inclusion and NDSC Convention

[Guest guest]

When we talk about inclusion it seems we always start talking about friends.

Friends, true friendships can happen with our children. I have two stories to

share: I got a phone call about 3 weeks ago from two of 's friends that

she has had since 2nd grade and girl scouts. We moved 6 years ago and these

grls that are now graduating from high school ahve always still come to see her.

They called and asked if they could come this summer to see her. No prompting,

no bribing just friends. I also got a ntoe from a girl at school telling me

she was jen's friend and asked if she could do somethign with her one night. I

called her and asked if she would be intesterested in going to the school play

with her as I was going tobe out of town. She not only took her but then called

and asked if they could stop to grab something to eat, too. My thoughts are it

wasn't a sympathy thing or else she wouldn't have asked to take her to get

something to eat. She was on the Girls Lacros

se tam (varsity and JV this year) as a trainer. She loved her (and talk about

job skills she had to get the bottles, fill them with water and ice and srew on

the caps, put them in a crate and get hem out to the field or the bus). The

varsity team at the banquet gave her a picture of her carrying the water bottles

that they all signed. It is beautiful!!!!!Inclusion can and does work but it

may not appropriate for every single child. We know our kids best.

And for those coming to the NDSC I would like to have a get together. I live

just north of Atlanta. And I would love to host something. Let me know if you

are interested. We could just stay at the hotel, too but I would love to

entertain anyone who is coming.

Kathy Everett

[Guest guest]

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

[Guest guest]

I am enclosing a story I wrote recently for Ciarra's webpage. It is

about inclusion. I wante to mention too, that this week, she has

received TWO Birthday invitations! Here is a quick little video of some

pictures from this special day:

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=62f9a227cc442d2c84dd2

Ciarra has been wanting to have a party. Our house isnt huge, and we are

in perpetual construction mode, so it wasnt going to be here. We kept

wondering about it, even though we know Ciarra is a popular little girl

in school, sometimes that doesnt always translate into the real world

outside of school. She has plenty of friends, but there is always this

THING you think about when you have a child with differences... " will

they be loved? " .

Last week, we took to a ballgame at the school, when we arrived,

there was a pack of little girls in Ciarra's class there, they had

practice on another field. They literally swarmed her. It was

heartwarming, they played like a bunch of puppies, rolling in the grass,

tumbling around, hugs and arms flying. I felt so sure at that

moment..this is right...it will be ok. And so I started planning...

Rick Charrette was coming to town (2 towns away in the city) and I

really wanted to take Ciarra. He has a song called " Alligator in the

Elevator " that she just loves. So my wheels started turning. We had a

coupon for a limo ride at a discount, thanks to an earlier trip in Feb.

How many kids would come? We planned for the best case scenario, just in

case. There are 9 first grade girls. Ciarra wanted a " Girl party " .

Invited all the girls, told them they would have a limo ride, then

dinner, then off to the concert.

We held our breath, how MANY would call? I have thrown parties for my

other 2 where only 1-2 kids showed, for whatever reason. It is

heartbreaking, to say the least. I counted on Ciarra's innocense if it

happened, she would be tickled with 2-3 kids. And the positive would be

we would have more room in the limo.

Invitations went out Monday. By Tuesday, we had 3 commitments. By Wed

when I went into the school, I was mobbed by kids, excited, breathless,

couldn't wait for Friday to come. By Wed night, every single girl had

said yes. Ciarra was excited, she kept asking " is it my party day yet? "

Friday morning I went into her room and woke her up with a

whisper... " ready for your girl party? " She sprang out of bed, rushed to

bathe and get dressed. She was 15 minutes early for the bus, ready to

GO!

After school, her sitter took her to get her hair cut and styled. Our

local salon has been doing her hair since she was a tiny baby, they just

love her. They were stoked to be a part of this. Her hair cut and style

was done by Donna, and her nails were done for free by ! She wanted

to be a part of it, she was so psyched.

Ciarra loves to get her hair done, she has always been so awesome about

it. It has been neat to see the fuss they make over her as she has

grown. I am touched beyond words by their love for her. Watching

stand there as the girls came in to get Ciarra was priceless. I think

she was more choked up than *I* was.

