From Bekah:
some background-
for those of you who don't know this about me, i am a special education teacher. currently, one who works with students with severe behavioral and emotional disorders. i am not unlike my special education counterparts. but, i do have one thing that is special about me. my grandfather, my uncle and my cousin. these three individuals are the foundation of who i am as a teacher. you see my uncle has autism. i grew up with a wonderful man around that even as a 2 year old i knew was "different" than me. as i became older i became more inquisitive of his disability. why does he say "wa wa" over and over again? why does he rock like that when he stands in front of the tv? why doesn't he ever call me by the right name? why does he get angry when there are still visitors in his house at 9 o'clock? why does he have to put on his pajama's without fail at 7? why? why? why?
in many ways i never really got answers to many of those questions. b/c well...he is who he is. a wonderful loving man who views the world in his own way and needs his tightly locked schedule to feel happy, safe and secure. which doesn't everyone want that anyway? he just had his own way of creating that life for himself. while i will never know a concrete answer...what i did receive was a demonstration by my grandfather. a demonstration of love, devotion, admiration, perseverance, determination and teaching. my grandfather was an advocate. he pushed the schools to educate my uncle and to provide functional life experiences that would help him to gain the skills needed to sustain an income. through the acts of faith and kindness by what he did not what he said...he instilled a love for all people. especially those with disabilities that often don't get what they deserve in life because they are "different."
my younger cousin, although she's only younger by a matter of 5 months, has Down Syndrome. being so close in age to her growing up made the differences between us developmentally all the more apparent. what makes her different from me? maybe i'm the different one? she is one of the most giving and wonderful people on this entire planet. i'm not sure i could love this woman more. every year without fail i get a birthday card on my birthday made from scratch by her and for me from her heart. i look forward to that small gift of love every year and it honestly means more to me than any gift i could receive on my birthday. i can't imagine how sad i would feel if that card didn't come any more. (and for those of you who know me well, know i don't really like birthdays) but i do like the card!!! ;)
however, during the formative years of my life i came to understand something horrible. life isn't fair and my family is not treated fairly because of their disabilities. i overheard many a conversation (even before i understood what it was) about the school system and how my uncle or cousin were treated unfairly or abused in some cases. i was appalled because i didn't understand how anyone could mistreat my family! as i grew these stories left a bad taste in my mouth. i hated the education system and how special education programs were run. during the end of high school and the very beginning of college i stayed as fair away from special education as i could. but it kept drawing me back. by the end of my freshman year i had declared a double major, one of which was special education.
so this is me. a person who is deeply, passionately and emotionally engulfed in special education with all of the good, the bad and the ugly that comes with it.
back on track-
so the point of this post was not to explain my past but it helps to understand this next part.
the preview-
the preview that almost miraculously appeared on my dvd was for the movie "Music Within," which i learned is based on a true story. the movie depicts a typical man who after being rejected from a program at northwestern decides to enlist during the vietnam war in which he is deafened by a bomb. upon returning, he is suddenly thrown into the world as a man with a disability and all of the stigma that comes with it. not an easy thing to take on i'm sure, especially suddenly. he befriends a man with a Cerebral Palsy. In the case of Art Honneyman, he has a severe case of CP which includes convulsion like tremors and speech impairments. Art appeared to be "retarded" as some people might describe but mentally he was all there. So, when people stared at him and made fun of how he sounded he understood everything perfectly. the 2 friends despite the odds make their voices heard and help to initiate the Americans with Disabilities Act. the movie was made in 2007 and i'm almost angry that i had never heard of it until now. after watching the preview i searched for it on the internet. i began to cry while reading about the road to making the film, the real men that the movie is based around and the amazing work that they have done and how they have paved the way for all person's with disabilities.
movies like this that don't help people change their minds about persons with disabilities but about themselves inspire me and give that kick that i need to make it through another grueling day at work. the statistic is that special educators don't make it more than 5 years in the field before they run screaming for the hills. i always thought beating this stat would be easy, but after the year that i've had...it makes a lot more sense. i was incredibly emotional and tearing up while i watched the preview and read about their lives... they are truly inspiring.
i haven't given up yet and i'll keep pushing forward to make my community a more understanding and accepting place. even if i can't change any one's mind then at least i'll have my family and friends and they will always understand.
i know i'll never be an art honneyman or richard pimentel, but i consider myself lucky to know people of the same strength and character. men like them renew my faith in humanity and my career choice. i can't wait to actually see this movie after reading about their lives.
so the question is...what kind of music play in you?
grace and peace and acceptance.
-b
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