Seeing Ability in Disability

Who knows how far my friends may go in life! Today, I watched them continue to make such good progress. For the first time, they could all find their names from identical badges, rather than key on a particular color or shape.

And Kamryn is learning to better understand social relationships—just like the other kids. She communicates her snack choices by picking them from a picture-panel and giving them to the teacher.

This poem—written by the mother of an autistic child—kind of expresses my feelings about my friends.

My Perfect Child — a Mom's prayer
by author unknown

As my children were born,
I wanted them to be perfect.

When they were babies,
I wanted them to smile and be content playing with their toys.





I wanted them to be happy and
to laugh continually instead of crying and being demanding.

I wanted them to see the beautiful side of life.






As they grew older,
I wanted them to be giving instead of selfish.
I wanted them to skip the terrible twos.
I wanted them to stay innocent forever.

As they became teen-agers,
I wanted them to be obedient and not rebellious, mannerly and not mouthy.


I wanted them to be full of love,
gentle and kind-hearted.
"Oh, God, give me a child like this" was often my prayer.

...And one day He did.
Some call him handicapped... I call him perfect!!


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Yes, indeed. Who knows just how far my friends will go in life? They're getting a great start—they're bound to have a great finish!

And now...why just a picture when a thousand notes will do?





Read all about it!

Mom wins $100K for special needs students
Frankie Lemmon school will use money for technology, growth.

Congratulations Melissa Matthews !!

“It’s exciting to win, but it’s humbling to win,” Melissa said. “It’s a privilege and a responsibility to do the most good with the money for the largest number of children.”

Details in N&O's Sunday edition (Jan. 28) of the Midtown Raleigh News or the North Raleigh News.

Exclusive!  Look for Melissa's interview in Carolina Parent Magazine.



More News...
What do you do with your old iPad?
The new iPad 3 goes on sale in March. The technology turnover is rapid. But what do you do with your old technology—your old iPad, your iPod touch, your smart phone? WRAL-TV's “Project Education” series recently provided one answer: an organization known as Geek Speaks (Geekspeaks.org). Lief Harris, a former Frankie Lemmon dad, founded Geek Speaks after he discovered that the iPad helped his son communicate. He now installs educational apps on recycled electronics and converts them into assistive technology devices for kids with disabilities. One thankful mother says that her son: "knows far more than we know that he knows—and these devices give him a voice."
Lief was recently interviewed at Frankie Lemmon by WRAL-TV for its Project Education series. The story aired Monday, January 30th, on WRAL’s Morning News. See the video and web story here. (Thanks, Debbie Brooks, for this head's up - Mr. Pat.)