Mike was a very popular guy when I used to visit him in his group home. I imagine that he still is. Pretty good for a guy who doesn’t talk. When I lived close by, I frequently got calls about Mike’s condition, usually if he had a seizure or a cut or a bruise. He […]
Sharing How do you know if the ‘red’ I see is the same ‘red’ you see? Does it matter? It wouldn’t matter for people who with similar ‘sensibilities’.[1] This topic would rarely come up, especially between two people with normal color vision. I don’t believe it would even come up in a conversation between a […]
What is it like to be Michael? He doesn’t have language skill, as he has never spoken. If he thinks at all it is probably not in words. If Michael imagines, how does he do it? Is it visual? His visual equipment is not like mine. Mike’s eyes seem to be independent of each other. […]
This is how I remember most of the moments between Dad and Mike. Dad, although tireless, seldom connected with Mike. Was it Mike being rebellious or uncomprehending? I know that I rebelled at times. Did Dad expect too much and demand that things be only his way? Was he the uncomprehending one? When I used […]
Dad never gave up. One would think that after so many years, he would. But he must have thought there was hope of some kind. The particulars escape me, but I remember that he always played with Michael and he always wanted to visit him at Willowbrook. When he was placed in a group home, […]
I was killing my brother. We were both characters in an opera and I was supposed to be acting only I couldn’t be a total actor, and he wouldn’t die. I kept squeezing and squeezing him. I had to, but I couldn’t So I thought he was dead and I ran away, up the fire escape to the building which […]
I mentioned a few posts ago that I should reallyretrieve my journals. I am sure they are laden with details about the first dance I attended with my older brother. It was wintertime and I arrived at the lodge first. I didn’t know if Michael was looking forward to it or if he even knew […]
At Mike’s home, the people who took care of him taught him to do a ‘high five’. Michael liked to hold his other hand over his ear. Was he listening to something? Was it a habit? I suppose that he felt most comfortable that way. One of his housemates used to put his arm behind […]
My Vacation with Michael – Part 2 The following was taken from notes I made at the time of my outing with Michael. I got permission from his group home manager to accompany him on a vacation with other clients from group homes in the area. We went from Queens, NY to somewhere in Pennsylvania. […]
The following was taken from notes I made when I went on a trip with my brother Michael. I got permission from his group home manager to accompany him on a vacation with other clients from group homes in his area. We were going from Queens, New York to somewhere in Pennsylvania. Documenting the trip […]
