“The biggest transformation has been from institutionalization, which was the typical approach until the 1960s, to mainstreaming and inclusion in the community, which is what Abilities United is all about,” says Jeff. “For example, today my sister has a job. Working means so much to her, and it adds value to her life and to the lives of others. Those with disabilities are a vital part of our society.”

In 2002 Jeff become an Abilities United board member, and served as President of the board for two years. “While I was on the board we started Milestones Preschool. It’s critical to identify and start therapy for those with disabilities and introduce children to diversity at the earliest possible age, and Milestones Preschool continues to be one of our most critical services,” says Jeff. “In 2008, we also changed the name of the agency from C.A.R to Abilities United. The name reflects that we’re about abilities, not disabilities; and that we’re about uniting, not separating.”

As is true for most people who have served with the agency, the participants of Abilities United touched Jeff’s heart. “They greet you with so much appreciation and affection,” says Jeff, and it certainly wasn’t just him, these individuals influence the community. “Dave, a participant of Abilities United, was a tall, gregarious guy, who worked at Stanford. He also marched and performed with the Stanford band. He passed away a few years ago, but they still keep a life-sized cut-out of him today in the Stanford band shack. He was big part of the Stanford band.”

Looking forward, Jeff makes an appeal to the community to continue supporting Abilities United. “Government funding has steadily decreased over time, so we really need those who have the means to step-up and provide support,” says Jeff.  “There are more people out there who need our services, and we want to be able to help.”

“The staff and the volunteers help make Abilities United a magical place,” says Jeff. “Their commitment and dedication always warm my heart.”

Based on an interview with Jeff Byron in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Jeff Byron and Wendy Kuehnl.

Michael Pino dedicates much of his life to taking care of his brother Noel, a big-hearted man in his 50’s who is developmentally disabled. Michael has a simple, clear view of how Abilities United fits in with his life. “Abilities United enables a family to function with a normal workday, and enables me to pursue my career.”

How does Abilities United have such a dramatic impact on Michael and his brother? “Noel is at Abilities United every day during the week, and I know he’s in good hands there,” says Michael. Because of this, Michael can go to work. “Noel looks forward to going to Abilities United. Each night he tells me about his friends, and what they did that day.”

At Abilities United, Noel learns life skills like folding clothes or loading a dishwasher. With the help of Abilities United, Noel learned the days of the week. “That was amazing,” says Michael. “I’m very grateful for what may seem to others to be small progress.”

Noel also volunteers at community organizations with a group of other Abilities United participants. They work at 40 organizations including Mitchell Park where they pickup trash, NCEFT and BOK Horse Ranch where they clean stalls and groom horses, and the Humane Society and Marine Science Institute where they feed animals and clean up cages. These activities not only benefit the community; they also give Noel and dozen of Abilities United participants the satisfaction of making a valuable contribution to the community. They also learn important work skills which they may be able to use for employment.

Michael greatly appreciates that Abilities United has not only helped Noel maximize his potential, but that the organization helps families as well. “Early on, they helped me understand how to better understand people with disabilities, and they’ve helped both Noel and me learn how to cope with the challenges. It’s a family thing.”

His advice to other families is simple. “If you’re lucky enough to get into Abilities United, then thank your lucky stars. It’s been great for us.”

The Abilities United staff considers Noel to be an unofficial greeter at the facility, as he is always anxious to welcome visitors. His kind heart and friendly, open nature touches us all.

Based on an interview with Michael and Noel Pino in 2013. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Michael Pino and Wendy Kuehnl.

As a high school student in the late 1960′s, I became involved with children with special needs when my mother offered my “sitting services” to a friend of hers. I would look after Jimmy, who was four years old, and the youngest of three boys. His parents had a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that Jimmy had been diagnosed as
“un-trainable”. He was attending a specialized pre-school, but the family needed help after hours and some respite time.

 During the summer Jimmy attended a morning program and I participated as his caregiver. Every afternoon and on weekends I was also with him.

Looking back, I was taking quite a risk for a 16-year-old, and I learned that more than compassion was needed. Considerable patience, perseverance, creativity, common sense and caring were also required.

My experience with Jimmy led me to the Betty Wright Swim Center in early 1970, and to what is now Abilities United. I volunteered for two years and was trained to assist the instructors who taught swim techniques to the children with disabilities. Since I worked closely with the staff at Abilities United, I learned how devoted they were to all of the children. The children benefited immensely. They not only had fun, but had a chance to enjoy a new experience, and learned that they could do an athletic activity which was also great physical therapy. They left with happy smiles on their faces.
I married during that volunteer time and though my husband and I have been in and out of the Bay Area since 1972, there has always been something at Abilities United that has drawn me back into their fold. I was active on the Authors Luncheon (fundraiser) planning committee in the early 1990’s until 2007 and co-chair of the Authors Luncheon in 2001 and 2003.

Through the many moves I have had, I have never found an organization to match the quality of the services and employees at Abilities United. Abilities United is a very special place, and it was a wonderfully rewarding place to have volunteered!
My volunteer experiences and years with Abilities United have been many and varied, all because of a little boy named Jimmy. In honor of my childhood friend, my husband and I placed a special brick in honor of Jimmy in the Abilities United Heritage Garden. Knowing Jimmy and everything I experienced because of him helped form the rest of my life and proved to be one of my greatest satisfactions in life.

Written and submitted by Mary Doten. Edited by Bob Thomas and Wendy Kuehnl.

Eighty-five times he’s pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in marathons. Eight times he’s not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars – all in the same day.

Dick’s also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. on a bike. Makes taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much – except save his life.

This love story began in Winchester, Mass., 43 years ago, when Rick was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

“He’ll be a vegetable the rest of his life,” Dick says doctors told him and his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. “Put him in an institution.”

But the Hoyt’s weren’t buying it. They noticed the way Rick’s eyes followed them around the room. When

Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate. “No way,” Dick says he was told. “There’s nothing going on in his brain.”

“Tell him a joke,” Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.

Rigged up with a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? “Go Bruins!” And after a high school classmate

was paralyzed in an accident and the school organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, “Dad, I want to do that.”

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described “porker” who never ran more than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he tried. “Then it was me who was handicapped,” Dick says. “I was sore for two weeks.”

That day changed Rick’s life. “Dad,” he typed, “when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!”

And that sentence changed Dick’s life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

“No way,” Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyt’s weren’t quite a single runner, and they weren’t quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway.

Then they found a way to get into the race officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, “Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?”

How’s a guy who never learned to swim and hadn’t ridden a bike since he was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick tried.

Now they’ve done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Iron-mans in Hawaii. It must be a buzz-kill to be a 25-year-old stud getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don’t you
think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you’d do on your own? “No way,” he says. Dick does it purely for “the awesome feeling” he gets seeing Rick with a cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992 – only 35 minutes off the world

record, which, in case you don’t keep track of these things, happens to be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the time.

“No question about it,” Rick types. “My dad is the Father of the Century.”

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a mild heart attack during a race.

Doctors found that one of his arteries was 95% clogged. “If you hadn’t been in such great shape,” one doctor told him, “you probably would’ve died 15 years ago.”

So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other’s life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass., always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the

country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father’s Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy. “The thing I’d most like,” Rick types, “is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.”

~By Rick Reilly

In 1986, Karen Denny began an impressive 26-year career with Abilities United that has enabled her to help some 500 families with children who have disabilities.

Karen speaks humbly and factually about successes at Abilities United that, to the rest of us, are nothing short of miracles. “We’ve had children who were told they would never walk; but then they do. We’ve had children who were expected to never talk; but then they’ve learned to speak. That’s what we do.”

Focused on children from birth until age three, Karen tells the amazing story of two-year-old Taylor, who came to Abilities United as an infant. “Taylor wanted to be in close physical contact with her mom anytime she was here, such that she couldn’t participate in physical therapy, speech therapy or her classroom activities.” said Karen. “Separating from their parents is often a hard thing to do for many children with special needs, as so often in their young lives whenever they’ve been taken away from their parents it’s to go into surgery or something equally unpleasant. However, this was an extreme case, and unless things changed drastically, Taylor wouldn’t be able to go to preschool. Several of us worked together on a Separation Behavior Plan; like everything at Abilities United it was a team effort. Today, just six months later, this beautiful little girl cruises down the hall with her walker, smiling from ear to ear, singing, and greeting people she doesn’t even know. The transformation is incredible.” Karen pauses for a moment. “The things our kids can do never cease to amaze us.”

Karen has seen some very positive changes for children with developmental delays in the past 25 years. “There’s been an explosion of research, that we at Abilities United are turning into good practice. For kids with autism, and for their parents, services have generally become much better in recent years.”

Looking forward, Karen hopes to see continued improvement in acceptance and integration, and at Abilities United both the Milestones Preschool and the Independent Living Skills programs are working towards that goal. Karen is excited to see these changes in society as well. “It was wonderful to see the TV show Glee have two kids with developmental delays in the show,” she says. “It’s a great example, and an inspiration for so many of our parents, to see a couple of teens with special needs being accepted as equal members of the group.”

That’s the future that Karen and so many others at Abilities United are working for.

Based on an interview with Karen Denny in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Karen Denny and Wendy Kuehnl.

Abilities United is all about the abilities, not the disabilities. Just ask Peter Leung, who lives with cerebral palsy, holds a BA in kinesiology and has had a successful 21-year career as a staff member at Abilities United.  After two decades, Peter still loves working here. “I’m so excited to be here,” he says. “It’s a great place.”

Peter is a recreational swim and fitness instructor as well as an American College of Sports Mediicine (ACSM)  hydrotherapist at Abilities United Aquatic Services. In the 93-degree water of the Betty Wright Swim Center, he’s seen some amazing achievements including individuals who, through hard work and aquatic therapy, regain their mobility despite having been told they’d never walk again.

One of his favorite stories is a young girl with autism, who was terrified of getting in the water. “It took six months to get her from playing on the steps in the shallow part of the pool, to go with me into three feet of water. After a lot of hard work she’s completed the entire swim school curriculum and can now swim with the rest of her family. That’s what Abilities United is all about – including everyone.  She doesn’t have to just watch from the deck while the rest of her family enjoys the pool.”

“It’s phenomenal,” Peter says. “I came here thinking I was going to inspire people, but they are the ones who inspire me.”

In 2009, his dream job just about came to an end due to medical issues. “Because of my cerebral palsy, my biomechanics changed and I was having trouble walking. I went to a doctor, and he referred me to aquatic therapy…here at Abilities United!” Therapy in the pool has helped improve Peter’s ability to walk and has been very helpful to reduce his pain so he can continue to work at this job he loves.

Peter is proud of his success as an employee at Abilities United, and is similarly proud of the increased level of employment opportunities for people with disabilities in the community. “It’s not charity; you need to do the job,” he says. “The individuals who get jobs with help from the Abilities United Employment Services are committed to their jobs and very capable to do their work. Some of them get up at 5:30 in the morning to take two or three buses to get to work on time.”

“All my life I knew that I wanted to work with people who have disabilities,” says Peter. “For me, Abilities United is a dream come true. I’ve found an organization that has the same passion as I do.”

Based on an interview with Peter Leung in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Peter Leung and Wendy Kuehnl.

Fifty years ago Dr. Harry Hartzell, a pediatrician at the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, learned that his newborn child had severe disabilities. Subsequently, he and his wife discovered that a group of parents had started a program at a local church for young children with developmental disabilities. They enrolled their son Ben and found the program, under the direction of Marie Mong, to be very helpful in giving them guidance in caring for Ben. It also put them in contact with helpful community resources and with other parents facing similar questions and challenges. Thanks to the foresight, planning, and fund raising begun by these parents, who wanted services for their children to be available in the community, this program grew into Abilities United.

