirkwood Park last weekend. Although some people stare at Mave when out in public (mom'snote; NO PROBLEM!), her mother said, she knows Mave is a blessing and a "child of God." "Mave is a pure person. She really cannot hide anything," her mother said. "She doesn't put on false airs or a mask. What you see is what you get, and that's Mave." Written by Krystle Lengoud, Kirkwood High student Thank you Webster Kirkwood Times for the great article about Mave Back to home page
When he spoke at the senior assembly Aug. 28, Principal Franklin McCallie head what he believed were noisy students in the back of the Keating Center. Asking for complete silence, he continued to speak, but once again heard the disruptions. McCallie glanced to the back and realized Mave O'Brien, senior, was the one he heard.
Mave, who is completely blind and who has cerebral palsy and an extreme limited vocabulary, was sitting in the audience in her wheelchair. She recognized McCallie's voice as the voice of a friend. She responded by showing her happiness, Mary O'Brien, her mother, said. As McCallie introduced Mave to the rest of the seniors, she held up her arms and gave a "whoop" as the whole senior class burst into applause.
Born three months premature in Anchorage, Alaska, doctors put Mave on a respirator to supply her with the oxygen she needed. She wighed two pounds, 13 ounces, her mother said, and doctors were not sure she would live.
At the time, testing procedures were limited. (note from Mom for all you who understand testing; Blood gasses were drawn many times a day, and that gave only what her oxygen level was at the time the test was taken. Nowdays- 19 years later- there is a continuous read out of oxygen levels.) Therefore, doctors did not know the respirator delivered uneven amounts of air to Mave shich caused permanent blindness and cerebral palsy, leaving her quadriplegic for life. (More Mom notes; Mave's lungs collapsed twice each and she had uneven pressure from all the catastrophic bleeding. Hard to tell a student those details for a school newspaper. Quadriplegic for Mave means it affects all 4 limbs. She is not paralized.)
After six months in the hospital, doctors allowed Mave to go home.
"She was the sickest kid ever to make it out of the hospital alive," her mother said.
Seeing Mave's struggle to live inspired Dan O'Brien, her father, to become a health care ethicist. He now teaches others to treat the disabled with dignity. (among a lot of other things!)
In order to complete his education Mr. O'Brien and his family moved around the country. When the family lived in Michigan, doctors diagnosed Mave with glaucoma, and in 1991, surgeons removed her eyes, replacing them with prosthetics. She recently recieved a pair of beautiful blue ceramic eyes, her mother said.
Two years ago, when the O'Briens settled in Kirkwood, Mrs. O'Brien fought to enroll Mave at the high school. The Special School District (SSD) initially wanted to send Mave to a school for children with disabilities.
"Current laws for children with disabilities state that kids must be included in and allowed to attend their neighborhood schools," Mrs. O'Brien said. "What the SSD wanted could have been considered illegal."
When repeated phone calls to the district were met with deaf ears, Mrs. O'Brien said, she and her husband decided to arrange for a meeting with McCallie.
After Mave and her family met McCallie, he said, he gladly accepted Mave into the district.
"The excitement of having someone like Mave in our school, who enjoys being here and yet who has to struggle for life itself," McCallie said, "is a great educational experience for all of us."
Mave started at Kirkwood in March of 1997. With the help of Judy Heywood, special education assistant, Mave is able to attend classes and eat lunch. This year her classes include Weights and Conditioning, Marching Band (where Mave goes to the field and listens to the music) and Ceramics.
Students readily accepted mave into Ceramics, Dave Spiguzza, Ceramics teacher, said. In fact, he said, he did not have to change the cirriculum of the class at all to help Mave.
The O'Briens believe Mave's experiences of being in a public high school where she attends regular classes with her peers are important for Mave.
"Her schoolmates will be the ones to become the lawyers, doctors and congressmen of the future," Mrs. O'Brien said. "By being around Mave, they can get to know her and learn how to associate with people who live with disabilities. This should help them work with other disabled people in the future."
Although Mave is unable to walk, speak (mom's note; not many words people can understand) or see, she maintains a sunny disposition. Mave only cries when she is in pain, her mother said, and will "whoop" when she gets excited. Otherwise, she is quite cheerful and lives for the moment.
Her mother believes Mave never feels sorry for herself because she has a disability. "She is blind, so she does not see everyone else walking around," Mrs. O'Brien said. "People feel bad for her, but she has never known anything else."
Mave and her mother belong to ADAPT, an organization devoted to equal access for everyone. Through the group, the O'Briens have attended protests and have lobbied for the inclusion of the disabled in society.
Mrs. O'Brien hopes to march in Washington D.C. in November for Bill HR2020, which allows people with disabilities to recieve insurance covered help in their homes.
Mrs. O'Brien said the motto "all people belong" has kept her strong in her fight for equal rights for people with disabilities.
In the future, she hopes the downtown Kirkwood area will become more accissible for the disabled as the Kirkwood library has by creating a lift van parking space.
Mrs. O'Brien often takes Mave out to the mall or the movies, and they attended the Greentree Festival in Kirkwood Park last weekend.
Although some people stare at Mave when out in public (mom'snote; NO PROBLEM!), her mother said, she knows Mave is a blessing and a "child of God."
"Mave is a pure person. She really cannot hide anything," her mother said. "She doesn't put on false airs or a mask. What you see is what you get, and that's Mave."
