Mother of Special Child Faces Deportation and Tough Decision

9. December 2007 pete

Children with Down syndrome are openly discriminated against in many other cultures.  This Moroccon mother facing deportation is trying to decide whether to take her child with her back to Morocco or to separate from him permanently.  There must be room in this great country for one more mother.

(Dayton Daily News)  Sami Hamdi could be a poster child for the way children with Down syndrome are embraced in American society.

He’s a popular pupil at an Englewood preschool serving special-needs children.

He’s the pampered pet of his family, a sunny-natured child who loves to sit on his mother’s lap or play peek-a-boo with his three sisters.

Sami’s mother, Fatiha Elgharib, knows that things would have been very different for her son in her native Morocco. “The truth is, if he had been born in my country, he would not be alive,” she said.

But now Elgharib and her husband must decide whether to separate him permanently from his mother, or send him home with her to Morocco.

Elgharib is facing deportation, having exhausted her legal avenues to remain in this country. She returned home to Englewood on Nov. 26 after spending five months in jail for failing to appear at a deportation hearing. “The notice was sent to an old address, and I never received it,” Elgharib said.

Jail has left the devout Muslim woman shaken. She is taking anti-anxiety medications after a lifetime of good health. But her greatest anxiety is what will happen to Sami and his thoroughly Americanized sisters if they are forced to return to their parents’ native country. In Morocco, Elgharib said, children with Down syndrome are derided as “Mongoloids” and offered few educational opportunities or medical care.

It’s equally hard to imagine how Sami would fare without his mother. When she was in jail, his language skills and potty training lapsed.

However you feel about immigration, here’s the truth: Children are paying for the actions of their parents. Sami is a 5-year-old American citizen with Down syndrome. He is free to stay in this country.

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Mike Bailey Inducted into San Jose Hall of Fame

9. December 2007 pete

Mike Bailey is living proof that being born with a disability doesn’t need to stop you from living a full and active life. He regularly gives speeches promoting Special Olympics and takes karate classes at De Anza College. Mike, who happens to have Down Syndrome, was recently inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.

Nov. 20, 2007 (KGO) — A Sunnyvale man is celebrating his induction into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame. He joins some big names such as Brian Boitano and Mark Spitz - athletes you might not immediately associate him with.

Those athletes have nothing on Mike Bailey. He competes in six to eight sports a year. He also has Down syndrome. This Special Olympian has not let it slow him down one bit.

It may not have seemed like the path to the hall of fame — but a little tri-cycle race was the beginning of it all — and 20 years later — Mike Bailey is just as dedicated to the Special Olympics as he was as a 7-year-old boy.

“I like basketball, bowling, bocce ball and power lifting,” said Mike Bailey, SJ Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

Mike has won more medals and ribbons than he and his family can count. But now he has an award that stands out among them all — a spot in the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame.

“We felt very proud. He has put a lot of effort into it and it’s been a great organization and it’s very special to get selected,” said David Bailey, father.

The selection committee was impressed by how many years Mike has dedicated to the Special Olympics - and how he uses it to inspire others. Mike often gives speeches about his experiences to generate support for the athletes. weiter…

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Reading Out of the Box Program for Special Needs Children

8. December 2007 pete

This reading program for children with special needs has been on the market a couple of years. Please send us an email or share your comments below if you have any experience with Reading Out of the Box.

(The Guardian) Martha MacLean hopes to teach her child with Down syndrome to read using a new program developed by two women from Ontario.

MacLean is co-chair of the P.E.I. Down Syndrome Support Group.

Her daughter, Margaret, will be six in December. Because she was born with severe heart defects, Margaret’s development has been delayed.

MacLean said she welcomed the opportunity to have the program’s founders, Denise MacDonald and Karen Evershed, present a workshop at Murphy’s Community Centre in Charlottetown Saturday.

“As a parent of a child with special needs, you always think you should be doing more,” she said. “I like the whole idea that (the program is) set out from day

to day. I don’t expect (Margaret) to turn around and be this amazing reader, but maybe she will be. I’m going to try.”

MacDonald said she and Evershed wanted to develop a program that would make a difference in the world.