It is sobering to remember the thinking that was prevalent in that era. “At that time, the advice that many professionals gave parents was to institutionalize the child before getting emotionally attached,” remembers Dr. Hartzell. “I visited the hospital in Sonoma where Ben would have been placed. It was a shocking experience, and we certainly weren’t going to send our son there. Fortunately, it was the early ’60s, and under the leadership of President Kennedy, parents were having the courage to speak up, taking the position that these are our children, and the right thing to do was to show that we love them by helping them become part of our community.”

Thus began Dr. Hartzell’s association with the agency. In time he would become increasingly active, serving on the Abilities United Board of Directors after retirement from his pediatrics practice, and he continues to advise on fund-raising efforts to this day.

“I’m proud of so many of our programs,” Dr. Hartzell says. “Our Employment Services Program helps our clients get jobs—in food service at Stanford, as a greeter at Walmart – all kinds of things. Our participants take enormous pride in their work, and that furthers the goal of inclusion in the community. I’m also very proud of our programs for the parents. As my wife and I learned, raising a special needs child brings some enormouschallenges, so providing counseling and enabling parents to meet with others who have been in their shoes is a huge help.”

A conversation with the remarkable Dr. Hartzell reminds us of the incredible changes over the past 50 years. What is now Abilities United has grown from a small but determined group of parents meeting in a church social hall, to a vibrant organization with a wide range of services and a track record of making a significant difference in the lives of special children and their families. What was once the standard practice of institutionalizing a child has given way to effective efforts at education and inclusion. Here in the Bay Area, Abilities United is playing a key role in those efforts, helping our community continually improve its commitment to our developmentally disabled citizens.

Based on a 2012 interview with Dr. Harry Hartzell.  Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Harry Hartzell and Wendy Kuehnl.

• Write and share almost 100 stories.
• Compile stories from Grace Community Center into a book known as Holding Hope
• 35 video resumes with Via West
• March Story Writing Challenge
• Cupertino UN Story Writing Challenge

Thank you all visitors, readers, and writers for making WorldWeDream’s efforts come true. A social movement meant to inspire and encourage those in the community was a thought in my head one and a half years ago. And at this point, we have made an impact with the help of everyone here. But there lies more ahead! I hope you stay with us on this journey to integrate everyone in the community to create a more efficient and wholesome society to live in.

The wrestlers walked onto the mat. The girl Kelsee was about 5’4”, and she jumped up and down to loosen her body before the match. Across from her stood Matthew. Expecting to see an individual of the same height, I was amazed by what I saw next. Matthew was warming up at the height of 3′ 6”. Legs shorter than most people’s, Matthew was not fazed. The opponents shook hands and with a clear whistle, the match begun.

After the many takedowns, reversals, and final whistle, Kelsee emerged as champion of the 106 pound weight class. However, that didn’t make Matthew any less of a champion. He may have been small due to his dwarfism, but his loss by only 2 points didn’t show any difference between him and the larger Kelsee. Healdsburg had a fine wrestler Matthew Rondo, and nothing was going to stop him from doing what he wanted.

Sometimes I think to myself: If I had a “usual” child what would my daily schedule be? I would wake him up in the morning and rush him to brush his teeth and get ready for school. I would ask him what he wants for lunch and if he took his books, notebooks, pencil box. And then, I would send him, wishing him a good day.

When he would come back from school, I would ask him how his day was. He probably would answer me with a short “OK.” I would then tell him to do his homework and later, I would take him for an after school activity like soccer or basketball. Sometimes he would have a play date at our home or at his friend’s and they would play games together.
In the evening I would tell him to put everything in his backpack, take a shower and go to sleep.
Throughout the day, I would probably fuss why his room is such a mess or he throws all his clothes on the floor. I might argue about the time he spends on the computer or watching TV, or some other minor issues.
BUT I DON’T HAVE A USUAL CHILD and my daily schedule is so different. No one can really understand.
I wake my son up in the morning, take him to the bathroom, help him wash his face, brush his teeth, help him get dressed, and fix his backpack. Only, he doesn’t have books or notebooks or pencils in his backpack. He has just snacks, lunch, a change of clothes, and colored straws.
I never ask him what he wants for lunch because he won’t answer. And I can only hope he will eat whatever I give him. I take him to school, and walk him all the way to his class. I then “hand him over” to one of the staff, and say “Bye”.
When school is over, I take him back home. I don’t ask him how his day was. He doesn’t respond. I don’t tell him to do his homework. He doesn’t have any. I don’t take him to after school activities. He doesn’t want to participate in them. And he doesn’t meet friends. I try from time to time to have play dates with similar kids, but they barely react to each other. He doesn’t play with any of his toys even though he has many. Instead, he prefers to wander around in the backyard picking leaves.
Every afternoon there are therapists that come to work with him. They teach him stuff like playing, drawing, and even brushing his teeth. Oh, and they mustn’t forget to take him to the bathroom every hour. Otherwise “accidents” happen.
At night I help him take a shower and then I take him to bed and stay in his room until he falls asleep.
I don’t argue with him, because you can’t do it. Sometimes I get mad at him even though I know it is useless. That’s just how it is - I don’t have a “usual” child.
So apparently you get used to many things. You get used to taking a 10 year old boy to the bathroom. You get used to washing few pairs of underwear every day. You get used to the strange voices he makes. You get used to people staring.  You get used to him grabbing food or snacks from others. You get used to apologizing on behalf of him. You get used to not leaving him alone for a moment. You get used to always be ready, if he suddenly starts running in any direction. You get used to not having a “usual” child.

Ms. Hsieh’s efforts are inspirational,  “I want other people to see the beautiful artwork individuals with disabilities are capable of creating; to help people see their talent and ability rather than their disability. This is an opportunity to give these artists a public space to display their work.”

Ms. Hsieh has been with Abilities United for nearly three years and her impact is not left unnoticed. She was honored with the President’s Volunteer award for her 200+ hours of service for her art curating.   Her volunteer efforts have been highlighted in the San Jose Mercury News, Menlo Park Almanac and Mountain View Voice. Hellen’s contributions have made possible art shows at Silicon Valley cafes, libraries, city buildings and corporations.  One of those installations was at Cisco Systems where all 27 pieces of artwork by artists from Abilities United sold to Cisco employees.

Ms. Hsieh’s contributions as an Art Curator are most definitely appreciated by everyone at Abilities United, especially the artists themselves whose self-confidence and passion for art increases with each exhibit and sale.

Ms. Hsieh has definitely “drawn” the attention and hopes of many community members and friends of Abilities United.

For Abilities United’s 50th Anniversary, as an organization devoted to helping those with disabilities, they are working with WorldWeDream to document the experiences of 50 different people to create 50 different stories. By December 2013, the year of Abilities United’s 50th Anniversary, both WorldWeDream and Abilities United will have 50 stories to inspire, motivate, and share to the world.

These stories will be about the challenges, experiences, and journeys that 50 people of Abilities United undertook to change the lives of people around them for almost 50 years. We hope you read them and are inspired to take action in your life as we document the life-altering stories the amazing clients and workers of Abilities United have to tell.

In the coming months, look out each week for stories on both WorldWeDream as well as Abilities Untied’s website at www.abilitiesunited.org.

The way she was treated when considered disabled as well as her hearing the story of her
aunt who managed to overcome her own “disability” with the support of her family, caused
Lynda to grow up with compassion and openness towards everyone. She felt her calling was in
social services and moved to England as a student observer of Institutions. Witnessing the
horrendous and awful institutions and practices in them caused Lynda to be scarred so deeply
that she was unable to return to work for almost two weeks. Afterwards she saw how doctors
treated the patients cruelly, almost like animals under the pretense of performing medical
treatments. From then on, she was firmly convinced that she was opposed to such institutions. To
her sheer joy, she was headhunted a few years later to close down institutions in England. She
spent five satisfactory years finishing off all those that she detested.

While she lived in California, Lynda worked with families with disabled children. She
became the coordinator of the department of disabilities in San Mateo county and advocated the
idea of special services for those with disabilities. She helped get grants to develop residential
areas for such people. Although at the time these programs were seen to help, they soon gave
way to the idea of people with disabilities being naturally integrated into society. Instead of
group homes so that they can attain support from one another and live comfortable lives, they
were encouraged to become independent. The role of social services for this plan was to change
public perception of people with disabilities and also teach those with them the living skills
needed in order for them to live on their own. A plan that Lynda wholeheartedly approved of.

With the same plan, Abilities United was created. It had the belief system that people
with disabilities should be out in the community as opposed to shut away and hidden. This idea
fit Lynda’s personal belief system quite well. She knew that she couldn’t change the whole
world but that with the help of the organization, she could make a small but lasting difference.
Abilities United was unique in the sense that it had programs that were more individualized;
there were developed packages and services for those with disabilities in order to adapt to
individual needs. It was seen to have a developed staff and volunteer group who were just about
completely client oriented and mission focus; a setting which was perfect for Lynda.

However, this number can grow! With the continued support you’ve been providing us, we can educate the world and create the WorldWeDream: one free of bigotry and inspire others to do the same to help those with disabilities achieve their potential.

Photo courtesy of 10binary

Wendy has grown up to be an inspiring and life-changing individual to many people in our nation. She grew up in Wisconsin, where she was born and raised as a child and student. Wendy then pursued an education in the 1960s, and then moved onto high school, where she started to be involved with the lives of many disabled people. At the time, there were many civil rights movements in America. Many of which the rights of disabled people were being constantly questioned. Do these people have the right to work? The right to vote? Are they allowed to be involved with the community in any way? From here, Wendy took her stand on the matter and proceeded to obtain a job at a wood-shop building. Even only being in high school, Wendy was already the supervisor for many assembly lines in the company. Many of these people who did assembly jobs turned out to be people with different kinds of disabilities. They did multiple jobs, but many screwed in the nuts and bolts of many machines and toys. Soon after, she also became the very first female bus driver for this wood-shop. What made this bus different than other, was that it had a wheelchair lift that made the bus more accessible. One day when she was aiding a woman with the wheelchair lift, something went horribly wrong. Wendy strapped the woman into her seat, but suddenly she was flung off the chair and onto the ground. Wendy immediately slammed on the brakes, and as she did, uncontrollable apologizing was let out. It just comes to show how vulnerable these individuals are. Our very community and environment does not give these individuals with disabilities equal rights and equal say. This makes them rely on others for aid and guidance, which leads to ultimate vulnerability. If we teach these kinds of people to be dependent on themselves, they would not need anymore guidance in the outside world. This is how Wendy was introduced to Abilities United.

Ten years ago, Wendy started to work for Abilities United. Throughout these many years, she has experienced the inspiring change that the organization has impacted on many individuals. Currently, she does much of the companies web technology, and helps to improve the organization in any way she can. Here, there is a welcoming staff that is very interactive with the disabled. The result is a wonderful environment that is also empowering and life-changing. Through the different abilities of each staff member, the organization was able to change the lives of many. Helping them to find jobs, and helping them to self-guide their own lives. From this, the name “Abilities United” was born. Because of the versatility of the staff members, their abilities are united together to help the disabled lead an easier life. With multiple programs at Abilities United, the staff creates a way of life that the disabled people can follow with ease. One program called Independent Living Skills teaches people with disabilities to learn everyday life through chores and lessons. It is evident that some people need more help than others, and this is what the program does. It helps and guides people to become more capable in their everyday lives. These people should have a chance to learn, and they should also be able to do what they can physically do. These people can have their own power over their life. Another program was also created and shaped by the Abilities United staff one year ago. Letting people with disabilities portray their feelings and emotions through art proved to be very successful. Anyone who had trouble in communicating with others, could use art to portray what they are trying to say. The universal language of art lets them do just that.

