Inclusion.

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Inclusion. What does that look like?

I have a hard time with the thought that my children are looked at differently because they are disabled.

I know it’s normal instinct to look at a child with special needs and immediately think, “Awe, poor thing.” But it still hurts my heart.

Strangers do it when they see my sons feeding tube and they do it online when I talk about their struggles.

But even family does it. My sons are not treated the same as our typical daughter. Just because one is completely nonverbal and the other has gestures to show communication, doesn’t mean you can’t talk to them.

Hold their hand.

Talk to them without expectation of words back.

Hug them and show interest in things they like. Learn to feed Lucas with his feeding tube.

Ask for them to stay overnight and not just because their big sister stays. Grow a relationship with them.

They aren’t dogs. You don’t need to pet their heads as you leave. They have hearts and can feel and sense when you treat them differently.

You know how you treat my disabled sons? The same way you’d treat my typical daughter.

My son with Autism may not know you treat him different, that you don’t call and say happy birthday, that you don’t hug on him and talk to him about stuff but his sister know.

There isn’t anyone in this world besides their mommy and daddy who love them like their big sister does. So she will finally get tired of seeing them being excluded and not loved on and she’ll defend them.

She’ll do it in school if someone says anything mean to them and she’ll do it to friends and family because we raised her to protect her brothers.

I mean even doctors, dentists and so on exclude them from normal appointments and have them see specialists just for a teeth cleaning. They are in special education so they are excluded from typical peer classes.

Churches exclude special needs because they don’t have the appropriate training and equipment to have them attend. Jesus loves us all the same so can’t we as humans do the same?

Inclusion.

Can we just teach our children to include ALL students snd friends? Can families who have nieces, nephews, grandchildren and cousins just treat everyone the same way?

Because if you don’t, I am raising a daughter to stand up and say that this is wrong and it may be just at you for excluding her brothers.