“Step Through the Fear” and into the Lives of Children with Disabilities

Brenda Darke offers insight into the lives of children with disabilities and their families as she reflects on her experience working in this area. Here are a few quotes that stood out to me as I listened to the interview.

“The scriptures are actually full of God’s heart for people with disabilities, even though there is a lot of misunderstanding on this issue. But one thing that I always call people’s attention to is Luke 14. Where there is Jesus teaching how to include people with disabilities in His kingdom. He goes out of his way and crosses barriers that other people are not prepared to cross. He teaches us in practice and by his word… that we should be including them in our church.”

“The statistics are that the situation of children with disabilities living in developing countries is always much worse. There are more children growing up in disadvantaged situations, in countries that are being developed, mostly related to high levels of poverty. If a child is born into a family in Latin America, they do not have the kind of support that might be available in countries in Europe, for instance. Even if the family is a middle class family or fairly well-to-do, there is such a drain on the resources that this family too becomes poor.”

“Huge, huge poverty actually provokes many disabilities in children because of poor antenatal care, poor diet, there are many birth accidents. They actually acquire disabilities directly because of their situation of poverty.”

“We just have to step through the fear and just begin by getting to know some children with disabilities and their families… we need to get along side them and begin to dialogue with the family.”

“I think [children with disabilities] teach us about ourselves. I think there is actually a spiritual issue in recognizing that the child with the disability is really no different. We may start off thinking, ‘Oh we are going to be able to do so much to help them and give them so much.’ But in my experience, we are usually the people who gain.”

Listen to the entire podcast for more from Brenda Darke.

Podcast Interview with Brenda Darke

The Fastest Man with no Legs.

Oscar Pistorious has worn prosthetic legs since he was 11 months old. Born without a fibula in either leg, his legs were amputated just below his knees. But not having natural legs did not stop Pistorious from using his body to compete. Last May, he won three gold medals in the Paralympics for 100 m, 200 m, and 400 m events. Those are only a few of his accomplishment as a competitive runner. You can’t stop a born athlete. Not even a ban on his participation in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing can break Pistorious’ determination.

In January 2008, the International Associations of Athletic Federations, which governs athletics internationally, said that Pistorious had an unfair advantage over athletes without prosthetic limbs. After a series of tests examining the difference between a leg and the carbon-fibre prosthetic legs used by Pistorious, the IAAF stated that the limbs prevented Pistorious from expending the same amount of energy other athletes expend competing in the same events.

Pistorious has appealed the ruling and still hopes to compete in the Olympics. But even if the final answer is no, he will continue to race in other events. He refuses to let the ruling break his spirits or his commitment to running.
In the words of Pistorious, “You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.”

Watch a news clip covering the IAAF desicion.

Dancing Moves the Soul

As I have been reading about the state of those with disabilities, information about inclusive education has been overwhelming. It seems like many advocates of children with disabilities are putting all of their eggs into the basket of inclusive education, as if being incorporated into a classroom with students without disabilities is all that is needed to open a child up.

At the beginning of December, I caught a news segment on the Shimmy Club, a program that teaches visually impaired teenagers how to tango. Founded on the concept that dancing doesn’t require vision, only feeling the music, two women implemented the program in their community.

These two women have empowered the teens by helping them gain self-confidence. The teens have broken out of their shells and are now bold enough to ask someone to dance. Tango, in fact.

Imagine what could be done in the lives of visually impaired teenagers if there was a program like this in every community. The end that many are seeking, inclusive education, would greatly benefit from being paired with a program that teaches self-confidence to students with disabilities. And, as these two women have proven, it doesn’t require action on behalf of a school system or the government to make a difference in the lives of people with disabilities. It just takes a vision and the dedication to see that vision come to fruition.

What is your vision?

To read the article visit: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22147757/

World Disability Day

We live in a world of rallies, protests and speaking out against injustice. No longer will people sit back as children are taught to murder as soldiers in civil wars, or as young girls are being sold as prostitutes. They refuse to look the other way when millions of children are forced into labor. Hollywood has used its resources to bring attention to the injustices around the world through movies like Hotel Rwanda and Blood Diamond.But where is the outcry against the mistreatment of those with disabilities? These children are abused even in countries where there isn’t political unrest. There are about 150 million children in the world living with a disability. Many of these vulnerable children are exploited because of their disabilities. They are abandoned by their families, left without education and surrounded by a stigma of being untouchable.

But each year, December 3 marks World Disability Day. The day is set aside for those with disabilities and their advocates to demand the acknowledgement of their needs. The 2007 World Disability Day was the 11^th event and was celebrated in many countries around the world. Participants flooded the streets of Patna, India, chanting, “We don’t want kindness… we want education.” The day is also intended to celebrate those with disabilities. As one blogger wrote, “Of course, for many of us all 365 days of the year remind of our disability, so perhaps this occasion should be used to celebrate our abilities.”