All Forum Posts by: Vicki Gleitz

 NO WAY! Steve Jobs, Robin Williams, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckenberg, Thoroeu, Einstein, Henry Ford, Thomas Jefferson, Dan Akroyd, THAT is where you belong.  I would not fear the depth of your dream, nor consider you crazy. Now IS the time to dream big dreams and I would feel beyond honored to hear the details of yours.

 NO WAY! Steve Jobs, Robin Williams, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckenberg, Thoroeu, Einstein, Henry Ford, Thomas Jefferson, Dan Akroyd, THAT is where you belong.  I would not fear the depth of your dream, nor consider you crazy. Now IS the time to dream big dreams and I would feel beyond honored to hear the details of yours.

My why is so that my son will have a neighborhood full of Autistic support by the time I am gone.  And that other parents can also stop fearing how their autistic kids will cope after they are gone.  I am determined to change the world for Autistic people.  Luckily, I am naive enough to believe I can do just that. Guess that makes me qualified.

Happy birthday Josh!

If you were not in REI, utilizing, at least somewhat, skills you have learned in this profession, what would you be doing to earn income? I would be running a consignment/trip planning shop for other old women.

Now I am afraid. 

Just a few hours work from doing total labor [son, husband,self] on a house. It is a house, purchased for 30 grand. It is probably worth 40 now. It would have cost an easy 25 grand to sub it out. Because of health problems, and a very busy work schedule, doing it ourselves made sense. Also, we have all learned new skills [thank you, you tube tutorials!] and gotten to know the neighborhood.  Just This past week-end we put up a porch swing and we probably had ten knocks on the door by neighbors and people asking about it, and a few of them asking when we were going to rent or sell. People loved that swing so much that we took it down and put in inside the house until we get back this week-end for a mini retreat where we are going to be planning an autistic retreat [ retreat is not in pueblo, but up near where we live] 

Plus...I just adore  working on this place. I am by nature, extremely nurturing, and loving this abused and long neglected old lady back to her former humble but perfect beauty is gratifying beyond words. Sometimes it feels as though I am renewing myself...until I accidentally catch a peek of myself in the mirror!  Oopsies!

I LOVE this idea! You know that box you just crawled out of?  If I were you I would burn it. Then your great ideas will never cease.

It sickens me.  By the way, if anyone has issues with accomodations for disabled folks, I could give a long list of accomodations specifically designed for non -Autistic folks. As investors, possibly you might want to make some of your houses more disabled friend

Also, so many small changes make such a huge difference.  For instance, I am the coordinator for AutHaven, a yearly retreat put on by, and for Autistic people that does not cost an arm and a leg. 

Everything before and during the retreat is cleaned with green products [which also are healthier for NTs', and your prospective renters might like to know you do this as well] There is no fluorescent lighting.  Though flourescent lights can cause deafening pain for Autistics, it has been shown that kids in general [ non-Autistic]develop more headaches and have more difficulty learning than most other lighting.

We do sound proofing between rooms which everyone likes [especially apartment dwellers] 

We prohibit the use of nasty cheap fragrances.

We also utilize "interaction badges" They are a clear card holder on a lanyard. If the red card is put in front, it signifies that they want to be left alone.  Yellow means only interaction with pre-determined people. Green is for someone who would love social interaction but is too shy to ask, would you please? White is no social interaction issues. Couldn't you all use a red badge when you are reading and want to be left alone?How about a green one when you are in a group where you are meeting new people for the first time. 

These are a few things the Autistic community does that not only benefits other Autistics, but all people [ won't even get into food and nutrition that aids everyone]

I find it so sad that people who have no need for a support animal are taking advantage. It reminds me of the comparitively few people who receive any type of assistance when they don't need it, which gives all people who need help a bad name.

Disneyland and Disneyworld used to be an incredible place for many disabled children because of the accommodations that were provided to lessen the stress.  Unfortunately, they were put in a position where they felt that their best option was to disband the program.  Why? Too many people were faking disability, and some groups were renting out visibly disabled children which would provide the accomodations to the entire group.