Two Exciting Events...

     On Wednesday, October 17th from 9AM to 3PM, the First Annual Austin Interfaith Inclusion Network Symposium will be held at the Jewish Community Center.  It will be held in the Community Hall on 7300 Hart Lane.

     The symposium will feature "national experts, a local interfaith clergy panel, and opportunities to learn and network with others who have been impacted by disabilities and are committed to creating an inclusive faith community in Austin."

     The other event is a free film screening here in Austin, "A Place For All: Faith and Community For Persons with Disabilities."  The film will be shown at the Utopia Theater, School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin.  1925 San Jacinto Blvd.  Austin, Texas 78712.  The film will be shown Wednesday October 10, 2012 from 6 pm to 8 pm.  Light food and refreshments will be served.  There is a parking lot available on the corner of MLK and San Jacinto.

    It is exciting to see different faith communities come together to support those affected by disabilities.

I hope to see you there!

     Throughout my life, and especially in the last 15 years, the friends I have known with disabilities were born with them.  I have been with friends when they were given diagnoses for their children that would change the course of their lives forever, both the child and the parents.  The parents had to adjust to the fact that their child's struggles would be visible from the start and their lives were going to look differently than they had planned.  I have watched parents grieve as their child would never reach the milestone their peers just did.  I have watched them cry as they worry about their child's future.  The path they are on is a different path than they would have chosen, but there are many beautiful experiences along the way, even though it is different.

     Tonight my heart is heavy for the people who have challenges come their way later in life.  They have lived their lives a certain way until it is suddenly interrupted and forever changed either through a debilitating disease, accident or some other cause.  I have watched firsthand the challenges that can occur and my heart goes out to them.

     What hits me the most is that you never know what some one's story is.  When you see someone in a wheelchair or missing limbs or unable  to speak, they have a story.  Most of us have been taught not to stare and consequently, we don't even take the time to get to know someone with a disability.  

     The other day a parent of one of my former students shared with me that her daughter saw a little boy in a wheelchair and she looked up at her mom and said, "Mom, he has a cool wheelchair!"  Isn't that awesome?  I love the way kids think :)

     I remember quite a few years ago I had a hard time understanding mental illness and was afraid of it until I met someone that would change my life.  He was a young man with schizophrenia.  At first, I didn't even think about what his story might be, but God kept him in my life until I did.  I loved hearing about his childhood, his knowledge, his gifts, and his insecurities.  My life has been changed from having met him and hearing his story.

     My challenge this week is to meet someone new with a disability and hear their story.  I will let you know what happens...

"Living Shoes" is here!

One of my lifelong dreams has been to write and publish a book for my children and grandchildren.  I started writing poetry in high school and then wrote Living Shoes about 15 years ago.

This year my pre-K class and I started a month long unit on "How To Be a Friend To Someone With a Disability" by Joni Eareckson Tada.  Through our month of study we learned about a variety of disabilities and challenges.

Before the unit started we read the book The Butterfly Effect by Andy Andrews.  It is a small but powerful book about the amazing effect one person can have just by starting a chain reaction.  I challenged the parents of my students to support their children in raising money for "Joni and Friends" and their "Wheels for the World" program.  The kids came up with creative ideas to raise money for wheelchairs to be refurbished and distributed around the world.  They sacrificed so much that they were able to raise over $3,000 last spring.  A butterfly was hung on the wall for every dollar that was raised.  It was such a blessing to watch the effect of this spread throughout the school.  I contributed what I could, but I wanted to do more.  It seemed to be the right time to print my book and add to the "butterfly effect." A dollar from each sale of Living Shoes will be added in honor of my students and to help provide accessibility to those with physical disabilities.

Living Shoes is written for children, but has a message for adults as well.  When a little girl visits her great-aunt's house for the first time, she notices a shelf full of shoes and asks her aunt about them.  Aunt Judy replies with, "Those shoes teach me how to live."  Then she shares the story behind each pair and the valuable lesson they teach.

In addition, the proceeds from Living Shoes will help fund the printing of my next book, Living Grace.  In this book, I share my husband's and my journey in special needs ministry.  My hope is to encourage the church to welcome, embrace, and support the special needs community.

Living Shoes is available for $12.97 (including tax).  If you are interested in purchasing one, please contact me through Facebook or my blog:  

www://specialneeds-deana.blogspot.com.  Thank you so much.

Blessings-

Deana

"BEHIND EVERY PAIR OF SHOES...
Behind every pair of shoes there is a story.  When I was a little girl, my father and I played a game when we went shopping.  We would run off to the shoe department and my father would pick out a pair of shoes.  He would ask me what family member the shoes were most like and I would try to guess the relative they portrayed.  Then it would be my turn to choose a pair of shoes and he would guess. We would try to choose the most outrageous shoes we could find.  Every selection seemed to trigger an old family story and we would get lost in reminiscing.  We had a great time and never seemed to tire of playing it.

This little game gave me the idea for the book, Living Shoes.  Since those early years of childhood, I have looked at shoes differently.  There is a story behind every pair!"