Humanity

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

This item originally posted here:

War or humanity?

* 95% of the human population scores between 70-130 on the IQ tests used to test those without significant learning differences. Superior intelligence (110-120) and Very Superior intelligence (above 128) are still within this 95% of the human population range, so relatively common!
* 65% of the general human population use visual thinking and visual learning as their primary systems and strategies (no wonder we have so many people who work in engineering and advertising).
* 36% of human beings may be considered talented and those considered gifted at around 17% of the general population.
* 7% of human beings are left handers and predominantly right brain thinkers… making them usually details oriented.
* 5% of people have the sensory crossovers of Synesthesia.
* 5% of children have Eidetic (Photographic) memory.
* Other forms of exceptional memory also occur across the human population.
* 1% of the general population are so Conscientious they fit OCPD, Obsessive Compulsive Personality Disorder (this goes up to 3-10% of psychiatric outpatients).

But if all that floats your boat here’s another few statistics about high achievers and exceptionality.

* 1% of human beings fit Narcissistic Personality Disorder (goes up to 2-16% in clinical settings) .
* 1% of human beings fit psychopathy with 17% of prison inmates also fitting psychopathy.

It may well be all about perspective… and keeping a sense of it.

Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed.
Author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
Autism consultant and public speaker.

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

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Autistics, X-Men, Indigos and Diversity

Any person made homeless through eviction should be given a voucher for a camping store so they are least have a tent and bedding.

All homeless people should be sponsored for a free P.O Box to get mail

All homeless people should be provided with a facility to retrieve employment related phone messages through their most local library

If you run a radio program, feature homeless people, air their stories, their hopes and provide a contact people for those willing to give them opportunities.

People could leave ‘free to good home’ recyclables on park benches for homeless people to gather as they wished.

People with used musical instruments or art materials could leave them for artistically talented homeless people to use for busking so they didn’t have to ‘just beg’.

Those with room for a pet could offer to foster the pets of homeless people unable to house or look after them, with Sunday morning visits available on the front lawn.

Unwanted bicycles could be gathered so homeless people who can’t afford transport can use them to get around in seeking jobs.

Churches could run monthly Sunday after service auctions of donated goods with all proceeds to benefit services for those homeless in the area.

Whenever you stay in a hotel/motel, gather the excess bread rolls, butter, jam samples and leave them on a park bench on the street for the homeless to enjoy.

Whenever you fly and get free wash bags, combs, toothpaste, socks, earplugs, sleep masks, then you didn’t use them, leave them on a park bench next time you’re out walking.

If you see cheap picnic sets and picnic blankets at garage sales or charity shops, donate one to a homeless parent living in a car so they can at least take their kids for a picnic in the park.

If you have excess writing pads, pens, even pads of recycled paper, leave them for homeless people on park benches so they can write poetry, signs, letters, job seeker advertisements, skills lists, prioritize their thoughts, counsel themselves through journaling.

If your kids have 10 balls and only need 2, leave 8 in the park so homeless people can play ball.

If you have self help books, novels, kids books, books of affirmations, any books, leave them in a water proof bag on a park bench so homeless people can explore them, lift their spirits, may even adopt one as a valued possession, mental escape or solace.

All those freebie PR drink bottles… don’t want or need them? Then leave them on a park bench so a homeless person can fill them with water which is healthier and cost free compared to canned drinks.

Got a rucksack or wheel-able suitcase you don’t need. Leave them opened (so its clear there’s no bombs inside!) on a park bench so homeless people can take them to carry their possessions without a supermarket trolley.

Got reasonable hairdressing skills? Have your local church give you lawn space to offer free haircuts to homeless people once a month.

Got a second or third set of shaving equipment you didn’t need last birthday? More towels, soaps or handkerchiefs you already have excess of? Leave them on the local park bench for homeless people to find.

Got more constructive ideas? Feel free to post them in the comments!

Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed.
Author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
Autism consultant and public speaker.

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

This item originally posted here:

Think you can’t help the homeless…

ACCESS GRID

However, VPAC in Melbourne provides international video conferencing facilities via Access Grid so I can affordably do high quality live video presentations anywhere in the world, and be kind to the environment!

http://www.vpac.org/viscollab

What’s required your end is that you use a venue with Access Grid facilities. There will be several universities which have these facilities and VPAC can tell you which venues have this in your country.

The Access Grid facility has allowed me to present to vast audiences in the US and Singapore. I appear live on the big screen and can take questions directly and see audience members at my end just as they see me on the big screen at their end.

My speaker’s fee for live international presentations via this medium would be only $250 (AUD) but hosts have to cover the fee for using Access Grid facilities and tech support at their own end.

If you are interested, contact Lev at VPAC and explore this possibility.

