DISABILITY IS NATURAL!
New Ways of Thinking and Revolutionary Common Sense
Disability Is Natural Books and Media
The trouble with specialists is that
they tend to think
in grooves.
Elaine Morgan
Many years ago, during my son’s early years, I was involved with several organizations of parents of children with disabilities. We came in all shapes and sizes, with different levels of experience, based on the ages of our children. We all had something to contribute to one another; we all had much to learn from each other.
By the time my son, Benjamin, was four, I had also learned a great deal from adults with developmental disabilities. So while I had only four years of personal experience, I was fortunate to be learning from adults who had thirty, forty, or fifty years of experience. One day, Paula, the parent of a two-year-old with cerebral palsy (the same diagnosis as my son) called me, and in a near panic-stricken voice, she said, “The ortho doc says this, the pedi-neurologist says that, the therapist says something else! Which one is right? Which one should I listen to? Which one is responsible?”
I responded that apparently none of the professionals saw her son as a Whole Person; each saw her two-year-old through the lens of their specific disciplines. Perhaps all were “right” in their own way. But she, as the parent, was responsible; she should not cede her parental authority to any professional. I suggested that she make her decision based on what she thought was right for her son and her family, within the context of her son being a Whole Person: a precious little two-year-old boy who was also his father’s son, his sister’s little brother, a valuable member of the family, and a kiddo who needed and deserved a wonderful, happy childhood. Click here to continue.
The Whole Person