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Show The Kids On The Block Out Our Window by LaRee Pehrson I I I t I t pre-me- d y "dangerous expression"; that our blood pressure is confusing; a PAP test seems to be transitional and ones white blood count is careless. And, is it kinder to say "seizure-syndrome- " instead of epilepsy? To call a stroke a heart attack? And to shun the words mental retardations as if they were poisonous? And that h e a r t - b r e a k e r Mongoloidism by the words Downs Syndrome? People today have quit sweating, for heaven's sake. Thats gross What we do today is perspire. Our children dont go out to 'play with kids' either. Can you guess? Well, today they socialize with their own age ! t It's all a pack of nonsense to me, for such confusing terms group. My, my. And along the same lines, the big roomy kitchen where J mom could cook and 'tidy up' at one end of the room while the fami-- I ly gathered to study, play games, J and visit in the other end is long I gone. My goodness, yes. Nobody J has that kind of a kitchen anymore. I What we have now is a special place off to one side of the kitchen I where the TV sits, and the family J gathers to study and talk. But, 8 remember, it's not the kitchen. It's J the Family Room. Gotta fancy it up, don't ya know. I are often more frightening than the plain ones we old matter-of-faall knew and understood. size-tw- is In California a low over-pascalled, of all things, 'Impaired Vertical Clearance.' I'll bet many a driver has scraped the top off his truck because he couldn't figure out fast enough what the dang sign said. s And then take the case of the airplane crash wherein three people luckily lived to tell about it. The pilot said, Fasten your seat belts, the plane is unstable." I aerodynamically woman turned to her seatmate and said, "What did he say?" and he replied frantically, "He must mean for us to start saying our prayers 'cause we're going to A crash." t that? We don't play pool, wash clothes or try to lose weight any more. We play bil- How about I never On The bars. But the puppet show that goes by that name presents a vastly different picture, winning critical acclaim all over the state as a gentle, sensitive production that helps disabled children feel good about themselves, and normal children to better understand the disabled persons problems. The only one of its kind in Utah, the puppets came into being six years ago as the brain child of a teacher of the handicapped who was deeply concerned about how normal kids would relate to handicapped youngsters when they were mainstreamed into the school system. Now syndicated, the puppets, including scripts and props, were purchased by the Salt Lake School District for the sum of $3,000. They are manipulated by volunteers who a work approximately week with no reimbursement except for gasoline. The puppet figures are large clothing, enough to wear and consists of two normal children who ask questions that children and adults might ask youngsters with a disability. There is also a cerebral palsy child, one with a hearing problem, a blind child, a mentally retarded child, as well as one with a learning disability. The people who designed the dolls have since come up with a leukemia child with a bald head, an emotionally disturbed puppet and one that depicts an abused child. They cost from $350 to $400 each. In addition they have created another sibling to the puppet with cerebral palsy, who talks about how it feels for the handicapped child to get so much attention that he, the normal child, is often pushed into the background. Varena Moray, a secretary in the radiology department at the Primary Childrens Hospital, and Beth Harris, a retired drama coach, are the puppeteers who give the figures life. They have been a team since the spring of 1981, often working with other volunteers, but together they demonstrate a rapport that is beautiful to behold. Employing a Japanese style of puppetry eliminates the need for carting around a stage and other And, of course, o course is practically a necessity to understand what your doctor is telling you. All the old two-bi- t words have been discarded and now we hear shows a that our We wouldn't dream of calling a I carpenter to fix the broken wint dow. We call a Home Repair specialist. And where we once had auto mechanics we now have Automot- J ive Technicians. I The Kids ing by their knees from the parellel do household shopping. of having janitors anymore. No, we have custodians. And, whats more, we dont have garbage men, either. Those men and women who pick up our refuse ore Sanitation Engineers. No less. I I I Mention so fancy with our Just take a few fr instances. No one even thinks I I go buy groceries, either. We Well, luckily they ended up in 10 feet of snow and no one was seriously hurt. But without that little bit of luck, theyd have crashed and been dead before even figuring out what the pilot was talking about! o Beth Harris and Varena Morey with their entire troupe of handicapped puppets. Many types of problems that are encountered daily are depicted by the puppets. demonstrations In book. The scripts are developed so that if the teachers, in the schools where they