And Still I Rise

Today, I went to the Christmas programme put on by the School for Children with Special needs and came away feeling touched. I felt as if my people are maturing given the way they applauded and cheered the children as they made their presentations. My personal favorite was an item that had the children signing to a song. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the king and queen pageant which was shaping up nicely was completed.

I thought that not so long ago, children with disabilities were like dirty family secrets to be kept hidden away and far from curious eyes. Other times they were treated as a source of mirth to others partly because of their difference but more because of the ignorance of the public. At the programme, I got a sense that surely the barriers are breaking down with the realisation that disability is not to be feared.

Once, I visited a children's home in Jamaica called Miracle Seed and was blown away by the number of children some grossly disabled that were housed there. Then as now, it drove home the point that once our children are healthy then everything else is a bonus.