The Goderich Signal-Star, 1979-01-11, Page 191
1
Spunk makes them special...
• from page 2A
just interested. The
handicapped have to
develop the ability to
"take" these kinds of
things.
"You have to learn a
middle course," s.ays
Mary. "There is no use
trying to hide but you
shouldn't flaunt your
needs or be too deman-
ding either. You have to
accept a kindness when it
is offered and learn how
to ask in a nice way if you
need- something. Most
• people are quite willing to
help. Like any "normal"
person, you can make
friends or you can be
obnoxious." '
Elaine agrees that
most people are quite
considerate. towards the
handicapped.
She finds it natural to
use her feet like hands.
As a child she even
picked up rattles with her
toes. She opens door
Itandleswith_her feet and
says there is only one
door handle in Clinton
that she can't reach. She
was not able to reach the
handle on the door of the
bank she was dealing
with and when she in-
formed the manager of
this problem, he had a
small, lever installed at
G
gets
grant
the bottom of the door for
her use.
Employees in the
grocery store where she
shops are quite helpful
too, says Elaine. They
often have to reach things
off high shelves for her.
She doesn't mind
comments children.
' "If you're honest with
them, they'll be honest
with you," she says. .
Both Elaine and Mary
are very -special peofile:
They haven't let their
physical handicaps get in
the way of doing what
they want to do. They are
models of inspiration and
deterrnination.
During her public
MARY school years, Elaine
attended a country school
in Goderich Township
and says she progressed
dt the same rate as the
other children. However,
she feels she made a big
mistake by not going on
to high school. More than
the learning experience,
she regrets not meeting
and getting out with
people her own age
during that time.
Elaine 'did not go to
high school, because just
befoie Grade 9, she was
supposed to have surgery
on her back and it would
have meant missing
about six to eight months
of school. By the time she
found out that she didn't
have to have the surgery,
the school year had
already smarted and she
didn't want to start late.
should have gone
anyway," she.says now.
Elaine got her Grade 10
by correspondence
courses and a few years
ago she .got her Grade 12
English by taking a
course at Conestoga
College. She has always
been interested in
writing. She taught
herself to type with her
toes and to work a
camera with her toes.
She began writing a
weekly column called
Odds and Ends for four
community newspapers
and then the Clinton
News -Record editor
worries-aboot-fal-ling and- -began=giving-her-sorne
not being able to get up. freelance artrcles
So, she wears a whistle She has been freelancing
around her neck at all ever since .forarea
times in case she has"to papers and magazines
call for help. like& Village Squire..
Once in a while she has Elaine's apartment has
to climb the stairs at her no special features*to suit
home and she has hard her handicap except for
covered books placed on lower, towel bars in the
each' step along with a bathroom and lower
railing on the wall. The clothes racks in the
thickness of the books closets to enable her to
helps to lessen the height reach things better with
Mary has to lift her legs. her feet.
She has.„,kad the height She can do almost
of her two outside front everything the non
steps -adjusted to suit her. handicapped can do and
has -things • that they
a counter top stove built cannot.
into the counter to suit
her height and she uses ' HOPE
orange crates for cup- -
boards.
Her bathtub is regular
size but she had some old
water pipes on the wall
beside - the -tub reinforced.
to use them as railings to
about her home in-
novations.
Mary has another little
invention which enables
her to get up steps. She
calls it her "ladder". It is
a thick block of wood with
a string attached to it.
She can climb onto it,
step up to the next step
and pull the "ladder" up
after her. It serves the
purpose by making the
height 'She has to lift her
leg -shorter but is a slow
process.
"I wouldn't want to be
in a fire," she exclaims.
ELAINE
Mary feels that where
there's a will, there's a
way. When she was
younger, she wasn't as
handicapped as she is•
now but she still had
trouble keeping up with
the others.
When she reached high
school age, sometimes
she could walk and
sometimes she had to be
driven to school. She had
a small bicycle which she
often rode too.
Her father _had a
hardware store which he
sold in 1916 and then he
operated a barber and
beauty parlor supply
business for Some years.
Mary worked there quite
a bit when she was
tze
younger.
She attended the
College of Art in Toronto
for a few years and many
of her paintings adorn the
walls of her home today.
She is a past president of
the Goderich Art Club.
Mary lives on one floor
of the house which has
been in, her family since
1914 and rents out light
housekeeping rooms. She
Through the generosity feeds birds, collects owl
.of Theatre Ontario's trinkets, and supervises
Community Theatre her gard,eh in the sum -
Training prograrnJunded mer. She iS a past
by the Ontario Arts president of the Goderich
Council, the Goderich Garden Club.
