He stood there, dignified, in his polyester fastfood uniform, earnestly waiting for the bus and oblivious to the river of traffic around him, to the forced smiles and brief. uneasy glances from passersby.

In a world of multiple urgencies and lives racing at 50 mghz, he had one focus only--in this case, the Laurel Canyon bus to McDonald' s. He was alone, and he needed to concentrate. He had a job. That meant a schedule and responsibilities.

The Special Mother
by Erma Bombeck

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures and a couple by habit.

This year nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of children with special needs. Did you ever wonder how mothers of children with special needs are chosen?

It's a Sunday afternoon. My nine-year-old daughter Josie is at home drawing cartoons with my husband and I'm swinging my six-year-old son Evan at the park. Evan laughs and giggles and with each wide arc of the swing, his smile grows ever larger. The mother next to me smiles herself and says, "Boy, he really loves that, doesn't he? I mean, kids just love to swing, don't they?"

Jon Will's Aptitudes
by George Will

Jon Will, the eldest of my four children, turns 21 this week and on this birthday, as on every other workday, he will commute by subway to his job delivering mail and being useful in other ways at the National Institutes of Health. Jon is a taxpayer, which serves him right: He voted for Bill Clinton (although he was partial to Pat Buchanan in the primaries).

Enjoying my daughter with Down syndrome: a hip mom employs holistic therapies to help her child reach her potential
Author - Lizzie Martinez

OUR SECOND CHILD WAS BORN with ease at home, as our first had been. But there she was, little and pale, with the almond-shaped eyes given to those with an extra 21st chromosome: those with Down syndrome (DS). Nasrine didn't latch on, and her coloring turned dusky: Several hours after her birth, we found ourselves in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).

My six-year-old son Evan is a "non-verbal communicator." What this means, essentially, is that he does not talk. In days past, one might have used the words "mute" or "dumb" to describe Evan's lack of speech. But these days the language is more positive. We focus on Evan's attempts rather than his failures, and label his efforts more compassionately and more accurately. We call these trials "non-verbal communication" and we look for their signs as often as we can.

Dennis McGuire, PhD
Adult Down Syndrome Center of
Lutheran General Hospital
Park Ridge, Illinois

This paper was originally delivered as a plenary address at the conference in Chicago in July of 2005, co-sponsored by the National Down Syndrome Society and the National Association for Down Syndrome. It was well received by the audience, and we have received many requests for a written form of the presentation. In this paper I will try to maintain the spirit and humor of the original.

 Welcome To Holland
Author - Emily Perl Kingsley
c1987 by Emily Perl Kingsley. All rights reserved

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

They’ll Do It Themselves, Thanks
Author - Michael Winerip

I LIKE it!” said Yaniv Gorodischer. “What a night!”

It was a big, big night at the group home. The three residents — Mr. Gorodischer, 29, Jason Kingsley, 32, and Raymond Frost Jr., 28 — along with an entourage that included their group home supervisor, Ernest Daniels, and their parents, were going to the Town Board meeting to present a petition to get a sidewalk for their busy street, Chatterton Parkway.

The Secret
Author - Dream Mom (dreammom.blogspot.com)

The Special Education Coordinator had several conversations with me regarding Dear Son’s next placement. At issue, was finding the “appropriate” school for him. At that time, Dear Son’s primary disability was listed as physical since they didn’t make statements with regards to their mental disabilities until the children are a little older. I had asked to see the school they recommended as well as two classrooms (schools) above his level and two schools (classrooms) with lower functioning children than Dear Son so I could understand the difference. Then, I could see for myself as well as check out the classrooms to see how Dear Son would fit in. I was very new to the whole Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Multi-Disciplinary Conferences (MDC) that were required to place Special Needs children, so this exercise would be a good learning experience. Also, as Dear Son’s mother, I needed to be certain that this indeed was the right place for him. While I certainly didn’t have the expertise of the professionals, I did know my own Dear Son and I wasn’t about to take their recommendation without checking it out for myself.

Author - Jennifer Enderlin Blougouras

I was thirty-seven years old when my husband and I decided it was time to have a baby. We had been married nine years, together for sixteen.

Hello Marcy,

I almost deleted your email before reading it because, at first, I thought it was another of those nice starting letters to tell me about another get rich quick scheme.  I’m glad I didn’t.  I really enjoyed reading your email.  My name is Ann Allen and I’m a practicing LMSW.  I am also the 54 year old sister to a 52 year old Downs Syndrome brother, David.  It is gratifying to hear that you are reaching out to those who can educate others about DS and to those who need the education. 

First a Baby
Author - Lindy Allen

I don’t think that I really enjoyed the first year of my baby’s life.  I was so involved in his care, I just, well…I just didn’t really get involved in the joy of having him.  Of being his mother.  --Lindy Allen, whose son Sean has Cerebral Palsy

Deviance
Author Unknown

A first-grader with Down syndrome was working with his Dad to correct a worksheet during his first year in a regular classroom.  The assignment was to find the synonym for a given word from a list of three other words.  They got to the word “different.”  The choices were “alike,” “strange,” and “OK.”  The child had checked “OK.  It was marked wrong.  The right answer was “strange.” 

Beatitudes for Friends of People with Special Needs

Author Unknown

Blessed are you who take the time

to listen to difficult speech

for you help me to know that

if I persevere,

I can be understood.