Saturday, August 12, 2006
Brussels, the beginning...
Here are the beginning of the Brussels pictures. I will post the churches separately since we saw so many of them. Most of this pictures were taken either in the Grand Place (square) or within a 10 minute walk of it.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
The tower
As you may have noticed from the previous pictures of the Koln cathedral, it has a few very high towers. I paid the 2 Euro to climb the open one. The stairway was very narrow and I got dizzy at times. However, I was well rewarded once I got to the top. Once I got most of the way up, I got to see the bell room. It was interesting to see the huge main bell and then the smaller bells near it. I couldn’t get a good picture of the room because I don’t have a wide enough angle lens. On the way down, we had to wait a bit for a group of people to come up. The stairway was so narrow that really one person could climb at a time and the other had to move out of the way. At one point, I had been stopped for a while to let a lot of people through. A lady then asked me in (American) English to keep moving in a really snotty voice. I told her that I needed to wait since I was on a particularly narrow part and the people in front of me had stopped. And people wonder how Americans get a bad name…
Cathedral
This trip was about beer, chocolate, and churches. We went to loads of churches. I have lost count of just how many we visited. I also took a little trip to Koln to visit the cathedral there since it is a Unesco World Heritage site. I thought that it would be my first World Heritage site but when I got home and looked online, I was wrong. I have been to three other sites already: the Olympic National Park in Washington state, USA, the fjords in Norway, and the Giant's Causeway.
Anyway, I took a little side trip. This is an amazing cathedral and the highest that I have ever seen. I was surprised that it was right by the train station. I could see it from the train. It was also right on the river and in the middle of the city. Stores even attached themselves to the church!
Anyway, I took a little side trip. This is an amazing cathedral and the highest that I have ever seen. I was surprised that it was right by the train station. I could see it from the train. It was also right on the river and in the middle of the city. Stores even attached themselves to the church!
Hotel Confusion
When we book hotels, we frequently do this online. In the past, this has worked out well. This trip, it caused a bit of confusion. First, I booked my hotel in Dusseldorf and very carefully followed the directions provided online once I got there. Two people helped me find my way, one a very nice guy who spoke pretty good English. This guy happened to be going to the same stop as I needed so he told me when to get off the tram and made sure that I knew where I was going.
So, I got off the tram and kept walking. And walking. And walking. I followed the directions but I didn't see the Hotel Eden. I walked all over the area carrying a heavy bag and backpack. And it was hot outside. Finally, I went into the one hotel that I found in the area and conveniently was about the location as my directions. I asked if they knew where my hotel was. The lady looked at my sheet and said that the hotel I was in used to be the Hotel Eden but wasn't anymore. She then asked me a couple times if I had a booking in that hotel. She checked to make sure that I wasn't booked into the hotel that I was standing in and then phoned the Hotel Eden to see if I had a booking there. I did. She then gave me directions to my hotel. I had to take a different tram. I didn't see the tram line that I was supposed to get onto so I just walked.
While walking, a strange guy walked past me. He said something to me but I didn't understand since I don't speak German. I kept walking north, the way I needed to go. Finally, I saw another guy and asked him where my tram line was. However, he didn't speak English. I was able to figure out that a stop was still straight ahead. The strange guy was also waiting at the stop by the time I got to it. He asked me if I wanted coffee, I think. He didn't speak German or English but kept trying to talk to me. When we got off the tram, we got off at the same stop and he followed behind me. I stopped for ice cream so that he was ahead of me (and it was only 80 cents!).
Finally, totally sweaty, I found my hotel. And it was only a 10 minute walk from where I started!
So, I got off the tram and kept walking. And walking. And walking. I followed the directions but I didn't see the Hotel Eden. I walked all over the area carrying a heavy bag and backpack. And it was hot outside. Finally, I went into the one hotel that I found in the area and conveniently was about the location as my directions. I asked if they knew where my hotel was. The lady looked at my sheet and said that the hotel I was in used to be the Hotel Eden but wasn't anymore. She then asked me a couple times if I had a booking in that hotel. She checked to make sure that I wasn't booked into the hotel that I was standing in and then phoned the Hotel Eden to see if I had a booking there. I did. She then gave me directions to my hotel. I had to take a different tram. I didn't see the tram line that I was supposed to get onto so I just walked.
While walking, a strange guy walked past me. He said something to me but I didn't understand since I don't speak German. I kept walking north, the way I needed to go. Finally, I saw another guy and asked him where my tram line was. However, he didn't speak English. I was able to figure out that a stop was still straight ahead. The strange guy was also waiting at the stop by the time I got to it. He asked me if I wanted coffee, I think. He didn't speak German or English but kept trying to talk to me. When we got off the tram, we got off at the same stop and he followed behind me. I stopped for ice cream so that he was ahead of me (and it was only 80 cents!).
