<![CDATA[MOUTH TO HAND LEARNING CENTER

<![CDATA[MOUTH TO HAND LEARNING CENTER - Speaking for Myself]]>Sat, 18 Jul 2026 17:37:57 -0400Weebly<![CDATA[Chill Out, Mom]]>Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:10:18 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/chill-out-momMy Mom works all day, every day. I am really the only one who sees it because I live here. I am not exaggerating: it’s insane. One hour she’s cleaning; then the next she’s running errands; then it’s time to read and answer emails; then she’s grading assignments for practitioner training; then she’s perhaps CPing for me while I do homework or write a blog; and in between she’s making lunch, cooking dinner, doing laundry.

On top of all that, there are the other things she is working on: right now, she is trying to get M2H involved in research to make our lives better. (I am very excited about this. I am definitely looking forward to the day when we don’t need the help of a CP.)

Anyway, all this to say: don’t think my mother is relaxing when you don’t see her. She never relaxes which actually worries me. I want her to rest more. Please join my action committee: Make Mom Chill The Hell Out.

]]><![CDATA[The Communication Bill of Rights]]>Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:35:05 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/the-communication-bill-of-rightsI sat next to New York State Senator Patricia Fahy in her Albany office a couple of months ago. With me were fellow nonspeakers Abby Newbold, Danson Wambua and Noah Howarth, along with friends, family and supporters. She saw us type. As the chairwoman of the Senate Disability Committee, she had every opportunity to get Senate Bill S7792, the Communication Bill of Rights, passed. It passed the Assembly unanimously in June, and had broad bi-partisan support in the Senate. The bill stated that no one can deny the use of any method of communication in any government setting. Senator Fahy decided to amend the bill, adding the words “verified” and “autonomous.” In doing so, she has excluded from the bill’s protection anyone who requires assistance to communicate. In fact, people who need sign language interpreters, people who use finger spelling (like Helen Keller), as well as we who type for communication, are all now excluded and are at risk of having our methods of communication denied in group homes, day care settings, and more.

It strikes me that Senator Fahy has not considered the full ramifications of her actions. And worse, on a personal level, it’s insulting to us. I sat directly next to her, and she saw me type. I am tired of being disrespected.

By the way, the right to use any method of communication that works for any individual is already protected by the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

People are suffering now, and instead of attempting to help us, the chair of the committee that should be on our side is hurting many with communication disabilities. It’s time we take matters into our own hands. Please call and write, and tell her to restore the bill to the version that passed the Assembly.
________________________________________
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
PLEASE WRITE TO SUPPORT OUR NONSPEAKERS! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE (ALTHOUGH NEW YORKERS ARE ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT IN OUR FIGHT)!

ASK SENATOR FAHY TO REVERSE THE CHANGES TO THE COMMUNICATION BILL OF RIGHTS (bill S7792) WHICH NOW EXCLUDES ANYONE WHO USES ANY METHOD OF COMMUNICATION THAT IS NOT "AUTONOMOUS." EMAIL IT TO THE FOLLOWING SENATORS: Fahy@nysenate.gov; scousins@nysenate.gov; Weber@nysenate.gov; Ashby@nysenate.gov; sutton@nysenate.gov; martinez@nysenate.gov; Persaud@nysenate.gov; Spanton@nysenate.gov; mulgrew@nysenate.gov; rossbach@nysenate.gov; egallo@nysenate.gov; berdolt@nysenate.gov; lwalsh@nysenate.gov; early@nysenate.gov; jmarcil@nysenate.gov; egloff@nysenate.gov.

PLEASE BCC: Typing4Freedom@gmail.com

If you need an example of what such a letter should look like, please Colin at info@mouthtohandlearning.com. It really, really matters what happens in the next 48 hours.

]]><![CDATA[Mel Brooks]]>Mon, 26 Jan 2026 23:16:54 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/mel-brooksI am writing this on a snow day. Yesterday was stormy and today all businesses are closed. Actually, conditions are not too bad, but people needed time to dig out.

