I like exposure for people with disabilities. A lot.  The more exposure people with disabilities get in the media and from celebrities - the more acceptance society will have for people who are different.  We need as much exposure as we can get because frankly, I still cannot believe that as my son and I walk/wheel alongside each other at the mall - we catch the inevitable stares of some people passing by.  Now, sometimes I like to think that it is because my child is so darn good looking.  The reality of the situation however, is that people cannot help themselves - a kid in a wheelchair is still different.

A few months ago, some writer friends and I saw Barbara Walters, who was in town touting her new memoir, Audition (Knopf, May 2008, $29.95) and love her or not, she is very successful.  Interestingly, she credits her success to growing up with a sister with developmental delays. Her sister did not have friends or go to college or get married.  Barbara says that if her sister had been raised today rather than in the forties, she may have been able to have those experiences.  Though things are not ideal in 2008, children with all different kinds of disabilities have access to a good education, social opportunities, college and marriage, if they so choose.

Barbara's experiences with her sister may have happened a long time ago and some of the things that they called people with developmental disabilities have thankfully changed, but she provides good insight into her feelings and experiences as the sibling of a child with special needs and according to Barbara, this is what drove her success.   

Thank goodness times are changing for the better.  There are still improvements to be made however, and we need to continue to pursue equality in education, accessibility, housing and jobs.

Thank you, Barbara for the exposure - we will take it!