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Special Friends
We are extremely fortunate to be in a place where people with special needs are no different from those who do not have special needs. It takes a lot of courage for families with special needs children to openly acknowledge that they have a special needs child. The communities and society, in general, are not to be prejudiced or look down on families with special needs children.
This reminded me of my friend Anita’s childhood recollection when she tried to play with the next-door kid with speech and hearing difficulties. Anita mentioned that the adults in her house immediately ran to her and asked her to quit making friends with that next-door kid. Apparently, she was not supposed to interact with special needs children.
Anita narrated all the incidents when she attempted to make friends or tried to play with special needs children; she was treated harshly. It was a cruel action to prevent kids from playing together, and given that her new friend required more time as communicating was a challenge. Anita made several attempts to communicate with her special needs friend. Each time her efforts were curtailed by an adult, preventing her from furthering her curiosity in her challenging friendship.
Another instance was when Anita ran into another girl in her neighborhood, Jill, who had polio and obviously could not walk like all other normal kids. Despite that…
