|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Do You Know What It Feels Like To Be Disabled? By Connie Ramos-Williams
Have you or your child ever seen someone who is mentally or physically disabled and stare, laugh, or voice comments making fun of that person? If you have you are probably like the 70% of the population that does. Why do we treat people with special needs that way? Many times people react strangely to people with special needs because they simply do not understand the disability and do not know how to appropriately respond when they are around that person. Other times people act badly because of ignorance or just out of cruelty. It is human nature to be scared of things we do not understand. A local family in Estero knows first hand what it is all about. Twelve years ago the Millers gave birth to a little girl, named Rachal. Their pregnancy went well and for the first month and a half of Rachal’s life she developed well and was quite healthy. When Rachal was six weeks old she began having seizures, 1000’s of seizures that have altered her life and her families lives forever. Young Rachal, at only 6 months old was diagnosed with a rare brain disease that would leave her mentally disabled for the rest of her life. Doctors encouraged Mr. and Mrs. Miller to leave their young baby behind in an institution stating that her life would be better off in an institution than with her parents. After digesting the news of Rachel permanent disability, the Millers decided to devote their lives to the caring of their daughter and opted against the institution. This was the beginning not the end for the Millers who already had one young son, Benjamin. As Rachal grew older and went to middle school, Mrs. Miller witnessed several students making fun of her daughter. She felt the pain and realization of how her daughter would be treated by others. Instead of sitting idly by, Mrs. Lisa Cronin Miller decided to do something to make a difference. “We need to educate other children and their parents about special needs people, “ said Cronin-Miller. “How can anyone treat people with special needs properly without completely understanding how to react to them, what to say to them or what they themselves feel or go through on a day to day basis. Do you know what it feels like to be disabled or have special needs? Last year, Mrs. Cronin-Miller gave everything up to create “Sensitivity Awareness Workshop, Inc.”. “ I felt that if we could share the circumstances surrounding Rachal’s life we would be able to educate “typical” people that Rachal and anyone that has a disability did not volunteer for this... it just happened to them.” Disabilities can happen at birth, or anytime during a lifetime. The Program provides an opportunity for a “typical” person to actually walk in the shoes of some diagnosed with a physical, mental or learning disability. They offer fine motor, gross motor, hearing, visual, and speech impairments, auditory memory and discrimination and learning disability Task Centers. These Task Centers allow the typical participant to actually place on that disability for a moment in time. To experience all the frustration and difficulty that surrounds every day tasks for a disabled person. Their goal is to change one heart at a time, to share compassion and empathy not ignorance, pity or sorrow. They offer a complete comprehensive Program that can be brought to any organization, schools or work place. They have 1000’s of thank you letters and surveys testifying to the life changes attitudes of those participants. Please feel free to visit their web site at www.sawoneheart.com or call us to find out more about this program. Call them at 239- 949 –6018 or email them at contact@sawoneheart.com. — Connie Ramo-Williams is publisher of SWFL Parent&Child SAW
of SWFL, Inc. is a Florida 501(c)3 Non Profit Corporation. All
gifts of cash or securities are fully tax deductible under IRS
law. A copy of the official registration and financial information
may be obtained from the division of consumer services by calling
toll free (800-435-7352) within the state. Registration does not
imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by the state. |
