I’ve written fairly extensively on Daily Kos about people I love. My spouse, my son, my brother, my family. Like every other human being, I like to think of myself as the hero in my own story. That doesn’t, however, mean that we can’t recognize that sometimes we don’t do things because we are great or because they are heroic. We do them because if we don’t, we may never be able to forgive ourselves.
This is the life of a parent and family member who loves someone with a disability. Growing up prior to the Americans with Disabilities Act, I saw first hand the difficulties faced by my brother, a person born with Osteogenisis Imperfecta, in gaining access to schools.
My brother was schooled at home, for the most part, thanks to the lack of accessible buildings. Classrooms were not ready for his chair and needs. At home, with a paraprofessional, he could be provided a curriculum that would suit him, one that he managed on his own for years.
