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The wheelchair symboll's meaning has changed for me over the years. In the beginning, it was simply a symbol of the love I have for my son. It was a symbol of my pride in the hard work he was subjected to at 11 therapies a week. In the beginning, I was struggling with my son's diagnosis of spastic quad cerebral palsy and his prognosis of never being able to walk. I have to admit that there were 5 years that I did not want to accept the possibility of him never being able to walk. For 5 years I could not accept that the wheelchair would be forever. For some reason I thought that he wouldn't be able to live life to the fullest in a wheelchair. I disliked the stares. I disliked that he was ignored while his twin sister was adored. I disliked the frustration I would feel every single time he would be close to walking and then have a setback. The mom in me wanted to take it all away and make his life 'normal'.
Then I started following 3E Love, along with other positive disability organizations. I started reading about other amazing people who live life to the fullest in a wheelchair. I started to transform my own fears and my own awareness. I began to spread a message that had taken me a long time to learn. I found out that once I embraced the wheelchair, suddenly the people around us changed. The stares are still there, but now I choose those moments to educate when I can. Those people that used to ignore him now speak to him .
I get it now. I get Embrace. something that my son, in all his wonderful innocence, always understood. There is nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair. It won't hold him back from achieving his dreams. Well, maybe he'll never be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but I'll never be Princess Leia like I wanted to be when I was his age.
I am amazed every single day by the way he touches everyone around him. He has this amazing charming and witty personality. He touches everyone who takes the time to get to know him. His teachers and aides cried when he moved on to the next school because they loved him so very much. He is the child that smiles and laughs, with laughter that is contagious. He is a child that tries to charm his way out of therapy, and is quite successful a good percentage of the time. He is a child that all of his classmates volunteer to be his helper of the day. He is a child that is full of light and full of life. He is like his grandpa and daddy. His wheelchair is part of him, but it does not define him.
For him to have the opportunities to achieve his dreams, Educate and Empower are key. Businesses need to be educated on how they can make small changes to make their locations accessible to wheelchair users. They need to be educated on not being afraid of hiring people in wheelchairs. There are so many different areas that need education on this, I could write a book naming them all. With education comes empowering. Giving those with disabilities the tools and the courage to live their dreams and make the changes in the world that will allow them to do this.
3E Love's message is one that took me a while to understand fully. Now that I do, I see how very important it is to spread and make positive changes in the world so that we may all share it equally.
Then I started following 3E Love, along with other positive disability organizations. I started reading about other amazing people who live life to the fullest in a wheelchair. I started to transform my own fears and my own awareness. I began to spread a message that had taken me a long time to learn. I found out that once I embraced the wheelchair, suddenly the people around us changed. The stares are still there, but now I choose those moments to educate when I can. Those people that used to ignore him now speak to him .
I get it now. I get Embrace. something that my son, in all his wonderful innocence, always understood. There is nothing wrong with being in a wheelchair. It won't hold him back from achieving his dreams. Well, maybe he'll never be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but I'll never be Princess Leia like I wanted to be when I was his age.
I am amazed every single day by the way he touches everyone around him. He has this amazing charming and witty personality. He touches everyone who takes the time to get to know him. His teachers and aides cried when he moved on to the next school because they loved him so very much. He is the child that smiles and laughs, with laughter that is contagious. He is a child that tries to charm his way out of therapy, and is quite successful a good percentage of the time. He is a child that all of his classmates volunteer to be his helper of the day. He is a child that is full of light and full of life. He is like his grandpa and daddy. His wheelchair is part of him, but it does not define him.
For him to have the opportunities to achieve his dreams, Educate and Empower are key. Businesses need to be educated on how they can make small changes to make their locations accessible to wheelchair users. They need to be educated on not being afraid of hiring people in wheelchairs. There are so many different areas that need education on this, I could write a book naming them all. With education comes empowering. Giving those with disabilities the tools and the courage to live their dreams and make the changes in the world that will allow them to do this.
3E Love's message is one that took me a while to understand fully. Now that I do, I see how very important it is to spread and make positive changes in the world so that we may all share it equally.
