A day in the life...

People tend to tell me that they are "sorry" when they hear that I have a child with multiple special needs.  I always felt that she was especially blessed.  She is an easy child, very loving and easy going.  She doesn't give me "grief" or get into too much trouble (at least not on any regular basis ;)  I had always thought that she was the lucky one.  She wouldn't have to worry about what she was going to "be" when she grew up, she'd just be herself.  She wouldn't have to stress over money or finances because we would make sure she was taken care of.  J wouldn't ever be alone, because she has a brother and sisters and aunts and uncles and cousins that all love her, even when her father and I are long gone. 

But then I was introduced to the plight of children with special needs in other countries.  Many of them are still 50 years + behind us in how we treat and care for our family members with down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and various other mental and physical impairments.  Where today, people in the United States are able to have large organizations such as ADA and the ARC fighting for their right to equal rights and accessibility with in our country; other places are not so lucky.

J began early intervention services as soon as she returned home from the hospital.  A teacher and therapists all came into our home on a weekly basis to help her reach various goals.  When she turned 2 years old, she was able to attend the local elementary school in their special education preschool class with transportation provided by the county.  When she moved up to school age, there was another class waiting for her with assistive technology and other aides to assist her in moving forward, and so on until she ages out of High School and then joins a day program.  She may even decide one day to try and live a more independent life in a group home with other people with special needs.  I don't know what the future will bring, but I do know that she will have one and that it doesn't look so bad.

In many other countries around the world, their young and adults with mental and physical impairments are shut away in institutions.  There are no wheelchair ramps, handicapped parking, handicap bathroom stalls, or phones and televisions with captioning for the hearing impaired. There are no accommodations for special needs in public or private settings.  You may be able to move around within your apartment, but could you get out of it through the front door, or down stairs, or into a doctor's office or government building?  Do the old buildings have wider doorways or an elevator large enough for your manual wheelchair?  Most likely the answer is no.

So what happens to children with special needs?  Most often, their families leave them at the hospital when they are born or to an orphanage as soon as their needs become evident.  It is an issue that needs to be resolved through the societies.  We were no better than them not so many years ago with our own mandatory sterilization programs and lobotomies.  But perhaps we can help them get to where they need to be quicker than it took us to learn it on our own.  We can show them how much these members of society can accomplish with a little faith and guidance. But until that happens, there are still orphans in need of moms and dads.

Here are a few children and families that could use our help and have been beautifully lifted up in other blogs as you can see here:

http://butbygraceitcouldbeme.blogspot.com/  Keegan, a 1 year old whose baby house is closing and is in imminant danger of being institutionalized!!!

http://godsrainbowsinourlives.blogspot.com/2012/04/waiting-children-post-4-28-12.html Please especially pray for Marcia who is 5 years old and has been sent to an adult mental institution.  She needs a family now to love her and help her recover from this traumatic event.

http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/  And then we have families in process of adopting some children with special needs that still need our help.