MissRose Meets a Dragon

Miss Rose here today.
   Hello everyone, I am writing today for MissDazey, who is busy playing with her new Dragon software. She is nice enough to let me write a bit for her and tell you what she is up to lately. She is using Dragon “voice to text” software called Naturally Speaking. This is one of the few times that I wished MissDazey would let me have a video camera, this session is hilarious. Honestly, I did not know that MissDazey spoke only hillbilly. Dragon is having trouble understanding her words. She only started playing around with this last week, so has much to learn. Her friend Darrell has offered to help her and she has a list of questions to ask him later. Hopefully she will figure more of it out by practising.

   One of the reasons that she wanted to get this software is because she sometimes is thinking one word then types another one. Now she is speaking one word, but the software is hearing and typing another word. Another reason to use this is to save her hands and wrists from hurting. There she goes laughing aloud again, and the software is trying to type her laughter.
   Okay, you blog readers I see that she has closed that program, although she is still laughing.

Ryan Remembered

I need to add one more article for the "Empowering People with Disabilities". I'd like you to meet Ryan. Ryan was born premature and with Spina Bifida. This little girl and her loving family showed the world you can have disability and be loving, giving, and strong. I have never met a more positive family. Grandma Georgia is one of my best friends.

I watched this tiny baby blossom to a teenager. She spent many days and weeks in a hospital, that was just routine. She made friends with everyone, was the best fund raiser Children Mircle Network, and just an sweetheart to be around.

Ryan, I miss you...and love you dearly.

The following was in the Springfield, MO News-Leader
Birth: Jul. 4, 1988

Death: May 18, 2006
The earth was blessed with the birth of Jacqueline Ryan Capps on July 4, 1988. Ryan lived her life with a passion for loving and helping others until she was welcomed by the angels into her heavenly home at 2 a.m. May 18, 2006.
Ryan's life ended as a result of complications with end-stage renal failure. She had fought the disease for several years before choosing to stop her hemo dialysis treatments. She completed her life of 17 years at her home in Ozark, surrounded by her family and friends.

Ryan was the well-known face and the voice of the Children's Miracle Network as their Ambassador for the last 12 years. Ryan has been an active host for many fund raising events for CMN, as well as appearing on the annual CMN Telethon. She was born with Spina Bifida, a paralyzing neuro defect, and was confined to a wheelchair.

However, her spirit was always free to inspire and enrich the lives of all who knew and loved her. Her smile was contagious and her incredible energy was unforgettable. She had an amazing drive to spread the word about how much Children's Miracle Network had helped her and her family through the physical challenges she faced.

Empowering Myself

   Empowerment, I do like that word. There is strength in it, in fact the very center of it is "power". I am not talking about overpowering others, but knowing that each of us has "power" over ourselves in the way we think and handle life on a day to day bases.
   My physical limitations came over several years, a slow painful process that is on going. (and speeding up, I might add) I was lucky that I could make the adjustments gradually.
   Yesterday I ordered speech to text software, I can't wait for it to get here and try it. I love, yes love it the right word, being on the Internet. The Internet and the computer is my lifeline to family and friends. Through Twitter and blogs I can interact with, well, the world. My hands and wrists are making it very difficult to click and clack so much on the keyboard. I ordered the standard edition of Dragon. I'll let you know how it works for me. 
  I appreciate the opportunity to join others in blogging during "People First, Empowering People with Disabilities". Almost 300 blogging are posting blogs on the subject. A list and more information can be found on Bloggers Unite.