As I told Tristan in my reply, I was deeply touched by the story of her customer who finds her barrettes are the only ones that work for her child with CP. My daughter also has CP, although hers is quite mild, physically (it may, however, be why she cannot speak). Here is something most people probably haven't thought of because they don't 'live' this, but if that child cannot hold her head up, then she probably also cannot brush her own hair out of her eyes. Can you imagine the annoyance and daily frustration of having your hair unkempt, in your face, and blocking your view of the world, tickling your nose, irritating your cheeks, and you cannot do anything at all about it? You are at the mercy of the world around you, and even the most attentive and devoted of mothers cannot be available 24 and 7 to swish your hair out of your face- and then... along comes a unique (patent pending!) product makes her life just that much more pleasant, and it's even attractive! How inspiring! How happy that child and her mother must be with such a simple thing that makes their lives so much easier.
Products like Tristan's barrettes benefit special needs children in other ways as well, believe me. I have mentioned this before, but I will say it again. It may be unfair, it may be wrong, it may be it reflects poorly on our culture, but the fact is, the current reality IS that the quality of a disabled child's social interactions with others improves dramatically in proportion to their grooming and appearance.
I have seven Progeny (most too old to call 'children' anymore), and I have seen the difference. People are already slightly wary and on their guard with a 'different' child. They do not mean to be, but they are. And if that child is at all unkempt, messy, untidy, or wearing ill fitting clothes (say... a long car trip, or a disheveling temper tantrum, or a series of unfortunate events with lunch, or barrettes that fall out of her hair...) people avoid eye contact and simply do not 'engage.'
If we take the time and effort to find products that fit my daughter well (this is not easy), look sweet on her- fix her hair so it is pretty and stays that way (our child pulls at her hair a lot, so she's always pulling thick strands out of braids and ponytails)- the general public is charmed and they do engage. They talk to her. They look at her instead of away or through her. They smile. They are less awkward.
The whole quality of her interactions with people in the general population is just several levels better the 'cuter' we dress her. This makes teaching the child better social skills immeasurably easier- she gets lots of time to practice! This, in turn, is very important to her own developmental skills as well.
And with the CPSIA, my ability to find the clothing that works for her, fits her, is flattering to her, and that she can put on and take off by herself is severely curtailed. That other mother whose child cannot keep her hair out of her own eyes cannot buy the only product she's found that works.
This is the homogenization of our entire culture, and the creation of a nation of utter dependency, as entrepreneurial spirit is punished and regulated out of existence, the cost of doing business in niche markets is too high to continue, and the only jobs left are with large corporations making identical items (they can't afford the price of diversification anymore either), or with the legion of government employees and lawyers.
How familiar this sounds:
the political focus was on interest groups rather than individuals. FDR and the New Dealers believed that progress called for wrenching systematic change. So if a few little guys had to be hammered down like obdurate square pegs unwilling to fit into round holes, so be it. In one of the most famous cases, not mentioned in this book, an immigrant dry cleaner named Jacob Maged was thrown in jail for months because he charged 35 cents to press a suit when the federal government demanded a minimum price of 40 cents. Roosevelt's planners were convinced that traders, middlemen, small businessmen, and independent entrepreneurs were the problem because they made bureaucrats' balance sheets so untidy. "We are no longer afraid of bigness," proclaimed Rex Tugwell. "Unrestricted individual competition is the death, not the life of trade."Pin It
