Goodbye and hello

This is Walt Katovitch, my father in law (the shadow in the foreground is my husband), who died this week at the age of 88. He ailed very little until the last six months, when both his physical and cognitive health took a sharp decline. We were tremendously grateful for the help of assisted living and caring friends nearby, as we are on different ends of the same coast and couldn't see to his day to day needs.

I don't think Walt ever hesitated to enter a conversation with anyone; he was the kind of guy who could have chatted up the Queen and the man polishing the Royal silver with the same ease. We'll miss him.

As the new year begins, I'm going to begin some new adventures on my quest to learn more about how to ally with people with developmental disabilities. I'll be taking Disability and Higher Education with Dr. Wendy Harbour at Syracuse University and I've been selected to participate in Partners in Policymaking (www.partnersinpolicymaking.com), a national training program in leadership and advocacy open to people with developmental disabilities, their families, and allies. I'll keep you posted.

Enjoy the fun and refreshment of the New Year.

And who could have predicted...

Looking at the rough surroundings, who would have thought that a seed could sprout here? And not only sprout, but grow leaves? Now, is it the same size it would have been in more fruitful soil, with less wind, in better company? No. But there is growth nevertheless.

When reading and writing about education, I hear much talk about "benefit"- what is the benefit versus the risk of this decision, which students will benefit from a program for the gifted, what was the student's score on the ability to benefit test?

I believe that we cannot judge benefit in advance; benefit can only be judged after action has been taken.

I recently read a study discussing the benefits of an Ivy League education on different groups of students. The group with the greatest benefit? Students from socio-economically disadvantaged families. The students who came in with the fewest advantages got the most from the experience? Go figure.

Why, then, are there questions about the benefit students with developmental disabilities may gain from postsecondary education? These students have so much to gain. What good could they bring to the world if they are allowed to bloom?

You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one.

Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl is one of my favorite works, because of his insights on the meaning of life. His search was severely tested in the brutality of Nazi concentration camps and the murder of his parents and young wife. In these desperate and barbaric circumstances, he maintained his sanity and the sanity of many fellow prisoners by emphasizing that life had meaning and the individual had control, even just of his own attitude towards the presence of suffering.

Much later, he spoke to a group of young activists (see clip below) on the necessity of idealism if we are ever to reach or to help others reach full potential. He saw more danger in underestimating people than in overestimating. What a great soul; his lessons never get old.

This post is for Eliza and other people who are pursuing their dreams.

Viktor Frankl: Why to believe in others Video on TED.com