Additional Needs

Inclusion

Posted by Marissa Sweat Evans on 7th August 2019 Additional Needs, Advice & Support, Disabilities

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Inclusion is very important but sometimes its hard to get others to include children with special needs in different things due to liability.

I remember when I found out I was pregnant. I wanted a boy and I got a boy.

Once I found out I was having a boy I always talked about how we would throw the football around. I love football!

I’m a big Philadelphia Eagles fans in case you were wondering but I think my son like the Pittsburgh Steelers from his reactions when he see them play.

Well after having Jaylen I realized that us throwing around the football may never happen.

One day while venting on facebook about inclusion and how I always wanted Jaylen to play football Coach Derek Jamison from my hometown messaged me.

He invited me to bring Jaylen out to a jamboree. I agreed to bring him.

At this game Jaylen was given the opportunity to lead the team out on the field.

This was one of the best days of my life. Because although he didn’t get to play in the game, nor did he get to throw the ball he was given an opportunity to be amongst his peers.

He experienced going out on a field as if he was about to play in the game. Which was something I thought I would never see.

My son just as well as any other child or adult out there with special needs should never be left out of things because of their disability.

There are different ways to include a child with special needs and what Coach Derek Jamison did was one way.

An amazing way at that! Most times people look at our kids and feel sorry for them instead of finding ways to help them.

Thankfully things are getting better.

People are making things more adaptive for our children and they aren’t left out as much.

Those things can also become unavailable to us if we don’t utilize them more.

So take advantage of the things that are given to us because we could easily lose the thing we’ve been fighting for.