What I’ve learned from Working with Special Needs Adults:
1. Special needs adults have a voice. They want to be heard. They have things to say that could change our world if we stopped to listen.
2. Adults with special needs want to be treated like humans. We strip them of their very humanity when we talk over them or admire those who work with “such people.”
3. Special needs adults are the most loving people on earth. And they mean it.
4. Special needs adults do not know how to be fake or act like someone they are not. We could learn a lot from such behavior.
5. There is less to be afraid of (than most think) with special needs adults. Most are more sweet and loving than anyone you’ll know.
6. Special needs adults have experienced a lot of pain and hardship in their life—and they trust God anyway. Their faith is inspiring. They tend to experience more death than most people (friends in their group homes or they’ve met at special events)—and yet they still have faith in the love of God.
7. A smile and a safe touch on the shoulder will make a huge difference for special needs adults. They do not need massive, expensive things. Attention could change their world.
8. They believe, trust, and hope in a restored creation and act like it is possible. The “unspecial” among us doubt this possibility constantly.
9. Special needs adults work hard at everything and with joy. Even scrubbing floors. They just want to be a part of something—whatever it might be.
10. Special needs adults are incredibly giving. They tend not to have limits of giving of themselves on behalf of another.
11. Special needs adults let themselves go in freedom—they will dance horribly and not care. Social limitations we all are stuck with and allow guide our actions—are not important to them.
12. God listens to special needs adults. Their prayers are answered in amazing ways with their childlike faith. They’ll even clap with excitement when prayers are answered. I cannot remember the last time I saw such celebration over answered prayers.
1 comment:
Soooooooooooo well said. And wisely observed. And spot-on. Did I say that I agree with all of this, because I saw it up close and personal for five years? Matt and I also have discussed that we were the kind of "over-achievers" that many of them are with "limitations," there's no way to guess what we could accomplish.
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