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You were so casual as you left, playful and confident. It’s a big day, your first job interview; a lucky opportunity to use your experiences as a special needs child as a service to other children with diverse needs. Ironically, this experience places you in a position of support in an athletic setting, a space where, both academically and extracurricularly, coaches and peers were consistently missing the resources to provide an inclusive experience for you.

That’s not to say there weren’t a few exceptional individuals along the way; a student teacher who invited a personal connection during gym and a climbing instructor who challenged your natural abilities. There was the gym teacher and aide who muscled through the misery of running with an appreciation for your resilience and the Tae Kwon Do teacher who recognized inner strength in form.

Unfortunately these individuals came long after uninvested little league coaches and unkind elementary games. Choruses of negative directives from uneducated coaches and unsportsmanly misbehavior from peers signaled an exclusivity from the joy of sports. Lessons in team work and community were really politically correct statements of inclusivity; words without the substance of actions.

These early disappointments and the encouragement of those rare individuals who would later challenge previous experiences created a unique spectrum of understanding; an empathetic awareness for the value of each individual no matter their natural talents or need. This new opportunity allows you the work of modeling a truer practice of teamwork. It is a rare and remarkable invitation to use personal experience to foster positive change for yourself and others.

Sometimes people get lost in disappointment, but you have been determinedly enthusiastic about improving the space you consume. Your confidence in self and others has created a legacy of self-respect and love that informs an expectation of kindness in the game of life and the spirit of play.

I’m proud of you, but also excited for you. I hope you learn as much as you teach.

Love, Mom