Sometimes even I, Matt’s mother who is passionate about
including Matt in all things, find it easier to exclude him than to do the hard
work to make a plan for him to participate. Makes me realise that this inclusion
thing constantly requires intentional thought and planning – it really doesn’t
JUST HAPPEN.
A good friend and neighbour approached me regarding the upcoming
birthday of her daughter. The birthday plan was to go ice skating and she
wondered if Matt would manage. I thought about Matt’s balance issues and his
fear of feeling unstable and thought it best if we give it a skip. A small part
of me felt a little bad that I was depriving Matt of attending a birthday party
– he does so enjoy parties, and he doesn’t often get invited to parties
(probably because other parents of kids make the same assumption about Matt
that I was just making). But I reasoned that it would be too difficult, he
wouldn’t enjoy it and so the best decision was to not go.
But my friend didn’t leave it at that. A few days later she
came up with a plan. Clearly she had been thoughtful and intentional about
inclusion. She added other activities to the party celebrations, including a
carousel ride, so that Matt and other kids who might not be confident in
ice-skating could enjoy the party. (Matt is totally gonna love the carousel)
This morning her daughter hand-delivered the invitation. My
heart swelled as I realised how grateful I was that another mom had kept alight the
inclusion light, when I had let it grow dim.
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