WEBVTT

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When Liz was born,

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it was like what the heck?

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This can't be happening.

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I was just, just devastated.

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We were going to the birthing room and

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everything was just going to be so peachy and wonderful

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because we were going to do all this natural childbirth stuff.

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And, and then she turned out to be breech,

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and when they did the x-ray, there was a lot of

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Oh, my gosh from the nurses

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and so I knew a lot was going on.

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I walked through the doors.

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They pushed the bassinet with Elizabeth in front of us.

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It was the most powerful moment of my life.

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I mean it was instant love like that.

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Then my husband came in

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and talked about how beautiful she was

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and how she looked just like him

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and how excited he was to have to her.

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It just totally,

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it was like this turmoil of negativity,

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but yet he's happy and it's like

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Well, I should be happy too.

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But I';m so worried about this baby

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an whether or not this baby is going to survive.

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We didn';t know that she was going to have

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developmental disabilities at the time

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and we thought, we were hoping that she didn';t.

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But, nonetheless, we just planned

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that she would live to her maximal potential,

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whatever that would be.

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whatever that would be.

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you know, very devastated

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to that reality of

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we have this baby girl

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that';s adorable and happy and

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pretty easygoing

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that';s surviving some pretty challenging

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therapies and surgeries,

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and now going into school

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and now looking at what education is,

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which is planning for your future,

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and then actually realizing that she is

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competent and has skills.

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We started learning about inclusion

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when she was like 4 years old.

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We always wanted her included.

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We wanted her to achieve goals.

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We wanted her to learn to be socially appropriate

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and just treated like everyone else.

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What we learned was that students thrived,

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that the community became accepting,

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that it opened doors for her as an adult

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because it would be relationships

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that would build upon her skills and

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her abilities and her acceptance.

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Liz is 31 years old.

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She has been living on her own for about 5 years.

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Elizabeth is the owner of this condo that we';re at,

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and I take care of her.

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Liz has always had full time aide.

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Liz needs a lot of support,

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so she';s always has what';s called a

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para pro in the special ed programs

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It';s almost like a sister bond

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because I';ve been with her for so long.

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A lot of people think that…

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It';s like, No, we fight all the time.

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I';m like sometimes she gets mad when I watch too much

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music videos or when I watch a movie

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and she doesn';t want to.

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Anything that I would do, she would do too.

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We go to Panera and grab a coffee

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and kind of socialize over there.

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Go grocery shopping,

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getting things for the house.

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We go to Target, kind of see clothes

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We go to the mall and we hang out with friends.

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Have a little social gathering here.

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All right. Am I boring you, Liz?

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We';ve allowed Liz to take risks in her life.

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And because of those risks she';s taken,

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she';s done things that Chris and I will say, Wow!

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Liz was a child when she started,

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so she';s been with us many, many years.

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The benefits are huge and they';re multiples.

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There';s exercise, recreation, social, interactive.

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There';s bonding.

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She has progressed in her riding

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to that she turns her horse

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and she signals the leader

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when she needs to turn, when she wants to walk on,

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when she wants to whoa.

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She';s a very opinionated young woman.

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She knows what she likes.

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She knows what she likes to do.

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Progressive and as open as

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we tried to be in our beliefs and everything,

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we had no idea

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how much she would progress.

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How she would grow.

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How she would change.

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She has responsibilities in the week.

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She has to go to work.

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We start off, we punch in

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unusually two hours a day.

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We really want her to be in the public';s eyes.

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We are in charge of pricing

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and returning the products that people don';t like.

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I make sure that she does the best of her ability.

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I don';t do the job for her.

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I just make sure that she';s there

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doing the best that she can do.

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The first thing that all parents think about,

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and I think particularly parents with

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children with disabilities, is their safety.

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And some parents don';t let go.

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That';s easy.

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Elizabeth doesn';t talk.

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I can';t let her go here.

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She can';t go there.

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What happens if she falls

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What happens if this happens?

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All those things have happened.

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She';s not made out of china.

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She';s a young woman, and she';s fine.

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And it all has to do with the opportunities

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that we';ve given her.

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We aren';t special people.

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We learned things.

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We took the initiative to learn,

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to find resources and to

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find opportunities for Liz,

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to give her experiences

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and to help her grow,

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just like you do with any child.

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And other parents thought that we

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were just bucking the system

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and trying to be difficult people

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because we wanted inclusion and we wanted

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her to be self-determined and

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and give her opportunities instead of

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just take of her like some poor sap.

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And she';s not a poor sap.

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She';s a person with a lot of potential and ability,

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and it';s paid off.

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Music