I want to end leaving you with thoughts on what you can do. There are so many people around the world living with special needs, and there is so much that we can do to support them. Below are a few ideas.
1) Go to End The R Word and pledge to stop using the word retarded. Educate yourself on the issue, spread awareness, and read ideas on how to approach people when they use the word.
2) Sponsor a child with special needs. There are so many great organizations working for children and adults with special needs that rely on our donations to continue. This little girl, Molly, lives in India, has cerebral palsy, and was abandoned by her parents. You can sponsor her at any amount a month, even just $10, to help cover the cost of her care; including food, physical therapy, clothes, and caretakers. Go to Sarah's Covenant Homes to learn more.
3) Volunteer! One of the BEST things you can do is volunteer your time with the special needs population. End The R-Word suggests the Special Olympics and Best Buddies. If you are in Toronto, a few great organizations are Geneva Centre, Holland Bloorview, and MukiBaum. And then there are schools like Sunnyview Public School and Beverley Public School that love volunteers. Parenting a child with special needs can be exhausting. Consider partnering up with a family in your area who has a special needs child. Provide them with support, whether that be bringing over meals once a month, helping with groceries or housework, providing free babysitting, or even just providing friendship and companionship.
I often hear "I want to volunteer, I just don't have time." The three ways above range in time commitments. Set aside jut an hour a month and bring a cooked meal over to a family who has a child with special needs. This will only be an hour out of every month, but it will make a huge difference to this family. We are all capabale of helping in some way, and if we each make an effort than we will see huge strides in quality of life for people living with special needs.
This post is one in a December series of National Blog Posting Month, where I am advocating for children with special needs. To make a difference in the life of someone living with special needs, check out THIS POST.
2 comments:
well said. i have always hated that word and have not used it myself since i was a child. people have no idea how degrading it is and are ignorant on its true meaning. it is no joking matter. i need to backtrack and read your blog.
Thank you for sharing your stories. I had been thinking about using my vacation this year to do humanitarian work, and your blog helped give the confidence to raise my hand when the opportunity arose (I'm going with International Voice of the Orphan to Uganda at the end of Feb-beginning of March)
Post a Comment