No one should be measured by what they cannot due. Wendy believes that everyone is not capable of doing some things that others can do. Regardless, they aren’t different in any way. Even at first glance, you cannot tell who is disabled or not. When first encountering a disabled person, one doesn’t know what exactly to do. If one never encounters a disabled person, he/she will not know how to interact or talk with the other. To prevent this, Wendy believes that being more exposed to these people makes you realize that they are not any different from us. When we first think of a disabled person, we believe that he or she is incapable of doing many things. If we do not even give the opportunity to the disabled to prove themselves, how can we even assume that they are incapable in the first place? Wendy believes that if we all truly live, learn, and play side by side, the imperfection, prejudice, and selectivity will finally go away. Even though it will take many generations to do so, that is what Ability United is ultimately aiming for. People should not care what kind of disability you have. Everyone is the same, and should always be treated equally. In today’s world, more and more schools are welcoming kids with disabilities. Multiple disabilities like autism, down syndrome, and mental retardation are also decreasing in number throughout today’s world.

“What disability does that person have?” “I don’t know.”

It shouldn’t matter what disability a person has. Every person should always be treated equally.

9 years ago today, I was given a surprise blessing from God. I didn’t understand this blessing. I felt completely incompetent to accept such a blessing. I asked the “why me?” questions. Then I came up with this brilliant thought, God must want me to fix this blessing. So I gave every ounce of who I was into this blessing to make it into what I thought my blessing should be. But this did not work and I hit bottom. I felt like such a failure. Once again…why would God give me such a blessing if I am so incompetent? Then softly, gently and yes at points painfully, God touched me. He helped me accept this special blessing. He helped me understand that this blessing has a very special purpose in life, and in my life.

This Blessing is to show me very tangible, unconditional love. There will not be a day where I will not be snuggled and hugged and told that I am loved. This Blessing is to show me perseverance and how to have courage. My journey here on earth has shifted course and now because of my deep love of this Blessing, I have no choice but to stand up and speak, where as before I would run and hide. This Blessing has taught me surrender and forgiveness. I have no choice now but to enter the world (instead of strategically hiding from the world) which means the great possibility of failure. This brings great fear. This brings great guilt. But because of my Blessing I have learned to surrender to my God. I have accepted his forgiveness and I am learning to forgive myself. This is a long slow process but because of my Blessing, I am growing, I am gaining confidence, I am gaining self worth.

Because of my Blessing I can see and accept Gods love for me as I go about taking great care of my Blessing.My Blessing has brought me joy. There are so many hard days. So many tough decisions. So much uncertainty. Many days there are tears. BUT there has not been one single day (even in my lowest of lows) that this beautiful blessing has not brought a smile to my face and much laughter to my life.

Thank you Lord, for being such a loving God and knowing exactly the perfect blessing to bestow upon me.

Happy Birthday Timothy!

I love you sooooo much,

Mom

“But you have to quit, this is getting insane”, I complained to my mom. After two decades of  being a school-teacher, she had risen through the ranks to become the principal of well-reputed  school, a reputation she helped build brick by brick. She still wanted to continue. It became a  compulsive habit for her, taking a toll on her health, a sore-knee, some back-pain, health-issues  were steadily rising like inflation. Ours was an overtly vocal family. Everyone worried about every one else. “There is too much opinion in this house” my father quietly quipped from the corner.

Finally we managed to cajole, coax and threaten her to resign and I actually felt guilty. Apart from leaving a totally empty nest, we managed to make her sit at home and lament with the walls  and wail with the echoes. It was out of sheer guilt that I suggested to her, that for a few hours  everyday, she could volunteer at the disabled children’s school around our street corner. “Did she  hear me at all? A dynamic, ambitious school principal like her, what was she going to do, would  she fit into this place ? ” I wondered out loud to my sibling that day.

That evening had an ominous grey brooding to it, testily I called her up, “So how was your day ?  how is your new school ?” She wouldn’t say much, I was curious to know. So I probed, I prodded,  she was reluctant, pensively reflective and then when she spoke, it felt like a gentle wave lapping  at the shores of my heart : ” You know, for years, I’ve handled children, of all ages, of all types,  some good, some bad, they’ve whined, complained, why some have even run-away from their  homes and schools. But here in this school, these children, quietly play, sing and dance around.  Like an unfailing rainbow in the horizon, through out the entire day, these angels had the most  beautiful, innocent smile on their faces, a smile that shone in their eyes. One of the kids came  behind me and patted my back, my eyes welled up in tears and I realized why. This was the first  child that had treated me like a human being and not as a principal. I wonder who is it that we  really call ‘disabled’ ?”

The first things I saw were booths. Booths were everywhere. Countless organizations lined up with myriads of fliers surrounded the Rotunda. Each of them had a service to provide, a story to tell, and other amazing opportunities to give to those with and without disabilities. But I couldn’t wait. I had a workshop to run.

So I hurried to Wing 118 to give WorldWeDream’s Story Writing Workshop. It was a delightful experience. I had the chance to speak to several people about WorldWeDream’s message and objective. I shared some stories from WorldWeDream and answered several questions to a very moved audience. At the end, I passed out some of the books, Holding Hope, that Grace Community Center and WorldWeDream worked on for the past couple of months. By the way, the books turned out wonderful! We’ve been posting pages from the book on the site under the stories section. In a couple of weeks, we’ll post the whole book! Keep an eye for that!

After the workshop, I spent time watching all of the performances/visiting all of the booths. It was nice to hear about all of the amazing programs provided in the Bay Area for all people with disabilities. I remember that there was this portable shower that could be taken anywhere for those who could not access their bathroom. There were also programs that allowed those with any special need to participate in water and winter sports! I made sure to pick up every flier from the event.

Later on, the Changeling Dance Theater performed some fantastic interpretative dances. What’s special about this theater is that it includes both people with and without capability challenges. Their 3rd dance performance included readings of some of the stories that people from Grace wrote. It was simply fabulous to watch. But why do you have to hear me talk about it? You can check out the video in our next update!

Overall, Disability Awareness Day was, as every experience is, enlightening and astounding.

I am writing on behalf of WorldWeDream and The Friends of Grace.

Arriving at the pool, my team and I could see countless people swimming laps back and forth in the pool, each one representing a team of people attempting to raise money for Abilities United. The teams represented people from either local companies or people from the nearby community who simply wanted to help Abilities United.

On the other side of the pool, students from Homestead’s Interact Club and Mountain View High School were providing food to the hard-working swimmers.

All around the area, inspirational things were happenings. My team whipped out their video cameras and began to record everything they saw. Every ounce of good feelings and inspiration was documented but it simply couldn’t match the amount experienced when actually at the event.

Come out and visit next year and keep an eye out for the videos that WorldWeDream and Abilities United collaborated on.

Remember the prompt: Write a story about a positive experience that you’ve had with a person with a disability and what you gained from that experience.

Maybe you can be featured in our upcoming book. It will be distributed on October 12th, 2012 at San Jose City Hall for Disability Awareness Day. Save the Date!

Photo courtesy of johnny_automatic

It was a strange day to learn since my ten years of living that I had a younger brother that I knew nothing about. Feelings of joy and curiosity over powered me. Many people would have been angry at their parents for not sharing this information with them but I guess I am not like others. My mother took me to the hospital where he was living to visit him for the first day. So many children were inside this place, some appeared to be normal with nothing wrong; others were in wheelchairs or had difficulty doing other things. When I was introduced to this boy that looked different than anyone I had ever seen before I still felt happiness about meeting my brother no matter how different he may have appeared. He wore a tract in his neck to help him breathe; he couldn’t speak but moved his hands in a fashion that I knew nothing about. Later learning this was sign language so he could communicate with other people about what he wanted or just to talk. It was truly amazing to watch how well he could use sign language. When he came home to live with us he was excited as all of my family was. He attended school with my sisters and me since he could do most things for himself and use sign language to communicate. About most of the students accepted him and treated him well, but there were some students that were mean and would tease him. He never let anyone distract him or hurt his feelings. My brother no matter what people would say would always smile and move on with what he was doing. It is people like my brother that make the world beautiful with how they act towards everything in the world, as though nothing bad can happen or let them down. My brother has motivated me to always be positive, even towards people that are mean to either yourself or others. I know that I have stood up for my brother many times because he is normal to me despite what some other people may say.

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Photo courtesy of Peileppe

Throughout all life’s obstacles and hurdles my younger brother has gone through and accomplished what most people that met him didn’t think was possible. My brother was born unique and has a wonderful personality if you get the chance to meet him and give him the chance to shine. Most people have looked at my brother and I do admit judged on first sight and were mean, never giving him the chance to show them that he was an amazing person if they had given him the benefit of a doubt. My brother is two years younger than I, but has graduated high school and has a job. He may have been born with Aperts Syndrome and is special for who he is and his wonderful personality. No matter who is mean to him he still has a smile on his face and doesn’t let anyone get him down. He has gone through plastic surgery to help shape his facial features to help him but after his last one where he had almost died, my mother told the doctors that was the end of that because he was fine the way he was. He has learned to speak through sign language and even taught me quite, as well as motivated me to learn more so I could communicate with him. He can now speak with his own voice, not as clear as most people’s but for my family it is enough since he can speak. I believe that he is one of gods angels that walks on earth since he is happy just by the smallest things and can make anyone that gives him the chance to smile!

Photo courtesy of shutterstock.com

True and yet to say to overcome something, whatever it be, you must endure with patience, TLC, and it seems formally congenial but the fact is damage that has been done has been done.  Where help is needed it is needed.  But self-assurance, along with motivation, and most of all, will, can change one’s outlook on hurt.  Trial and error.  But in error learn to take worthwhile steps again and forward to look to new tomorrows.  I believe most of all laughter is the best medicine and remedy.

Living with a disability isn’t fun.  I as well as others know this.  I believe though that if you can make something out of nothing, it sure helps.  Be real Brent, be real.  To recognize it yes, but to put a negative attitude will not make it better.  Realistic apprehension of the will to live can be positive.  True to a diagnosis can be attained but with life’s problems you can’t ignore it.  Try to make something out of nothing: writing, conversing, and having a good time.  Many a person has built a structured, firm foundation despite what is wrong with him.  Man, isn’t there something wrong with everybody?  Keep cool.  Have faith.  And the guidance of the road you follow will be better.  Hold your chin up.

