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Originally Posted by JustAskJulie I thought I had posted this question earlier but I guess not. I noticed that your pet peeve is those who make fun of those with disabilities. Does that come from your work or some other personal experience with those with disabilities? I've always found that those who actually have personal involvement with disabled people tend to have much more of a soft heart towards them. |
I have a close family member who has down syndrome. When he was born, his mother was only 19, and we practically raised her. She went through all the emotions about having a child with a disability. It almost came to a point that she wanted to give him up, because she didnt know how to cope, and the father left a few months after he was born, due to ignorance of the disability. We encouraged her to seek help, and to research down syndrome, and never take no for an answer. For the first 3 years, we all went through alot, but with help, he has grown to be a great little boy, who enjoys life as he sees it. I am very involved in his life, special olympics, and the buddy walk for down syndrome. His mom used to keep a journal of her life as a mother with a disabled child. In that journal she wrote the most moving thing. "When your child is born, your first thought is to lead him to the road to success. When your child is born with a disability, you just need to learn to lead him down a different road to success. The key is finding the road."
Yes, I do have a problem with people who do not understand what they do when they poke fun at "the retarded" It took this little boy, his mom, and others that I have worked with to help me understand why it hurts to hear words that may mean nothing to them, but are brash and heartless to others.
Thank you for the question Julie! I am honored that you asked.