Finally, totally sweaty, I found my hotel. And it was only a 10 minute walk from where I started!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Dusseldorf
Dusseldorf Germany is a pretty city. It has a lot of bridges since it is on the Rhine River and has a nice Altstadt, or old town. The town square is also nice.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Pictures of the opening ceremony
Here are the pictures of the opening ceremony. I decided not to post the AAC band for confidentiality reasons. If you look closely at the bottom of the pictures of the black light show, you can see light from the displays on the communication devices.
Good to be home
Last night we got back from a long weekend in Brussels. It was a very interesting city and I took tons of pictures while I was gone. I have now transferred most of the pictures from my camera to the computer and will soon look at the images and rotate them. And then, I can post them!!!
I like to travel but it is always nice to come back home. I miss my pillow, my own bed (even though I don't like my bed here in Dublin) and my cats. Tiffin has grown while I was gone and Darshin missed me. He slept by me last night and managed to get me to pet him in my sleep!
The end of the conference was good. Last Tuesday, I took a river cruise. I brought my camera but only took a picture of the boat, which the current Pope had ridden on! I intended to take pictures but ended up talking the whole evening with other people who live in Dublin.
Wednesday, the conference had organized a night at a Dusseldorf brewery. It was also a good evening. I wish that I had taken my camera to the event because there was some interesting food served. Most of the buffet was good and there was a good variety. However, one of the things served disturbed me. It was some sort of minced/ground meat. I am not sure if it was cooked or not. It was also in shaped into a cylinder. On top of the cylinder of meat were two lettuce leaves, a round red thing in the end, and then another lettuce leave in the back. Think rabbit face and tail! Needless to say, I did not eat any of that thing. I did enjoy the apple strudel, though.
I like to travel but it is always nice to come back home. I miss my pillow, my own bed (even though I don't like my bed here in Dublin) and my cats. Tiffin has grown while I was gone and Darshin missed me. He slept by me last night and managed to get me to pet him in my sleep!
The end of the conference was good. Last Tuesday, I took a river cruise. I brought my camera but only took a picture of the boat, which the current Pope had ridden on! I intended to take pictures but ended up talking the whole evening with other people who live in Dublin.
Wednesday, the conference had organized a night at a Dusseldorf brewery. It was also a good evening. I wish that I had taken my camera to the event because there was some interesting food served. Most of the buffet was good and there was a good variety. However, one of the things served disturbed me. It was some sort of minced/ground meat. I am not sure if it was cooked or not. It was also in shaped into a cylinder. On top of the cylinder of meat were two lettuce leaves, a round red thing in the end, and then another lettuce leave in the back. Think rabbit face and tail! Needless to say, I did not eat any of that thing. I did enjoy the apple strudel, though.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Personal tour
On Monday, I walked from the train to the conference with someone who had been there before. Since I was talking, I didn't pay attention to where I was going. So, on Monday evening when I left the conference, I had no idea how to get back to the train. Ooops. I saw another person who was lost and we headed off. In the wrong direction. We ended up walking and walking along the Rhine, which was pretty, and finally saw a German guy on his bike and asked directions to the train. The other lady took the train and I opted to continue walking.
The German guy decided to ride his bike next to me as I walked. We walked all the way into the old town and he pointed out a lot of interesting things about the city and told me good places to get coffee and such. It was an interesting walk. Once in Old town, he decided that I had to have an Altbier, old beer. So we did. Then I had to have a shot. So we did. The shot I didn't like so much. Then I took the train back to my hotel.
During our walk/tour, he kept telling me how long things would take. I laughed a couple times because he would say if I wanted to go X way, it would be 4 minutes longer than Y way but X is prettier. However, he usually said it like I would be wasting time if I went the longer, prettier way. He never estimated times walking, either. It was 4 minutes, 12 minutes, etc. At one point when I smiled at his telling me how long something would take, I think he got a bit confused.
The reactions of citizens has been interesting to me. The people seem quite friendly and willing to help others. Even those who don't speak English have tried to help me when I ask for directions. A lot of people seem to speak English, though. I think some look at it as an opportunity to practice their English skills. I don't mind because I have had some interesting conversations.
The German guy decided to ride his bike next to me as I walked. We walked all the way into the old town and he pointed out a lot of interesting things about the city and told me good places to get coffee and such. It was an interesting walk. Once in Old town, he decided that I had to have an Altbier, old beer. So we did. Then I had to have a shot. So we did. The shot I didn't like so much. Then I took the train back to my hotel.
