Joy In The Midst of Struggles

There are two things that have come across me in this past week i thought i'd share.. first: it is interesting to me when i come in contact with an individual and they talk to my friend instead of me to ask a question. this happened to me last week where an individual who has come in contact with me several times and knows i am fully capable of talking turned to my friend to ask a question about me instead of asking it directly to me. now through my growth in figuring out what it is like to live with a disability and see the good in everything that happens i have viewed this situation differently. a year ago if this would have happened i would have walked away annoyed and bitter but through God working in me i have learned it is okay. individuals often feel uncomfortable when approaching a person with a disability because often times they have not interacted with a disabled person. i totally understand and forgive this individual because to think about it in their shoes i may h...

LABELED . The word majority of people fear. It has been brought up to me recently about how people have the fear to be labeled. I am in a psych class for the exceptional child and this topic came up last night. One big barrier for kids with special needs is there parents not wanting them to get help because they don't want their child to be "labeled". because of this the child suffers because he/she cannot get help and teachers have to be on their tip-toes to not offend the parent(s) or the child. Don't get me wrong.. i feel for these parents. we live in a world that people need to be perfect and if you are not perfect then you failed. so for a parent to have a kid with a disability, they feel as if they did not do their job  correctly. it is a hard truth and one that i know my parents and myself had to deal with. but what i want the parents to realize is it is their job to turn that label into a positive.. However,  this brings me to another thought as to why I ...

What does this year of 2014 look like for me? it is a year of change, a year of finding God's beauty in everyday life, appreciating what i have at every moment, growing in myself and my God , helping others, being a light for others, having new experiences, letting God shine through me. every time at new years people make "resolutions". majority of the time these resolutions get forgotten about within weeks or months. for me i just want to give this year to God and really try to let go and remember He has plans for me and I just have to listen. God has called me on this earth for a reason and i want to be in awe of Him everyday. i am not going to lie though that this year is going to be filled with worries, unknowns, and changes. i will be graduating from APU in May this year which is such an exciting but scary event. i must say that i am also proud of myself. for being a person with a disability so many individuals think there is not that great of a future for u...

2013 was quite the interesting year to say the least. It was filled with a lot of laughter, tears, smiles, joy, transitions, new and old things. looking back at the beginning of this year i struggled a lot with transitioning back from South Africa. I definitely had reverse culture shock to say the least. it was overwhelming coming back to people i love and wanting to talk so much about Africa and them not really understanding (which is not at all their fault). i missed the carefree nature of being in Africa and the fact that people did not judge me but instead everywhere i went i felt comfortable and accepted because in Africa they do not care about the outside. they just care about the inside . i missed being with my family (of 50 people) and waking up everyday to see there faces. but i feel like wherever you go you leave part of your heart there for i definitely did that with Africa for there is not a day that goes by where i do not think about that country, the people, and the k...

One thing that has been on my heart lately is how big of an impact a simple thing can have on someone. we go through this life with selfish intentions (not to put it to harshly) but i find it is true and i know i am at fault for it. its especially relevant during this Christmas season where you walk into a mall and your supposed to be finding a gift for someone but in the meantime of finding that gift people are rude to the workers, or in a hurry. people tend to forget what is the true point to all of this. it doesnt matter what the gift is, what matters is the heart of the person that gives the gift. i especially tend to forget that each day has value and what you say and do matters. i view myself as any other individual, "normal". i often forget i even have a disability. but i have moments of individuals telling me i have made an impact on their lives. now i am not trying to sound selfish here i just want to point out that we sometimes need those comments or a certain mo...

As the semester ends i have been reflecting about how this semester has gone. first off, this semester has been one i was not expecting at all. it wasnt so hard academically as it was personally. this semester has been one fight for my rights after another and i felt like i never got a break. i have had teachers discriminate against me and thinking i was not as smart as i am, i have had disability services blame me for things,. recently i have had an issue with trying to get out of pe for pe here does not benefit me like yoga does. i have had a never ending struggle this semester and i am worn out. it gets hard to consistently have to fight for your rights and sometimes i can only handle so much. but at the same time my parents have reminded me that this is never going to end and i am going to have to fight for my rights for the rest of my life. i think the reason all of this is happening currently is because it is preparing me for when i do graduate next year and how i am going to f...

Today my friend asked me a hard question. she knows i fully believe in inclusion and am a strong advocate for it. she asked me how i could be in a special ed classroom all day with kids with disabilities and does not have inclusion. for those of you who don't know i want to be a special ed teacher. i had to think about this question and this is what i said:' God has called me to this profession for a reason and it is simply to be an advocate for these children with disabilities. i don't know what school i am going to be teaching at but i know that if he calls me to a school where the kids get no interaction with gen ed students  then i am going to fight. God has given me this drive to fight for those who have disabilities just like i fight for myself. i will fight for my students to get to interact with gen ed students and get opportunities to be the best they can be. that is why our society is SO messed up!!!! people hide individuals with disabilities. they think that a...