Special Needs

For many people who dont know. Special needs consist of mainly developmental and learning disabilities, but the disabilities dont make them less human. We should consider the question, what do special need people and their families go through every day and how do they feel about discrimination and their struggles with a disability? Through what I found in my research and personal experience many families feel the same pain the special need person feels when being starred at or laughed at. Special needs is a difficult thing to live with because of the health, development issues and feeling accepted by others. Discrimination is hurtful to anyone who deals with it, no matter how harsh. Special needs and their families notice when they are being made fun of, stared at and talked about secretly by others. Most of the families I read about in my research said they try to ignore the looks and encourage the special need person that they are an amazing person no matter what. The word retard is a word people dont think of as discriminating against special needs, but it has a big impact on special needs and their loved ones because it makes them feel unaccepted and different than normal people. The campaign Spread the Word to End the Word has been working to prevent the use of the word Retard for about 3 years now. Theyre website www.r-word.org, is where you can pledge, read stories or watch videos on those with special needs, buy product with the logo and look at pictures of the events they hold also people who post their pictures and stories of that person under the picture. While I was in high school, there was a day where the school educated us on the word and sold shirts with the logo Spread the Word to End the Word on

them at lunch. They had a table set up in the hall way where you could receive more information or to sign up for the pledge and get a sticker that said I pledge to end the word. Many people wrote their names on the paper to pledge, but forgot about it the next day, it was just something they could have their name on, but it didnt actually matter to them. I was one of those people who said the word retard a lot and didnt think anything of it . I took the pledge May 5, 2011, at the last minute of lunch, not knowing that it would actually make an impact on my life. After I pledged, I spent some time on the website looking at the stories learning why the word is hurtful to special needs and it gave me a huge eye opener. From that day on I did not say the word at all even if I was trying to describe the word to someone when I was wearing my awesome Spread the Word to End the Word shirt, but now because not a lot of people knew what I meant by the R-word I had to say the actual word. The campaign may be just another way to put your name on something, but it can actually impact your community and your life. It gives knowledge to something many people dont pay attention to or understand. For many years, people even myself have gone without noticing that special needs is discriminated and humiliated against every day. We notice when someone is being racist toward someone but we dont bother to pay attention to someone laughing at or belittling someone with special needs. Some may say that its because they are funny, but then why not laugh with them instead of pointing fingers and talking amongst a group of friends. In the blog, Discrimination against special needs is unacceptable Jennifer Chimber talks of her experience with discrimination in a restaurant she and a friend went to. She tells of how the waitress sat a family with a special needs child close to the front by the exit. Then, sat Chimber

and her friend toward the back of the restaurant so they do not have to be bothered by that boy said the waitress (Chimber). Ms. Chimber and her friend were shocked to hear that the waitress would discriminate against the boy like that because of his disability. She than goes on to tell that she has a child with special needs, so she knew exactly how that family was feeling. A special education teacher told Chimber, This is his world too, dont look at the eyes staring look at him (Chimber). The blog is a perfect example of something many people wont pay attention to unless they truly know how that family is feeling. Chimber states at the end of the blog, By acceptance and support you are investing in not only that persons future, you are investing in the community as well (Chimber). We need to open our eyes to discrimination in many areas rather than just racism. Even if someone has special needs and looks, acts, responds, and learns differently, it doesnt make them any different than someone without a disability. The struggle the family along with the person with special needs goes through is something not many people understand or care to know about. People think of someone with special needs as dumb, stupid, or a burden, but they are just as capable of doing things normal people do. People will refer to it as being disabled, but special need people are able to do what they put their minds to. They get the same education as everyone else throughout school. We all deserve the same love and respect even if we have something unlike each other. Many people dont pay attention to how much a special needs person can b enefit their lives and what special needs are capable of accomplishing. It may seem like almost anything can inspire someone to better themselves or to keep pushing to accomplish something. For me someone with special needs that is getting an education, going for their goals, and pushing past

their struggles, is like the sun in the morning, it wakes me up and makes me want to get up and go on with my day. Even though most of them struggle with being seen or knowing that they arent like everyone else, they keep a smile on and go on with life doing all they can do. Does that mean that special needs people feel like they are different or like theyre dumb or weird? John Franklin Stephens a man with Down syndrome wrote in The Denver Post, We are aware when all the rest of you stop and just look at us you mean no harm, but you have no idea how alone we feel even when we are with you (Downes). He shares how he feels about the way people look at him like he is dumb and shallow. That is not what he is at all. Stephens talks of how he rather be seen as someone who fights adversity during an interview with Piers Morgan on CNN. John Franklin Stephens is a big inspiration to me and many of special needs people because he has written many speeches for the Special Olympics to inspire and tell of how educated they are. Franklin is a perfect example of proving that special needs doesnt mean someone is dumb and arent capable of things like writing a speech. He stands up to people who say the word retard and discriminate against special needs. Discriminating is much like cooking with grease being burned on your arm and getting a scar from the experience, it never goes away. Why discriminate against special need for something they cant change? Discriminating against special needs by saying they are wei rd, nasty, unusual, and worthless. Will never be acceptable or ignored. Those are only some of the words I have heard people use to describe someone with special needs, in a rude way. But those words are not as hurtful as just saying one word. Many people say this word not realizing how much of a negative affect it has. The word retard is a word people use every day, in their vocabulary. To many people the word is a way to describe someone who is being slow or being

