Disabled Children

Author Unknown

The Oxford American Dictionary defines disability as, “something that disables or disqualifies a person; to make unfit or useless.” However personally, I find this definition remarkably odd. As a matter of fact, I find it downright stereotyped. A disability is a challenge, which serves to enhance and improve the person and his surroundings.

Being a parent of a disabled child means pushing away a boulder at the mouth of a large cave. It means groping through dark secret passages feeling like a pioneer, unaware of all other similar caves in the vicinity. It means being constantly on the lookout for avalanches and steep drops; and tentatively trying to avoid them. It means coming to a dead end, and creating an exit. It means finally stumbling upon emeralds at the end. It means knowing that your treasure is special in its uniqueness, and gives you the satisfaction of knowing that you worked for your prize and that you are worthy of it.

Having a disabled child means constantly worrying. It means the constant pressure of making sure the child gets the proper dosage of his medications. It means running to doctors all over the world to alleviate the pain of the child’s chronic skin condition. It means sudden seizures and low muscle tone. It means therapists and doctors. It means orthotics and wheelchairs. It means feeding tubes and walkers. It means hearing aids and communication boards. It means incessant drooling and garbled speech. It means progress and relapse. It means muscle coordination and Medek. It means adult-sized pampers, and bed safety straps. It means physical, occupational and behavior therapy.

In a therapists hand a disabled child is a newly dug up diamond. It means gently wiping off the mud of society’s ignorance. It means cutting away the label that was attached. It means engraving self-confidence. It means refining, and polishing the negative affects of his disability and channeling it to productivity. it means causing the inner beauty of his pure soul to shine forth.

Caring for a disabled child helps us realize the true value of life. It means thanking Hashem for the gift of sight, when a child is blind. It means realizing the amazing flexibility of our muscles when the child is stricken with cerebral palsy. It means sudden awareness of the importance of each gene, and the complexity of every minute part of our bodies, when a child is born with DownSyndrome. It means learning consideration and acceptance. It means smiles of happiness, joyous laughter and tears of sadness. It means truly giving without anticipating. It means temimus and feeling. It means constant hugs and kisses. It means nodding and smiling when the child says adadade, bababa, momomo, and calling it conversation. It entails coping and calling it rewarding.

It means waking up in the morning each day and saying “ModehAni,” with a special understanding which only few are zoche to experience.