Today Jackson had pictures taken with the eighth grade football team. He is going to be the "water boy/manager" for the home games. Watching him participate took my breath away. It wasn't easy or comfortable for him, but he did it. None of the kids made fun of him or laughed at him. One kid wondered why he was there and another one answered before I could: "He's part of the team."
Wow. That's not the answer I was ready to give. I was ready to explain how he was going to "help" the managers at home games. Instead one of his peers answered simply and BIG: "He's part of the team." Wow.
That got me wondering: What if every special needs kid had the opportunity to be included that Jackson has had? What if every kid, starting in Nursery School was accepted? What if parents didn't have to fight for minimal services, accept mediocrity and could instead focus on building support? What if an attitude of inclusion were truly promoted from the top down? What if we didn't have to accomplish this in isolation? What if parents were encouraged to stretch special kids towards typical opportunities? What if our goal was to build relationships within and among typical peers? What if we weren't so focused on isolation? What if, instead of telling parents what is best for these kids, they are asked, "what do you think?" What if the attitude of that football player were the attitude of those decision makers? He made it sound so simple: "He's part of the team."
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