Freedom Hopes

This Fourth of July week I’ve been thinking a lot about the word ‘freedom’ as it pertains to my children with significant disabilities. It’s not flags and fireworks I’m thinking about, but rather the freedom of choice.

I want my children to be able to make choices, to live life their own way. I want them to have the freedom to…

• Choose where they want to live and how they want to live
• Choose the type of job they want
• Make choices about the type of social life they want
• Choose their friends, fall in love, enjoy a sexual relationship, and know the comfort and joy of sharing life with the person of their choice
• Speak their minds, have opinions, and have those opinions respected
• Vote
• And the list could go on and on….

In other words, I want them to have all the rights and freedoms that people without disabilities have.

What does freedom mean for your children?

Deborah can be found writing here at 5MFSN every Wednesday, and can also be found at Pipecleaner Dreams.

In addition to her job as a computer engineer and her single parent responsibilities, Deborah is president of a state-wide family support group for families whose lives are touched by deafblindness, and is a tireless advocate for all people with disabilities. She writes at Pipe Cleaner Dreams and her writing has also been featured in local magazines and newspapers. Ashley’s story has also been chronicled in a book by Jonathan Mooney titled Short Bus Stories.

Deborah

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