good evening everybody and thank you
Natalie I want to talk to you a little
today about something that a lesson that
I learned and it was a lesson that I
truly wish I had learned many many years
ago but fortunately I’ve learned it now
and it goes with the theme that Mickey
got it wrong so when I look at things
from baby boomers to Gen Xers to
whatever you may be out there we have
been taught and told through marketing
guys like me how great Disney World is
and Disneyland it’s the great place to
be as a journalist I completely bought
into it and even as a father I had my
kids buy into it on our trips down to
Florida or to California all that
remained true for me until I met
students teachers families and lots of
wonderful people at a fantastic place a
so when I asked you to briefly look at
these pictures I contend that with every
ounce of my be that were there is a
child with special needs that truly is
the happiest place on earth
look at these photos smiles all around
sure these kids and these families have
challenges who among us does not have
challenges their challenges may be
different than ours but it does not take
away the possibility of happiness so I
ask you to look at them and really know
globally there are some great myths in
our society and they’ve been kind of
culled down into seven myths the first
one is that you can always tell when a
child or youth has special needs when I
hear this myth basically I look at it as
an ignorant assumption
we don’t know the situation instead we
label people number two is that people
in wheelchairs are always confined to
wheelchairs they’ll never get out well
not true as I walk around the halls of
the school where I work I see children
in physical therapy occupational therapy
music therapy they’re moving they get
them out of the wheelchairs gait walkers
and you know what there’s always a smile
on their face another myth is that those
with special needs are 100% dependent on
others well first of all I’m not sure
that there’s anybody in this room that
doesn’t need help every now and then
once again it’s a different kind of help
but schools families friends they
provide support and my question to you
is are you ready to provide support can
you do it can you do it willingly
another great myth is that a disability
defines who you are as an individual it
totally boggles my mind that this
concept still exists in society today is
Stevie Wonder a great musician or is he
a great blind musician labels we’re all
guilty of putting labels on people and
as a society we need to change when you
see a person who our child youth with
special needs it’s embarrassing it’s
embarrassing for the parents and it’s
embarrassing for the observer ultimately
what I look at is that ignorant is bred
by a lack of education a lack of
knowledge no matter the situation I
think that I can be pretty confident in
saying that a parent is never truly
embarrassed by their child observers on
the other hand well that’s where we get
into this whole situation of labels a
wonderful story is that there is a
family that I work with
whose daughter has a very rare disease
and it creates some behaviors that are a
little bit out of the ordinary and when
people see them you should see the looks
on their faces and the parents came up
with a great idea info cards when they
see someone gawky staring at their child
because of a disability or a special
need they give them a card and the card
has information about the disease and
then it has a website where they can go
and learn more and maybe even donate to
help change that disease the
special-needs myth is that a child who
has special needs is mentally disabled
or using society’s term handicapped
again it’s ignorance and a lack of
education you all know what happens when
we assume so we can’t assume but be
curious seek knowledge seek
understanding the last great myth in
society is that these children will
never reach their full potential I truly
get personally offended by this one it’s
upsetting because every single day and I
truly mean this because it’s something
that I’ve learned and see every single
day
I see milestones that are made that many
people thought would be completely
impossible with kids so we’ve got to ask
ourselves if these people never ever get
to their full potential what do you
think Stephen Hawking did what about
John Hockenberry for those of you who
don’t know him John is a journalist he’s
in a wheelchair and he works for ABC
News in PBS or how about Bethany
Hamilton she’s a surfer
she had one arm taken off by a shark and
yet she continues to be a professional
surfer so I talk about my personal
milestones my observations and things
that I love to see a nonverbal student
he’s nervous
he can’t speak he uses an eye gaze
system that works with his iPad he asks
a young girl to a prom a nonverbal girl
who has a very rare disease goes to New
York City with her mom and dad she
doesn’t really speak because she can’t
but she also through her speech therapy
isn’t very successful with the types of
communication through the eye gaze and
her iPad that are in the Museum of
Natural Science there in the Egyptian
exhibit
and she says mummy the family was
flabbergasted when they left the museum
on the busy streets in New York City she
asked people are said to people excuse
me it was truly amazing a student
confined to a wheelchair gets up and
with the assistance of a physical
therapist and a gait walker they walk
down the aisle at graduation a milestone
that was once thought never to happen
one of the toughest ones for me anybody
who knows me knows that I live and die
for the Boston Red Sox well there is a
student who lives and dies for the New
York Yankees he’s nonverbal but again
through his eye gaze system and his iPad
he worked with his speech therapist and
after about a month’s time he came in my
office he pointed at the picture on my
wall of Fenway Park and he basically
dissed my Red Sox
it’s the first and the only time that I
will ever be happy that somebody dissed
my red socks there is an entire county
in New York State Dutchess County their
theme is think differently imagine this
imagine if this can happen in Rochester
all the parks musem –nt parks regular
parks with trees and flowers the
baseball stadium the hockey arena
everything is completely accessible to
everybody how about if there was a