X-MEETING

The other possibility is using a technology called X-Meeting. This was recently used by Autism NZ to link up meeting rooms across 8 locations across NZ using what’s called a ‘bridge’ as part of a system called H.323. Each location could see me on the screen and interact directly with me in real time to ask their questions and have me answer them. For more information about X-Meeting discuss this or Access Grid facilities with a Tech support agency in your country. In terms of costs at my end, there’s only my lecture fee of $250 (AUD). At your end you’d be paying a Tech support person to facilitate the link ups. There fees will range but may be very reasonable and certainly a fraction of the cost of flying a speaker to your country.

SKYPE

Skype is a means of doing online audio-video meet ups or typed chat in ‘real time’. This means we could see and hear each other directly and I can visually demonstrate techniques to you. You can download Skype for free here:

Both consultations with families (or groups) or Skype lectures and Q-A sessions are all done in ‘real time’ so we would have to match up our time zones and make an appointment to meet on Skype. I’m in Melbourne, Australia. You could check time zone match ups using the ‘Meeting Planner’ tool here: Essentially, you pick a match up time during reasonable business hours (between 9am- 5pm) here in Melbourne if possible. You can then feel free to then book and pay for your hour then email me at bookings(at)donnawilliams.net . I’ll find us an appointment time to meet up on Skype and swap Skype addresses. I’ve done live Skype lecture/Q-A sessions between Australia and the USA and within Australia between states. Less reliable than Access Grid or X-Meeting technologies, the Skype link ups did work and we had a conference phone system in place in case we lost the connection so audio continued until the video came back online. The advantage of a Skype lecture is other than my fee as a presenter there’s generally no cost involved for tech support as its very DIY.

In terms of cost a Skype consultation is only $60 (AUD) including if its for a small group of up to 10 that you’ve gathered at your end. For lectures with larger groups, a Skype lecture/Q-A session is the same as any other online live video link up. It’s $250 AUD.

If you want to book one of these contact me via email: bookings@donnawilliams.net

Warmly,

Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed.
Author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
Autism consultant and public speaker.

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

This item originally posted here:

Donna Williams’ international lectures

In terms of foreignness, many people are extremely alienated from DID, yet can cope with PTSD which is also on the spectrum of dissociative disorders. They can cope with OCPD and AvPD which are personality disorders but are nervous of NPD, BPD or sociopathy which are also personality disorders. They can cope with depression but are nervous of bipolar. They can cope with mental breakdown but are nervous of schizophrenia. They can cope with anxiety disorders but struggle with suicide or self harm. They can cope with alcoholism but struggle with drug addictions.

It’s as if they have such a hierarchy of mental illnesses. People may want those with mental illness to hide the issues they live with. But if we were in a wheelchair would we be expected to hide it? If we were pregnant, gay, blond, atheist, would we expected to hide those too? I think the biggest disability is being a bigot. I think if we can collectively help people overcome bigotry they and we will all be more comfortable.

I am diagnosed with DID as well as autism.

Dissociative Identity Disorder is a DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER and part of a SPECTRUM of DISSOCIATIVE DISORDERS… so is PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and all human beings dissociate, especially before age 5.

Autistic children dissociate more than most due to chronic stress and information overload. This does not mean they develop DID though, like any co-morbid condition some have been diagnosed with both conditions. The tendency of those with autism to dissociate more commonly than other children means they would be more at risk of dissociative disorders along the spectrum of dissociative disorders just as they are also more prone to anxiety disorders (and dissociation is a response to chronic anxiety).

The spectrum of dissociative disorders includes Derealisation, Depersonalisation and also PTSD. PTSD commonly effects those who have been subject to things like chronic bullying, restraint, even overly intensive interventions a child may find disempowering or traumatizing.

Next along the spectrum of dissociative disorders is DD Nos… a sort of lesser developed form of DID. DID is one of the most severe Dissociative Disorders with the most severe of the dissociative disorders being Polyfragmented DID.

Hence only those who have experienced severe ongoing trauma usually would develop a dissociative disorder as severe as DID. It is believed that 25% of chronically abused children develop it and that there are predispositions toward dissociation. Child abuse does not discriminate. It effects all kinds of children, including those with developmental disabilities. Child abuse does not cause autism, but there is a higher rate of child abuse of children with developmental disabilities than of typically developing children and a higher rate of children with disabilities going into care as a result. The murders of autistic children are testimony to this truth, a truth we must face.

One of the reasons people fear the DISSOCIATIVE DISORDER of DID is that it used to be called MPD (then wrongly believe to be a personality disorder). DID was also often confused with BPD (a personality disorder) or Schizophrenia (a psychosis) but is now differentiated from both though some people will have both or even all three and others will just have DID.

DID is part of a SPECTRUM of dissociative disorders where MPD was not considered part of a spectrum and was deemed a personality disorder. These days people diagnose DID, not MPD as they feel MPD was an anomaly, a misunderstanding of DID within the spectrum of dissociative disorders.

The mental disorders are many – dissociative disorders, identity disorders, personality disorders, compulsive disorders, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic disorders… none is actually nicer, neater, cleaner, trendier than another…. it depends on who has it, how they manage it, how they live along side of it.

those with autism often have AvPD or OCPD – personality disorders, or anxiety disorders or mood disorders or compulsive disorders or a combo of the lot – all of them MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS! So its about time we drew the line against bigotry and the purists.

