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The Ice Bucket Challenge - that all went pretty viral very quickly didn't it?

One minute some sports people in the US are filmed pouring buckets of ice water over themselves  Then gradually videos appeared of people in the US doing the Ice Bucket Challenge for something called ALS.

Then suddenly one day, Bill Gates is getting in on the act, and the Beckhams and then it's everywhere.

Richard Dawkins & the danger of generalisation in 140 characters

You have probably noticed that I don't normally jump on the bandwagon when someone makes a crass comment about disability - I might send a tweet or two but that's as far as it goes, I tend to think the Cllr Colin Brewer's of this world are not the mass voice of reason and intelligence and only represent a minority.

But today I really feel the need to write about someone who commands a huge global audience and is well known for his reasoned arguments based on scientific logic.  Richard Dawkins is a respected scientist, Vice President of the British Humanist Association and Ethologist.  He is the author of many best selling books on Science and Atheism and commands a huge worldwide following.

I remember when...

I remember when you could walk

When you only had one tube

attached to a benign pump

when we dared to dream

about mainstream school

independence

sleepovers

a life of your own

when caring for you didn't need a nursing degree

or a 24 hour team

when we had hope

that you could just be a little girl

and not a patient

or a condition

or a diagnosis

now we just hope

that we can fill your time

with love and laughter

and take away the pain