Special Needs Children Don’t Label & Discriminate so Why Should We? Maybe the Answer After All is …“One Model Fits All!”

If you have ever been involved in Challenge Sports or Special Olympics, you would come to know that the children who have Special Needs don't label themselves and discriminate against others, they bond.

They don't care if you are blind, have Cerebral Palsy, Down syndrome, Autism, Epilepsy, etc... They bond through Sports and interaction.

They support one another and truly care about one another. They tell each other jokes and laugh. They comfort one another when one gets hurt. The older Special Needs children look out for the young and the young look up to the old. It is a truly amazing and lovely relationship.

I too at one time in my life thought the same as far as "One Model Does Not Fit All." But, after being involved in Challenged Sports over the years, I have come to realize that it is not the label or diagnosis that should separate these children into adulthood, it is compatibility and common interests. To me they seem to get along great!

If you started to put these kids into groups based on Diagnosis, it would be tragic and the outcome would be depressing. It is the socialization from “All” that makes witnessing their interaction with one another a very beautiful reality.

It is not easy for these kids to bond but when they do, it brings tears to my eyes knowing that my son has been given the opportunity to form long-lasting friendships which he has not been able to do in life and through participating in regular education.

However, when Alex was moved from Regular Education to Special Education and year-after-year was involved in Challenge Sports coupled with being around the same Special Needs Classmates over the past three years, Alex for the first was able to form meaningful friendships.

Alex does not see diagnosis or disability as a reason to not be someone’s friend … he sees the person for who they are and leans towards those who he shares a common interest with and those who he gets along with as a means of creating meaningful friendships.

Creating a Permanent Living Community for our Special Need's Children should be no different than what we envision for ourselves; a loving, caring, safe environment with an opportunity to bond with friends whom we feel comfortable with and those whom we share common interests with … very simple. Maybe “One Model Fits All” after all!