Understanding

I have found for myself, the best way to understand someone with a disability is to put yourself "in their shoes."

Because I work with children with special needs, I find myself searching for an opportunity. I have stood in their standers, walkers, sat in wheelchairs, laid on the different places we lay them at, tasted pureed food (because I feed it to my kids I had to know what that might feel like to them). I also had the opportunity to blindfold myself and use earplugs and earphones to make myself deaf and blind.

Though it was an eye opening experience, it was probably one of the most humbling experiences of my life. My heart aches for people who just walk on past these amazing people I work with. Its unfortunate to me that anyone can look past these fabulous individuals.

My challenge for you today is to find an opportunity to put yourself "in their shoes." If you would like help with this, I can help you!

Remember: Though they may walk a little different, talk a little different, in the end, we are really not all that different!!!! Go and Do!!!

A little love, goes a long way!!!

I have noticed, over the past several years, that we all need to feel loved. What has been more amazing to me, is that a little love, makes the biggest difference in behaviors, attitudes, and even our health, physically, mentally, emotionally, and so on!

Consider with me, a child with a severe behavior problem. He spends more time in time out than he does interacting with others? He is physically harmful towards himself and others when in crisis. With love and attention, care and concern, he now spends less than 2...15 minute periods in time out per week, if that!!! His behavior, due to the love he has been given, has decreased DRAMATICALLY!!!

Another thing I learned this week from my friend who is going to be studying for her P.h.D. in speech and language pathology, is that an individual with a speech delay of any sort, when given proper oral care,will increase their abilities to communicate, and I think personally, their willingness to want to communicate!

I am just constantly impressed by the simplest things...and how by small and simple things are great things brought to pass.

I challenge you today to do ONE very simple thing to improve the life of someone in need!!! Though you are only one person...You can make a difference!!!!

A little love, goes a long way...

We all need to be loved...because we are not all that different!!!!

Did You Know?

I have been reading over some statistics I have found in both books on various websites throughout this journey and just thought I would share some startling statistics. I found them rather interesting, and hopefully you will to.

Did you know that:

*1 in 5 people suffer from some type of disability?

*People with Disabilities is the largest minority group? and the only one that any of us could become a part of at any given time?

*15% of people with disabilities were born with them...meaning that 85% of the disabled population has acquired their disability at some point in their life?

*People with Disabilities is the biggest group of unemployed people who are still actively looking for employment?

*20% of the world's population have at least ONE (if not more) people with a disability in their household?

I think its important for all of us to reach outside ourselves and embrace these wonderful people with kindness, love, and concern. I really believe that anything is possible if you have someone to believe in you.

I challenge you today, and forever, to reach out to helping one person who needs just a little extra help! It can be as simple as writing someone a letter to make them smile, cooking someone dinner who can't cook for themselves, to spending time volunteering somewhere...

Do whatever you can! I KNOW you will be rewarded beyond your imagination!!! Go and DO!!! :)

Remember: "We're Not All That Different!!!"

Why?

This year, I am participating in the Miss Bluffdale Scholarship Pageant. As a contestant, each one of us have been asked to create platform. It is both something we could comfortably talk about, as well as stand upon in the community.

The Platform I have chosen to represent this year is entitled "We're not all that Different!"-Understanding those with Disablities.

My hope in doing this platform is to raise awareness to the community, and general public that, though people may walk differently, or talk differently, or some of them don't even walk or talk at all, that they are not all that different from the rest of us.

In creating this blog, I hope to be able to share with you, the things I see, from my perspective, and hopefully help you understand, if you don't already, that We're not all that different!!!

I want to start off by first challenging you to something---and I will challenge you to do something new every time I post something.

TODAYS CHALLENGE: Think about someone you may not quite understand, someone who looks a little different, acts a little different...What can you do for them? How can you help yourself better understand what they want??? Go out, and DO IT!!!!

It is usually through another person that our needs are met...Remember, we are really not all that different!!!!