During our walk/tour, he kept telling me how long things would take. I laughed a couple times because he would say if I wanted to go X way, it would be 4 minutes longer than Y way but X is prettier. However, he usually said it like I would be wasting time if I went the longer, prettier way. He never estimated times walking, either. It was 4 minutes, 12 minutes, etc. At one point when I smiled at his telling me how long something would take, I think he got a bit confused.
The reactions of citizens has been interesting to me. The people seem quite friendly and willing to help others. Even those who don't speak English have tried to help me when I ask for directions. A lot of people seem to speak English, though. I think some look at it as an opportunity to practice their English skills. I don't mind because I have had some interesting conversations.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
You´ve got to want it
I have gone to many interesting seminars so far at my conference. I am trying to focus on practical sessions as well as hearing from those who either use AAC or are parents of people who use AAC. These perspectives are really useful to my work as a professional in the field. I have known for a while that when a client cannot communicate verbally, finding a method and having success with it can be tricky and time consuming.
There are so many factors that affect the successful communication of AAC users. First, and very importantly, are the perceptions and comfort level of their communication partners. If the partners do not respond to subtle (or not so subtle) attempts to communicate, the system will fail (usually leading to frustration or passiveness). When the partners are afraid or uncomfortable with the technology that my clients depend on to communicate, the user´s views of the system change. For example, in a previous job, I worked with some clients who were learning to have a conversation. However, when they asked some people who worked at their school a question to start the conversation, the adult just stood there frozen. The clients kept trying but eventually gave up since they weren´t getting a reaction from their partner. After a while, the adult´s perceptions of the client as a competent communicator changed as did their own comfort interacting this way. Therefore, the client became more competent as a communicator.
Today I went to a session hosted by a parent. She has a daughter who is learning to use a high tech device (computer with touchscreen). The daughter "plays" with the device often but that is OK. That is a language stage that children go through. However, many people do not understand this and think that a client has to be successful as soon as they get the device. I also went to a lecture presented by a woman with cerebral palsy. She has her PhD and is a professor in the U.S. but grew up in South Korea. She talked about her family and the importance of her parents advocating for her. At one point, she started to cry because the subject was so emotional for her. She was talking about her son and a conversation with him about her disability. When she was crying, her son brought her a tissue on stage. I think most people in the audience teared up. It was amazing to hear this woman´s story. She was the first person with a disability from South Korea to get a PhD. She was one of the first included in mainstream education.
Whenever I go to presentations about AAC, especially those by AAC users, I am struck with a few thoughts. One, we are incredibly lucky when we can communicate through speech. Two, people with severe speech and language impairments have to fight and struggle to get what they need. It takes them so much effort to communicate. In other words, they have to want it. Badly. Their desire to communicate also hits home just how basic of human needs connection and communication are.
There are so many factors that affect the successful communication of AAC users. First, and very importantly, are the perceptions and comfort level of their communication partners. If the partners do not respond to subtle (or not so subtle) attempts to communicate, the system will fail (usually leading to frustration or passiveness). When the partners are afraid or uncomfortable with the technology that my clients depend on to communicate, the user´s views of the system change. For example, in a previous job, I worked with some clients who were learning to have a conversation. However, when they asked some people who worked at their school a question to start the conversation, the adult just stood there frozen. The clients kept trying but eventually gave up since they weren´t getting a reaction from their partner. After a while, the adult´s perceptions of the client as a competent communicator changed as did their own comfort interacting this way. Therefore, the client became more competent as a communicator.
Today I went to a session hosted by a parent. She has a daughter who is learning to use a high tech device (computer with touchscreen). The daughter "plays" with the device often but that is OK. That is a language stage that children go through. However, many people do not understand this and think that a client has to be successful as soon as they get the device. I also went to a lecture presented by a woman with cerebral palsy. She has her PhD and is a professor in the U.S. but grew up in South Korea. She talked about her family and the importance of her parents advocating for her. At one point, she started to cry because the subject was so emotional for her. She was talking about her son and a conversation with him about her disability. When she was crying, her son brought her a tissue on stage. I think most people in the audience teared up. It was amazing to hear this woman´s story. She was the first person with a disability from South Korea to get a PhD. She was one of the first included in mainstream education.
Whenever I go to presentations about AAC, especially those by AAC users, I am struck with a few thoughts. One, we are incredibly lucky when we can communicate through speech. Two, people with severe speech and language impairments have to fight and struggle to get what they need. It takes them so much effort to communicate. In other words, they have to want it. Badly. Their desire to communicate also hits home just how basic of human needs connection and communication are.
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