As we were making the rounds, picking up all the kids, they got more and

more excited. Their parents took pictures. Almost all of them were

dressed up in beautiful dresses, hair done perfectly. They were excited

to see her, and each other. The limo was a HUGE hit for them. Each girl

was greeted at the door to the limo by the suited up driver. They posed

for pictures and then climbed in. Each one then got a small corsage, a

bag of goodies with a boa and matching sunglasses plus a few other

things. Feathers were flying!

Finally we had them all. The only one left was Ciarra, who was done

getting dolled up and was waiting for me to arrive to get her...she had

NO clue we were ALL coming in the limo. The girls were so cute, plotting

their strategy, how they would surprise her, who got to sit next to her,

etc. Listening to them was very fullfilling, there was nothing forced

and no pitying going on...this was their friend, and they were psyched

to go get her.

We drove up to the salon, parked just enough away so she wouldnt see us

right away, and the girls piled out. They ran to the window of the

salon, Ciarra was just behind it waiting patiently, reading a book.

and Donna and Ciarras babysitter (also mary) were waiting, big

smiles....and camera at the ready. The girls stood lined up looking into

the window and then slowly and softly started tapping to get her

attention...

I wish I had a closeup of her face when she looked up. In that short

little moment in time, the world was completely right. She was

surrounded by love, accepted, valued, looked forward to. She was

absolutely the focus of all that love and devotion and caring...and it

showed. Her face lit up, hands to her mouth, surprised, shocked,

delighted. She tore out of the salon and into the arms of her friends,

who surrounded her with so much adoration she may never be the same

again.

Then it was time to get into the limo and head for dinner. 9 kids, 2

adults, and a slightly bemused driver. The kids were SO good, so

excited. Ciarra sat amongst them in her purple boa and sunglasses, as

they showed her all the goodies in the limo...tv, ice water, snacks,

radio, lights, sparkling cider, and ICE cubes...the big hit.

Dinner was a short drive away, the kids were absolutely wonderful. We

had so many compliments on their behavior, and on how NICE it was to see

little girls in dresses. We found ourselves feeling like celebrities

there, and I was awfully proud of their good manners and the

compliments. We had to rush a bit with dinner, back into the limo, and

off to the concert. As the girls got out, Mr Charrette was there, and he

was very sweet to the kids. He asked if he could have a picture with

them.

The concert was wonderful, he is big on movement songs. Unfortunately,

one of the girls has been having some medical issues and got sick. Her

dad came to get her, so she missed the end of the show. (As did I) But

we had a blast, the kids danced and sang and played.

At 9 PM, the girls all got picked up, and we all headed home. Ciarra

sang to her new RC cd all the way home, telling us how much fun she had

and laughing and chattering like any other little girl. We have a memory

that will last a lifetime, I hope. And I think I have myself convinced

that MOST people dont see Ciarra as different, they just need to know it

is ok to see her as a REGULAR little girl who deals with some

differences but doesnt let those differences detract from her life.

Ciarra doesnt know that many in this world (though not MOST, I am sure

of it) think her life is not worth living, think that she suffers, think

that no life is better than the one she has. I am thankful that here in

the real world, that is so not true it is almost laughable. Ciarra is

LOVED. And thats enough.

God, if these are the best years of our lives, if someday comes and

Ciarras life somehow spirals into what it is depicted in some places,

lonely, sad, empty, please remind us that we can make a difference if

only we try, and guide us as we parent her to be the best human being

she can be. And remind us, too, that we are blessed in so many ways with

enough love today to last a lifetime of tomorrows. We have learned that

guessing doesnt bear fruit, but love does.

inclusion and NDSC Convention

When we talk about inclusion it seems we always start talking about

friends. Friends, true friendships can happen with our children. I

have two stories to share: I got a phone call about 3 weeks ago from

two of 's friends that she has had since 2nd grade and girl

scouts. We moved 6 years ago and these grls that are now graduating

from high school ahve always still come to see her. They called and

asked if they could come this summer to see her. No prompting, no

bribing just friends. I also got a ntoe from a girl at school telling

me she was jen's friend and asked if she could do somethign with her one

night. I called her and asked if she would be intesterested in going to

the school play with her as I was going tobe out of town. She not only

took her but then called and asked if they could stop to grab something

to eat, too. My thoughts are it wasn't a sympathy thing or else she

wouldn't have asked to take her to get something to eat. She was on the

Girls Lacros

se tam (varsity and JV this year) as a trainer. She loved her (and talk

about job skills she had to get the bottles, fill them with water and

ice and srew on the caps, put them in a crate and get hem out to the

field or the bus). The varsity team at the banquet gave her a picture

of her carrying the water bottles that they all signed. It is

beautiful!!!!!Inclusion can and does work but it may not appropriate for

every single child. We know our kids best.

