I’ve been at this for 24 years and glad we are having this discussion.
It’s a catch-all phrase “special needs,” isn't it? It's used for children and adults who are medically fragile and developmentally delayed. Children and adults, like Elisabeth, who need specialized care to perform the basic functions beginning with getting out of bed, toileting, bathing, dressing, and eating. They need specialized care for mobility, communication, and they need specialized care to access their free and appropriate education and they need special care to bridge into community life.
I found the term "special needs" tolerable to the alternative. For me, it described what she needed to explore every single ounce of her humanity. Her diagnosis at birth was a long list that included both severely “mentally retarded” and severely "multiple handicapped" due to the fact that half of her brain did not develop. She is special needs because she is impaired.
What should be concerning for all of us is how our children are received, welcomed, and respected into the world whether they are entering a classroom as a preschooler or bridging into community life later as an adult. We can’t let words get in our way when she is facing bigger barriers on a daily basis. The barriers that separate her from her abilities and disabilities. A world that defines her quality and purposeful life based on her special needs.