contract with Monroe County that says if
you are a musician and an artist and you
are going to book a concert in our city
the first 15 minutes of your concert has
to be 100% directed to kids and families
where the kids have sensory issues they
go acoustic there’s no lights
there’s no fireworks there’s none of the
big show kids are getting to see
concerts because this entire county
thinks differently than any other
anywhere else you know when we look at
the world view there are a 1 billion
people with disabilities 2 and 10 are
kids 80% live in developing countries
kids with special needs are less likely
to start school and studies prove if you
work with the youngest learners that you
can in fact excel regardless of the
situation there’s a lack of
understanding in our society in our
world about needs there’s a lack of
trained teachers lack of classroom
support do you know we live in a state
New York State has one of the highest
rates of teachers a teacher shortage a
teacher shortage in special needs
teaching we need to change that speech
therapy there are colleges all around
the country that are dropping their
speech therapy program
because it’s too expensive if you want
to be a speech therapist today once you
find the college ultimately you can
write your own ticket but we have a lack
of trained teachers a lack of classroom
support and a lack of clinicians we need
to make sure that we’re not denying the
rights of education for if we do it
impacts the life of a special-needs
child it impacts the life of their
family and whether or not we ever want
to accept it believe it it totally
completely impacts the life that we lead
it’s really time for us to make some
changes so what I’ve said to many people
you can’t not see it so what can we do
about it okay well a quote from the the
World Health Organization education is
one of the most effective ways to break
the cycle of discrimination poverty that
children with disabilities face on a
global scale we need to educate the kids
but we also need to educate society so
what could I do to erase these myths
well number one let’s make sure the
children enjoy their rights without
discrimination based on disability or
special need apply this principle to our
schools to our recreational programs to
our public access programs to government
platforms and let’s do it every single
day what’s your action plan because you
need to have one so I’m here today to
challenge you to visit a school with
special needs go visit residences where
special needs children live bring your
friends enlist them to come with you ask
questions ask the why the how
advocate get involved and advocate for
these kids and these families volunteer
you can go to these schools and work
your time and volunteer to help these
kids and the families and the faculty if
you happen to have some means donate but
ultimately especially to you high school
students out there make it a career it’s
truly going to be one that is rewarding
but ultimately I’m here to ask you to
challenge you do not be a spectator be a
participant observe think and act if we
do that we can all make the world the
happiest place that it can be thank you
very much [Applause]
Natalie I want to talk to you a little
today about something that a lesson that
I learned and it was a lesson that I
truly wish I had learned many many years
ago but fortunately I’ve learned it now
and it goes with the theme that Mickey
got it wrong so when I look at things
from baby boomers to Gen Xers to
whatever you may be out there we have
been taught and told through marketing
guys like me how great Disney World is
and Disneyland it’s the great place to
be as a journalist I completely bought
into it and even as a father I had my
kids buy into it on our trips down to
Florida or to California all that
remained true for me until I met
students teachers families and lots of
wonderful people at a fantastic place a
so when I asked you to briefly look at
these pictures I contend that with every
ounce of my be that were there is a
child with special needs that truly is
the happiest place on earth
look at these photos smiles all around
sure these kids and these families have
challenges who among us does not have
challenges their challenges may be
different than ours but it does not take
away the possibility of happiness so I
ask you to look at them and really know
globally there are some great myths in
our society and they’ve been kind of
culled down into seven myths the first
one is that you can always tell when a
child or youth has special needs when I
hear this myth basically I look at it as
an ignorant assumption
we don’t know the situation instead we
label people number two is that people
in wheelchairs are always confined to
wheelchairs they’ll never get out well
not true as I walk around the halls of
the school where I work I see children
in physical therapy occupational therapy
music therapy they’re moving they get
them out of the wheelchairs gait walkers
and you know what there’s always a smile
on their face another myth is that those
with special needs are 100% dependent on
others well first of all I’m not sure
that there’s anybody in this room that
doesn’t need help every now and then
once again it’s a different kind of help
but schools families friends they
provide support and my question to you
is are you ready to provide support can
you do it can you do it willingly
another great myth is that a disability
defines who you are as an individual it
totally boggles my mind that this
concept still exists in society today is
Stevie Wonder a great musician or is he
a great blind musician labels we’re all
guilty of putting labels on people and
as a society we need to change when you
see a person who our child youth with
special needs it’s embarrassing it’s
embarrassing for the parents and it’s
embarrassing for the observer ultimately
what I look at is that ignorant is bred
by a lack of education a lack of
knowledge no matter the situation I
think that I can be pretty confident in
saying that a parent is never truly
embarrassed by their child observers on
the other hand well that’s where we get
into this whole situation of labels a
wonderful story is that there is a
family that I work with
whose daughter has a very rare disease
and it creates some behaviors that are a
little bit out of the ordinary and when