In 2002, I was blessed with an angel whom we named, Noreen who was a special child having Holoprosencephaly- a very very rare disease where two hemispheres of brain are fused. It was a shock for the family. I was a happy go lucky fellow who never took life seriously always indulging in light reading. Noreen was a fighter kid. She also taught me to be a fighter mom. I never realized the amount of power I had till she came in my life. Before her, I was a very light sleeper and if somebody chance to disturb me, I would be sore for the day. With her, I could sleep sitting and even standing as sleep became a very rare incident. We both used to sleep for the most 2 hours at night and during the day my little angel would sleep but I had to look after my other 3 yr old sweet naughty boy. I got the required strength from some spiritual books which I would never have looked before. It added the missing spiritual dimension to my life. What a roller coaster life became. In and out of hospitals, not even stepping out of home for days together, 18 hours a day spent in just feeding her and her brother, taking her to some so called “alternative doctors” , visiting all the temples and praying to all the existing divine souls. But she was a bundle of joy. Always smiling inspite that she could not breathe properly or eat.
But I underwent so many realizations. I stopped taking normal kids “for granted” which one normally does. God was always there with me and provided strength in for of knowledge. Whenever I needed some answers, I would find them one day I was asking HIM why my child was suffering so much? I happened to open a book and there it was written “ NEVER ASK WHY ASK HOW” . it really helped me.
In 2007 I started listening to spiritual talks by sisiter shivani – “ Awakening with Brahmakumaris” . It provided with much needed solace. I realized we all are souls even if we are handicapped. Soul has the capacity to receive vibration even if its external senses are not working properly. The thing I regret the most is that I just listened to her but did not go to the centre to learn meditation myself. Otherwise I would have enjoyed Noreen better. She left my world in may 2009 when she was 7. Now I had to visit the Rajyoga Centre to little the pain which bordered on shattering my very being.
Now the other most important chapter of my life begun. What a journey it has been. I am so contended and at peace now. If now somebody pities me for noni, I do not know how to tell them “ How LUCKY I have been to have Noreen!” she was and still is the Light which showed me the real path of life. If it would not have been for her , I would never have learnt in my 7 lives which I learnt in 7 years. With Rajyoga meditation, I have learnt that a soul never dies and just changes the body. I still am close to her and send her my vibrations of love all the time. She is receiving her and is a very happy nearly 2 yr old angel again and lighting so many other lives with her innate radiance.
I am thankful to the ALMIGHTY for having blessed me with a dear daughter like her.

Stay tuned!

Courtesy of Public Domain Images

“Why is he like that?” asked the 7 year old innocent me. I was hushed that very moment. “You are not suppossed to say that?” I was told without any explanations. Even though I had a plethora of questions in my head, I managed coerce myself that there was nothing wrong with him. He’s my neighbour-Rohan. His father falls in my father’s coterie; So, it is blatant that we used to meet very often. His sister Ishita, he and I have played together, eaten together, indulged into strifes and have shared great camaraderie. I was completely oblivious of the fact that he was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy.For me, he was like any of us. I don’t posesss an exegesis regrding what it is but if that is what it is called, I wish all of us would be lucky enough to suffer through this “disorder”. I know that this statement of mine would have a legion of fingers pointing at me. However, he is my inspiration. I have never come across someone as sublime as him. No, I’m not trying to portray my sympathies to him. He’s really worth the adulation. Rohan’s sister was truly sagacious. She was a true all-rounder who excelled in everything. It is completely natural for any sibling to unwittingly show some sort of vanity. But this was not the case with Rohan even though he was considered to be a dotard by many of his teachers. Everytime his sister came home with any achievement, he was always the happiest of all and innocently would gloat over his sister’s success. Not one of us “normal people” can do that even if we desire to. Whenever we went for any party, Rohan was the first one to step on the DJ and the last one to step down. I remember someone sitting next to me nd saying “That guy is making a serious fool out of himself!” “Really? Could you have the nerve to do the same and not craven away?”I told him irascibly.Rohan was deriding the saccharin others around him who were embellished with there glittering solitaires and ostentacious couture. They weren’t even enjoying a miniscule of how much Rohan was. Neither did he have to bother about who all looked at him nor did he care to furtively look at others to see what they were wearing.He didn’t even have to care about his clothes being blighted. All he wanted to hear was the deafening music and dance his heart out! How many of us can peel out the mask and be the real us for a change? It is not new for Rohan to be ogled by many wherever he went, eyes perpetually scrutinizing him as if he were a criminal. But how did Rohan respond to that extremely abashful behaviour? Well, he doesn’t consider it to be embarassing. In fact, he feels that he’s looking too good! He whole-heartedly gives hem an insouciant smile and unconsciously reverses the ramification making them feel extremely uncomfortable. If any of us are made to suffer through those ubiquitous stares while completely being oblivious about the reason, we would rather chose to dive in an abyss then and there and never emerge back. Rohan is the first one to surmise when someone is in a somber mood. He would sit there for long and adamently refuse to budge till he witnesses a natural smile on the other person’s face. He would do this for anyone regardless of their relation with him. Be it his mother, sister or their domestic help-chhotu and would try to allay their problems. We witness so many people being despondent but chose to take a cursory glance and move on. How many us would give our precious time to anyone and everyone? None of us can be so staunch as we have our priorities very much intact. Rohan has no friends because he is not suppossed to be “normal”. He is quite a maverick. But you would never see him sulking over this. We often get agitated when we have a fight with a single friends even though we have a many others ready to bolster us. Rohan’s only support is his family and he finds that more than enough. He doesn’t need anything else. Everytime they come over for dinner, everyone is filled with eulogy for the food. However, Rohan is the true critic. He would brusquely tell us that the food is reprehensible. He also feels that his parents’ taste buds must blighted to like such food. He doesn’t understand the reason why he should be lying to anyone! I call him “bhaiya” and he truly is my elder brother and I do try to emulate him.They call him “mentally retarded” and “abnormal”. Then why does he seem to be the only sane person on this Earth? We have completely lost our humanity and hold no rights to call ourselves “normal”.However, If we define the word normal, then he surely is abnormal. We if people like him are on the next stage of human revolution and the rest of us are RETARDED! For me, Rohan is my true mentor. He has taught me lessons that I could have never learnt otherwise. I’m glad I was fortunate enough to know him and his beautiful soul.

Courtesy of Christliches Medienmagazin pro

We’re all raised with the belief that everything has a limit and that it’s in our best interest to not push those confinements. I too was one of those believers and therefore I believed that those with disabilities are quite seriously limited in what they can do. In my eyes, the disabled didn’t have the ability to do a lot of things which are possible for the rest of us which is why they were considered to be well.. disabled. This belief of mine though was shaken when I first learned about Nick Vujicic off a youtube video about his life. At first, I felt immensely sorry and was filled with pity almost after seeing that this man had no arms and no legs due to a genetic disorder (now this was truly a man with some serious limitations in my mind). By the time the video ended though, my opinion of him was completely altered; the pity I had for him was replaced with pure awe and respect. This man born with no legs to walk with or hands to use, gave off the feeling of being one the happiest man on Earth by cherishing his life and making the best of every situation he is put into. Vujicic, in the video, was shown to play soccer with his children and friends as well as being an influential member of the stock market truly showing that even those who seem to lack what others have, can do the same things as us and be in the same types of positions. Putting aside his disabilities, he began to work as an inspirational speaker in order to show the world that no matter how bad the circumstances may seem, one can always make the best of it and be happy – a successful concept for which he is living proof. Nick Vujicic showed me that no one is ever limited; everyone has the ability to overcome their shortcomings and reach for their goals. The possibilities in our lives are unlimited.

It was amazing to stand near first base on that grass field receiving a formal plaque. WorldWeDream has only just begun in its journey to educate the world about people with disabilities and we hope to improve thousands more lives.

Courtesy of SouthDreamz

Sudha Chandran (age 47) is one of India’s most talented individuals to date who not only managed to touch the Indian society through many of her “avant garde” roles but also set an example of moving past a difficult disability and coming out even stronger. Chandran began her career as an accomplished Bharatnatyam dancer but was forced to cease this passion of hers after an accident which caused her to form an infection, so severe, in her leg that the doctors had no choice but to amputate it. Although Chandran was educated – she had her B.A. and M.A. in economics- her true passion was dance so the fact that she was unable to dance any longer, was a true tragedy. Instead of letting it pull her down though, Chandran overcame her disability with the help of a prosthetic “Jaipur” leg and began her dancing career once again after two years. Her story and fame spread far and wide as she began giving performances in various nations including Europe and Canada. Soon enough, Chandran decided to move past classical dancing and stepped into the entertainment industry. She became reputed for her heavy and dramatic saris, chunky jewelry, and large designer bindis as well as her ability to portray various characters in a seemingly natural and flawless way. Her struggle due to the loss of her leg was quite grave yet Chandran showed the world that her loss had not caused her to forget her goals nor did it stop her in achieving any of them, on the contrary it allowed her to become a symbol of will-power and strength within the Indian community. Through the years she has been commended by many influential people, has received many prestigious awards, and has also had her life story depicted in both a Telugu and Hindi film. Through her hard work and perseverance, Sudha Chandran managed to reach many heights in her career and thus become one of the most well-known and reputed actors of our time. She has shown us that despite any possible disability, one has the ability to achieve their goals and that a simple disability cannot bring someone down.

Yesterday, our team of volunteers went to Grace Community Center for a fun-filled, interactive, and inspiring workshop. We were able to add a several more stories and art pieces for our collection to be presented on Disability Awareness Day in October. Check out some of the pictures from our workshop!

Grace has also contacted Changeling Dance Theatre. This dance company located in San Jose teaches dance to students both with disabilities and without. They will be dancing the stories that are written here at Grace! We’re super excited to see the performances and hope you come to Disability Awareness Day in San Jose for WorldWeDream’s writing workshop, Grace and WorldWeDream’s collection of inspirational stories, and to watch the dance company’s performance!

Every week, WorldWeDream posts select stories in the Cupertino Patch and India West so be on the lookout for some inspirational and compassionate stories in both newspapers!

 Courtesy of Science, Philosophy, and Technology

From the dawn of humanity, humans have always strived to better understand the universe around us. Only a handful of individuals throughout the years have contributed significantly to the field of science and Stephen Hawking is one of them. Hawking was born to an eminent medical researcher in Oxford, England on January 8, 1942. His father insisted that Hawking follow his footsteps and pursue a career in the medical field. However, Stephen wished to dedicate his life to something more fulfilling and chose to study mathematics. He was not a stellar student in his early school years. He spent little time academically since he was able to comprehend concepts quickly and thoroughly. After studying physics in Oxford University, he continued to study further at Cambridge. It was there that he first dealt with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The illness weakened Hawking’s nervous and muscular system- leaving him restrained to a wheelchair.

Over the years, the disease progressed and left him unable to speak and move at all. However, his achievements have moved the entire scientific community. He made ground- breaking advances in cosmology, the study of the origins and properties of the universe. He proposed the theory of singularity, which delved deep into complex subjects such as black holes. Hawking also completed Einstein’s unanswered unified field theory that holds valuable information for scientists of various fields. Hawking’s book, A Brief History of Time: From the Big Bang to Black Holes, garnered international acclaim and sold over a million copies. Numerous awards were given throughout his life and he continues to receive more. Some of them include the Albert Einstein medal and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest award a civilian can receive in the United States. Stephen Hawking’s illness did not prevent him from changing the fundamental views on how we look at our universe. In fact, he stated that he was lucky since the disease was slow and gave him plenty of time to make many discoveries. Hawking remains not only a remarkable scientist but also living proof that no obstacle is large enough to prevent one from succeeding in life.

Courtesy of Geograph.org

On perhaps the hottest day of September 2008, I was a freshman in high school and helping out with a local jogathon for elementary school-aged children. Even though the school year and high school had just started, I began thinking about where I wanted to be after the next four years of my life, what the future would hold, whether I would be happy.

