Parents, teachers, service providers and everyone else assume the responsibility for protecting and supporting a child with special needs (CSN) through formal and nonformal advocacy programs and services.
Every CSN deserves respect and recognition of his/her potential for productive living in the mainstream of his/her community.
Advocacy efforts do not have to involve rallies, protest marches and conference participation. Day-to-day interactions with others and media tie-ups can be just as effective.
Advocacy for CSN may involve expressing your thoughts and feelings, asserting your voice through different avenues.
A letter to a newspaper editor, a call to the public service host of a radio program, or a letter to your legislator is an expression of your support. Advocacy may also take the form of a fun run in support of CSN, or the showing of a video/film about the courage, the meritorious deed of a CSN.
An exhibit of the creative works of CSN, or membership in a support organization or a volunteer group enabling you to share experiences, observations and ideals, and actual services to CSN are other ways of expressing support.
Advocacy can be through genuine and positive response to calls for some services and financial/material assistance published in newspapers or announced on television or by encouraging young people to visit websites of disability/ support programs/ organizations.
Through the different advocacy modes/projects, what can we convey about CSN? Some priorities are the following:
1. Information about different disabilities (such as public knowledge, misconceptions and biases) and its effects on the CSN’s behavior, learning/cognitive achievements and physical/motoral and self-care conditions/levels should be disseminated.
2. Children with special needs—just like all others—need good and adequate nutrition, attention, care and love; good and appropriate education, and good role models and support services. They, too, have feelings and emotions. They get hurt/offended, feel good, accepted or rejected.
3. Communicate with children with special needs. They may not be able to communicate well verbally but they can use other communication modes: pointing, miming, gestural or facial cueing, signing, drawing and using pictures. By listening to and communicating with them, they will be better understood and they can relate better as they get less physical, like hurting, pushing or hitting.
4. Banish your fear of CSN. Trust the child. It may just take a warm, accepting, giving and loving relationship to bring out his/her potential for relating positively.
5. Do not instill among children, including the CSN himself/herself, the attitude/culture of pity. This prevents him/her from gaining self-confidence and self-actualization.
6. Do not label the CSN. Labels have different meanings to different people. People get to know him/her by such negative labels. These rob the child of the chance to be understood and taken for what he/she is: a child with a unique personality and potential for becoming. Labels stay on throughout life—even when the child has risen from his/her deficits and surpassed his/her disability benchmarks.
7. Teach the CSN to be independent in performing different tasks, especially in the areas of self-care and chores. Focus on what the child can do more than what he/she cannot or will never learn to do. Let his/her strengths compensate for/offset his/her limitations.
With the best of intentions and a firm commitment to pursue what is best for the CSN even in little ways, we can all be one in making our world a safe, happy, comforting and inspiring place for every child with special needs.
(Editor’s Note: The author is a professor of special education at the University of the Philippines Diliman and a diagnostician-
counselor at ChildFind Therapy Center.)