Because we realised that Blissusers are not alone in the world we specially invited friends and brothers and sisters to participate this weekend.
That is why Sophy, who is integrated in a mainstream school brought 2 friends out of her class and Inge's sister Iris came as well other brothers and sisters and friends came too, all together we were with more than 90 people!
As you will realise a weekend like this does need a lot of organising! We try to solve this problem by splitting up the program and different people from different schools and centres organise parts of the program.
Every participant got a (empty) "book of friends" this year. To get to know each other better they exchanged addresses (email and snailmail) and could ask each other what their hobbies and fields of interest are. We hope they will keep in contact.
On Friday evening when everybody was arriving we started with a puppet show for the younger ones and a get together in our bar for the others. If they wanted they could start with their book of friends.
Time flies on evenings like this and it was way past midnight when everybody went to bed.
The next day we had a choice of 3 in the morning.
One group could discuss with Jan Jan Sabbe about handicaps, problems and possibilities. Jan Jan , a man with a severe handicap himself, talked about the problems and the solutions he had and how he copes with them. Jan Jan is a advisor in the field of adaptations and communication aids.
The item that caused most discussion was his question: if you had to choose between your communication aid and your (electronic) wheelchair what would you choose?
The best solution Nico gave was:"I can't choose, my Tellus (a communication aid with speech output) is part of my wheelchair I can't do without any of them". But for others the wheelchair was the most important and others just couldn't think of a life without the old paper book with symbols!
Another group experienced the possibilities of doing artwork, what can you do even when your hands don't do what you want them to do? Can art be a way to express yourself?
The younger ones played different games with music and cards to get to know each other better to make their own book of friends.
The meals in the centre where we are, are very special, enough time to have a relaxed meal, complete with wine and beer, and plenty of people to talk with.
The afternoon we played a game in new groups, the younger ones and the older ones formed a team (the ages of the Blissusers vary from 5 to 50) and everybody went from game to game. Interrupted by the traditional pancake break. Another traditional is the beautyfarm at the end of day 2. We have the opportunity to have make up or to be painted as an clown. To have your hair done, very nice or silly. Especially the ladies like to be prepared for the big disco party in the evening.
Another meal an some time to get ready and than the party started. Wow!!!!
For those that are not fond of loud music the bar was opened and they talked until the small hours.
We were very unlucky this year, it was the weekend where we got on to our summer time! So the short night was even shorter! That might declare the white faces and small eyes next morning! But the next item on the program was fun! We could let our fantasy take over. How would your ideal wheelchair look like, would it have airco, or could it fly like a helicopter? What would your ideal school offer? And how would your ideal house look like? There was also a place where you could say what you didn't like. I happened to sit there but had a very quiet morning (I needed that) not many complaints only one came over and over. This was all about the breaking down of equipment!!!! Wheelchairs, computers and Voca's always break down when you need them the most.
At midday we had a lovely lunch again and after a cup of coffee we all had to go home.
Sad that it was all over but happy to come again next year, when we can accommodate even more users than this year.
Richard wrote his own story about the weekend the next day. I believe it was the only sensible thing he did that day. After a weekend like this you do need time to recuperate!
Els Koerselman
Blissymbols used herein derived
from the symbols described in the work, Semantography, original copyright, C.K. Bliss,
1949. In September, 1982, C.K. Bliss granted an exclusive, non-cancellable and perpetual,
world-wide license to the Blissymbolics Communication Institute (now Blissymbolics
Communication International), for the application of Blissymbols, for use by handicapped
persons and persons having communication, language and learning difficulties.
