Dyslexia - how they see "justified" paragraphs

I've been working on a strategic project (AODA initiative) that will help disabled people work with Canadian websites. Canada has caught up with the rest of the first world and accessibility is a big focus these days - the legislation is aimed at making the world fairer for this very-likely frustrated group. Even as my "normal" vision has taken a slight hit as I get older, some websites are a pain to read.

There are so many issues I didn't see - did you know that dyslexic people have trouble reading "justified" typeset?  (The text lines up with the left and the right margins)

I always preferred this typeset because it looked so "professional".   Well, it turns out it's exclusive too.  So now I'm left-justifying everything.  Seems only fair, after all it's a simple change to make and I can read either way.

There are many types of Dyslexia,  and I'm still learning, but here are a couple examples of "the Rivers Effect" that I took from Google Images.    The audits that will be done on our public-facing internet websites will uncover many of these kinds of issues - and it's not simple.  I'll keep you posted.

Lent: Giving up Gossip

I just read something in a post about Lent that inspired me to expand on a point: "... sometimes we don't always notice the way certain things have gained power over us ..." and included among the list of things to consider "giving up" during this period, eg chocolate and carbs, or Bad TV and so on, is gossip.

Really, Lent doesn't have to be about cutting out creature comforts.

It's about doing something that builds discipline in some way, and refraining from gossip can build a mental muscle to be proud of.

Some gossip is ok. Just talking (in a good or even neutral way) about someone's new shoes or clothes is fun, informative and interesting.

However, when it's negative (you know, the gripe-y kind) at best it lets off steam for a short while, but in the end whatever the issue is remains unresolved. At worst it can develop into a form of social bullying: drives a wedge between people; hurts careers; reputations and worse.

I learned a great definition of Negative Gossip somewhere. The following example sets it up in a few paragraphs, but hopefully it'll help you to "get it".

I will use a teen girl as an example:

It starts with the idea that people thrive (emotionally) because of the way people listen to them. We've all been there: when everyone "clicks".

So for our teen girl, animated, engaged conversation and bonding happens when the teens are listening positively to what she is saying, and because everyone is "heard",. Now that's living! It's being loved, really.

Then someone decides not to be as accepting and takes issue with something, or she is judged for some difference. Or whatever. In other words, there's some underlying complaint that begins that "negative" gossip. The teens who hear it are swayed and our girl is "listened to" differently by all of them. She is judged with each repetition, and loved a little less. It's hard to stay out - some teens start listening for flaws in her opinions, and pretty quickly the "good" listening is gone. Some ignore her, others feel justified in getting aggressive and gossiping more, and it can turn into a general humiliating nightmare for our girl.

We've all personally experienced the loneliness and invisibility in this situation at some time in our lives, sometimes as a teen, but make no mistake adults engage in it just as much, with a more subtle flourish.

So, after that long, long set-up, here's the definition:

"We exist in others listening of us, and gossip is speaking of a person to others such that the listening of that person is diminished."

This Lent I'm going to go ahead with my usual eating habits. Instead, over the next few weeks, I will notice if in any way gossip has gained power over me. To practice noticing my own gossip just as it starts to pop out of my mouth, to make a hard stop. Then to explore other ways to keep the conversation going with that other person.

Building that mental muscle, and somehow turning it into a lifelong habit, will be worthy of my Golden boy.

Being Worthy

Prince:  December 3, 2001 - July 17, 2010

I've heard that inspiration comes from different places, but for me love and devotion is turning out to be the most inspiring.  I begin this blog with a well-known quote, which I will use as  both a starting point and a reference point in the months to come.

He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.

Unknown Author

 

I will be worthy.

Do You Know How You Feel?

There is a famous quote that merits a challenge. Mind you, these are my own observations and from my own perspective but something for you to think about.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

First, I have a very long memory, that is for things that are important to me. So although I often forget what was said when I don't think it's very important, like what my mum told me was going to be for dinner when I go to visit her. I never forget a lie. Just me ... I notice them, and I notice how many times I notice them. I've noticed when others have done it, and I notice it when I've done it. Like a little mini-scorecard.

But most important is the last part of that quote. "...how you made them feel." Well, here's the challenge. I used to believe people (I'm sure we've all experienced this on occasion) when they'd recount a story about some other person, only to reflect upon it (sometimes years later!) and think to myself "That just doesn't fit my own experience of him/her"... I can't imagine him/her being that way." ...and here's a the quote, reconstructed for you to consider.

“I've learned that you can never make someone feel anything. Most people are unconscious, they react and they justify their feelings with "reasons". They get their "reasons" by forgetting what was actually said, forgetting what was actually done, and creating and living inside of their story about how you made them feel, when they really made themselves feel that way.”

Both arguments are all over the web. Which one contains all the melodrama? I don't know about you, but I think the first.

Those are Eating Words!

The 2010 statistics are out and Canadians are well on their way to being an obese people.

Not surprising - to me at least - is that as proud as we are when we claim to be "different" than the Americans, we are once again going down the exact same path as the USA. So much for our "differences".

Being a student of Canadian Economic History, we have often lagged the US in so many endeavours - usually by about 5 years. We look down there to businesses and start ours 5 years later when we judge it "safe", cultural trends take about the same amount of time to filter up here (look out mom's and dad's! - kids are doing some pretty funky things at school dances! ). And that's pretty well the way it's gone with our fast food consumption and weight gain this time as well.

Now Chef Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is challenging a US town to revise their way of life. Really, Chef Jamie Oliver is the only one who could do it. He's young enough to still want to change the world; he's outspoken (for a Brit) and challenging (for a Brit) and still manages to keep within the limits of the "soft" touch (what the Brits have done and still do so well). For this problem, Americans need to halt what's happening fast.

Sadly, neither an American nor a Canadian would be able to pull it off. Why? Americans - and their freedom of speech is a good thing, don't get me wrong - would just get too stuck in opposing positions and slow changes to a crawl (look at what they are doing with their health care debate). Canadians, well Canadians are very nice, eh?, yet avoid controversy. Could that be a cover for a way of being defined by either resignation or, worse, indifference?

-That being said, it is said that Ontario Schools will be junk-food-free in 2011. It seems we have been watching for good ideas State-side as we always do. Will we be able to stem the tide up here in Canada-the-Good? I'll be convinced when someone in the Peel School System assures me that a French-fry is not considered a vegetable.