perform, want more scrutiny into a particular handicap, resource material can also be employed. This is a program of all the handthat is an over-vieicaps kids might have, Varena said. And it is a very positive experience that helps kids recognize that there are kids who cannot do many of the things that they so casually take for granted. th w Leone And Arthur J. Urry Mark Golden Wedding The festivities were hosted by Mr. and Mrs. Dallas D. Cooke. The honored ones were married December 12, 1931 in Salt restaurant. Say "Be Wty Lake. former She is the time his occupations M. Leone Coon. Leone is active in the have been long distance truck driver, Cooke, who is deceas- ed. Their grandchildren also helps demonstrate that on the inside, handicapped children are no different than the normal child. That they do not like to be teased, called names and discriminated against any more than normal children do. They just want to feel good about themselves. This new concept in puppetry is not only performed for the nonhandicapped children Ual&dim" WITH A MASTER COLOR PORTRAIT BY DON BLAIR normal children and adults relate to to help real people who have the some handicap as the puppet depicts. the two women endeavor props to hide behind. They are dressed all in black and become almost invisible to the audience who gets so involved with the colorful dolls, that are manipulated like the Muppets, with little wires attached to control their movements. Realistic in every detail, some dolls wear glasses, and the blind child tells time from a braille watch and reads from a braille 1 1 Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Urry recently celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary at the Printers Loft 14, 1982 Block, and you immediately conjure up a mental image of youngsters running, playing, and hang- words nowadays that sometimes we have to figure out what's act- ually being said. I I Thursday, Jan. WEST VALLEY VIEW Tools Teaching Handicapped Puppets, tke Bwutyiwd We're getting 2B - but for the handi- capped as well. And it is well received because, here at last, is something that the we usually pause and allow the audience to question the puppets about their handicaps. It keeps us on our toes because both of us handicapped youngster can relate to. have had limited Last year the show experience with such was performed for real life situations. more than 80 audiences including shows in Ogden, Provo and Heber City. They have been seen in the Salt Lake City District, Granite District, and Jordan District in addition to parochial schools and womens groups. When people ask me what I do, I always answer, daytime or night time? Varena laughed. Actually I took a night job so I could continue working with these puppets because they have become the love of my life! Most people gasp when they hear how many hours we have put in, she continued, but it has come back to us tenfold. Beth and I are such a team we can ad-li- b and bring in parts According to Varena, there was a lot of medical input during the development of the puppets. Creators also talked to parents of the handicapped and to the children themselves . . . exploring their inner most thoughts and feelings in an effort to make the show more realistic and true to life. The original intent was that the awareness program would not be the end of the schools efforts to make kids aware of the problems the handicapped SURGERY of the FEET from other scripts, she went on, and, after we do one script, Podiatrist Foot Specialist CALL US EXAMINATION With This Coupon Only Expires IF NEEDED 967-333- 8 4370 So. Redwood The wedding will be All held at the First Accepted Chruch, in Rock Nellie Wilkerson, the Virginia Murdock D. Garn; Camille Leone; Heather Marcelle and David W. Cooke. Mrs. Urrys mother, of one daughter, attended Janice Leone Urry Insurances United Methodist are: Roger Urry; also ARE EXTRA X-RA- Wyoming, operator of trucking company, auto mechanic and serviceman for several refrigeration companies. They are the parents theres trouble a "Foot" FREE January 30th is the day chosen by Virginia Murdock to become the bride of Jim A. Daniel. is The bride-to-b- e the daughter of Mrs. Rosa L. Mosley, Magna, and is a graduate of Cyprus high. The future bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Daniel, Rock Springs Relief Society throughout Magna and Granger areas. She also has sewn many articles for church bazaars and welfare service projects. During Arthurs life- - Callouses, corns and bunions Bone spurs and calcium deposits Arch problems Ingrown toenails Foot pain and other problems involving feet and lower extremities DR. RON BROWN Virginia Murdock ToWed LDS discomfort and frustration that the disabled child feels. The plan was so well developed that I am sure those children will never forget what it is like to be handicapped, Varena concluded. I, myself, have acquired a healthy respect for either a child or an adult who stays in there and fights in spite of a handicap. DISEASES & When Arthur Urry children face daily. And the efforts didnt go unrewarded because recently a school in the Jordan District carried the script one step further. 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