A while back I posted Be Not Weary: Dealing With a Handicap.

A number of readers wrote me privately about their experiences with handicapped members of their families.  I had hoped they might comment for everyone to read and be inspired or comforted by their experiences.  No doubt there is still a certain amount of stigma attached to having such children, and they were shy to share publicly.  Because of this I felt the need to make an update that shares a few observations without names.

One friend noted that because abortionists want to prove they are needed, we keep hearing about the poor families who are burdened by handicapped children.  Recently the public has become more aware of the plights of parents who might have been happier if they had aborted, but how often do we hear about families who love and are made better by handicapped or disabled children?  The media does not seem to carry those reports.

Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute has published a research paper called, “Impact of a Handicapped Child on the Family” by Marcia A. Cohen. Granted there are struggles with the care and training of these children, but there is also a majority consensus that they bring love and a greater emphasis on compassion and responsibility. Both parents and siblings tend to benefit from caring for these children.  Numerous examples are given of types of disabilities and how those families dealt with the situation.  Probably the best part of the paper was suggested lesson plans for teachers of normal students who needed to be trained to understand and empathize.

When Life Gives You Lemons.… make something else. Tell us about a time you used an object or resolved a tricky situation in an unorthodox way.