Inclusion vs the Real World
I’ve had to learn not to sacrifice our daughter on the altar of my ideology. When Penny was a toddler, I read an article about a teenager with Down syndrome…
I’ve had to learn not to sacrifice our daughter on the altar of my ideology. When Penny was a toddler, I read an article about a teenager with Down syndrome…
My heart is so full of gratitude and wonder. I had the great honor of spending the past few days with my friends from Hope Heals. It began with a…
Every few years, Penny goes through a series of tests to determine the extent of her disability and, therefore, what services she is eligible to receive. I am tasked with…
We’ve encountered our fair share of subtle discrimination over the years. The people who talk to me as if Penny isn’t present. The professionals who have predicted her future in…
Penny was on spring break last week. Our original hopes for a quick trip to Jamaica never materialized, but we did get to spend two nights with Penny’s friend Rachel…
As taxpayers, we pay for lots of stuff. Our taxpayer dollars pay for teachers and firefighters and road repairs and mayors and tanks and bombs and surveillance and food and…
How do you know if your community is a place of belonging? Professor Erik Carter has articulated ten “dimensions of belonging.” He created this model for churches to assess whether…
I remember a day 17 years ago when Peter and I had spent hours with Penny at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. We were exhausted. But he needed to attend…
Jean Vanier was the storied founder of L’Arche, a global movement of communities for people with and without intellectual disabilities. Vanier won The Templeton Prize. He authored dozens of beautiful…
She might cut herself. She might burn herself. She might feel lonely, sad, scared, abandoned. I have read all about the dangers of helicopter parenting, and about the importance of…