Variety, The Children's Charity of Texas

Last week I had the great pleasure of meeting with Sara Record, Executive Assistant to the President/CEO Randall Hester, of "Variety, The Children's Charity of Texas."  It was a delight and encouragement to listen to Sara's heart for children with special needs and the wonderful vision behind this non-profit organization.

As stated on their website, "Variety has been committed to empowering children with special needs throughout Texas since 1936."  It also states,  "We believe that every child with special needs deserves the chance to reach their potential regardless of their physical or social limitations.  We don't want you to feel sorry for the kiddos with special circumstances, we want you to help us empower them."

Not only can you see the commitment to empower children with special needs in Sara's face, but you can see it in the programs that Variety offers.  They offer a variety of ways to empower children including special equipment such as wheelchairs, swings, adaptive bicycles and tricycles for children with special needs.  They also provide holiday parties, tickets to baseball games, and holiday screenings to upcoming movies.  In addition, they have recently merged with "Peaceable Kingdom Retreat" to offer camp for children from a variety of backgrounds and circumstances.  The camp offers a complete movie theatre and is building an equestrian center.

I encourage you to visit their website to learn more about their history, vision, and programs.  There are a variety of ways to become involved.  If you have a child with special needs, I encourage you to look at the website's application for available services.  Their website is www.varietytexas.org for more information.

Types of Hearing Loss

I thought it might be time to take advantage of my husband Bill's knowledge and understanding.  Bill has been an audiologist for the last 27 years and has worked in clinic and hospital settings.  He counsels  families on dealing with hearing loss and how to improve communication within the family.

On a personal note, my father lived with a moderate hearing loss in his later years.  He struggled with dinner conversation and often would just withdraw because it was so much work to hear the conversation.  He avoided restaurants that were loud for years.  As I get older and have started having problems with the same type of hearing loss, I can appreciate how Dad felt.

So many of you will be gathered around parents, relatives, and friends that suffer from mild to severe hearing loss during the holidays.  I thought it might be helpful for Bill to share some information and strategies for individuals and families that are affected by hearing loss.

Types of Hearing Loss

By Bill Boggess

I thought for this first post we could review hearing loss since there are many types and degrees of hearing loss that will affect different people in different ways.  There are three types of hearing loss, conductive, sensorineural and mixed (both conductive, sensorineural).  A conductive hearing loss is a hearing loss due to a mechanical problem with the ear, such as ear wax or fluid behind the ear drum - something that interferes with the sound being sent to the inner ear.  This particular type of hearing loss affects communication strictly by reducing the volume of speech.  Speech is not distorted, just heard softer than normal.

The second type of hearing loss is a sensorineural hearing loss.  This is the most common kind of hearing loss.  This type of hearing loss is typically permanent and is sometimes referred to as a "nerve type hearing loss".  There are many causes of this type of hearing loss including hereditary factors, noise exposure and general health conditions such as diabetes.  This type of hearing loss can affect different pitches to varying degrees.  For example, if the hearing loss is in the higher pitches (treble region) someone will hear the volume of speech fine but may not be able to understand what is being said.

Now, because this type of hearing loss is in the inner ear, the inner ear may loose some of its' "fine tuning" capability.  Under these circumstances,  if someone is talking too fast, the person with the hearing loss will not be able to understand what is being said, or foreign accents can be difficult to understand and more commonly the individual will have trouble understanding speech in large groups or a lot of background noise.  So, certain environments can be more difficult than others so hearing may appear inconsistent.  Finally, the inner ear can sometimes distort speech significantly.  Under these circumstances the person will need to see the speakers face to have the best opportunity to understand.

The last type of hearing loss is a mixed hearing loss and is a combination of the first two.  Because it is  mixed you have all factors of hearing loss come into play in terms of communication.

In our next post we will discuss rehabilitation options and communication strategies for people with various types of hearing loss.

What Is Your Platform?

      I have been thinking about this question ever since I attended the "Colorado ChristianWriter's Conference" in Estes Park last May.  Prior to that weekend, the only understanding I had of that word was a small stage for someone to stand on and publicly speak.  A platform was not something I wanted to encounter.

     While I was in Colorado, however, I experienced another understanding of that word.  It means everything if you desire to ever be a published writer.  My platform must help you believe that I know what I am talking about.  It must make you want to listen to me.  It must make me sound like I have something to offer that no one else does.  It requires me to "sell myself."

     I have spent many hours reading about "platforms" and how important they are.  It actually makes me really uncomfortable because as a Christian I have always felt like I needed to fade into the background and not draw attention to myself.  The attention should be on others rather than myself.  Therefore, it is really a stretch for me to consider building a platform.
     Dictionary.com gives us the definition of a platform as:

plat·formNoun/ˈplatfôrm/

1. A raised level surface on which people or things can stand.

2. A raised floor or stage used by public speakers or performers so that they can be seen by their audience. 

     I find the second definition interesting; "so that they can be seen by their audience."  "Being seen" is not always self-serving.  Being seen can make an impact.  Being seen can change the course of history.  Being seen can change someone's life.