Donna Williams *)
author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.

Ever the arty Autie.
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.myspace.com/donnaandtheaspinauts
http://www.auties.org

This item originally posted here:

Fear of co-morbid mental health issues and ignorance about dissociative disorders

The Queensland Government has launched an appeal to help fellow Queenslanders affected by the recent floods. Many communities have been devastated. Some families have lost everything. You can help make a difference by donating to the Premier’s Flood Relief Appeal.

At this time, the Queensland Government is inviting financial donations only. Unfortunately this appeal cannot accept donations of goods or services.

View organisations contributing over $10,000

Make a donation to the Premier’s Disaster relief appeal using a secure payment form.

Donate by phone
0600 – 2300 7 days on 1800 219 028

Donate by internet banking (including international):
The account details for donations are:

Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800

SWIFT code for international donations: CTBAAU2S

Once your transaction is complete, you should record the receipt number for your transaction. If you do not receive a receipt number, contact your financial institution.

If you would like a receipt for tax purposes, please forward a request, with proof of donation to:

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002
International donations

The account details international for donations are:

Account Name: Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
BSB: 064 013
Account number: 1000 6800
SWIFT code: CTBAAU2S
Donate by mail

You can post a cheque donation – please do not send cash.

Cheques should be made payable to:

The Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
ABN: 69 689 161 916

Cheques should be posted to:

Premier’s Disaster Relief Appeal
C/O Department of the Premier and Cabinet
PO Box 15185
City East QLD 4002
Donate in person

Donations can be made at:

* Commonwealth Bank
* NAB
* Westpac
* ANZ
* BOQ
* Suncorp
* St.George Bank
* Bank SA (Bank of South Australia)
* Australian Central Credit Union
* Savings & Loans Credit Union
* Bank West
* Australian Central Credit Union
* Savings & Loans Credit Union
* Coles supermarkets.

This item originally posted here:

Devastation in QLD and how you can help

Madly and warmly,

Donna et al.
Donna Williams, BA Hons, Dip Ed.
Author, artist, singer-songwriter, screenwriter.
Autism consultant and public speaker.

http://www.myspace.com/nobodynowherethefilm
http://www.donnawilliams.net
http://www.aspinauts.com

This item originally posted here:

Christmas Madness

I’m writing because many of us are upset about the statements coming out of the US branding WikiLeaks a terrorist organisation and calling for its founder, Australian citizen Julian Assange, to be thrown in Guantanamo Bay–or even be assassinated.

What’s worse, our Government is selling Assange down the river. So, I’ve signed up to a statement condemning these outrageous calls from the US already joined by tens of thousands of Australians. It will be printed in a full page ad in New York Times next week, and we need as many names behind it as possible!

Can you join me? Just click on the link below. It will only take you a moment to sign up and have your voice counted in one of the most powerful newspapers in the United States:

http://www.getup.org.au/campaign/WikiLeaks

Thank you for joining me!

reprinted from GetUp.

This item originally posted here:

Wikileaks – America crosses the line

My husband Chris Samuel and I had dinner with Anne each month for the past 3 years together with her friends and family of 30 years, Rosemary Crossley and Chris Borthwick who she lived with.

Anne was fun, deep, witty, a brutal realist and a comrade in so many ways. We will miss her and our deepest feelings are with Rosemary Crossley and Chris Borthwick who have lost this essential 30 year member of their family, and to Anne’s many friends.

Anne had a good life after she left St Nicholas hell hole. She lived with two wonderful, warm, eccentric, engaging egalitarians, the irrepressible Rosemary Crossley and the equally unstoppable Chris Borthwick in a marvelously eccentric old Victorian house in inner Melbourne. She was actively involved with DEAL Communication Centre a regular theatre and gallery goer, had an enviable sense of eccentric fashion, an unrivaled collection of Mona Lisa paraphernalia, and a sometimes gob smacking acid wit.

Anne enjoyed her Kahlua and her friends and was sometimes a charming flirt. She was a passionate humanitarian, egalitarian, freedom fighter. Best of all she was a marvelous dag. My most valued memory of Anne was when I got the others to get her up onto the trampoline with me at Rosemary’s so I could share the fun and bounce her. The grin on her face and the happy sounds… that’s how I will remember her.

For two people so different our lives had a lot of parallels and though we didn’t often communicate that directly (Anne would use assisted typing and a letterboard) but so very often there was a non-verbal awareness of this for each of us. So for me she is an irreplaceable comrade.

So many people will miss her, among them will be me.

My husband Chris Samuel, another friend of Anne’s, wrote a memorial to her which you are welcome to read.

Donna Williams.
http://www.donnawilliams.net

This item originally posted here:

Anne Mc Donald; activist, advocate, author, art lover and fabulous dag

Here’s the video clip made by Oz Thomas, a colorful human and a wonderful poet in his own right.

This item originally posted here:

Ladies and Gentlemen , welcome to the war