UNIT 20 DISABILITY

UNIT 20 Disability	美国学生习作

Playing in the Major Leagues with a Disability
Jim Eisenreich, a right fielder for the Florida Marlins, is one of the game抯 premier contact hitters. In 1996 he hit an incredible .361 but lacked enough plate experiences to qualify for the batting title. He is also one of the best defensive outfielders in the game as evidenced by his errorless ?5 season. The St. Cloud, Minnesota native started his career with the Twins but has since played for the Phillies. The most amazing thing is that he has played his entire career with Tourette抯 Syndrome. The following is a telephone conversation I had with him recently. Q: What is Tourette抯 Syndrome? A: It抯 a neurological disorder characterized by motor and/or vocal tics. Q: When did you first learn that you had Tourette抯 and how did you react? A: I was diagnosed when I was 23 years old and a rookie for the Minnesota Twins. I think I had Tourette抯 since I was six or seven years old. At first I didn抰 believe it and I tried stopping it. Q: How has having a disability changed the way you lived your life? A: As a child, I stayed away from social situations. I avoided social activities. Now it motivates me to take better care of myself. Good nutrition. No smoking or drinking. I recognize the importance of staying healthy. Q: Has having a disability kept you from doing anything you really wanted to do? A: No. Absolutely not. Q: How do people react when they find out that a major league baseball player has a disability? A: Some people don抰 even think of it as a disability. Others think I抳e accomplished a lot for a person with a disability. Q: What advice do you have for kids with disabilities? A: Don抰 give up on your dreams. Work hard. Practice. Learn. Have fun! Q: What is the most important thing you have learned from having Tourette抯 Syndrome? A: I抳e learned to respect people who have disabilities. They deserve and want our respect. Q: So how are the Marlins going to do this season against the Braves? A: With the addition of Bonilla and myself, the Marlin抯 line-up and pitching staff match the Braves. Now it will depend on team spirit and attitude. In 1825 Dr. George Giles de la Tourette, a French neurologist, described the involuntary tics and vocalizations of Marquise de Dampierre, a noble woman who lived to the age of 86. The disorder was given his name. Samuel Johnson, the lexicographer, and Andre Malraux, the French author, are among the famous people from the past who were though to have had Tourette抯 Syndrome. The National Institute of Health officially estimates that 100,000 Americans have full-blown Tourette抯 Syndrome (TS). The cause of TS has not yet been established although current research shows considerable evidence that the disorder stems from the abnormal metabolism of at least one brain chemical called dopamine. A diagnosis of TS is made by observing symptoms and by evaluating the history of the onset. Tics may occur many times a day (usually in bouts) nearly every day or intermittently throughout a span of more than one year. Sometimes there are changes in the number, frequency, type and location of tics and they may sometimes disappear for weeks or months at a time. The onset of TS is before the age of 21. The majority of people with TS are not significantly disabled and therefore do not require medication. However there are medications available to help control the symptoms when they interfere with functioning. While there is not yet a cure for TS, many people experience marked improvement in their late teens or early twenties. Most people with TS get better, not worse, as they mature. As many as one third of them experience remission of tics in adulthood.