National Disability Independence Day, celebrated annually on July 26, commemorates the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. law prohibiting discrimination against those with disabilities. At Kobie, we encourage curiosity and appreciate our teammates who are willing to share personal stories to help inspire others! Here is a story from Christina Blocker, Sr. Account Manager at Kobie.
Tell us about a time you, a family member or friend felt included or not included as part of a community
My daughter, Madison, has a disability that she’s had since birth. Her ability to do normal everyday tasks has always been a struggle to grasp and learn. Madison’s formal diagnoses is Intellectual Disability and her IQ is less than 59. Throughout her childhood/teen years, Madison was not included in activities with normal functioning children. Kids had a hard time understanding why Madison was not speaking like them or doing normal activities like they could do. An example of when Madison did not feel included was when she joined Girl Scouts as a Daisy. She had a hard time making friends because the kids were not accepting due to her being different than everyone else. As a mom, this was very hard to watch. You want your kids to have friends, play and just have fun. When I was a kid, I was a Girl Scout and made long-time friends. Enjoyed camping, earning badges and meeting weekly to just have fun. I was ultimately hoping the same for her. That was not the case.
How did this experience change your perception or understanding?
My perception was very clear that children’s behavior is a direct result of their parents. Kids act and behave based on the education their parents provide. Madison just wanted to make friends and because she wasn’t speaking like the other girls or behaving like them, they looked at her like she was an alien. It was very sad. I would attend every meeting, most parents dropped off their child, but I wanted to make sure Madison was ok and I helped with the communication to the other kids but it didn’t help. We did go on one field trip and because the other kids were not accepting, Madison and I spent most of the weekend together and I was the “friend” on the Girl Scout troop. This is just one of many experiences we’ve encountered throughout her childhood/adult years.
In what ways can others be inspired by this story?
Educating your children at an early age there are kids born special and that everyone is not the same as you. To not look at people with a disability as a foreign object but to think God (or whatever higher power you believe in) made them that way for a purpose. I also have a son, who at the age of two asked his dad and I why Madison talks differently. We, from an early age, said she was made different and was given to us because we were blessed and God never gives you anything you can’t handle. Kids are a sponge and parents should do their job to educate. Most people have at least one relative or friend with a disability, so there is no excuse to not educate early on.
To learn more about National Disability Independence Day, visit here.