It was in the middle of worrying about these thoughts and an uncertain future when I met Tommy, a nine year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome, ADHD, and a hungry enthusiasm for life. He was by far the fastest kid at the jogathon. Not only did he finish a lap every 4 minutes, but he also raced around the grass singing the inspiring Pokemon theme song. His nine year old body was small and seemed to me easily fragile, but he ran nonstop turbo-speed for 20 minutes before resting to take a break at the water I asked him about his summer and how he liked home-schooling so far, and although he couldn’t maintain eye contact, there was a sensitive kindness in every word he spoke. After his second cup of water, he asked me about high school, whether I liked it so far, whether I made friends, real friends, whether I wanted to borrow his new dictionary his mom had just bought him. I laughed and told Tommy about high school, how the new freedom was great, how I respected and admired my peers and teachers, how even though I loved high school, I had just read an article about how these next four years would affect the rest of my life. He listened with rapt attention and after shifting his weight rapidly from one foot to the other for a few seconds, his eyebrows furrowed into an expression of confusion and bewilderment. I asked him what was wrong and he told me with a wise smile only a nine year old can give that nothing is wrong in life if you do what you love.

I have stood by those words ever since I first heard them uttered from Tommy’s mouth. Nothing is wrong in life if you do what you love. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the worst or best at something, whether you succeed or don’t succeed, whether you’re a boy or a girl, whether you have a disability o not: what matters is what you love. And for that regained perspective, I am thankful for Tommy’s wisdom.

In seventh grade, I was a referee for AYSO, a recreational soccer league. As I stepped onto the field, I noticed that one of the kids was different from the rest of the players. I still remember the pair of glasses that covered his eyes. He also was easily aroused by the environment around him. Without pausing to think, I began to judge him from the very instant I glanced at him. I looked at him as inferior without fully comprehending his situation. I was, without a doubt, demoralizing a human whom I knew nothing about.

As the game progressed, I began to observe both the boy’s behavior and also the manner in which his teammates acted towards him. Although he did not play for an extensive time, it was quite clear that his team seemed to have a condescending attitude about him. Once the game-ending whistle was blown, I left the field with a mind filled with thoughts about what I just saw. By just having a disability, how does the boy suddenly become inferior to the rest of society? He was still a boy. His dreams and aspirations are similar to mine. He liked to play soccer and so did I. So, why was it that he was not treated with the same respect as I was?

Later that week, after talking to my friends at school, I realized just how ordinarily they used “retarded”. Every time I heard it, I was reminded of the boy on the soccer field and his plight. Every time that word sprang up, it hit me with a pang of disgust. I resolved to end this and began to correct my friends each time the word showed up. By doing so, I brought awareness not only to myself but to a group of people. Although it may not seem like a big deal, I truly felt as if I was helping others. I was 12 years old at the time and I am glad that I was given the opportunity to witness that specific game. This eventually set off my mission to stop people from further demoting the mentally disabled.

A secluded camp near the Stevens Creek Reservoir has a single pathway that acts as its entrance and exit. With a threatening “Do Not Enter” sign, it seems almost unlikely that the road ahead leads to a wonderful place that helps people with disabilities all around the world. Yes, I’m talking about Via West’s Campus on Stevens Creek Canyon Road.

Via West Services holds residential summer camps throughout the whole summer for people of all disabilities to help them experience activities they may never have the chance to do anywhere else. This week, Via West’s summer session theme was Careers. As you know by now, WorldWeDream is consistently helping people join the workforce with the use of video resumes so that people with disabilities or people who are underprivileged have the opportunity to contribute to the community.

My summer volunteers and I have now dared the journey of recording the video resumes of over 90 people with disabilities in under three days. While toiling with issues such as dead batteries and unclean lenses, we also heard many life-altering stories about the camp members.

Many camp members, although non-verbal, were always jubilant and compassionate to others around them. It didn’t stop there. The volunteers, some of whom had never had any experience with people with disabilities poured their hearts into caring for and helping out every single one of the 90 camp members.

My volunteers and I were simply amazed by all of the compassion and inspiration that was bubbling in this secluded forest. It needed to be documented somewhere. The world needed to see the amazing stories and give the chance to these amazing people. WorldWeDream hopes that through our upcoming video resumes and video-stories, everyone can see just how amazing people with disabilities are and learn from the example set by the volunteers, counselors, and staff members of Via West Services.

Photo Courtesy from Exothermic Photos

I was 7 when I met my uncle, Jimmy. At that time, I did not know he was born with autism. Although he was 6 years older than me, I sensed that he acted strangely, a great degree more than me. I would hear the word “autism” every now and then in conversations with my family members but I never quite understood what it meant. I only fully understand what autism was about three years later, and then, I realized why my uncle is the way he is. He was a happy child and would brighten up the day all the time, but occasionally , when I touched him, he would always flinch and in some cases hit me back with great power. He talked a lot, that’s for sure, but sometimes he would jabber on and on about a single subject. I haven’t seen him since he moved to Maryland a year back, but I’ve always been intrigued by his personality. After learning about his autism, I researched further into autistic people and their behavior.

Finally, I discovered where he was coming from. Although autistic people do come with their little quirks and setbacks, all of them are very sharp. They just have difficulty communicating with others. When I was watching the news on TV recently, I saw an autistic senior who graduated from his school as salutatorian, and right then, I was reminded of my uncle. From the time I spent with my uncle Jimmy, I was able to learn more about autism and become more aware of this disorder and the many other cases not unlike that of my uncle.

For Abilities United’s 50th Anniversary, as an organization devoted to helping those with disabilities, they are working with WorldWeDream to document the experiences of 50 different people to create 50 different stories. By November, the month of Abilities United’s 50th Anniversary, both WorldWeDream and Abilities United will have 50 stories to inspire, motivate, and share to the world.

These stories will be about the challenges, experiences, and journeys that 50 people of Abilities United undertook to change the lives of people around them for almost 50 years. We hope you read them and are inspired to take action in your life as we document the life-altering stories the amazing clients and workers of Abilities United have to tell.

The title of our workshop is WorldWeDream’s Inspirational Story Workshop. Therefore, please come to San Jose City Hall in October to look at the various booths, take part in the various workshops, and obviously take part in WorldWeDream’s workshop to learn, participate in life-changing experiences, and walk away having altered the world.

One of the people who goes to my church, is a college graduate girl named Misty. She is currently struggling with lung cancer and lung problems. She has gotten a double lung transplant, necessary for her to stay alive, and has endured ever since. She has gone through numerous surgeries and has fought agaisnt her disease for her life. Misty was a track runner, and had a passion for activity before she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She is no longer able to do what she loves because of the way lung cancer disables her lungs. She is such an inspiration to me because even though she is not able to do what she loves, she still fights for her life and stays happy and confident. Misty has been my role model because when I feel that I have problems that are too hard to deal with, I think of her, and how she continues to live to her fullest, even with her cancer. I do not know most of the details of her personal struggles with lung cancer, but I do know that she is currently in the hospital recieving another surgery because of her lung condition.

Nima Agah

I first heard about WorldWeDream from peers and other talk amongst school. As a person who enjoys community service, and helping others, I thought applying to WorldWeDream would be a great way to make use of my otherwise boring summer. I am 16, and on my way to becoming a senior at Cupertino High school. Another way I can relate to WorldWeDream is that my mother works on an almost daily basis with special need children at our local elementary and middle schools. Hearing her talk about what she notices with the children and how she goes about helping them was very inspiring to me, making me want to contribute to WorldWeDream.

Youseph Pavlovic

I am a student at Cupertino High School. I have several years experience in video and sound editing, and my focus at WorldWeDream is making video resumes. I have lived in Cupertino my whole life and want to stay in the Bay Area for college and the foreseeable future. In my free time, I like to read, play sports, play and listen to music, and spend time with my family.

Sarthak Grover

Hi! My name is Sarthak Grover and I am a student at Cupertino High School and will
be graduating next year as part of the Class of 2013. I was born in New Delhi, India
and lived there for roughly 7 years. I moved to California in 2011 and have enjoyed this
wonderful state since. My hobbies include playing sports, working out, and spending
time with my family. I love the outdoors and having fun with my friends. I have done a
lot of community service and also worked with autistic kids a couple of summers ago.
It was a remarkable experience and I look forward to being part of WorldWeDream as I
begin the next chapter of my life.

Jonathan Mo

Priyanka Tavva

I am Priyanka, and I will be a junior at Cupertino High School. I started working with autistic kids in May, and they have inspired me to support WorldWeDream. While working with these kids, I have learned that they are capable of surpassing the standards society sets for them. In addition to helping autistic kids, I love to play sports, listen to music, read, and travel. After I complete my education and receive a job, I plan to visit a different country each year. I want to travel around the world to experience the food and culture of various countries.

Srinivaas Sekaran

I am currently a student at Cupertino High School. I may appear reserved but don’t mistake my soft-spoken nature as a lack of passion for life. I have numerous ideas for change in society and I believe WorldWeDream is a catalyst for a better community. Human mentality has always tried to isolate those that are simply different. I think changing this outlook is necessary before we do anything else and WorldWeDream promises to do just that. I look forward to be a part of this team and to leave my mark on the community.

Veda Thirumandas

I am a rising junior at Cupertino High School and have lived in Cupertino all my life.  With the goal of majoring in the sciences and hopefully becoming a doctor in the future, I am greatly interested in learning and in helping others. For this reason, I felt that interning at WorldWeDream would be the perfect way to spend my summer since I would be able to spend my time doing something extremely worthwhile and for the greater good.  My hobbies include listening to music, dancing, reading, and spending time with my loved ones.

Shachi Kakkar

Hey, my name is Shachi Kakkar, I am a Junior at Cupertino High School. I am a fun-loving, easy-going, dedicated and funny type of kid. I love helping other people in need, so when I heard about the chance to help out Shubhankar with WorldWeDream, I took the chance. I love making people smile and laugh and I always want others to keep smiling, and to make this come true, I do some pretty, ahem ‘exotic and wild’ things.

Pooja Bhatia

My name is Pooja Shannon Bhatia and I will be entering my senior year at Lynbrook High School in Northern California.  I have a dog named Otis and he makes me laugh everyday. I enjoy being outside and when I’m older, my dream career is to be in the film industry behind the scenes. My greatest passion is cycling and would love for it to take me traveling over the world doing what I love.  Also, helping people and sharing love and compassion is what the world needs more of and WorldWeDream is another step towards making the world a greater place.

Photo Courtesy from Daniele Garzia

What started off as merely volunteering in order to attain my community service hours for school turned into a life lesson which shall resonate in me for quite some time. It all began on a normal Sunday when I grudgingly woke up early in order to make it to Creekside Park in Cupertino in time for my shift as a youth leader at AYSO VIP. AYSO VIP, a branch of the AYSO soccer league, is a program which allows teenagers to volunteer and help children with disabilities forget their shortcomings and just let loose by teaching them simple soccer techniques. While observing the abilities of the children I was assigned to be a coach of, I noticed a little boy shyly hiding behind his mom. I soon found that this little boy was also a part of my group and so I began to try and make him feel more comfortable. At first, he resisted participating but the joyful shrieks of the other children combined with my ability to impress him with a few soccer tricks proved to be too tempting, and he too got in line with the other children for the dribbling practice. While the children were practicing dribbling and kicking, I saw that the boy definitely had some talent and showed some good skill for a boy playing for his first time. When it was time for the scoring drill, one after another of the children failed to make the shot but this little guy? He was the first to score the goal out of all the children. Once the ball hit the net, he came running to me with this great big grin on his face and hugged me and thanked me for helping him in scoring the goal. That smile I saw on his face was priceless and made me feel extremely grateful and special to be spending my time with such a sweet child. This experience definitely left a major impact on my life; it taught me to never judge people that are different from myself rather accept them and give them a fair chance. Throughout the time that I worked with this boy, I found myself forgetting that he had a disability and was, in fact, different from myself. I treated him like I would a little brother or a friend and ended up enjoying myself quite a lot. At the same time though, I learned to be grateful and happy for what I have instead of complaining about the smallest issues. The smile on that little one’s face after just making that one goal made me realize that no matter how difficult or bad times may get, I should focus more on those little successes that have the potential to make my day instead of the failures which would just bring me down. Who knew that one little boy could change my outlook on life so much?