     Helen Keller was seen and known around the world.  Her platform of being blind and deaf allowed her to make an impact on the world.  I know for me personally, every time I feel overwhelmed by something in my life I reflect on her and realize that if Helen Keller can learn to read and publicly speak when she is deaf and blind, I can overcome this obstacle.
     I think of Joni Eareckson Tada who has an international ministry, trains churches in special needs ministry, delivers wheelchairs around the world, shares the gospel around the world, and helps people at some of the darkest moments of their lives.  As a person affected by quadriplegia, she has a platform that I will never have.  She is able to be seen because of her disability and the courage she has had to not let it handicap her.
     Sometimes we have platforms that we are uncomfortable with.  They are platforms that we never would have chosen.  They may even be platforms that we are praying to be healed from but nonetheless, they are our platforms.  They give us a testimony.  They give us credibility in a certain area.  They make us unique.
     In 2 Corinthians 12:9 it says,
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.  Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
     Nothing is more evident to me than my weaknesses.  I have lots of them but the beautiful thing is that Christ's power can then rest on me and be seen.  Any weakness I have can bring glory to God.  Just as my strengths and gifts can be a platform for sharing about Christ, so can my weaknesses.  As a Christian my desire is not to sell myself, but to tell about Christ.  Ultimately I ask myself, what is the platform God has given me so you can see that I know what I am talking about when it comes to Christ's love?  What is the platform that God has given me to help you hear my testimony?  What is the platform that God has given me to help you see that Christ has something to offer that no one else does?

     So now I ask you, what is your platform?

Ask and You Shall Receive

     Every March I teach a month long unit on "How to Be a Friend to Someone With a Disability" to my 5 year-old "Bridge" class.  I base the unit on Joni Eareckson Tada's curriculum.  It is always the climax of the year and such a blessing to watch.  The purpose of the unit is to dispel children's fears, answer their questions and help them realize that we all have abilities and disabilities and God can use them in powerful ways.
     For 5 years I borrowed a wheelchair for a month so that the "line leader" in my class could ride in it.  Inevitably the first one or two line leaders choose not to take a ride.  They didn't feel comfortable and to some degree, were afraid of it.  Usually by the third or fourth child I have a willing participant and before long they are all anxious to ride and "pop wheelies" down the hallway to lunch.  
     As the years went by It was getting harder to borrow a wheelchair so last summer I secretly started praying that God would provide me with a child's wheelchair.  It would be more comfortable for my friends and I would be able to use it whenever I needed to.  I knew I had a lot of contacts and would probably be able to get a wheelchair, however, I knew I would worry I was using a wheelchair that a child might need.  I told God that if He brought me one I would know it was His gift to me and was free to use.  
     I prayed all summer long that God would bring me one if I should have it.  Then early in the year I was sitting at "Circle Time" reading to my students and I heard a knock at the door.  I looked up and it was the gentleman that repairs the copier for our school.  I motioned for him to come in.  He smiled at me and said, "I have a child's wheelchair and I heard you might want one."  My jaw dropped and I said, "Are you kidding me?  Yes, yes I would love to have one!"
     It was a great start to the year and exciting to tell the children about God's provision.  Every time I look at it, it makes me smile because I remember how God provided.

Special Needs Ministry Training/Austin, Texas

Whether you are a church blessed with a few children or a number of children affected by special needs or a parent looking for support in starting a special needs ministry, we would love to have you join us for one of our training sessions.

Special Needs Ministry Training Part I:  
July 16, 2011 and February 4, 2012

8:30 am - 1:30 p.m.

"How to Start a Special Needs Ministry":  Attend a one-hour training that will help you think outside the box on what this ministry can look like.  We will discuss ideas on how to get your church leadership and
congregation on board, changing a culture and recruiting, training and motivating volunteers.  We will also discuss some of the obstacles and blessings you will encounter in this ministry.

B.U.D.D.Y. I:  Join us for a three-hour B.U.D.D.Y. training.  This training focuses on the nuts and bolts of working with a variety of disabilities and age groups.  During this portion of the training we will discuss behavior modification strategies, handling seizures, general safety and security issues, as well as many other topics.

Special Needs Ministry Training Part II:  
September 10, 2011 and March 3, 2012

8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.

"Advocacy vs. Influence:"  Sometimes we need to step in and advocate for adults and children affected by a challenge and sometimes it is time to stop advocating and focus on influencing a culture.  Join us for a one hour session on learning the difference.

B.U.D.D.Y. II:  This course will give you resources for structuring your ministry in terms of administration, leadership and volunteer development.  You will also learn additional strategies for classroom management and behavior modification.
  
     The cost per training day is $25 for a continental breakfast, lunch and materials.  Unfortunately, we are unable to provide childcare at this time.

     For reservations and questions contact Bill and Deana Boggess by posting on this blog or E-mail sntraining@hcbc.com or theboggi@aim.com.  We look forward to hearing from you.

Additional Services:

     Make an appointment for a team to visit your church and help you get started or reach another level of ministry.  The team will be happy to share with your Sunday morning volunteers, whether they are mainstream or special needs teachers.
         

Taking Next Steps

In my last post I mentioned I was at the "Colorado Christian Writer's Conference."  It was such an incredible blessing to even be there.  The parents of my students gave me a gracious gift of money and a plane ticket to attend.  God prepared the way for me in so many aspects and blessed me with some amazing and supportive friends.

When my father passed away eight years ago I made a promise to God that I would do whatever He asked of me, no matter what, even if it meant public speaking.  It has been an incredible ride since that day.  God started off that promise with my being asked to speak twice within the first month but I must say as long as you hold onto God for the ride, it truly is incredible.

My husband and I directed a special needs ministry for 13 years and a year ago we stepped out to pursue God's next steps for us.  We are trying to be available in whatever way we can.  We offer church training in an all day seminar and would also love to visit your church if you need help and encouragement in offering support to families affected by special needs.

For the last year God has laid it on my heart to share our 13 year journey and the mistakes we learned from as well as the blessings.  I am hoping to have the book published and released within the next year. I am so grateful for the ways my life has changed by serving in special needs ministry.  I look forward to sharing our journey with you and I especially look forward to hearing about yours.

Blessings-