And for those coming to the NDSC I would like to have a get together.

I live just north of Atlanta. And I would love to host something. Let

me know if you are interested. We could just stay at the hotel, too but

I would love to entertain anyone who is coming.

Kathy Everett

[Guest guest]

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

Jackie, Mom to 18ds, 15, and Bradley 12

--------- inclusion and NDSC Convention

>

>

>

> When we talk about inclusion it seems we always start talking about

> friends. Friends, true friendships can happen with our children. I

> have two stories to share: I got a phone call about 3 weeks ago from

> two of 's friends that she has had since 2nd grade and girl

> scouts. We moved 6 years ago and these grls that are now graduating

> from high school ahve always still come to see her. They called and

> asked if they could come this summer to see her. No prompting, no

> bribing just friends. I also got a ntoe from a girl at school telling

> me she was jen's friend and asked if she could do somethign with her one

> night. I called her and asked if she would be intesterested in going to

> the school play with her as I was going tobe out of town. She not only

> took her but then called and asked if they could stop to grab something

> to eat, too. My thoughts are it wasn't a sympathy thing or else she

> wouldn't have asked to take her to get something to eat. She was on the

> Girls Lacros

> se tam (varsity and JV this year) as a trainer. She loved her (and talk

> about job skills she had to get the bottles, fill them with water and

> ice and srew on the caps, put them in a crate and get hem out to the

> field or the bus). The varsity team at the banquet gave her a picture

> of her carrying the water bottles that they all signed. It is

> beautiful!!!!!Inclusion can and does work but it may not appropriate for

> every single child. We know our kids best.

> And for those coming to the NDSC I would like to have a get together.

> I live just north of Atlanta. And I would love to host something. Let

> me know if you are interested. We could just stay at the hotel, too but

> I would love to entertain anyone who is coming.

> Kathy Everett

>

>

[Guest guest]

This made me so happy. It also gave me such hope that

maybe my son will have friends. That is one of my

biggest fears that he will be lonely......

Thanks you so much for sharing your story.

B

--- <mome23kjnc@...> wrote:

> I am enclosing a story I wrote recently for Ciarra's

> webpage. It is

> about inclusion. I wante to mention too, that this

> week, she has

> received TWO Birthday invitations! Here is a quick

> little video of some

> pictures from this special day:

>

>

>

>

>

>

http://www.onetruemedia.com/shared?p=62f9a227cc442d2c84dd2

>

>

>

> Ciarra has been wanting to have a party. Our house

> isnt huge, and we are

> in perpetual construction mode, so it wasnt going to

> be here. We kept

> wondering about it, even though we know Ciarra is a

> popular little girl

> in school, sometimes that doesnt always translate

> into the real world

> outside of school. She has plenty of friends, but

> there is always this

> THING you think about when you have a child with

> differences... " will

> they be loved? " .

>

> Last week, we took to a ballgame at the

> school, when we arrived,

> there was a pack of little girls in Ciarra's class

> there, they had

> practice on another field. They literally swarmed

> her. It was

> heartwarming, they played like a bunch of puppies,

> rolling in the grass,

> tumbling around, hugs and arms flying. I felt so

> sure at that

> moment..this is right...it will be ok. And so I

> started planning...

>

> Rick Charrette was coming to town (2 towns away in

> the city) and I

> really wanted to take Ciarra. He has a song called

> " Alligator in the

> Elevator " that she just loves. So my wheels started

> turning. We had a

> coupon for a limo ride at a discount, thanks to an

> earlier trip in Feb.

> How many kids would come? We planned for the best

> case scenario, just in

> case. There are 9 first grade girls. Ciarra wanted a

> " Girl party " .

