I
would like to begin this post by first stating that I am an original U.S Virgin
Islander, straight out of Savan for at least the last four generations!
Now
I would like to state that I am an Autism parent, and damn
proud of my son for being whom he is all day, every
day without remorse.
With
these things being said, I need to state just how bad I feel right now to be a
U.S Virgin Islander withstanding the fact that we all have been affected some
way and going through some thing since hurricanes Irma and Maria. To ALL my
fellow Virgin Islanders I sincerely feel the need to state something; #1 being
WE WERE ALL AFFECTED, NOT ONLY YOU! I meet a lot of people that seem to think
they had it worse than anyone else, ever; child please! We’ve all had trying tribulations
in life, your most recent endeavor does NOT give you the right to antagonize
others. Secondly, the hurricane is not an excuse for ANYONE, to play ignorant;
especially those with financial resources.
I
am sorry I wasn’t aware is not going to fly for those of you with positions of
power, influence, nor authority including Browine (or A. Ottley of WSTA 1340
a.m. radio). My personal reasons why they CANNOT get a pass is because mental
health is not new so they directly were not paying attention (especially when
ASD and ADHD is ever-creasing, more rampant than it has ever been in the
history of the world). That along with the fact that my son is five years old
and I have called WSTA several times to request information regarding services
for developmentally delayed and special needs children only to be met with
disrespect and disdain each time.
The
first time was before hurricanes Irma and Maria to request an on air/ live
opportunity to request anyone catering to these disadvantaged youths to call in
or leave information so I can find services for my toddler at the time so I
could continue work and finish school. In my thirty years of life I have NEVER
EVER called that radio station and gotten a negative response until asked about
the most disadvantaged youths in the U.S.V.I.
The embarrassment didn’t stop there as my grandmother is such a fan that
she continued to encourage me to use the radio station as an outlet for help.
So after hurricanes Irma and Maria I called three times; the first to ask if
they could request to public school officials that called in daily ( if you
listened during this time you would empathize) to discuss options for special
needs children if there were any. The response I was met with was ‘Ms. I ain’t
asking nobody to do nothing; if they had something to say they would’ve said it
(that was Brownie). Then I asked Ottley if he could ask the commissioner, of
whom was calling every day and recently on the phone discussing Lockhart
Elementary (my son’s school) if she could elaborate on the progress, if there
was any, on special needs classrooms. His response was, “NO!” Then he stated
“Ms. I don’t work for department of education!” The final straw was last month
when my son ( diagnosed with ASD, ADHD, and an undiagnosed seizure disorder)
was in R.L.S. hospital and I called crying frantically for someone to put a
plea on the radio so that a pediatric nurse would hear to come to the hospital
to assist as there were none and the ending result was my son having to wait
nine (9) consecutive hours from morning to get his blood drawn properly (apparently
its harder to draw blood from kids than adults, I heard the veins are smaller
so some have the gift while others end up spilling blood to no avail like the
nurses in the ER handling my son that day). But the response from the woman
answering the telephone was “We don’t get into that politics!”
What
I still find funny is from habit and through my mother and grandmother I still
listen to WSTA daily, regardless. Imagine my dismay to learn that some woman in
the Natural food grocery FINALLLY enlightened one of them only after he tried
to call her a bad mother because she couldn’t control her son’s tantrum BUT as
a fan she followed him out to the parking lot, by his car, to explain Autism.
Excuse me if I’m NOT surprised nor do I feel relief.
To
my fellow U.S Virgin Islanders I would like to say ‘Ignorance is not bliss, nor
is it an excuse; elevate yourself and your mind through ACCEPTANCE in its
purist form’.
The views expressed within this blog are solely those of Ms. Child Advocate and does not reflect on any of her affiliations.
