What do we consider special? Everyone is special in their own way. But there are those amongst us who are very special people. In many ways they are gifted. Yes, we have the savants among us but these people do not get recognized. We can all say that we know someone who is special, but not in the way you would consider special. I am talking about people with disabilities. People with special needs are those who have challenges or disabilities that affect their daily lives. These challenges can be physical, mental, behavioral, or developmental, like non-verbal autistic people, or others who are mute or who can not speak or even speak clearly, deaf, the blind, and in general all special needs people. So why are these people special? Because these people tend to be more sensitive, like they feel with their hearts. They are more in tune with life in general, they are more understanding, because of the hardship of their disability. It causes them to be able to relate to those who may be struggling with their lives or their weaknesses or their shortcomings. We can not disregard those who may not be like us who have no disabilities or handicaps. When we do not accept a person for who they are, we become the person with the handicap, and disability, because we do not have the ability to love, when they, in their own way, express love without condition. These are the beautiful people that God has placed among us to teach us how to live life, when life does not go our way. People who are blind in their own way, see life and its beauty, when we who have eyes to see, never notice the things around us that should give us pause. The deaf hear things we do not hear, like the voice of God. Through their struggles in life, their trials and even rejections, they have grown to be strong, understanding, loving people and we who see and hear and have a sound mind, think we have life by the tail. But we most likely will never achieve the kind of heart and understanding and sensitivity that these people have, because they are not the ones who are weak, they are not the ones who are in need. It is us who need them, for through their example we will be made strong and we will learn to love unconditionally.
I would like to tell you about a young man named Gage. Gage was born with Cerebral Palsy which is a condition that affects one’s control of their muscles. Doctors thought he would only live till 3 years old. When I met Gage he was a young boy who was in a wheelchair. He could not speak and he could not walk and he had no control of his arm muscles, which meant that he could not even wipe his own nose. He could not eat by mouth because he would aspirate, so he had to be tube fed. But he was the happiest little boy there was. As he grew he never changed, even when seeing his brother and sister able to do things he would never be able to do. But with someone holding him, he was able to do things like go down a slide or go into the water. Even though life was passing him by, he still smiled and laughed. Gage died when he was twenty nine, and he never stopped showing us what we needed to do when we encountered our trials. He taught us to keep smiling and being happy because if he could do it so could we. What a very special person, a gift from God to us, and one we will never forget. He may have not been able to talk but yet he spoke volumes to us. Gage had a friend who liked to come and visit him. Even if they could not talk to each other, his friend enjoyed talking to him, and Gage loved listening to him.
If you know someone like Gage, all I can say is, never let go of them, for these special beautiful people have a special gift given to them by God and we have a lot to learn from them, for God has not rejected them. No! Just the opposite, God has given them to us to show us what life is really about and it’s not about position or wealth or talent, but life is in love for one another. Strength is in our weakness and success is in our ability to live with our shortcomings, our own handicaps, for in reality, no one is really perfect or without disabilities and handicaps and shortcomings. We all have something in our lives that makes us broken, because we are all the same. Just flesh and blood and one day we will all die and life will go on without us. Let us appreciate these special beautiful people who are here to remind us that no one is perfect for we all fall short one way or the other and yet in our weakness we can rise up and shine and bring hope to those around us.
The Bible tells us this about Paul in 2 Corinthians 12: 7-10 says, “Because of the extraordinary greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Messiah may dwell in me. Therefore I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in distresses, in persecutions, in difficulties, in behalf of Messiah; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”’
I know a girl who was born with Down Syndrome. Her name is Lisa. Doctors told her parents when she was born that these people only live a a few months, and they would be better off if they turned her over to a government care center. But they refused because she was their baby, and to them she was perfect. Well, Lisa did not die as they said she would, in fact, she is in her late fifties today. She was healthier than her brothers. Her learning abilities may have been slower than others, even though she did go to school, but she was not able to work at any kind of a job that we would consider. Lisa had friends who took the time for her, because they did not see her handicap. She smiled and loved people, and she was a blessing. She was able to care for her parents in their old age. A little girl who could have been sent away but for the love of her parents became a blessing to all.
Lisa was involved in the Special Olympics when she was younger. The Special Olympics is an organization that people should become involved in. In fact, there are so many organizations that deal with special needs kids or adults and they can always use volunteers to help them. We need to get involved with these special people, these beautiful people, because they have so much to teach us. Just because they may not be able to speak there is a real person inside. Even though they may not be able to hear, they still can read your body language. Even though they may not be able to see, they can feel the touch of your hand. Special Needs children and adults are still human beings, and humans love to be with others. These are the special people amongst us, these are God’s gifts to us and we must receive them with love and mercy.
Here is a song called “You Are So Beautiful To Me” song by Joe Cocker “You are so beautiful to me. You are so beautiful to me. Can’t you see? You’re everything I hoped for. You’re everything I need. You are so beautiful to me. This song says it all. Those around us with special needs and disabilities are real people and they are special and that is all we need.
Here are a few organizations where you can volunteer your services.
(1) Through the Looking Glass: https://lookingglass.org/
(2) United Cerebral Palsy: https://ucp.org
(3) The Arc: https://thearc.org/our-initiatives/inclusive-volunteering/
(4) The M.O.R.G.A.N. Project: https://themorganproject.org/
(5) Easter Seals: https://www.easterseals.com/
Also here are a few websites for your information
(6) https://www.voa.org/services/special-needs-services/
(7)https://udservices.org/how-to-volunteer-with-people-with-disabilities/
(9)https://ncld.org/join-the-movement/understand-the-issues/specific-learning-disabilities/
(10)https://www.nami.org/your-journey/identity-and-cultural-dimensions/people-with-disabilities/