Comments for Life in Orillia http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog Living life in Orillia - business, leisure, photography, and rants Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:06:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 Comment on Back to the Huronia Regional Center (Opinion) by K Cole http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/2009/07/28/back-to-the-huronia-regional-center/comment-page-1/#comment-512 K Cole Tue, 04 Aug 2009 22:08:57 +0000 http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/?p=330#comment-512 I was a student at Georgian in the late 80's and did a rotation at HRC, all I saw were a lot of concerned staff that tried to help each resident become a better person. If that meant holding a spoon to eat, or leading the way from one activity to the next. Residents had a lot of room to learn and were encouraged every day. I did see some staff that had been there for many years (20 +) that were a little hardenend by the long years. They did not stop anyone from doing the little extras to make life good for the residents. Behaviour problems of residents is the same at HRC or in a small group home. In the HRC, staff are trained how to handle this situation, but in small group homes (which I have also worked in), have untrained staff and the turn over rate is high. In HRC, some staff have been there as long as some of the residents and have become friends. In group homes, staff are there one day and gone the next. There are pros and cons to both. Institution life is bad, but so is group home life. I also do not have an answer to the problem. Life on the street in normal homes is not a bed of roses, at least in the HRC, residents were protected from the outside world, and did have more accepting, understanding people that they came in cotact with. I was a student at Georgian in the late 80’s and did a rotation at HRC, all I saw were a lot of concerned staff that tried to help each resident become a better person. If that meant holding a spoon to eat, or leading the way from one activity to the next. Residents had a lot of room to learn and were encouraged every day. I did see some staff that had been there for many years (20 +) that were a little hardenend by the long years. They did not stop anyone from doing the little extras to make life good for the residents. Behaviour problems of residents is the same at HRC or in a small group home. In the HRC, staff are trained how to handle this situation, but in small group homes (which I have also worked in), have untrained staff and the turn over rate is high. In HRC, some staff have been there as long as some of the residents and have become friends. In group homes, staff are there one day and gone the next. There are pros and cons to both. Institution life is bad, but so is group home life. I also do not have an answer to the problem. Life on the street in normal homes is not a bed of roses, at least in the HRC, residents were protected from the outside world, and did have more accepting, understanding people that they came in cotact with.

]]> Comment on Red and White Skies by Annette http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/2009/07/30/red-and-white-skies/comment-page-1/#comment-465 Annette Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:24:41 +0000 http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/?p=349#comment-465 Great pictures. Great pictures.

]]> Comment on From Over Orillia by Tyr http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/2008/10/29/from-over-orillia/comment-page-1/#comment-442 Tyr Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:52:57 +0000 http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/?p=181#comment-442 I understand that your family lived off the income from hrc, and the commitment that your husband had to some of the residents. I do not wish to diminish that, but an insitution is never a good place. I am amazed by the depth of grace that survivors who have lived to tell are able to summon in the face of such a place. I know there is kindness in humanity then. However, when you look beneath the well groomed grounds and your nostalgia, when survivors talk to each other about the things that happened there that only they experienced, that they were not allowed to talk about, or just can't. Things that would and should haunt us all. I bet your husband has a few horror stories too. What about the punishments? the cribs? time out rooms? the food? denying and fearing peoples sexuality? medical experiments? teeth removals done for convenience in feeding people, taking away peoples only self defense? sterilizations? suicides? the total control, having no actual choices about your life? (except maybe whether to rock in this hallway or that room-- we rock babies to soothe them, and people rock to ease the pain of confinement, its not necessarily a 'disability' thing). You make it sound so dreamy, but would you want to live there? As a society, we and our government allowed this to go on, far too long, manufacturing the belief it was a good idea, even necessary, people were 'cared' for, even had a 'community'. How do you look at a person with a disability now, maybe someone who goes to school, has dreams for their future and, hopefully, friends and support to face the ablist and oppressive world that has 'evolved' while 'people like them' were being locked up and disappeared from their families and communities. A lot of people died there you know. There are a lot of unmarked graves, a lot of untold histories, a lot of lives cut way too short. Would you want to die there, another number, and be buried across the road where the forced work camp / farm used to be? Who would come to visit? Who remembers you and all the contributions you made during this short time on earth? Life is too precious to waste, but you wouldnt get that from the hrc mission statement. I for one, sleep a bit better now knowing its closed, but still knowing how much work really remains. I think the property should be given to the survivors to decide what to do with it, i bet theres a few who would like to blow it up. Those are my passionate thoughts on a familiar landscape. Thanks for reading. I understand that your family lived off the income from hrc, and the commitment that your husband had to some of the residents. I do not wish to diminish that, but an insitution is never a good place. I am amazed by the depth of grace that survivors who have lived to tell are able to summon in the face of such a place. I know there is kindness in humanity then. However, when you look beneath the well groomed grounds and your nostalgia, when survivors talk to each other about the things that happened there that only they experienced, that they were not allowed to talk about, or just can’t. Things that would and should haunt us all. I bet your husband has a few horror stories too. What about the punishments? the cribs? time out rooms? the food? denying and fearing peoples sexuality? medical experiments? teeth removals done for convenience in feeding people, taking away peoples only self defense? sterilizations? suicides? the total control, having no actual choices about your life? (except maybe whether to rock in this hallway or that room– we rock babies to soothe them, and people rock to ease the pain of confinement, its not necessarily a ‘disability’ thing). You make it sound so dreamy, but would you want to live there? As a society, we and our government allowed this to go on, far too long, manufacturing the belief it was a good idea, even necessary, people were ‘cared’ for, even had a ‘community’. How do you look at a person with a disability now, maybe someone who goes to school, has dreams for their future and, hopefully, friends and support to face the ablist and oppressive world that has ‘evolved’ while ‘people like them’ were being locked up and disappeared from their families and communities. A lot of people died there you know. There are a lot of unmarked graves, a lot of untold histories, a lot of lives cut way too short. Would you want to die there, another number, and be buried across the road where the forced work camp / farm used to be? Who would come to visit? Who remembers you and all the contributions you made during this short time on earth? Life is too precious to waste, but you wouldnt get that from the hrc mission statement. I for one, sleep a bit better now knowing its closed, but still knowing how much work really remains. I think the property should be given to the survivors to decide what to do with it, i bet theres a few who would like to blow it up. Those are my passionate thoughts on a familiar landscape. Thanks for reading.

