Auti is the former dancer who crashed after selling her body for money. She's a paraplegic.
Angela, the quadriplegic, a former model, had those stem cell treatments in Panama ( I think) which restored she said lots of function. She had the money to undergo this back then -- about a decade ago. I sure wish I could afford it! "Getting the able bodied population to look at the population that uses w/c is extremely important in order to further the cause of things we need, ie public transportation, support, access to jobs, good medical care, etc." I agree, but this show doesn't help do that. No one is shown trying to get on a bus, (or any public transportation for that matter) or having/trying to roll down unshoveled streets or getting to a corner where the snow and slush is piled high so you can't cross the street -- even if there are curb cuts. Or getting on or off a sidewalk without curb cuts….. Angela (the quad) did say a bit about the cost of her care in one episode and how that was driving her to try and find a way to make money and re-enter modeling-- not a pragmatic option for 99.9% of the general population, never mind the disabled. And it seems her husband, an actor, left her I'm glad your daughter found something in it. Even waste can be used as fertilizer. Doesn't mean it isn't dreck. But since I've never heard of ( nor probably will I ever hear) "push boys" , i chafe against the nomenclature "push girls" -- which, despite their affirmations, belittles and diminishes. Girlification doesn't make decision makers take your needs or your situation seriously. Akua On Aug 9, 2012, at 9:50 AM, Mary Anne Egan wrote: You raise some valid points....my daughter is ten she has been paralyzed since she was an infant. We met the youngest member of this cast and she was so excited. I appreciate that being on TV affords liberties the rest of us do not have. But to my daughter the name girls softens it for her to appreciate more than woman and I would normally be the first to argue about calling a woman a girl. In her case it is useful. As for the ability of Auti the quad, what I saw was that she has help that gets her dressed and that she also had some stem cell treatments in South America(?), nonetheless to me this is all about baby steps. Getting the able bodied population to look at the population that uses w/c is extremely important in order to further the cause of things we need, ie public transportation, support, access to jobs, good medical care, etc. No one would put on a show about quads who were totally dependent for care because people would not want to watch it. In doing it this way, many folks, who are otherwise not exposed, are getting to see how people who use chairs, are in fact people first. The logistics of how they present this is always going to be "hollwood-ized" it is no different than any other show/reality show. I am sorry it upsets you but I do see the benefit of raising awareness and the ability for my child to see an adult female who is happy, and enjoying life despite the obstacles she faces, it is incredibly empowering. My daughter has not seen the show it is too grown up, but when she met the youngest member of the cast, she felt empowered and we watched some bios on line. The woman talked about what a push girl is and how it means to push through when things are tough, we have used that many times and she gets empowered by it. My daughter only crosses her legs by accident when her legs spasm, in the night mostly and she is all tangled up in her cath/drainage bag...not exactly the hollywood moment for the show! who knows this show may enable adults in our community to be willing to have my daughter over for a play date without being afraid. That would be so worth it!