> Invited all the girls, told them they would have a

> limo ride, then

> dinner, then off to the concert.

>

> We held our breath, how MANY would call? I have

> thrown parties for my

> other 2 where only 1-2 kids showed, for whatever

> reason. It is

> heartbreaking, to say the least. I counted on

> Ciarra's innocense if it

> happened, she would be tickled with 2-3 kids. And

> the positive would be

> we would have more room in the limo.

>

> Invitations went out Monday. By Tuesday, we had 3

> commitments. By Wed

> when I went into the school, I was mobbed by kids,

> excited, breathless,

> couldn't wait for Friday to come. By Wed night,

> every single girl had

> said yes. Ciarra was excited, she kept asking " is it

> my party day yet? "

> Friday morning I went into her room and woke her up

> with a

> whisper... " ready for your girl party? " She sprang

> out of bed, rushed to

> bathe and get dressed. She was 15 minutes early for

> the bus, ready to

> GO!

>

> After school, her sitter took her to get her hair

> cut and styled. Our

> local salon has been doing her hair since she was a

> tiny baby, they just

> love her. They were stoked to be a part of this. Her

> hair cut and style

> was done by Donna, and her nails were done for free

> by ! She wanted

> to be a part of it, she was so psyched.

>

>

>

> Ciarra loves to get her hair done, she has always

> been so awesome about

> it. It has been neat to see the fuss they make over

> her as she has

> grown. I am touched beyond words by their love for

> her. Watching

> stand there as the girls came in to get Ciarra was

> priceless. I think

> she was more choked up than *I* was.

>

> As we were making the rounds, picking up all the

> kids, they got more and

> more excited. Their parents took pictures. Almost

> all of them were

> dressed up in beautiful dresses, hair done

> perfectly. They were excited

> to see her, and each other. The limo was a HUGE hit

> for them. Each girl

> was greeted at the door to the limo by the suited up

> driver. They posed

> for pictures and then climbed in. Each one then got

> a small corsage, a

> bag of goodies with a boa and matching sunglasses

> plus a few other

> things. Feathers were flying!

>

>

>

> Finally we had them all. The only one left was

> Ciarra, who was done

> getting dolled up and was waiting for me to arrive

> to get her...she had

> NO clue we were ALL coming in the limo. The girls

> were so cute, plotting

> their strategy, how they would surprise her, who got

> to sit next to her,

> etc. Listening to them was very fullfilling, there

> was nothing forced

> and no pitying going on...this was their friend, and

> they were psyched

> to go get her.

>

> We drove up to the salon, parked just enough away so

> she wouldnt see us

> right away, and the girls piled out. They ran to the

> window of the

> salon, Ciarra was just behind it waiting patiently,

> reading a book.

> and Donna and Ciarras babysitter (also mary) were

> waiting, big

> smiles....and camera at the ready. The girls stood

> lined up looking into

> the window and then slowly and softly started

> tapping to get her

> attention...

>

>

>

>

>

> I wish I had a closeup of her face when she looked

> up. In that short

> little moment in time, the world was completely

> right. She was

> surrounded by love, accepted, valued, looked forward

> to. She was

> absolutely the focus of all that love and devotion

> and caring...and it

> showed. Her face lit up, hands to her mouth,

> surprised, shocked,

> delighted. She tore out of the salon and into the

> arms of her friends,

> who surrounded her with so much adoration she may

> never be the same

> again.

> Then it was time to get into the limo and head for

> dinner. 9 kids, 2

> adults, and a slightly bemused driver. The kids were

> SO good, so

> excited. Ciarra sat amongst them in her purple boa

> and sunglasses, as

> they showed her all the goodies in the limo...tv,

> ice water, snacks,

> radio, lights, sparkling cider, and ICE cubes...the

> big hit.

>

>

>

> Dinner was a short drive away, the kids were

> absolutely wonderful. We

> had so many compliments on their behavior, and on

> how NICE it was to see

> little girls in dresses. We found ourselves feeling

> like celebrities

> there, and I was awfully proud of their good manners

> and the

> compliments. We had to rush a bit with dinner, back

> into the limo, and

> off to the concert. As the girls got out, Mr

> Charrette was there, and he

> was very sweet to the kids. He asked if he could

> have a picture with

> them.

>

>

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