It was fun to sit here with my Mom and watch movies. I had never seen Mel Brooks’ movies before. I particularly wanted to after we watched a documentary about him. We saw Blazing Saddles, and I must say that I loved it. It is about the least PC movie ever. The thing is, it’s so clearly meant in fun that it’s impossible to be offended. And that makes me think about humor.

Societal dictates would have it that the movie is offensive, but it’s not. It absolutely must depend then on the spirit that permeates the humor. Who creates the most humorous applause is the person who appeals to the most people. Mel Brooks clearly understands that. He makes fun of everyone, but there is no nastiness to it. I am wondering actually if I can do the same in my writing.

I am going to ask Mom to show me all his movies. I understand more about humor, actually, as a result of learning about him.

Alex only pawn in game of life.

]]><![CDATA[Normal]]>Sun, 04 Jan 2026 20:34:35 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/normalWhat makes my Mom special is that her ability to see us in the best way is unparalleled. She doesn’t really see us as being particularly disabled. We are seen by her as individuals with distinct interests and personalities, just like ordinary people. I cannot express how amazing that feels. Most people cannot see past the disability to see the person inside. It actually makes us behave differently because Mom doesn’t act differently with us than she does with anyone else.

At M2H, people may start by seeing the disability. But I have noticed that over time we become more human to everyone, meaning not just a disability with legs. I really, really love the way she teases us and clowns around.

The more normal we feel, the more normal we behave.

]]><![CDATA[Hopeless]]>Mon, 29 Dec 2025 01:00:33 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/hopelessAll we nonspeakers are eagerly awaiting the day when there is a cure for this terrible thing. It will be the 30 year anniversary of my diagnosis in March. It appears we are making zero progress. You have to wonder why. How can no progress in three decades happen?

There are clearly many reasons ranging from “why should we cure autism when it’s a glorious thing” to “there is no increase in cases of autism” to “if we search for a cure we may find out something inconvenient, like what causes it.” I understand that it is complicated, so I’m not downplaying that. Yes, it is complicated but I cannot believe it is beyond medical science to at least come up with something to alleviate the worst of our symptoms.

Absolutely my worse symptom was catatonia, but my current worst symptom is brain fog. My friends suffer from a plethora of issues ranging from OCD to seizures. We are medical complexities which no one actually understands.

I am waiting for a breakthrough that may never come. To be very honest, I am not very hopeful.

]]><![CDATA[Liam]]>Sat, 18 Oct 2025 23:37:35 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/liamSome brothers are beyond awesome but mine is beyond that. Liam was my biggest fan from our earliest days, never really seeing my disability. In a way, his ability to love me, in spite of everything, made me normal. He barged into my autism, treating it like it didn’t matter, dragging me out of the fog. Treating us like normal people makes us normal, after all. Liam particularly is able to look beyond the exterior to see people’s hearts.

When we were little he would literally presume that I was just like him, only unable to speak, and would march around holding my hand, telling our mother what it was that “the brothers” wanted. Often apparently we wanted ice cream. He would decide on our Halloween costumes: he was Buzz Lightyear, I was Woody. I was King Arthur, he was Sir Lancelot. We could not have been closer.

That may have ultimately saved me, in a way. His persistence in pushing his way into my world kept me grounded. My mother always treated us as equals, never making me feel less. That too made me act as normal as I could.

When I was finally able to talk, my brother and I needed no real shift. Because he had always treated me as a normal guy, it was easy to just start talking.
He has always loved me with his whole heart, and I want him to know that no brother has ever loved theirs more than I do mine.

]]><![CDATA[CP Woes]]>Sat, 09 Aug 2025 19:17:00 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/cp-woesTaking a page out of A Man Called Ove, people have to decide what kind of a human they want to be. I have decided I want to be someone exciting and interesting. I have so many interests, ranging from math to music to literature to writing. To get to where I want to be takes huge effort on my part, but also my mother’s. That’s particularly troublesome to me. Wishing I could type by myself doesn’t make it a reality.