From the beginning, I have always found joy in helping others. I encountered the most significant and memorable helping experiences when I was helping my close friend. Although he is mentally challenged, he is a great influence on me. In age, he is two years older than me; however, he has a mind similar to that of a six year old. He has difficulty concentrating on an activity for more than ten minutes, so when I spend time with him we do various activities. To me, neither his lack of concentration nor his façade matters, what evokes me, is his happiness. I love to spend time with him and see him seize every moment with happiness. I believe he is blessed and intelligent to be capable of finding such happiness in the smallest situations. This friend is probably the most optimistic person I have met in my entire life. It surprises me how he is capable of finding happiness so easily, especially, when I consider his disability. Numerous people constantly want to be happy in the world, but they cannot find happiness in a simple smile or a game as he can. For this, he is judicious. I have never seen him angry or sad; he is always smiling. His presence has helped me realize I should never feel setback by failures, as there is always a good side to everything. One day when I was upset about a bad test grade, I was fortunate enough to see him (my close friend). When I met him, I told him why I was so upset. Sitting at a bench, with my head down, I was unaware of my surroundings. I was not sure if he was listening to me, but as a response he laughed and pointed at a baby in a stroller. Then, he said, “Look at that baby smiling!”.At first I ignored him, but he constantly tapped my shoulder and said, “Look at that baby!”, so I finally looked. After seeing the baby, I looked at my friend, I noticed that the baby’s smile engendered him to jump and clap cheerfully. This experience made me realize that even if something unfortunate takes place, happiness should not be misplaced. Despite his disabilities, he has inspired me to maintain a positive attitude.

Some more interesting facts.

1. People from Belgium visit more pages every time they come to WorldWedream than audience from any other country. They are closely followed by Saudi Arabia and then offcourse US.

2. When people come to WorldWeDream, audience from UAE spend the most time on the site, followed by China and India.

3. About 10% of the visits are from a mobile device.

When I signed up for AYSO V.I.P, an organization in which high school students assist children with disabilities. I was not aware of that I would be helping children who had such special needs; it was just as a volunteering experience. I noticed this one small boy, who had glasses and was always by his mom’s side.  I decided that, I wanted to involve him so I went up to him. As a human, it is natural for one to judge another. I instantly judged him and thought how different he was than most of the kids. As I approached him, he turned his head away. I felt so guilty for demoralizing human I knew nothing about.

This experience changed my outlook towards life because I realized that everyone is special in their own way. I learned not to judge anyone because that one little boy. No one had an idea about what the boy was suffering through.  He was just like me but different in his own way. His desires were the same as mine.  Why was he was not treated with the same respect as I was?
Another experience, which changed my perspective, was a boy in my math class who was blind.  As soon as I met him, I felt pity for him. I felt terrible he didn’t have the opportunity to look at the life the way I did. However, as I became to know him I realized that he was just as happy I was. He did not like it when individuals felt pity for him. From that day on, I treated him the exact same way as I treated my friends who were “normal”. I recognized that these individuals with disabilities are so grateful and content in their own special way.
After these experiences, I became grateful for what I was gifted for and realized that there is so much in life that I have and should appreciate.  I am glad, I had the chance to experience this, and otherwise my life would not have been impacted in a positive way.

WorldWeDream in Yahoo India

http://in.news.yahoo.com/a-teenagers-dream-world.html ]]> http://worldwedream.org/archives/901/feed 2 http://worldwedream.org/archives/886 http://worldwedream.org/archives/886#comments Wed, 30 May 2012 02:35:53 +0000 Shubhankar Jain http://worldwedream.org/?p=886

Photo Courtesy from Pixabay

My first life experience with people with disabilities began when I met David Han, a brilliant sophomore in Cupertino High School. David was different than other students and I can say he was gifted with something special. I first met David when I saw my friend, Eugene, helping and talking
to him. I was very interested and curious because it was the first time I had seen a blind person right in front of me! He looked very blissful and proud as he talked. He stood tall with his white cane.
Even though I don’t talk to him much, I think he changed my life by becoming a more caring
person. I was impressed when I heard David is involved in wrestling! That just freaked me out
a lot. In my head, I was like “how can blind kids like David survive the pain and suffering in
wrestling.” If I was blind, could I be brave as David? I ask myself this question. David is blind, but so what. He shows that everyone can do anything if they try. He takes regular classes like other students and does things like other students. There is no difference; David is proving that he is the same as us. He is not an outsider: a poor and weak kid that people think won’t survive or do anything in life. As I see students helping David, I feel I want to do the same but in our society, we are afraid we might be made fun of. We can’t feel like that anymore, we have to stand up for what we believe in. David showed me through him, that I can do anything. My message is to help and think about the disability students like David and how they can impact our lives for the further generations.

Photo Courtesy of Public Domain Images

During International Week, on Global Community Day, I was watching a robotics activity alone when all of a sudden, a kid with a disability from my school came up to me and started talking to me. At first, I did not know that he was talking to me. Once I realized that he was indeed talking to me, I started to wonder what I should say back. He was talking about how he could not control his robot because the remote controls was too difficult. Let me explain first: for the robotics activity, there was a little robot activated by a game control. You had to maneuver the robot around to reach a destination on the board.  As I was processing what I should say say, he went on talking about how he was enjoying International Week. I admired his positive attitude and how optimistic he was. I loved the way he enjoyed life and even though he faced obstacles, he bravely tries to overcome it. I smiled and encouraged him to try the robotics activity again. He gave me a brilliant smile and told me he would try again. Although I feel bad for not helping him with the robotics activity, I was happy to know that he did not give up.

This experience has impacted me in ways I didn’t understand until now. I have never really paid any attention to disabled kids because I was so focused around my own life. However, I realized that they are also people today, but they struggle even more than us. They have to face many challenges that we do not. Although this was only a tiny experience that lasted for a few short minutes, I saw the world in a whole new way. I learned to respect people and I want to help out more now. Next year, I resolve to join Best Buddies, a club that helps disabled kids, to try to help them out. I want to know that I understand the challenges they face and I am willing to help.

Thank you Monica for a great article!

When I was about four or five years old, my mother had put my brother and sister in a volunteer service which helped numerous kids with different disabilities. The volunteers would play with each of them and try to teach them lessons and life skills. It was a day care place for these kids who would be surrounded by “good” influences and give them the opportunity to socialize with other kids their same age. My brother and sister had volunteered there for an entire summer. I heard of the many positive experiences and friends my siblings made there. I begged my family relentlessly, but my mother said I was still too young to volunteer at the day care full time. By the end of the summer, my mom finally took me there.

They introduced me to a young boy named Alfred. He looked like any other kid, and at first I wondered why he was even at the day care. His disability wasn’t too severe, but it was a bit difficult to communicate with him properly. At that time, I was only a little girl. In front of both of us, we saw building blocks, so we decided to play with them. I helped to show him how to build up castles and various other structures. I was quiet and shy at the time, but I treated him like any other friend and gave him any helping hand I could.
From this experience I was able to learn how these kids are really quite similar to everyone else. They have certain enjoyments just like us, like playing with toys. He enjoyed reading the picture books and the simple stories that were told, just like me. At that time I was still very young and was too naive to be judgmental. I knew he was a bit different from me, but not with me being better or worse than him. From that moment on, I learned to treat people equally no matter how many differences there are between us. No one deserves pain; nor does one deserve to be bullied for it. Someone is not necessarily better than another because they might be smarter, prettier, or stronger. In my eyes, we are all equal beings and have no advantage over each other. Being able to play with a kid who had capability challenges opened many doors of perspective and ultimately changed the way I look at people and life.

The instances where I found myself including people with certain disabilities such as blindness, dyslexia, down syndrome etc. was during middle school. In Lawson Middle School I met my first friend. My loneliness and unfamiliarity with the students of this school, propelled me and persuaded me to talk with her, my first friend. I realized, after a few conversations with her that I had already seen her somewhere. The memories of her came flooding back to me, and as this flood gate opened, the mystery became more and more clear to me. It turned out she was one of my close friends in kindergarten and that after all these years, I have finally reunited with her and we are now friends again. Shruthi, my friend, was a perfectly ‘normal’ girl, with no real problems visible to the naked eye. However, she was in an accident with an elevator damaging her brain cells, making her appear as though she is disabled, however I know in my heart, she was not handicapped, merely handicapable. With this in mind, I took extra measures to help her out throughout the year, helping her better integrate into our school and our lives. I helped engage her in different activities including sports and helped her socialize more making her a more known figure in the middle school community. On a daily basis, my general schedule revolves around guiding her around school. But day by day, I grew to learn and cherish my moments with her more and more. She was so innocent and caring that I started to feel guilty for not appreciating the pleasures I had. Ever since this realization, I began to understand how fortunate I was and started to respect my family and friends a lot more. Just the sight of her motivated me to appreciate what I already have rather than dwell on my desires. I carry out this ideal even till today. But through high school I learned something else; I had to look past people’s indifferences. In high school, people come in all shapes and sizes and adapting to these characteristics was crucial. My entire life I have been so narrow minded, but meeting my friend Shruthi really opened my mind for new a world of possibilities: a new hope.

At the workshop, people are free to make art or write stories to express themselves. On Friday, several people came and I was once again, amazed by the stories that they had to tell. The stories and artwork that are created here every second Friday of the month will be compiled and presented on Disability Awareness Day in Downtown San Jose. We’ll distribute the stories in booklets and auction the wonderful art that the workshop members create.

Many new people as well as old people came to the workshop and talked about their lives and experiences. As every experience throughout this journey has taught me something new, this experience did not fail to give me new pieces of learning either.

One person, whose name I won’t take, told about her experience working at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and how she helped institutionalized people with disabilities. She described how she was in their position before and over the years, had worked and improved to reach a point that now she, with her disability, now volunteers there to help others who were in her position. I was so surprised and inspired by her story. She and others have written about amazing life experiences. I hope you read them when Disabilitiy Awareness Day rolls around!

When I was in middle school, I met a boy named David Han. He was blind. Observing how he and others dealt with his handicap opened my eyes to a new perspective on disabilities, and helped me grow as an empathetic and helpful member of the community. I began to think of what it would be like to be in his place.

We met in 6th grade, when we had the same P.E. class. He needed someone to guide him when he ran, so I offered to help, and we started to talk. I found that he was a smart and kind human being, and I began to think how unfair it was that he was disabled, because he deserved better. I did not talk to him much until he joined the school band 2 years later. I was pretty amazed that he could play so well, because he had never picked up the instrument before. To add to the challenge, his music was in braille, and he had to memorize it in order to play in all of our concerts. I was pretty impressed by this, because no one else memorized their music. He also came with us when our band visited Disneyland. He was a really good sport- he came on all the rides with us and everything! Later that year, our class went to Yosemite. He was in my hiking group, and I was amazed that he could hike in the snow with us and go through everything without any problems. Watching David cope with his disability and live his life has brought me to think differently about others, and helped me understand what they are going through. It led me to volunteer for the AYSO VIP event last year, where I played soccer and went fishing with handicapped and disabled people.

