Monday, April 15, 2013
This video tells the story of second-grader Penelope, and what it means for her as a student with disabilities to be fully included at Willard Elementary School.
This is a story about a 2nd grade student with disabilities, Penelope, who is fully included into her home school of Willard Elementary School in Evanston, Illinois. In this piece, Matt and Megan Lassman discuss what they went through as parents to get to this place. Including Penelope full time with her classmates shows that the benefits are two way. Integrating her with her peers allows for improved understanding, tolerance, patience and the possibility for friendship beyond what some might have thought possible. Please watch, comment and share. www.pepsiwithbrigid.com
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Evanston Patch bloggers Patrick and Brigid sit down to discuss his trips to Haiti after the earthquake, Bangladesh to learn of solutions to poverty and finally his work with the organization RESULTS.
Have you ever thought about what is being done about poverty? Both domestically and globally? Or wanted to help, but didn’t know where to start? Me too. Traveling to Haiti after the devastating earthquake revealed some disturbing but also inspiring images. I saw the destruction that this natural phenomenon left in its path. I saw the suffering and terror that had filled the country. But I also witnessed hope and action. An organization based in Evanston, IL, called the Haitian Congress invited me down there to observe and help. I got to see first hand how the world responds to disasters such as this. It left me with many questions. This video blog post is about not only my trip to Haiti, but also an organization called RESULTS. …
Monday, June 11, 2012
Patrick Hughes and his mother, Brigid Hughes, explore issues people with disabilities have in navigating the world. Today, they discussed the FDR Memorial with his granddaughter. Did you know the original memorial didn't show his disability?
This week we discussed the FDR Memorial with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, one of FDR’s grandchildren. Anna has been associated with the Roosevelt Institute for over 30 years and is currently the CEO of Goodwill Industries of Northern New England. At Goodwill, she works on inclusion and employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The FDR Memorial in Washington DC was originally commissioned without any image of disability. The disability community felt that the memorial was not complete without this image, and members of the disability community, along with Anna Eleanor Roosevelt and her cousins, advocated for an additional statue to be placed at the entrance of the memorial. The statue, which depicts FDR in a wheelchair, is the …
Sunday, May 20, 2012
By law, gas stations are required to pump gas for drivers with disabilities (15 million) when there is more than one employee on duty. In this story, Brigid drives with Paralympic athlete Linda Mastandrea to experience firsthand the barriers Linda faces
Please meet Linda Mastandrea, attorney, author and athlete who has won 15 gold and five Silver medals in wheelchair track. By every standard, Linda is an accomplished person. And yet…like 15 million other Americans with disabilities, Linda finds it to be a challenge every time she gets gas at the pump. While gas stations are everywhere - there were 159,000 retail fueling stations in 2010 – gas station access is almost nowhere for drivers with disabilities. This, despite the fact that there has been a law in place for more than 21 years requiring refueling assistance at the pump for drivers with disabilities. For those who were wounded fighting our wars, for our parents needing assistance, for our children injured playing sports, buying …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
My parents, Pat and Brigid Hughes, talk about my brother Brian, who battled mental illness and AIDS. They discuss raising Brian and how they knew from the beginning that he needed more support than their other seven children.
My parents Pat and Brigid Hughes sat down with me to discuss what it was like to raise a child with mental illness. It has been five years since my brother Brian died and yesterday (April 24th) would have been his 43rd birthday. I felt compelled to share his story with you. I think about my brother all the time. He is with me everyday in my business life and my personal life. I am forever grateful to my parents for making Brian part of our lives, and for their extraordinary generosity in sharing his story with people we have yet to meet. Please watch this video to meet my brother Brian and our parents. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9BmP5Ex6So] After I shot 40 minutes of video interviews with my parents, I struggled to tell …
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Seven years ago, the Lassmans daughter Penelope was born with multiple disabilities and there began a wild road of navigating the world anew. In this video — part of a new Patch series by Patrick and Brigid Hughes — the Lassmans discuss their experiences.
Each week, my mom, Brigid, and I post stories about how disabilities impact people's lives. We look at how businesses work to make their buildings and practices more inclusive and we also look at things many people think about but might be afraid to talk about. Our hope is that these video stimulate conversation, so please leave your thoughts in the comments below. This week, please meet the Lassmans. I met Matt Lassman about 20 years ago and we have stayed in touch over the years. Seven years ago, when their first daughter Penelope was born, they began a new journey into the world of disability and they have invited me into their lives. In this video they talk with Brigid about what happened when Penelope was born, the shock, the …
Mayre Press
4:23 pm on Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Really enjoyed the video about Penelope's journey to inclusiveness at Willard School. Hope other readers will make time to view this tender story. Kudos to District 65 administrators for stepping up for this little girl. Despite the hardships she has faced, she maintains a joyful spirit. We can all learn from her. more ›