people see them you should see the looks
on their faces and the parents came up
with a great idea info cards when they
see someone gawky staring at their child
because of a disability or a special
need they give them a card and the card
has information about the disease and
then it has a website where they can go
and learn more and maybe even donate to
help change that disease the
special-needs myth is that a child who
has special needs is mentally disabled
or using society’s term handicapped
again it’s ignorance and a lack of
education you all know what happens when
we assume so we can’t assume but be
curious seek knowledge seek
understanding the last great myth in
society is that these children will
never reach their full potential I truly
get personally offended by this one it’s
upsetting because every single day and I
truly mean this because it’s something
that I’ve learned and see every single
day
I see milestones that are made that many
people thought would be completely
impossible with kids so we’ve got to ask
ourselves if these people never ever get
to their full potential what do you
think Stephen Hawking did what about
John Hockenberry for those of you who
don’t know him John is a journalist he’s
in a wheelchair and he works for ABC
News in PBS or how about Bethany
Hamilton she’s a surfer
she had one arm taken off by a shark and
yet she continues to be a professional
surfer so I talk about my personal
milestones my observations and things
that I love to see a nonverbal student
he’s nervous
he can’t speak he uses an eye gaze
system that works with his iPad he asks
a young girl to a prom a nonverbal girl
who has a very rare disease goes to New
York City with her mom and dad she
doesn’t really speak because she can’t
but she also through her speech therapy
isn’t very successful with the types of
communication through the eye gaze and
her iPad that are in the Museum of
Natural Science there in the Egyptian
exhibit
and she says mummy the family was
flabbergasted when they left the museum
on the busy streets in New York City she
asked people are said to people excuse
me it was truly amazing a student
confined to a wheelchair gets up and
with the assistance of a physical
therapist and a gait walker they walk
down the aisle at graduation a milestone
that was once thought never to happen
one of the toughest ones for me anybody
who knows me knows that I live and die
for the Boston Red Sox well there is a
student who lives and dies for the New
York Yankees he’s nonverbal but again
through his eye gaze system and his iPad
he worked with his speech therapist and
after about a month’s time he came in my
office he pointed at the picture on my
wall of Fenway Park and he basically
dissed my Red Sox
it’s the first and the only time that I
will ever be happy that somebody dissed
my red socks there is an entire county
in New York State Dutchess County their
theme is think differently imagine this
imagine if this can happen in Rochester
all the parks musem –nt parks regular
parks with trees and flowers the
baseball stadium the hockey arena
everything is completely accessible to
everybody how about if there was a
contract with Monroe County that says if
you are a musician and an artist and you
are going to book a concert in our city
the first 15 minutes of your concert has
to be 100% directed to kids and families
where the kids have sensory issues they
go acoustic there’s no lights
there’s no fireworks there’s none of the
big show kids are getting to see
concerts because this entire county
thinks differently than any other
anywhere else you know when we look at
the world view there are a 1 billion
people with disabilities 2 and 10 are
kids 80% live in developing countries
kids with special needs are less likely
to start school and studies prove if you
work with the youngest learners that you
can in fact excel regardless of the
situation there’s a lack of
understanding in our society in our
world about needs there’s a lack of
trained teachers lack of classroom
support do you know we live in a state
New York State has one of the highest
rates of teachers a teacher shortage a
teacher shortage in special needs
teaching we need to change that speech
therapy there are colleges all around
the country that are dropping their
speech therapy program
because it’s too expensive if you want
to be a speech therapist today once you
find the college ultimately you can
write your own ticket but we have a lack
of trained teachers a lack of classroom
support and a lack of clinicians we need
to make sure that we’re not denying the
rights of education for if we do it
impacts the life of a special-needs
child it impacts the life of their
family and whether or not we ever want
to accept it believe it it totally
completely impacts the life that we lead
it’s really time for us to make some
changes so what I’ve said to many people
you can’t not see it so what can we do
about it okay well a quote from the the
World Health Organization education is
one of the most effective ways to break
the cycle of discrimination poverty that
children with disabilities face on a
global scale we need to educate the kids
but we also need to educate society so
what could I do to erase these myths
well number one let’s make sure the
children enjoy their rights without
discrimination based on disability or
special need apply this principle to our
schools to our recreational programs to
our public access programs to government
platforms and let’s do it every single
day what’s your action plan because you
need to have one so I’m here today to
challenge you to visit a school with
special needs go visit residences where
special needs children live bring your
friends enlist them to come with you ask
questions ask the why the how
advocate get involved and advocate for
these kids and these families volunteer
you can go to these schools and work
your time and volunteer to help these
kids and the families and the faculty if
you happen to have some means donate but
ultimately especially to you high school
students out there make it a career it’s
truly going to be one that is rewarding
but ultimately I’m here to ask you to
challenge you do not be a spectator be a
participant observe think and act if we
do that we can all make the world the
happiest place that it can be thank you
very much [Applause]
Please follow and like us: