Traveling with a temporary disability

I am currently on a cruise around the southern half of South America and the Antarctic. What an experience it has been since I broke my ankle around Christmastime, and I am unable to walk on that leg until the end of March. Each day brings new adventures dealing with the issues that those with physical disabilities deal with every day.

Some of the highlights have been:

• Hopping to the bathroom from the bulkhead seats on the airplane.
• Going to a restuarant 1 mile away over sidewalks in Buenos Aires that often had non-existent concrete or tile. Needless to say it was a very rough ride, somewhat remiscent of what the Mr. Toad's wild ride must have been.
• Being transported up the stairs more than once off the gangplank on the boat in a contraption that looks somewhat like a catupult, with a seat on it embedded in a track of wheels somewhat like a steam shovel or catepillar have in heavy equipment. What a ride that was.
• Taking bus excursions and being the first to enter and last to leave because I must climb and descend the stairs on my bottom. Thank God for brown pants and heavy duty tennis shoes.
• Being careful to drink or eat very much due to the difficulty finding handicapped accessable restrooms or at least ones I can get in and out of with a wheelchair and an ability to hop in and out of. Oh, what a thrill!

Overall this has been the an outstanding trip. I am learning to ask for help, not to try to multi-task (is that possible??), and to enjoy each new adventure to the fullest. However, I have learned how hard life can be for those confined to a wheelchair or unable to move about easily, and now I have much more respect and concern for the welfare of those in such a state.

Lessons from a wheelchair

Joni Eareckson Tada has always been an inspiration to me. I first read her book “Joni” while I was in my 20’s and learned from her descriptions of daily life struggles when she became a paraplegic at age 17. It made a lasting impact on me. I’ve had the privilege of hearing Joni speak numerous times and meeting with her individually. She is always warm and so real that she makes her audiences and those she meets forget she is confined to a wheelchair. Her focus engages whoever is listening and makes them feel as though she has known them for years.

The lessons Joni had to learn after her life altering accident are well documented in her early books, and now I find myself having to learn some of those same lessons as I adjust to an ankle injury which required surgery on Christmas Eve.

Talk about life stopping while you adjust to wheelchairs, walkers, port-a-potties, sponge bathing, getting comfortable and spot exercising. This phase of my life will pass, but here I sit propping up my leg in a wheelchair with the realization that I have 10 more weeks of the same without driving or walking (yikes!)

I am thankful for all my body parts that do work, for family and friends that write, call, and come over, and most of all for God who through all of this is teaching me much. Needless to say, much has been learned and much more will be.

Joni has an organization called Joni and Friends which For Kids Only has given grant funding 4 times over the last 5 years. Click here for more information about Joni and Friends and to find out why we are pleased to partner with them. Please check out our other Special Needs resources in our bookstore.

Special Needs? We can help!

The September/October 2008 issue of K! Magazine briefly highlighted toys and books that helps kids with tough subjects. The featured items were a Down Syndrome doll to help promote understanding and also a Chemotherapy doll that has different hair styles to help kids understand the changes that a person may experience. They also highlighted a book about plastic surgery.

“Special needs” is a growing and very important aspect of children's ministry today. All children need spiritual guidance, and families with special needs children are looking for churches that are ready and willing to work with their child. Some of our favorite resources include Group's Emergency Response Handbook. It's a great resource to have on hand, as it covers a variety of situations that could arise in your ministry including abuse, depression, legal trouble, and tragic loss. When it comes to specific needs, Teaching Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder by Clarissa Willis is one of the best and easiest to understand books on the topic. It provides the basics on the disorder and what the best techniques are to teach the kids who suffer from it.

Head over to our bookstore for more Special Needs resources!