Revenge is best served
cold
I read an article on Engadine mum Julie Webster whose Down
Syndrome daughter Josie was snubbed from her high school formal because of her
disability.
Josie didn’t receive an invitation to her school formal but
was more disheartened when she saw pictures from it posted up on Facebook and felt left out. According to Julie,
the issue of discrimination for her daughter wasn’t as prevalent as much as it
now has become.
Understandably upset, Julie Webster reported it to the principal
claiming that the teachers set the whole thing up which at the time she
believed to be true.
After much investigation from the whole school staffing body
and from the teachers themselves (even the ones that were being blamed for
and/or accused of orchestrating the whole thing) the final result of the
investigation turned out to be that the P&C (parents and citizens) group
were the masterminds behind this incident, which then led Julie Webster to take
revenge by chronicling all her daughter’s achievements in a YouTube video.
On a more positive note, Fighting Chance intern
Lia Sintras who has the spastic quadriplegia type of Cerebral Palsy (CP), which
entails her walking with a walking frame, goes to Burwood Girls High School,
which is a mainstream school. She uses her electric wheelchair to get around;
but in time for her school formal, she then became a woman on a mission: she
wanted to go to the formal using her walking frame. Not only for herself, but
she wanted to show her classmates what hard work and the power of perseverance
can help you achieve.
“She told me that she was in
this dream once and that she could walk.” – Andrew Sintras (Lia’s twin brother).
Well, Lia went on to achieve that dream to the fullest and
shone like a star in a beautiful white dress bringing her family to tears as well
as receiving a standing ovation from the whole school upon arriving at her
formal.
The stark contrast between Josie’s and Lia’s experience has
led me to recognise how much inconsistencies there are in understanding and
accepting disability in the community. As American author and actor Hill Harper
said: “A life without challenges is a life standing still”, so the next time
you happen to see anyone who looks different to you (disability or otherwise),
then I’d suggest you greet them with a warm and friendly smile or offer to
strike a conversation with them instead of constantly staring at them or being
dismissive of them because you may be surprised how richer your life can and
will become as a result of this encounter.
You can see Lia Sintras’ road to achieving her dream
chronicled in this video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JB9lkRhWQFY as
well as see Josie Webster’s video on this link and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-Uh9senZlc .
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