The concept of the program, called Reading Out of the Box, is to teach written words in a clear, precise and repetitive manner, said MacDonald, who has a background in psychology and education.

weiter…

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Asaway Puppy Program

8. December 2007 pete

Unfortunately, most service dog programs do not train dogs for children with Down Syndrome. However, we have initiated the Asaway Puppy Program to provide family dogs specifically for families with children who have Down Syndrome or severe speech impairments. We select pups for temperament and trainability. Because children with Down Syndrome often have speech issues, we attempt to select pups that can readily learn visual commands.

To ensure complete bonding, each family trains their own pup. In addition to the pup, each family receives a dynamic training video. Teaching Basic Manners (Volume One), is produced by the founder of “The Loved Dog”, Tamar Geller, a renowned life coach for dogs and their people. This video, while designed for a general audience, will help your special child become a vital member of the pup’s training team, even in the early stages before the pup learns a set of manners.

Children with Down Syndrome are remarkably caring by nature. These children have a deep well of love to draw from. The pups that qualify for our program are suited to provide not only well-behaved companionship, but also to serve as faithful life-long recipients of that love. Applicant families for our program must have a child with Down Syndrome or significant speech impairments.

Available breeds are Labrador Retriever and Australian Shepherd. Some of our pups are AKC registered, some are not. Predicted adult temperament is the primary characteristic that determines whether we select a pup for our program. Rarely does a single litter produce more than one or two pups that match our requirements. At present, we have a 6-month waiting list, and growing. Request application materials or additional information by email. Be sure to include “Asaway Puppy Program” in the subject line.

Other options for children with other disabilities include the Monroe, Alabama, program featured below. There they have trained dogs for police work, hospice care and seizure alert.

The Times Plus (MONROE) — They’re more than just pets — they’re professionals. From the more common service dogs, like mobility assistance dogs for the physically handicapped, guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the hearing impaired, to therapy dogs who provide the ill and elderly with cheer and entertainment, to search and rescue dogs, to herding and hunting dogs, to guard and police dogs — these canines are specially trained to act as their handlers’ eyes, ears and hands.When they slip into their uniforms, they transform from playful pet to professional pooch. And they mean business.

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So, my son has Down Syndrome. Tell me something I don’t know.

9. September 2007 pete

They tell us our son is mentally retarded. Maybe he is, but I can tell you that he is more perceptive than I am. He is a much better improvisational dancer, too. He has something you can’t teach: rhythm.

They tell us our son has significant communication deficits. Maybe so, but I can tell you that he communicates more clearly than I do. He leaves no room for misunderstanding. In fact, he is one of the most expressive people I know.

They tell us our son has Down Syndrome and that we have to learn to accept that he will never be normal. That may be the case, but I can tell you that I don’t have Down Syndrome and I will never be normal, either. I don’t even want him to be normal. He has another thing you can’t teach, too: brotherly love.

I can see his palmar crease. I can even see a characteristic T-21 facial expression at times. But I can tell you that he is a lot like us and our ancestors. First he is our son with our genes and our environmental influences. On top of that he has some sort of chromosomal defect.

Our son attends the local, public elementary school. The staff there is very nice to him. The education specialists expect very little out of him. We have taught him math, reading, and his other academics at home. We have done the same with our other five children who do not have Down Syndrome. As with our other children, we send him to school primarily for socialization.

When I take him on a hike, I know he has his limitations, but I expect him to hold up his end of the bargain. I refuse to pamper him. We all have our limitations. When he sits down to do his studies, he is expected to work. There is a time for work and a time for play, and he knows the difference. At Sunday school and youth group, he doesn’t get any special treatment. There isn’t an aide coddling him along. At school, however, he is treated like a cute little dimwit.

But that is the way of life, and it’s not necessarily our local elementary school’s fault. If it was, our story wouldn’t be so very familiar to our readers who have children like him. We don’t exactly expect to find a school where things will be any different for him, but we hope to. If you are reading this and you know of any school, public or private, anywhere in the U.S. where he might be seen to have the potential we know he has; a school where much would be expected of him and where his potential might be developed to the maximum, we would love to have your comments. Feel free to use the comment section here or email us directly. If, on the other hand, you would like to provide your own Georgia school a little feedback, click here.

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