good day at office and out

Thursday 07/16/09

Good day at work today. Met with Lieven and Pierre to articulate some of the thinking I have been doing and got good feedback. Have set meeting with staff at Eur. Disabilities Forum tomorrow and sent out some of the materials I have been working on. Reading more on practices in the US- probably not too consistent with the Doe amendments in CAPTA.

Here is how I set out current ideas:

1. that medical advice that gives parents an inaccurate negative "quality of life" prognosis concerning neonate creates a context for negative action, including effectively, euthanasia, based on stereotypes about disabled people and violate the child's rights under disability rights laws; and
2. that medical personnel should have obligation under these laws to make anticipatory accommodations by having a plan for giving comprehensive and accurate information concerning the range of life outcomes for disabled new borns.

Shared wild rice salad with staff – it went over well. Went out for a walk at lunch with Pierre and Lieven and saw and art show by P's friend, Willo Gonnissen. Some good stuff, though not much is selling.

It is the last day for Adrianna, the volunteer from Venezuala so we had a tart for snack and went out for beers at the end of the day. A had been an AFS student in Netherlands, so has good Dutch language – she wants a journalism job in V when she returns. We all (P, L, A, and Renee, who was in from Netherlands for the day) went to a bar for beers – P unhappy that the waiter refused to speak “his country's language” - Dutch. After others left, L and I went back to IF neighborhood and had another beer at the famous bar, La Fleur en Papier Dore – the hangout for Magritte and surrealists - now historically designated. A cool place to hang out with lots of art and scrawls and memorabilia on the walls.

Day 1 July 8

Too much baggage but good trip with stops and London. I left directions from Centraal Stn. to the IF office at home but made my way through the streets of Brussels and got there quite directly. At office were Lieven and Adrianna, a volunteer from Argentina who will be at IF til August.

I was in no shape to work so went for a walk through an area with many antique and brocante and art shops. It was formerly an area of immigrants.

Lieven and I took the train to Lede, where we were picked up by his brother Stan, a young man in 20s who lives with spina bifida. We watched the end of the TDF and then their Mom arrived from her sw job in local MH hospital. (Anime? (anne marie)) and then Dad (Geritt). Dad is a police officer 2nded to EU for training and planning work. Has been to Iraq, Kosovo and likely elsewhere. He was meeting with US State Dept people today on emergency preparedness and says there is a great deal more cooperation in US approach now, He made a joke about so. Belgium being a different country, reflecting the N/S and Dutch/French split. TV remote advances along odd/even lines – almost mirroring French and Dutch language channels.

After dinner they drove me to Zottegem, a town of 24,000 a 45 min. train ride from Brussels. Hugo, an IF local bd. member has a niece, Ingrid who is living at home due to illness and not in her empty 2BR aprt that - so they are letting me use it! It is very close to train and stores, bakery, restaurants, etc.