Intro to Disability studies

For another one of my classes we had to create a list of things that can value or devalue certain groups of people.  These were not our opinions only things we though society could or would come up with.  What are your thoughts on the list.

college students
Value:
Striving to contribute to society
Hard working
Problem solvers

Devalue:
Self centered
Rowdy
Quick to judge

people with mental illness
Value:
Accepting
Open to change
Understanding

Devalue:
Constantly need help
Dependant on others
Strange

bankers
Value:
Good with math
Conscientious
Organized

Devalue:
Need everything in neat categories
Aloof
Stingy

people who are homeless
Value:
Experience surviving
Wisdom
Non judgmental

Devalue:
Unproductive
Drain on society
Worthless

adults with cerebral palsy
Value:
Perseverant
Open to try new things
Intelligent

Devalue:
Needy
May need constant attention
Helpless
1. the family next door consists of a mom, a dad and two children, one of whom is blind
Happy
Stable family
Accepting of differences
Not Happy
Heightened vigilance while performing outdoor activities
Stressed neighbors from dealing with their child’s disability

2. the people next door are four college students
Happy
Same age range as myself
Same likes dislikes
Not Happy
Party time
Untidy

3. the family next door consists of a dad and a child with Down syndrome
Happy
Good to see a single dad raising his child
Exposure to different types of children for our kids
Unhappy
Stressed single parent
Possible precautions we must take to protect the child
4. the house next door is a group home for four children with physical disabilities
Happy
Good that the children have a stable home
Positive environment the neighborhood can provide for them
Unhappy
Possible disruptions that could come from the home eg noise
Construction on the home to accommodate the children’s disabilities.

5. next door live three adults with mental retardation
Happy
Striving to live on their own in society
Always trying to do better
Unhappy
Inability to affectively communicate with them
Unknown how they will respond to our children or animals and the possible negative implications of both.

6. next door is a hospice for four adults with AIDS
Happy
Providing adequate care for people in need
Providing a service to the community
Unhappy
Possibility of infection
Lack of understanding in the community

Creating the feed back tool

After creating the tool for this week I found it very fun to send and recieve feed back.  The tool allows for some customization around color and layout.  I changed the color of mine.  It was very intersting to add the html portion for the feed back choices.

Week nine

Well we are near the end of the semester and we are using Java this week to update our websites.  I found the use of color and font really interesting.  I had no idea really how websites created the look that they have, but now I have a little appreciation for what web designers go through to create a site that is visually pleasing.

Jquery

This assignment was the hardest of the semester.  I didn't think after watching the videos it would be that hard.  I had trouble getting not only my blue borders to show up but also posting the game to the web site and getting it to work.  I know from all the emails lots of other folks had problems, it is good that you all worked together to solve the problems with the assignment.

Web Applications

After completing this weeks task of finding and reporting on a web application it amazes me what is out there on the Internet.  There are applications that will do almost anything.  I reviewed an application that will create multiple choice tests and vary the order in which the answers show, I thought, for a free program that was pretty good.

Apartment Prices

Has anyone recently priced apartments in the metro-west area?  They are outrageous.  $1300 for a one bed one bath apartment?  It seems a lot to me.  What do you thing is that a lot.  I am looking for an apartment now, and I was considering a two bed two bath but they start at $1500 and go up plus utilites etc.  Maybe it is just that the current economic crisis has forced them to raises rents?  I know many places don't even have open apartments because people are too strapped to move out, so this could be driving the premium price tag on the open apartments.

Media Convergance

The Internet has obviously had an affect on all aspects of media. Some major areas where the internet has changed how the majority of people access media are the areas of music and news.
I can remember a time when you actually had to drive your car to a store to purchase a new cd, and if you wanted an old cd it would take multiple phone calls or trips to different stores to locate the cd you were looking for. Now we have many options that deliver music over our Internet connection from I tunes to Amazon. We have easy access to a wide catalogue of music spanning generations and genres. This trend has also helped to consolidate the industry, they no longer need vast distribution networks and some artists now only release their albums through online venues.

The second large area where internet has become a dominant player is news media. Cable and broadcast outlets all employee some form of web-site with up to date information on the current news. Some especially the cable outlets may have streaming video of their live news programming.

Copy right law has had to evolve at a fairly rapid pace to keep up with the internet, I can remember in high school being able to download songs for free from file sharing sites without much concern, but now if I was doing that I would really take a step back and say is this worth the RIAA coming after me? I believe artists and companies have a right to enforce their copy rights. I also agree that people are subject to the laws of the country in which they reside. Copy right laws are there to protect everyone not just super rich artists or recording industry executives. Some day one of us could have and idea and we would benefit from these same protections. While the constant flux of the internet has allowed easy and free access to copy right material I think in the near future companies and law enforcement will catch up with the trend and we will see a marked decrease in the availability of pirate material.