It seems as though Cerebral Palsy individuals and their parents have a figment of their imagination. Have you or your special needs child ever sat in on an IPP or IEP meeting where the hearts of The Child Study Team (IEP) and the minds of The Social Guidance Group (IPP) is conveniently contradicting what you and your child know they need.
What the special needs, child, REALLY needs is often labeled a fabrication of their minds. But is it really? Who knows there child best? And who knows themselves even better!
Ask yourself.
I have realized that most “experts” place unnecessary limitations on those of us with disabilities. Many of them don’t see the potential – the kind that is beyond your wildest imagination – and that is far more limiting than our disabilities.
This weekend I was at a business conference (and that comes no where close to describing the event, which is more of a community than a conference) and everyone I talked to was so supportive, encouraging about helpful towards my desire to become a public speaker despite my significant speech impairment. And, it wasn’t patronizing support either. I keep thinking of my high school guidance counsellor; there’s no way he would have advised me in this career direction. But,that is the way I am going!
My advice to parents of kids with disabilities is to surround them with positive, supportive, creative people, including peer role models, and watch their kids grow and flourish beyond what the experts say was possible.
As you know, Karen we have spent most of our lives, dealing with the attitutes of those on High, who presume we haven’t got the right to reclaim our own destiny. In working towards my doctorate, the “helpful” experts have gone out of the way to tell me I should quit.
You know I won’t, thanks to you. I just wish they would focus more on people like you and I and glenda and less on those who don’t want to bother.
Hi Karen,interesting topic.HavingSpastic Cerebral Palsy and a moderate Learning disability,I was somewhat just shuffled throughadoptions, foster careand school.Social worker and Special Ed teachers are improving their counseling styles andare getting away from the Medical Model approach to ieps and eeps. Yet we humans in our US system still believe that degrees and titles make you an expert.I have clawed and scratched my way through school and have an AA in Social services.however an AA gets you nothing buta reception position.
the problem is the “fix it ” or defeatest attitude of our social system .We try to band- aid and categorize differently abled persons. and we do focus not focus on the long term creative employment options that are non conventional or cost to much to create.Unfortunately our emphasis in programs and proactive approaches are not financially viable and our governments local , state and federal can’t seem to balance the books even though they cut programs that are multidirectional in well rounded approach to social ,physical and psychcologically promoting the needs of each client and family members input is important.ieps and eeps done properly take years to refine to a consistant ablity based program that doesnt focus on mainstream trying make the client ” fit” into a society that doesnt really want to Know the disabled community because it takes time and imagination to really help improve a pdisabled person life. So we just give enough support to have basic needs met .