HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN

Imagine being a young boy with disabilities that cause you to act out in class. Your classmates don't like you. You eat lunch in an office at school every day rather than having another student be forced to eat lunch with you. And, when your mom asks you about celebrating your birthday with a party, you tell her there is no point because you have no friends. This is the case for Colin.  

To have others send positive messages and birthday wishes to her son, his mom created this Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Coliniseleven Collin is now receiving messages from all over the world.  Great news. Why then, does it bother me?

This is 2014. I thought children would have been taught a little more about compassion and accepting others for who they are. Children need to be taught and shown by example that we are all unique and special people with gifts to offer the world. 

Before I attended my first Girl Scout meeting the troop leader prepared the girls for my arrival the following week. I don't know what she told them, all I know is that my time as a Girl Scout was one of the happiest times in my life. The girls accepted me without question and always found a way to include me in whatever they were doing.

The last time I wrote a post on inclusion http://confessionsofadisableddiva.blogspot.com/2012/11/inclusion-is-beautiful-thing.html I received comments about how difficult it can be to have a child with special needs in the classroom. That it took time away from the other children. I know teaching is a difficult job. You have large classes of students who all need and deserve the best education possible. All I'm suggesting is that if children have a classmate with special needs perhaps teachers could have a lesson on compassion and acceptance. so that a child with special needs can feel they are not a valued member of the class.

.I was saddened by the fact that Colin's mother had to create a Facebook page to ensure that her son would receive birthday wishes for his birthday on March 9th. I hope you'll all wish Colin a happy birthday. I hope that next year a Facebook page won't be needed, I pray that he'll have friends to celebrate his birthday with.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY COLIN!