Disability is Natural

I visited one of my most dear friends last week in California. I'm 54 years old and we have been close and a part of each other's lives since we were in 1st grade. We're like sisters. I wish I could say this was a fun trip. It wasn't.

My friend is dying of cancer. It started with breast cancer 8 years ago. She lost a breast which is sad, but at least we were relieved to know that they got it all. Unfortunately, they didn't get it all. Over the next seven years the cancer spread to her liver, then spine, and now brain.

Up until last year she was a professor and chair of the business school at the college in which she taught. Brilliant, beautiful, generous, and kind would be a few words to describe her. She always did things in a big way! From literally designing and building their home to making six pies at once, she was the ultimate multitasker before anyone had even heard of the word.

Even though I knew she was not doing well nothing could prepare me to see her wheelchair bound. This beautiful woman who had been an athlete all her life, never smoked, and hardly drank alcohol was now disabled. Without getting too graphic here, I'll tell you that she had to be lifted from the wheelchair to use the toilet.

Seeing her that way reinforced the notion for me that disability is natural. As people age they become more likely to be disabled whether by using glasses for reading (assistive technology) or using a cane or wheelchair instead of walking.

As an advocate for children with special needs I've seen alot of discriminatory actions and unkind comments made about this population of people. It's sad. Why is it that we want to segregate these children into "special education" classrooms? Why is it that parents of disabled children must fight with the educational system to make certain that their children are taught and learn too? Why do we assume that these children don't know what they want?

Several years ago I helped bring Kathy Snow to Michigan to speak to a roomful of mothers, dads, educators, and advocates about children with special needs. Kathie Snow is a wife and mother, as well as an author, public speaker, trainer, consultant, and host of the Disability is Natural website.

Her message is simple -- For too long, people who happen to have conditions we call "disabilities" have been subjected to devaluation, marginalization, prejudice, and more.

My friend is now disabled. It doesn't change the way I think and feel about her. In fact, there's a very good chance that at some time in my life I'll be disabled. I hope that as a nation we can look at those with disabilities in a new light. I don't want to be marginalized, devalued, or the target of prejudice as I age. Do you?

If you're interested in learning more about Kathy Snow click on the link below.http://bit.ly/V5VRES