All of us have those life defining moments that change the
course of our journeys. They become the bricks of our homes, the supporting
structure of how we interact in the world.
When I think back on the early construction phases, I
remember the day I learned to ride my bicycle, my first kiss (it was yucky) and
hundreds of other childhood memories. I went to college, traveled and worked in
corporate America. All these building blocks reinforced the structure of my
home and made it stronger. Getting married changed the direction of my house and the
view, as did the birth of all three of my kids. But the mortar and glue that
hold my home together is the experience of having a daughter with special
needs.
Alex is not an angel brought here to change the world, and
she is not down syndrome. Alex is a person…plain and simple…. just like her
peers. Alex does not deserve to be discriminated against in employment,
housing, education or anything else she chooses for her life. She should never
be excluded from community events, under estimated and over looked….and having
seen this happen to Alex and countless others with disabilities paid for the roof of my
house.
My house is an honest home, the rooms are fair-minded and
the walls non-discriminatory. In my house all visitors are treated equally and
everyone has choice. No one decides what is “right” for someone else, and
segregation has been thrown in the fire.
To build my house I had a lot of training, and this is the electricity
that keeps the home lit. Our home is fueled by passion, kept clean by advocacy,
but still changing and evolving.
Today this is the house Alex taught me to build, and someday we may be able to retire in a stronger, self-sustaining home. Please read the following article published in the Glenwood Springs Post Independent on November 1, 2012:
That article is just great! Well reported, inspirational!!!! Thanks so much for all you do!
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Gary, that's phenomenal!! What a great heart you have to change the way people view those who have special needs. I'm impressed!
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