]]> Comment on From Over Orillia by MR WARREN A FACEY http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/2008/10/29/from-over-orillia/comment-page-1/#comment-330 MR WARREN A FACEY Sat, 04 Apr 2009 03:38:01 +0000 http://photographyofgrace.com/OrilliaBlog/?p=181#comment-330 I LIKE SAY THANKYOU FOR YOUR HELP WENT I HAD LIVE IN THERE FROM(1961)TO(1981)AND I WENT TO(EDGAR)FROM TIME OF WENT IT WAS OVER TO(1997)THAT WAS LONG TIME OF WENT MY(MOM)AND(DAD)HAD GOT ME THERE NOW I GOT GOOD JOB WITH(TRAIN)WORKING FOR THEM IS(VIA)(RAILWAY)(CANADA) THAT ONE(JOB)I WON*T GIVE UP AS I LIKE(JOB)I WILL KEEP IT FOR GOOD FOR LONG TIME I SEE YOU WERE OPEN FOR LONG TIME MORE THAN OVER(120)(YEARS)BUT THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO ASK OF ALL THAT WAS(48)(YEARS)TO(ME)ONLY AND I LIKE TO SAY(THANKYOU)VERY(MUSH)FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR ME AND GOOD(LUCK)TO ALL OF YOU AND I HOPE YOU(STAFF) WILL GET MORE(JOB)SOON THAT I LIKE TO SAY YOU(STAFF) ONLY AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL ONLY. (THANKYOU) WARREN ARTHUR (FACEY.) I LIKE SAY THANKYOU FOR YOUR HELP WENT I HAD LIVE IN
THERE FROM(1961)TO(1981)AND I WENT TO(EDGAR)FROM TIME
OF WENT IT WAS OVER TO(1997)THAT WAS LONG TIME OF WENT
MY(MOM)AND(DAD)HAD GOT ME THERE NOW I GOT GOOD JOB WITH(TRAIN)WORKING FOR THEM IS(VIA)(RAILWAY)(CANADA)
THAT ONE(JOB)I WON*T GIVE UP AS I LIKE(JOB)I WILL KEEP
IT FOR GOOD FOR LONG TIME I SEE YOU WERE OPEN FOR LONG
TIME MORE THAN OVER(120)(YEARS)BUT THIS IS WHAT I WANT
TO ASK OF ALL THAT WAS(48)(YEARS)TO(ME)ONLY AND I LIKE
TO SAY(THANKYOU)VERY(MUSH)FOR EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR ME AND GOOD(LUCK)TO ALL OF YOU AND I HOPE YOU(STAFF)
WILL GET MORE(JOB)SOON THAT I LIKE TO SAY YOU(STAFF)
ONLY AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL ONLY.

(THANKYOU)
WARREN ARTHUR (FACEY.)

]]>