What Was Said (First Year of High School)
“I don’t think it matters what the subject is. What matters is that the teacher wants her there, and is interested in including her in a meaningful way.” This is what I said in the…
Friday Nights
Some Friday nights we walk over to the local fast food place for dinner. It’s the “good” fast food place, so a treat for both of us. We celebrate another week of school and work…
Air Tag
When I picked up C today she took a sharp right instead of continuing out the door to our car. This is a common occurrence, whether at the end of the day or during her…
Five Years
What if you grouped the years you’ve lived so far into half-decade chunks? You could start with the years you were 0-5 and move up from there, or work backwards from where you are now….
High School
This essay is the continuation of a story with its origins in a tweet thread from December 2022. You can find further details on what the process of transitioning students with intellectual disabilities to high…
Away
Once you have gotten over the feeling of miraculousness that the car broke down with enough time to get it fixed before departure and the grandparents agreed to be caretakers of your two precious beings…
Talisman
The gold sparkly sock is still in my drawer, though I did get rid of its mate with the hole in it. She gave me the socks as a Christmas gift on her last night…
Hornby Island
We grabbed a floatie and a life jacket and I ferried her to the foot-shaped rock. She stood next to me in a line with the other kids. I said “Do you want to jump?”…
Not Okay
I found myself there again this morning. Staring into the face of my girl as her eyes filled with tears, after numerous verbal exchanges debating the pros and cons of going into the school. “I…
For the Few
I had the great fortune of seeing Shelley Moore speak (in person!) in October 2021. If you don’t know, Shelley is an extraordinary educator in the field of inclusion. She is known for her stellar…