Actually, disability is not something one overcomes. Stories that claim successful people with disabilities overcame their disabilities mislead the public. The barriers exist not in the person, but in the physical, social, and digital environment. People with disabilities and their communities succeed when the community decides to dismantle digital, attitudinal, and physical barriers. My success at school, in the office, and even on the dance floor were facilitated by communities that chose to practice inclusion.

Inclusion means living in a society that embraces the diversity of human beings. It means inclusion is a way of life and manifests itself in every aspect of our culture, from the schools and education, to the work place and everything in between… It means paradise!

Inclusion is about making everything in the community accessible to everyone, disability or no. This means our schools, public buildings, transportation, sidewalks, playgrounds, etc… The environment in its entirety.

Children know through our words and actions what our expectations of them are whether they are disabled or not. Believe in your child.

Our number one issue is still old attitudes towards us, and those old attitudes see us as helpless and unable and disability can make you very strong and very able.

We have no idea what someone is capable of learning unless information is presented in a way that is accessible to them and they have a reliable means to communicate their understanding. Teach them everything.

There is nothing soft about the bigotry of low expectations.