with Michael Greenberg, Rupert Isaacson, and Robert Rummel-Hudson
Date: Saturday, October 31, 2009Time: 12:00 - 1:00
Location: Capitol Extension Room E2.030
Being a parent is hard enough without having to cope with a sudden, inexplicable illness striking your child, challenging you in ways that seem inhumane. Even with today's modern medical advancements, there are still little to no explanations for what causes autism or severe psychotic episodes. In this session, three fathers who've had to confront such confounding illnesses in their children discuss their long, often arduous journeys to understanding and dealing with such issues that seem to have no explanation behind them. Michael Greenberg's teenage daughter was struck mad on a New York City street, Robert Rummel-Hudson's beautiful infant daughter soon revealed that a monster within her had stolen her ability to speak, and Rupert Isaacson seeks the guidance of Mongolian shamans as he tries to keep his five-year-old autistic son from unraveling completley. Antonio Ruiz-Camacho, an experienced journalist who is currently writing a memoir about his upbringing as a part of a Mexican mixed-class family and his relationship with his father, will moderate the session.
Authors:
Robert Rummel-Hudson
Rupert Isaacson
Michael Greenberg
Moderated by: Antonio Ruiz-Camacho
8 comments:
Nice!
You're in good hands with Antonio. I've known him a while and he's a really good guy.
Pat and I will come if we can, keep up the great work.
Does the festival videotape any of the discussion sessions and post on-line or sell them? I'd sure be in line for watching this one.
Looks interesting. Not sure about the "struck mad" description. I thought we were beyond describing psychiatric problems like that. Maybe it's a term the girls family uses?
Looks interesting. Not sure about the "struck mad" description. I thought we were beyond describing psychiatric problems like that. Maybe it's a term the girls family uses?
It's the terminology that the author/father uses. One of the reasons I like his book is that he doesn't soften things with People First Language, either. As a writer, I think descriptive language is very important, particularly when telling a story like this.
I agree with you, Rob, about the "people first" language.I work with many of these people and always have seen them as people. We don't call neurotypical people "people with neurotypicalities". One mom whose child I worked with said her son did not "have autism" he was autistic, in every way. To say otherwise made it sound like he had a curable disease. He is autistic in the same way that he is a boy. Her words.
Rob,
How is Schuyler liking her new year in school. Keep us posted?
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