Thankful for Disability Advocates.

Disability Advocates are often the unsung heroes who work tirelessly to make life better for those who have a disability be it visible or invisible.

Over the years I have met several of these very special people. They all had a few key characteristics and beliefs in common. Hope, Courage, Patience, Tenacity, and the ability to see that there is a real person hidden inside the disability.

These people really put their hearts & backs into trying to solve problems for those who are often pushed aside or ignored simply because they are different. I have had several first hand experiences that have led me to believe this.

If it hadn't been for a disability advocate my great niece wouldn't be where she is today. She'd most definitely have been removed from her mom's home and sent to live with strangers and be a statistic that the neighbors throw out when they go to pay their taxes.

If it hadn't been for a disability advocate my niece and her family might have been evicted. Why? Because a few people objected to having "disabled" people in the neighborhood. Like being disabled was going to have a negative effect on their property values or something. It's bad enough that their children can't go any where near the place my niece lives in because they are being taught that they might catch something bad if they do. It was the disability advocate who pointed out to the landlord that he couldn't toss them out just because of prejudice neighbors.

If it hadn't been for the disability advocate my niece would have continued to leave her children in a place where they suffered horrible abuses. Not because she wanted her children abused but because she believed the lies told her that this is how she should parent.

I can't say enough positives about these unsung hereos.