David showed me something special, that disabled people can be just as able as everyone else. Knowing him really changed me positively as a person, and for that I will always be grateful.

A few years ago, there was a family who lived in my apartment complex. Their son, Sam, was unlike others. He was disabled and so, his thinking process was slow. He seemed as though he was not able to function on his own. Since my sister was close friends with Sam’s sister, Lillian, they would often visited us. While my sister was busy playing with Lillian, Sam had nothing to do. He simply sat there bored and lonely. It almost looked as if he was about to cry. Although I had some homework left to finish, I decided to brighten his day and took out a board game. As I approached him, I introduced myself and I soon got to know him better. Before I knew it, we were too busy playing to even realize that it was time for him to leave.

This experience has taught me that those who are disabled should not be frowned upon but rather should be welcomed. If I had never approached Sam the day he came over, I would have never knew that he was so compassionate and amusing. From then on, I have been motivated to care for the disabled. My sister applies her compassion to the community and offers free violin lessons for people like Sam. Like her, I also plan to help them in some way. Though my plan is vague, Sam has taught me to think about individuals such as him that are constrained in society due to genetics.

Photo Courtesy of Carole Smith

When I was in the seventh grade, I had to have my appendix taken out.   I was hospitalized for two days.  In the hospital, I had complained about my pain, the ugly scars on my stomach, and how I was not able to walk.  Thankfully, the surgery was a success and the doctor told me that I could go home.  As I was wheel-chaired out to the parking lot, I had passed by a few young kids about my age who were noticeably physically disabled.  I felt bad for them and sympathized.  It made me sad that they had to live life with a disability that they had not chosen to have.  I knew that the scars on my stomach would recover in a few weeks.  However, these kids would not be able to recover and would live with their disability for the rest of the lives.  I realized how lucky I was compared to the kids with these disabilities. I realized that these were ordinary people, just like me, but were unfortunate.  I would have more opportunities than they would ever have at life.  Although I did not have direct contact with the disabled kids, I knew I would see life differently from then on.  From that day on, I have been less quick to judge and more grateful about my health.  I have joined a club called Best Buddies, which gives students to interact and help the disabled.  I plan to continue to devote my time to help the disabled

Photo Courtesy of Paperclip.Pro

I have a friend named Tracy. I met Tracy though a volunteering event a few years ago, where we were making paper cards for children at a local orphanage. We talked and worked at the same time, each describing our lives at home. Tracey told me that she liked to write poems, so I asked her to write a poem for me. I gave her time to think and we continued to work on the cards in the meantime. By the end of the event, Tracey had completed the poem. She recited it to me in a soft voice, describing colors. She talked about how red was like the sweet, strong smell of roses, and orange was like the zest of citrus and the sound of children. She told me that yellow was like the sound of a saxophone and green was the smell of grass. She said blue was the sound of seagulls, the salty smell of the sea. Purple was a silk pillow, the smell of lavender and sleep.  Black was darkness, dreams, and silence, brown was dirt, the crumbling bark of a tree. Grey was chaos and a haze. Then I learned that she was blind. Meeting Tracy has been such an eye-opener. I never appreciated colors until I heard Tracey’s poem. It makes me feel ashamed to consider myself an artist and not connect to colors as much as Tracy did. It showed me that I really should take the time to understand and appreciate the colors in the world. It makes me think and imagine myself blind; try to imagine colors that way.

Photo Courtesy of Eagle1.effi

In seventh grade, I sat next a student with a disability he was born with. His name was David, and he was blind. I had never spoken to him before, but I knew who he was. I remember that he had many friends and was always friendly towards anyone he met. The class I shared with him was science. At first, I didn’t know what to say, but then I introduced myself. I learned that he was really easy to talk to and funny. We had a couple more conversations and I learned more about him. He was like any other teenager I knew. His disability didn’t bother me and as time passed, I looked past him.

One day, we had a lab to do in class. It was based upon genetics and we had to see which traits  we had acquired from our parents. He could not completely participate in this lab because he  couldn’t see his physical traits. This is when I realized how much I depend on the sense of seeing. The rest of day, the only thing I could think about was how life would be like for me if I could not see what my friends looked like or what my food looked like, etc. It bothered me because the more I thought about it, the more I realized how much harder life would be. I felt inspired by David because he could overcome his problem of not being able to see. He led a normal lifestyle besides the fact that he was blind. Also, he accomplished many things such as being one of the best wrestlers in our school. Through this experience I learned that everyone has their own issues to deal with. In the end, all that matters is how they deal with it. People can either be like David, who embraces life and does not let his disability get in the way of him living to his entire potential, or like others who give up because they are faced with a problem.

The irony could not be greater. In my speech group, our mentor had a physical disability. When I first met her, I was amused at the idea that she would be able to instruct us. After all, how could someone who was not perfect herself help us? Still, at the time, I didn’t think much of it and let it go. I finally decided to approach her after an hour. It was only then that I realized that although it was obvious that she was communicating with me, she was unable to look in my general direction. In the back of my mind, I figured that she was talking to someone else behind me, but when I turned my head, no one was there. I saw this pattern repeat and become consistent all across the room. Later, when we all went out to eat, she gave her disability card to another club members for our parking space. That’s when I took a hard look at her and thought to myself, “Wow, she’s a little bit different from the rest of us.” She was unable to straighten her back, make use of her left hand, or gain proper function her eyes.

For a while, I began to pity her situation. Our first rehearsal for our presentation commenced, and she was to speak as the adult member. As soon as the first words came out of her mouth, her voice resonated throughout the room and silenced everyone. Despite her slouching position and lack of eye contact, she undoubtedly had the most compelling speech in our entire group. I never would have guessed this when I formed my first impression of her. I guess it it true what they say, one should judge a book by its cover. After all, a book’s true value can only be determined by the author’s writing style and the message that its content conveys. I was fortunate to find out that the author, God in this case, had a slightly unorthodox style, but touched my heart with His story.

Yesterday, I went to the Art and Wellness Studio at the Grace Community Center, the only therapeutic recreation center of its kind in Santa Clara County that serves the social, recreational, and therapeutic needs of adults with mental illnesses. Stacey and I had planned a wonderful writing workshop at the center that will continue to take place every second Friday of the month until October 2012. At the workshop, people are free to make art or write stories to express themselves. Yesterday, several people came and I was once again, amazed by the stories that they had to tell.

A man, Herman was telling about his OCD and how it had completely changed his life. As a child, he had seen and judged mentally ill people but always thought that his life would never tread that path. I won’t tell you too much about him; I’ll let you read his story.

The stories and artwork that are created here every second Friday of the month will be compiled and presented on Disability Awareness Day in Downtown San Jose. We’ll distribute the stories in booklets and auction the wonderful art that the workshop members create.

You too, can contribute to this beneficiary cause by coming to the Grace Community Center’s Art and Wellness Studio every second Friday of the month from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Anyone and everyone is welcome!

WorldWeDream in Siliconeer

No, he wasn’t some shadowy  monster from the stuff of nightmares, but Bruce-the-white-guy-with LOTS-of-cats-and-a-wheelchair was right up there with Dracula and Frankenstein in my twelve-year old mindset.  Also, I possessed a crippling shyness (I swear on my grandfather’s grave that this is an unfortunate genetic disposition in our family history).  However, all my mother had to do was frown in disappointment and say very, very quietly, “I want you to do this”… and that was that (the capacity to say “no” to others is also an unfortunate genetic disposition in our family history).

It wouldn’t be 100% true if I just excused my unwillingness to my introvert behaviour. In reality, I was more intimidated by the wheelchair rather than the elderly man who sat in it.  I didn’t look down on him or anything, I just felt uncomfortable and alienated by something I didn’t quite fully understand.   But here I was, helping Bruce with his groceries and wishing for a hole to appear in the ground and just swallow me up.

I don’t remember how we started talking — maybe it was about his cats?— but slowly yet surely, our awkward chat evolved from a little squeak (alas, from me) to a full-blown conversation.  I learned that he was the lone survivor of a plane crash, but at the cost of his legs.  I learned he that he was not an alien, but a very nice man who enjoyed feeding stray cats, his dog, and taking long strolls.  But most importantly, I learned that the problem wasn’t him, but me.

It wouldn’t be 100% true either if I said we became best buddies for life afterwards, but I can honestly say we keep a friendly connection, even to this day.  His physical state was no longer something weird for me, and the experience also taught me not to look on the outside, but on the inside (as cheezy as that sounds).  I still have a long to go with being open-minded, but I honestly can say that it’s a start.

One of my hobbies is volunteering.  Being a young teenager, I believe thatvolunteering is important in our community. I volunteer at the library for acraft program where I help children make crafts for them to enjoy.  As I was volunteering at the library one day,for a craft program, I had seen a disabled kid. At first, I used to not care about people in general….but then with volunteering, it made a huge differencein my life on who I view people today.  Isaw other kids looking and staring at her and felt that she was normal likeeveryone else. I disliked the fact how other people starting to make assumptionswhen she was just a normal person. I helped her make the craft and tried to make her as happy as possible just like the other kids I tried to make it seemas if there was no difference between the other children because there was NOdifference at all. I respected those who helped her because she was as normalas every other child that day.  In factshe made one of the best crafts that day! Often times, when we see someonedisabled we may make wrong assumptions – but really there is no differencebetween disabled children and other children and people in general. With thatday, I had made a new friend and realized that I have learned that everyone isthe same and that they have unique qualities and talents within them.  I have seen some friends that are in bestbuddies, and I really respect them. With my experience with a disabled girl,my friend’s experiences, it has all inspired me to join Best Buddies next year.I am really looking forward to making new friends- disabled or not.

Out of all the disabilities out there in the world today, the most tragic of all are the ones that are invisible to us: mental disabilities. People have ignored these types of problems and claim that they are able to be cured through ignorance and just simply, through stress-relief. I felt that those people’s words were true as well, that is, until several days ago. Walking along the halls of my school one day, I came across a young girl sitting and crying alone against a classroom door. I knew this girl. This girl, with beautiful brown eyes and black blue-dyed hair, was one of those people I knew skipped school almost every day and had problems with finishing up her daily homework assignments. She was a classmate I did not know well and always disregarded because of her strange ways. However, as I knelt down beside her that afternoon to ask her what was wrong, just because of my pity for her condition, I was definitely not prepared for what she was about to tell me next. I asked her why she was not coming to school these days and she responded with a mere “I don’t know”. After a moment of silence, she continued to talk and this time, tell me about her life story. At first, she began with a story of how she was unable to focus in her classes and because of this, her parents becoming angry at her for her dropping grades. Then, she told me that she resorted to attempting to killing herself. Kill. That word caught my attention. I knew something was wrong with this beautiful girl. Did she wish to commit suicide? She always seemed perfectly happy to me, this wonderful individual. She refused to get up from her spot for the next hour after she told her story and told me how the world all “hated” on her and how she was uncared for at home and at school. All I did was drag her to the guidance office.

The next day, I learned that she was diagnosed with depression. She was hospitalized rather than given medication.

From that day on, I realized the seriousness of the effects of the growth of someone’s distress. What I thought was only mere moments of distress for a person was actually symptoms for a depressive disorder. This was terrible. This was not going to continue.

From then on, I committed myself to the happiness of others and made sure that those closest to me were safe from falling into these pits of darkness. When one realizes something is wrong about another those to him or her, one should most definitely consider their problems. Things like these cannot grow to reach everyone else.