dumb, it has become much like saying the word stupid, but the true meaning of the word and the meaning of it to special need people and their loved ones is something way different. For instance, in 2012 writer Ann Coulter wrote on Twitter saying, I highly approve of Romneys decision to be kind and gentle to the retard in which she was referring to President Obama. John Franklin Stephens responded with a speech stating, No one overcomes more than we do and still loves life so much (In His Own). The word retard is very harmful to special needs and those who love them because it makes them feel like they are alone, or feel like they arent our kind (Stephens). Many of the families with a child with special needs, feel like they cant go out to eat or do something in public because people will look at them weird. Even when not using the word directly toward a special need person it still has the same meaning to them and isnt funny at all in any situation. Special needs isnt just a one person thing, it affects everyone who loves those with special needs. When you discriminate against that one person it affects the people that love them just as much. I would never know how hard it is to have a disability but I do know how hard it is to deal with the discrimination because of my sisters and the love I have for special needs. In high school, I participated in a group called PALS (Peer Assistance for Life Skills), the group would work with the special need students to give them the high school experience we all deserve. With the experience in PALS I discovered the hurt, discouragement and loneliness they felt when walking the halls alone, or being at lunch and people staring at them. For instance, on a Tuesday before lunch at school, I was walking a little bit behind Juan, one of the special needs students who is in a wheel chair. I noticed two boys walking behind him laughing and talking quietly to each other, which most people do, but then I saw one of them kick Juans wheel chair

and start laughing more. I got butterflies in my stomach and felt very angry. I right away looked at Juan and noticed he was going slower and had his head hanging low with a look of pain. I walked a little faster so I could catch up to Juan and the two boys. I asked if Juan was okay and all he said was I dont think I did anything wrong. He had a look of confusion and sadness, which made me even more upset and heart broken. So I turned around to the two boys and said how would you feel if I just kicked you in your leg because you had something differe nt about you? Both of the boys looked at me like I was dumb, and for a minute I wanted to just walk away with Juan and leave it alone, but I couldnt, so I went on to say Just because he has a wheel chair and isnt exactly like you he is still human and for you to kick his chair and laugh at him is like killing a little piece of him inside. The boys just walked away saying whatever. At that moment, I realized that people dont care if the person notices what they do, most people will be to prideful to say sorry for their actions. Juan than asked me what did I do to them to be treated like that, he asked did I hit them with my chair? I told him no you didnt, they just dont understand who you are and they dont know that youre such an amazing, funny, smart, and beautiful person. After this experience I felt like my heart toward special needs, was like chocolate melting in someones hand. I realized that I had to stand up to people who discriminate, much like Mr. Stephens does. It made me think of how people looked at special needs as invisible or not as bright and recognizable as a human. Marianne Russo has a blog called Life Unexpected, where she writes on a variety of different subjects but one of her main subjects is special needs. In her blog, The Palette it compares a special needs person to the color gray on a painters palette. She tells of how the gray is not as vibrant as the other colors and doesnt stand out much and isnt thought to be

useful. Much like a special needs person they arent seen as talented, bright, smart, or useful because of their disability. For instance, Ive seen that when people are walking down the hallway with friends they dont bother to stop to notice or speak to a special needs person sitting off to the side alone like they would to one of their classmates without a disability. Russo says toward the end of her blog, that we should, Instead of envying and striving to always be the bright orange, find the marvel in your palette (Russo). She was addressing this blog to parents of a special need child, Russo wanted to give parents that positive look on their kids no matter if they have a disability, because either way they shine bright and have their own marvel to them. The differences from special needs and someone without a disability is not very different. Special needs deal with health, development and learning disabilities every day of their life, but they are capable of doing just as much as everyone else. Special needs can be a big inspiration and life changing thing for both them and those around them, for people to discriminate against special needs for something they cant change is very heart breaking. The big issue is the use of the word retard it is a hurtful and disrespectful word. This generation needs to learn that the word is not just another slang word for stupid, it has a bigger meaning behind it and it is a painful and demeaning word to use no matter how you use it or where you use it. In order to know how special need people feel and what they are capable of, you have to have an open heart and just be a friend to them, they arent nasty, weird, shallow, or a burden theyre so much fun and very uplifting people. Remember the way you want to be treated is how you should treat others, accept people for who they are and dont think of them as anything different because we are all human. Special needs will open your eyes and inspire you to love

life and push for what you want, if you just love them and see the marvel in them instead of the gray you will learn a lot and love them, like Russo says in her blog.

Works Cited Chimber, Jennifer. "Your Letters." 08 Aug 2008. Syracuse. Web . 18 Oct 2013. Downes, Lawrence. "A Word Gone Wrong." New York Times (2013): 1-3. In His Own Words: Special Olympian's Open Letter to Ann Coulter. Perf. John Franklin Stephens. Ora TV, 2012. Film. Perfect Sense Digital . R-Word Spread The Word To End The Word . 2013. Web. 5 May 2011. Russo, Marianne. "The Palette." 26 Apr 2013. The Life Unexpected. n.d. Web. 3 Oct 2013. Stephens, John Franklin. John Franklin Stephens on his open letter to Ann Coulter: "Use me as a symbol for someone who fight adversity" Youtube. 26 Oct 2012 . Web. Oct 20, 2013