We live in a society where feeling accepted is almost nonviable. No matter what we do, we can’t seem to be content with who we are. Sadly, that’s a completely normal feeling in the world we live in today. But, it doesn’t have to be like that. You see, for us, we can find those people who accept us, even if we choose to have only two or three true friends. We have those people that we know we can always rely on when times get tough.
I believe that we all take things for granted.
Have you ever thought about how blessed you are to be able to process and comprehend when people are talking to you? How blessed you are to be able to grow and be independent?
We are so blessed to be able to learn in school. Sure, we all have that subject that we struggle in, but, we are still able to work and better ourselves in it.
We are blessed to be able to interact in social situations.
It’s so easy to take these things for granted because they come so effortless to us! But, it’s not the same for kids with special needs. They struggle in ways that we can’t seem to fathom.
Senior Allie Gore’s five year old cousin Donovan Dehart has down syndrome. He has had such a positive impact on her and her family.
“What I love the most about Donovan is that he is always smiling and laughing no matter what. I can’t help but smile when I’m with him,” said Gore.
Children
with down syndrome have a delayed development and some degree of a learning disability. They may be slower to learn skills such as: reaching, standing, sitting, talking, and walking.
These are all things that we tend to take for granted. Of course, they will learn these skills eventually; it just takes them a longer time. People with down syndrome tend to get frustrated very easily because not everything comes effortlessly to them.
“One tip I’d say is to have patience with them. It takes a little longer with them, but that’s okay, we all need to learn patience anyways,” said Gore.
People with learning disabilities/special needs have an authentic personality that we can all learn from. Their often bubbly personalities teaches us how to be real without worry of judgement and acceptance. They are quite always smiling and bursting with positivity.
“Some of my favorite qualities of Donovan’s are his smile, his laugh, and honestly just everything about him melts my heart,” said Gore.
We shouldn’t let them feel like outcasts. They should be comfortable in school and they should feel wanted instead of feeling different than everyone else. When you see the kids with special needs in the hall at school, say hi to them. You have no idea how happy it will make them. Just seeing their faces light up can make your day better.
We don’t see the kids with special needs much at school which is why when we do see them, we need to make sure that they feel important and loved. My friend 
Michael Lawton has down syndrome and he is one of the most genuine people that I will ever meet.
“I really wish that I could interact with them more at school because they bring me pure joy. Kali Alter was in one of my classes this year and it was so great to be able to interact with her. I wish I spent more time with them during the day because I feel like it’s very important for them to be involved around us,” said Gore.
I have learned so much from my friend Michael who has down syndrome. He is so much fun to talk to and be around.
Instead of using hurtful words about people with special needs, it’s important to step back and think about what you say first. This way, no one will be hurt or offended.
Gore said, “There are no struggles at all with Donovan. But, it makes me realize how cruel people can be by the way they speak about others ever since he has come into my life.”
MORP was
an awesome way to bring attention to down syndrome! It was also a big success! People from Gore’s work donated $200 to The Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh. The donations from MORP added up to $650! Half of this money went to the Ashton family, and the other half went to the association.
“Having the money from MORP being donated to down syndrome was my idea! The whole dance was my idea actually! I’m super excited to have the money go to The Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh,” said Gore.
It was so amazing to see the student body get together and come to support such a great cause. We all need to realize the importance of people with special needs and how to make them feel loved at school, and everywhere we go. People with down syndrome don’t care what people think of them. They are themselves no matter what the situation. They are so positive and gentle.
This is why I believe we could all be a little more like them and learn something from their positive character.
