What's YOUR act fo goodwill today?

MY ACT OF GOODWILL; WHAT’S YOURS?

It started with a simple donation to an art-lovers collection, and has shifted into a unique friendship and technological experiment.

This project was inspired several months ago, when the following story appeared in the news:



What does modern communication offer to those who are permanently disabled; who are living their lives without the mobility and motor-skills that the rest of us take for granted?

WANTED: YOUR NEGLECTED (but functioning) COMPUTERS AND RELATED TECHNOLOGY.

Meet Norman. Intelligent human being, who likes gardening, collecting native art and hanging out at Rock Concerts (most recently Fleetwood Mac). So what’s the big deal? Nothing, except that - Norman lives in a Hospital bed, eats through a straw, has machines that breathe for him, and has virtually no movement left in his body - except for his face - which is more expressive then most people I know, BTW. I met Norman back in May, somewhat serendipitously, and we’ve slowly formed a unique friendship.

Something clicked inside me, and I felt compelled to reach out. Here’s what I did…

Having recently finished archiving my photography collection, I decided this would be an interesting opportunity to reach out and connect with a stranger, who might appreciate some human interaction, other than what he gets from the staff of professionals that work hard at ensuring his health and comfort, each and every day.

I happened to have had an extra print of a particular photograph of mine; depicting the "Rainbow off the Beach Whaling Canoe" at YVR, by Hesquiah First Nation artist Tim Paul. It is part of the YVR Art Foundation collection, and can be seen in the East Chevron Extension's "Pacific Passage" display, when returning or arriving in Vancouver…



I decided this would make a nice addition to Norman’s collection. I framed it, called the care center, and was invited for a visit. Here I am delivering the photo…

I won’t lie - the first encounter was strange and a bit uncomfortable. How would I react, the first time, meeting someone whose speech was limited to whispers, set to the rhythmic pace of a breathing machine? It took some getting used to, but soon enough, we found common ground and I was amazed at how communicative and lively a person Norman was. I’ve since visited him again, and am now attempting to start a pilot-project with Norman and the staff: How can we use all this digital-social technology that is now around us, which allows family and friends around the globe to interact and share life’s daily adventures like never before? Is it possible, to break the physiological gap and create a virtual “existence” that would help disabled individuals - like Norman - interact not only with the world at large, but others with the similar conditions? The tools exist (this blog being a small example, Facebook being another), the challenges are big, but everything has to start somewhere…

THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA? HOW YOU CAN HELP…

1) CONNECT THE DOTS:

Leave a comment here, or share this story anywhere on the web where you think those who can help might find it. We are looking for people who…

…work in assistive technology, assisted living, nursing, social work, IT / computer-support, internet support, interface technologies and anything else that you think might be related or relevant knowledge.

Helping, at this stage, can be as simple as sharing this story with your social network to spread the word...






...OR lending your advice or professional opinion if you’re in a related field...

...OR, finding someone like Norman, and volunteering 2 hours every few weeks with computer interaction, as I have now started doing!

2) WHAT WE NEED RIGHT NOW:

The facility Norman lives at is an expensive and complex undertaking. Needless to say, the computer room is a low priority where funding is concerned. With the rapid growth of technology what it is, why not donate your used laptop, desktop, router, wireless card, etc, to a group of people who can really use it?

Feedback is greatly appreciated. If this post proves to generate interest and momentum, greater effort will be made to further promote these intentions and who knows where this will go?

In the meantime -what’s was YOUR act of goodwill today?

Regards,


Tristan and Norman