vertical and horizontal
Jean Vanier was an accomplished naval officer who had recently completed a PhD, and whose family oozed with prestige (his father had been the Governor General of Canada). Yet, living in the small French village of Trosly-Breuil, Vanier was alone and downhearted. His pastor encouraged him to invite two disabled men to live with him, and L’Arche (communities where disabled and those who Vanier calls “temporarily-abled” share friendship and life together) was born. Fifty years later, L’Arche communities exist around the world.
rebuilding
On October 31, 2003, 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark while surfing off the North Shore in Hawaii. Bethany survived, but she lost her left arm and more than 60 percent of her blood in the assault.
high-five choir
The High Five Choir is not your typical choir. Teens with developmental disabilities such as Autism, Down syndrome and Noonan syndrome have banded together and perform with a group of disability-free classmates. They don’t always sing in tune or move together in perfect unison. But the High Five Choir is so inspiring that they receive standing ovations during every performance.
Why does…
rejecting the red
The world’s biggest sperm bank is turning away redheads. (No, I’m not advocating the use of sperm banks.) Why is Cryos International rejecting “ginger” donors from its ranks? Because not enough clients want red-haired children. In fact, the only country that has a high demand for redheaded donors is Ireland—a land known for people with lovely red locks. Personally, I…
he's perfect
My son has a mild to moderate form of mental retardation. He suffers from seizures and had major brain surgery when he was 18 months old to “potentially” help control his seizures. I suppose it was due to this surgery that he has severe developmental delays, a lack of social skills, a serious speech delay (he only speaks 3 to…
