By Karen Jorgenson, MA, LSW - Public Relations Chair

We are all different. We all have unique strengths and weakness/growth areas that make us the individuals we are. Some of us are smart in math and science, some are talented writers or speakers, and some of us are musically inclined. Some of us have no mechanical ability, are terrible cooks, are horribly shy, or have absolutely no athletic ability. Yet we can accommodate most of our shortcoming by displaying our strengths and hiding our weakness. We do this so we do not look too foolish - so we can be accepted by others. Sometimes we are even able to fool ourselves into thinking that we have no weakness, soft points, or sensitivities. Beneath all this exterior "game - playing" we are still loving, caring human beings. That is what we have in common.

Consider the people around us whose weaknesses cannot be easily hidden, whose shortcoming and disabilities are obvious to everyone...physically handicapped, hearing impaired, mentally impaired, emotionally handicapped, ADHD. How are these people/youth going to hide their differences so they can be accepted by others? No matter what diabilties they may have, they are still human, with all the emotions and fears and dreams of "normal" people.

Obviously they cannot hide their differences, so it is our task to find people and groups who will accept them as they are, a what-you-see-is-what-you-get kind of acceptance. Not necessarily special attention, just a "treat me like a normal person" approach. Boy Scouts and church youth groups are the organizations which have historically been most inclusive, including equally all those who appear to be different from the rest of us, yet have similar goals and aspirations.

At the junior high and high school level, we have found that the cross country and track coaches are very receptive to including special needs youth on their teams. These youth receive encouragement and support from the coach as well as the team members, regardless of their abilities. Monitoring personal achievements and improvement becomes more important than winning. This is of tremendous value to our youth in the development of self-esteem.

What is our task then? Our task is to find that inner strength in each youth and to foster the development of that ability. It is also our responsibility to idenify those community groups or organizations that are accepting of individuals with differences. This is truly our opportunity to celebrate differences.