Respiration and heart rate studies are going on currently to try to figure out the role of the communication partner. I was in one recently, at Abilis in Stamford, Connecticut. I had to play a simple video game, once with Mom, once alone, and once with a stranger. I could actually feel my heart rate speed up when the stranger sat down. I absolutely wanted her to leave me alone, even though certainly she was perfectly nice.

People don’t understand what it’s like for us. We are so sensitive that we are constantly battling so much stress. I am incredibly intelligent and so motivated to succeed. Yes I am held back not by my inability to talk with my mouth, but by my inability to type without a CP. I will succeed even with this lodestone around my neck. That is certain because…Mom. But it would be a hell of a lot easier if I could do it by myself.

]]><![CDATA[My Promise]]>Sun, 01 Jun 2025 00:04:40 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/my-promiseAll we nonspeakers are, inside, actually not really abnormal. We are mainly disabled, apparently on the outside. I realize that we look quite abnormal to most people. I also realize that we are really eccentric. But over and over we have shown that we are way more capable than most of the world thinks.

Wanting a fulfilling life really is not asking much. Wanting to be educated and to have friends are modest demands. But we are not even given these opportunities. The status quo always puts us on the lowest rung of the ladder. Particularly hard is the fact that the establishment persistently insists that we are intellectually disabled. I am incredibly intelligent; I am beyond tired of being treated as though I’m not.

We are more able than people understand. I am waiting for the world to catch on. I want to achieve great things because I am capable of achieving great things. Feeling helpless because I am held in thrall by my communication disability must stop. I am determined to totally fulfill my promise.

]]><![CDATA[No Progress?...No Problem]]>Thu, 08 May 2025 11:39:32 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/no-progressno-problemWe are presumed incompetent our entire lives. We are shoved into classes for the profoundly cognitively disabled, and/or ABA programs where we fail to make any meaningful progress, with speech thrown in as a related service. We make no meaningful progress there either. Year after year after year our IEPs have the same goals. “Alex will respond to one word commands with 80% accuracy.” “Alex will say his name when asked with 80% accuracy.” When we fail to meet these goals, nothing happens: no one is actually held responsible. In any other profession, there are standards that must be met. (Well…almost any profession!) The investment banker who does no deals won’t last long. The chef who doesn't cook will be on unemployment faster than I can type c-h-e-f.

But no one cares if we learn nothing from our school teachers or our speech pathologists. No one cares if Alex Gorman spends years unsuccessfully learning to say his name. In fact, we applaud ineptitude by actively fighting against progress.

I spent years putting pennies into a coffee can as a “play activity” in school. Years. I spent years trying to use my mouth to speak, but can still only approximate maybe 10 words. And every one of my teachers not only kept their jobs, but they have the combined weight of New York State and ASHA protecting them. I can’t write a more scathing review of what others call education for the disabled. During all my school years, I displayed zero progress (because I physically could not do what they were asking me to do)…and it was torture.

Someday we will actually be accepted as the human beings we are. I look forward to that day.

]]><![CDATA[A Job]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2025 22:48:28 GMThttps://www.mouthtohandlearning.com/speaking-for-myself/a-jobI am apparently obsessing at the moment, wishing I could have a real job. Reading all the anti-cure hatred, and feeling so angry about it, is making me think about what I would do if a miracle happened and I was cured. I am awesomely smart, and would want to use that to make the world a better place. Wondering about it though makes me upset, because I am so dependent upon others that it will never happen. I could have made a difference. Now…all wasted. I am definitely depressed at these thoughts. And then I think about all those people who want to deny me a cure, and I am filled with fury.

I am so longing to contribute to this cause, and our country, that my heart aches. Their spite is our tragedy.

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