Sharing for an abundant future. This post is for my belle-mère, Marsha, who recently welcomed a dear and cherished grandson, "Christian," born trisomique (Down's Syndrome).
Today we ask ourselves how to say "special needs person" in French? Meantime, here is a related word, learned recently while gardening with a group of special needs students in France:
minutieux (minutieuse)
: careful, meticulous, fastidious
Soundfile: Listen to Jean-Marc read an excerpt from today's story:
Download MP3 or Wav
Ensuite la venue de Pascal et son groupe du foyer Maurice Dujardin des personnes belles, touchantes et très minutieuses. Next came Pascal and his beautiful, touching, and meticulous group from the Maurice Dujardin center.
- Correctly pronounce French with the book Exercises in French Phonetics
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE… by Kristin Espinasse
We left off, in the previous story, in a lush permaculture garden by the sea–where I was telling you about the arrival a mysterious French woman–une femme semencière!
Standing in a patch of pumpkins, she might have been the rebel rose trémière, those favorite flowers of mine–especially the rare ones with dark, coffee bean petals with heart-colored nuances, just like her shiny hair…..
My new permaculture friend! Here with her daughter.
"Je m'appelle Laurence," the dark-haired woman said, reaching out to shake my hand. Though her features were delicate and lovely, I knew by the frank handshake that here was a person who could get right to the core of things, without complicating matters.
(Now's a good time to segue to the present moment, where I'm sitting at my keyboard wondering how to introduce the next heroes of our story: the group of special needs students who arrived soon after to participate in the seedgathering workshop. But how to say "special needs person" in French? …
Sorting chickpeas at the workshop "Récolte ce que tu sèmes."
I leave you with Laurence's words, part of her garden journal which arrived in my mailbox soonafter the workshop ended.
Nous revenons du jardin avec une plénitude totale…
We've returned from the gardin with a total abundance…
Ensuite la venue de Pascal et son groupe du foyer Maurice Dujardin des personnes belles, touchantes et très minutieuses.
Next came Pascal and his beautiful, touching, and meticulous group from the Maurice Dujardin center.Thanks, Jean-Pierre Rossi of MOUVEMENT COLIBRIS for this photo.
BAREFEET ON THE SHEET TO GATHER FLAX SEEDS
SOUFFLERIE POUR GARDER QUE LES GRAINES…
BLOWING (on the husks) to KEEP only THE SEEDS…
EACH DOES HIS OR HER PART AND TOGETHER WE ARE (ONE)!
Moments of sweetness and sharing, so goes Life!!
French Vocabulary
trisomique = with Down's syndrome
une femme semencière = seedkeeper (or seedcarer) woman
la rose trémière = hollyhock
récolte ce que tu sèmes = harvest what you sow
le tamis = sieve
…and the opening photo reads:
la valise vivante = the living suitcase…
aux semences libres = with free seeds
libre d'échange = free to exchange
non HBF1 = non hybrid
oui à la vie reproductible = yes to reproductive life
Breizh, our 8-year-old golden retriever (and Smokey's mom)
Discover more from French Word-A-Day
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A beautiful episode in your stories of the French life. In the USA as you may well know, we offer many programs for those with disabilities . Thank you for sharing this story which told us of the love shown in France.
A beautiful episode in your stories of the French life. In the USA as you may well know, we offer many programs for those with disabilities . Thank you for sharing this story which told us of the love shown in France.
Yes, mine got lost in the spam file too. Hmmm a special needs person used to be considered disabled, handicapped, invalid .. or even retarded. I guess we’ll just have to come up with a less socially demeaning label for them … or maybe just not label them at all. That would be a novel idea.
Yes, mine got lost in the spam file too. Hmmm a special needs person used to be considered disabled, handicapped, invalid .. or even retarded. I guess we’ll just have to come up with a less socially demeaning label for them … or maybe just not label them at all. That would be a novel idea.
In France. to be politically correct, a ‘special needs person’ is ‘une personne à besoins spécifiques’.
In France. to be politically correct, a ‘special needs person’ is ‘une personne à besoins spécifiques’.
Kristin, Your caption “…who taught seed sorting to we students” should be “to us students” — or better yet, “to us, his students.” (You just need to say the phrase out loud to know whether “us” or “we” is correct. For example, “he taught us” (not “he taught we”).
Kristin, Your caption “…who taught seed sorting to we students” should be “to us students” — or better yet, “to us, his students.” (You just need to say the phrase out loud to know whether “us” or “we” is correct. For example, “he taught us” (not “he taught we”).
Hi Kristin! I am not sure that here in Québec one uses the term ‘special needs’. I hear more specific terms such as ‘non voyant, malentendant, à mobilité réduite, ayant une déficience intellectuelle’.
Hi Kristin! I am not sure that here in Québec one uses the term ‘special needs’. I hear more specific terms such as ‘non voyant, malentendant, à mobilité réduite, ayant une déficience intellectuelle’.
Kristin, thank you for such a beautiful post.
(It all came in email, no problem.)
Kristin, thank you for such a beautiful post.
(It all came in email, no problem.)