When I was in 7th grade, I was invited to be part of a group of friends for a special girl called Lauren. Lauren had cerebral palsy. She could not talk, walk, or control her drooling. She had a computer to help her communicate with others and always needed an aide to help her. At first, I did not like her simply because she seemed very different and abnormal. I regarded all disabled people that way and didn’t even like looking at them. After being selected as a part of group, I had mixed emotions about how I felt. Me and some other girls really didn’t know how to react to Lauren. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that Lauren was not weird at all, and that she could talk very well through the computer. She actually had the same taste in music as I did, and also had all A’s. Despite her disability, she even rode horses and been to several riding camps for the physically disabled.

At the end of the year, we were all very sad to say goodbye to Lauren. At a pizza party, we found out that Lauren was moving away to find better treatment for her disability. She gave us gifts that day and it was the last day I ever saw her, so it was very surprising when 2 years later, I found Lauren on Facebook and she still remembered. Looking back at my friendship with Lauren, it changed me as a person because I no longer look at disabled persons as weird or abnormal. They are just like the rest of us. They did not choose to have or be born with their disability and no one has any rights to treat them like they did. Now, I am willing to take in any disabled person as my friend and am not embarrassed by them in any way.

For our sophomore year we were required to complete 6 hours of community service. At first, I was just going to volunteer with my clubs at school but then I heard about an opportunity to work with disabled kids by helping them play and learn soccer. I immediately became interested in this and signed up; the program was called AYSO VIP. I’ve always loved playing soccer and help people who need it and this opportunity gave me a chance to do both. When I first arrived there, we were each assigned to help one kid. I got Jace. I immediately loved him he was so hyper and active as well as sweet and attentive. He was a quick learner but got easily off task and didn’t know how to talk. I still felt that I could adequately communicate with him even with his disability and we soon became friends. Every time I went back he was always paired as my buddy and I began to look forward to our time together. He improved so much from when we first met and even though he still wasn’t as good as most kids he was still happy. This experience helped me create a relationship with someone that I will remember forever, not only did I gain a friendship but he was also like a little brother for me. It only took a few hours out of a week and it never felt like a burden to me. I hope that I will be able to convince others to participate in programs like AYSO VIP because it was a life changing experience not only for me but hopefully Jace as well. I was really happy to give him the opportunity to have normal life experiences like other kids. He was finally able to be part of a team

During a regular day in class a year ago, I sat the closest next to the door and was in charge of turning on and off the lights. While I was listening to a lecture from Mr. Jia (My Chinese teacher) I heard the door open and thought it was another student coming in until I heard a sound of the recycle bin falling, I turned around and saw a young girl around my age that was evidently mental disabled just by looking at her face. The way she stood there looking at the recycle bin smiling, but staring at it for at least an entire minute which felt like an eternity. At that time, I didn’t know what she was doing, but I ignored her thinking she would leave. I spun back to look at Mr. Jia and couldn’t help, but notice that no one else bothered to look back at what happened. After a couple seconds I turned back and saw that she was still standing there staring at that same blue, rectangle shaped recycling bin. I finally decided to help her pick up the blue recycling bin which I thought what she wanted to do in the first place. After I handed the blue bin full of papers, she automatically grabbed it as if she was a computer and left, walking out the door. As the door was slowly shutting, I thought to myself, what was she doing?, why did she want that recycling bin?. A moment later, she came back in with the same recycling bin, but this time it was empty. Soon, I found out she dumped it out in a large trash bin being supervised by what it seemed like the adult who was in charge of the mentally disabled girl. I sat back down to listen to my daily lecture, but what felt like an hour was actually a 2 minute scene. No one noticed what I did, but after that little thing I did, I’ve never teased or bothered another mentally disabled person. Surprisingly, I became friendlier. Whenever I hear another student make fun of a mentally disabled student, I would always try and defend from what they were saying. This experience has affected me for the last one year and will probably be with me going into my college year. I’ve always considered this as my “recycle bin” story, but never told anyone because who would want to hear about this useless “stuff”. If anyone did, they would be teased, but that is how the real world works and no one notices what is happening around them, but maybe, by some chance, it’ll change.

In my high school history class, we had an assignment to go out and do community service for school credit. When I first heard of this assignment, I was intrigued, because I always feel like I should do something for the community, but could never seem to find the time. The teacher told us of a program that helps disabled (either physically or mentally) children learn to play soccer. I was really interested because since I’m the eldest child in my family, I’ve always had a passion for helping younger children learn something new. I asked my friends and we signed up together.

After signing in when we got to the park on a Sunday afternoon, we were immediately assigned to a specific child; mine was Avi. Throughout the practice, the coach showed us different drills and games and my job was to stay with him and help him accomplish the task. Avi was one of the better-behaved kids at the practice, and for that, I was grateful. Some of the other volunteers were running after their “children” but I was focused on Avi. Avi was a little slow in processing the information he was told, but he was not aggressive or too energetic like some of the others.

This experience was very rewarding. I loved seeing Avi’s face break out into a huge smile every time he scored a goal. He was so happy with himself and it gave him another boost of confidence that he could do it! He would race back to the start and do it all over again. Another reward that came out of this experience was meeting his parents. I could really see that they cared deeply about him and seeing him so delightful made them proud. I was honored to be able to help give that to them. This volunteering opportunity turned out to be quite successful and I definitely will go back for the next season! This was a great way to give back to the community. Now that I look back, I’m happy that I experienced working with Avi; not for school credit, but to give him to opportunity to learn soccer and be part of a team.

It was a bright day, as I walked to school looking forward to the motivational speech we were to be given. As a change from the regular schedule, I knew that the motivational speaker would add a new light to my day. However, I did not know he would completely change the way I thought. During his speech he talked about the decisions he made when he was younger and the consequences he is facing now for those decisions. I could see that the man was clearly disabled and had to move wherever he wanted in a wheelchair. He mentioned how a chain of coincidences and bad choices had led him to be handicapped. This completely changed my thought process. I felt that every day we took the way we could freely walk around for granted.

I realized that there were many others who did not have the same opportunity and had to be physically pushed to their destination. This experience shined a different light on the way I think every day. We simply walk around in our daily lives, not realizing how simple accidents could take away the very legs we walk with. I finally understood the convenience that we were offered with having functional arms and legs. Now days, I do not take these for granted and I realize that here are many out there who don’t have the same physical opportunity as me. Therefore, I try to make the most out of my life every day, because we never know when everything could change.

I am now committed to doing more, because I feel that I am offered an array of opportunities every day that can be snatched away at any time. Clearly, meeting this individual has inspired me and changed the way I think and make decisions.

In elementary school, I met this blind boy in church named David. He was a very tall person who was very strong and talented. I always was with him at church and hung out him a lot. Some people did treat him differently because he was blind. I never treated him differently and treated him as a friend like I do all my other friends. In middle school, we would share stories about what happened at each other middle schools because we went to the same church, but did not go to the same school. We heard many stories about each other, a lot of them were really funny and interesting. He told me stories about his wrestling and how skilled he was. I even tried to jump on his back and attack for fun, but he flipped me over and defeated me in a fight. He also told me about his skills in the fine arts and everyone was amazed at his skill with his instrument. Now in high school, we go to the same school. We had drama together and we hang out with each other a lot in drama. Even outside of drama, we still hung out and talked to each other at church. In drama, people thought it be tough for a boy like David to participate in a lot of the scenes and activities. However, David’s actions proved all those who doubted him wrong. In his performances, he did not play the passive role and played the role with movement. During combat scenes, he perfectly managed to do the scene. He always did roles that required movement and was never played the passive role. That was in freshmen year though. Now in sophomore year, David and I do not share any classes. We still hang out and tell stories with each other at school, since I stopped going to church. He tells me that people give him the role with little movement in his advanced drama class. I think if people gave David a chance, he will prove them all wrong like he did to those who doubted him in freshmen year. David is an inspiration to all because he shows that even though he is blind, he is able to do anything a person who can see.

When I was about 12 years old I saw a new kid walk in through the door of my church’s youth group room.  At that time I had no idea that he had ADHD or Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder or that he was made fun of all his life because he could not pay attention.  For the next three weeks, every Sunday he would come watch us play over the summer and then leave.  Finally, I told my friends that we should hang out with him the next time he comes because he was always alone.  So next week I ran up to him with two water guns, (it was summer and we were doing water games) gave him one and I told him to follow me.  He grabbed it fast and was behind me in a second with a big smile on his face.  That day was one of the most fun of my life, shooting water with a new friend and laughing when we were hit with a cold blast of water on a hot summer day.  When it started to get dark, I ran up to him and asked his name as he was getting in his car soaking wet, he called it out as he drove away.  When I met James and started to get to know him after that day, I noticed that he was hyper and didn’t pay attention well but I didn’t care.  We started to hang out more and more outside of church over summer and I was amazed how close we got in such little time.  He had told me that he was diagnosed with ADHD and that is why he doesn’t up to people easily because he gets nervous and doesn’t want people to judge him.  I told him I didn’t care what he had because deep down it’s the personality that counts.  My friendship grew with him and he taught me that it doesn’t matter what disability you have but rather deep down in the heart.  Never judge a book by its cover; you never know what kind of person they really are until you had them a bright neon green water gun.

I was more than excited when I found out my parents told me I could go to Hong Kong for my very first time. I couldn’t sit still during the thirteen hour flight to Hong Kong, and all I can think of is the food I am going to eat, the things I am going to buy, and the people I am going to meet. Because all my relatives are in Hong Kong, and my family is the only family who are in California, I never met my relatives before. I won’t forget the first time I met one of my cousins. He was about twenty one years old, and if you glance at him for once, you won’t notice anything different. He looked like a normal teenage boy, but he was different. He was different than all my other relatives. He was blind.

He was very intelligent, but he couldn’t see. Whenever we went to places with my other relatives, he needed help to get to places and help when he ate. Whenever we watched TV, he could only hear the sounds, and couldn’t see anything else that was happening. Being the six year old child I was, I was very curious about his life. I was a bit scared though because I did not know him too well, but I really had the urge to find out what he did and how he did things. Slowly, I began to talk to him more and more and I got to know him better and better. I learned that he read books and newspapers and other things with brail. He had a computer that used brail, and he could use it for typing things and going on the internet. He could do a lot of normal things even with his disability. It was amazing. He was really smart and he was always motivated to try new things. He was not discouraged at all, even when he had this misfortune. He was not cursed; he was blessed. My view on blind people completely changed. I always thought they had less than me, or at least less than a normal person. But that wasn’t true because they had more. They were much smarter than normal people, and much more motivated. My perspective was completely changed.

In my world history class, there is a boy named David, who is blind. He never really talked to me, apart from the time when he told me that he went on 13 rides in a single day at Great America. Although no one talks to him that much, and he sits in the front left corner (the opposite direction from me), he still inspires me every day– quietly, in his own way. Rather than going to “special ed,” he’s in a normal class. He recognizes people by the sound of their voice and greets them by name in the hallways. Rather than confining himself to academics, he’s gone on and become a champion wrestler, as well as a great clarinet player! Most of all, though, he loves his life; even I, a perfectly normal student, don’t seem to appreciate life as much as he does. Though his eyes are closed, he is always, always smiling. That day when he went on 13 rides, he joked about saying that he got “disoriented and claustrophobic” if he waited in lines, which was how he got to get to the front of every line! I truly admire his ability to be positive, inside and out. He treats his disability like an asset, and he lives life to the fullest. I believe that he not only inspires me to appreciate what I have, but also everyone around him. He is such a blessing, even as he sits quietly every day in the corner of history class.