Little Theatre group has Although Mary has .,
received a grant to boarders - and is not
enable them to hire a exactly living alone, she
professional director
GLT has retained the
services of diredtor,
David Fanstone
Kingston who some
people may have met at
G L T 's director's
workshop last year.
Fanstone has chosen
the play, "Teahouse of
the August Moon" by
John Patrick to be
presented as •GLT's third
production of the season.
This play has a cast of 30
people of all ages, male
and female.
GLT needs help. You
can help by going to the
play's auditions on March
10 at 2 p.m. at MacKay
Hall. If acting is not your
thing, you can also help
by doing costume
designing, lighting, stage
managing, set designing
and' decorating, helping
with props, make-up and
prompting. To offer your
service on.e....„of-•-pull herself up. .
these fields, attend - the "It's the little things
March 10 auditions or that count," says Mary
phone, workshop co-
ordinat,or Jennifer Black
at 524-6282 (day) or 524-
8154 (evenings).
"Teahouse of ' the
August Moon" is a
comedy. The production
will be valuable to
everybody who par-
ticipates as it is a
teaching experience as
well.
Rehearsals will begin
the week of March 25 and
the production dates are
April 25, 26, 27 and 28.
GLT - would like the
production to be an all-
time success and needs
community support to
make it that success.
Keep March 10 marked
on your calendar to go to
MacKay Hall and offer
your help in any way. .
W. J. Denomme
FLOWER
SHOP
Agent for 24 -hr.
FILM DEVELOPING
difficulties when they go
out in public. Some
handicapped people who
do not have the deter-
mination of Mary and
Elaine end up sitting at
home, on, the- outside., of
society looking in, rather
than facing the dif-
ficulties in their com-
munities.
However, with groups
like ALPHA Huron there
is hope for the physically
handicapped. • The han-
dicapped are much better
organized today than
they were ten or 15 years
ago, says Elaine. People
co-operating and working
together to make others
aware is the key to many
f the problems faced by
e handicapped, she
feels.
ALPHA Huron meets
the' fourth Tuesday of
each month usually in an
arena or school in the
county. If anyone is in-
terested in joining the
group (don't forget that
the non handicapped are'
welcome too), write to
ALPHA Huron in care of
Post Office Box 1388,
Clinton or call Elaine at
482-3073. -••
Of ALPHA Huron,
Mary says, "We're not
out to set the world on
fire. We're just doing
what we can in our area."
While ALPHA Huron
may not be setting the
world on fire, at least
they are sparking some
interest for needs and
rights of the physically
handicapped. They are a
part of society too and if
allowed, can be las ef-
fective as the next per-
son,
Walking up a flight of stairs is a long, slow process for Mary Howel1,35*, o
Goderich. Here, she uses her own invention she calls her "ladder". It
is a block of thick wood with a string attached to it. She can step up onto it
making the height that she has tolift her jeg shorter and_thenpull it 1Jp„ai Let'
ii;de:Maiy has achondroplasia, a condition of the bones which affected her
growth. She is a member of ALPHA Huron. (Photo by Joanne Buchanan)
But while Mary and
Elaine have proven their
ability to --be effective in
society and while they
can modify their own
living environments to
suit themselves, the fact
remains that they still
face ,many, unnecessary
CORRECTION
The 1 x 3" spruce strapping advertised in our current
flyer, "Discount Dave's Truckload Sall", Is 93" long,
slightly less thon eight feet as advertised. We
regret any incpnveniente this may have caused to
our customers.
DISCOUNT DAVE'S
HOME CENTRES --
KINCARDINE-GODERICH-GRAND BEND.THEDFORO
4
TV -.-12
Presents
"The Chiropractors"
An award winning film celebrating the
50th Anniversary of Chiropractics:
interesting and informative
Be sure to tune in at
2 p.rh.
Sunday, January 14th
THE GODERICH SIGNA l• -§TAR THURSDAY,: JANUARY 11, 1979—PAGE 3A
for
LIFE
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Terry Crowley
representing
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tptl l 4.4 ,
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ATTENTION
VETERANS
Ex-Sarvie• Men and %Yemen
and Dependents
THE ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION
SERVICE BUREAU OFFICER
Mr. Clara Wall
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will be visiting in the area.
Anyone wishlqg information or assistance regarding
war disability Pensions, treatment,,allowances, etc., Is
requested to contact the'service officer, or secretary of
the local branch, whose name appears below, not later
than January 15, 1979 to arrange an interview.
WALTER R. SHEARDOWN
'Service Officer
PHONE 524-9390
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