Parent
Advocate
Christine E . Staple Ebanks
The 2nd in a series of articles about parent advocacy and the Nathan Ebanks Foundation [
CLICK HERE to read part one ]
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Raising Nathan
My son , Nathan , is the last of my four children . If I were to think of one word to describe him , it would be ' impish ' . . .
Public misconceptions about children with special needs poses such an important conversation , that in my first book – Raising Nathan : Every Life has a Story , I dedicated an entire chapter to the topic . I have found for myself and countless other parents I have spoken with over the years , that these misconceptions play out negatively for the children and messes with the family ’ s acceptance of the child as a person . Two of the most significant ones are : ( 1 ). A child ’ s disability happens because of something
“ the parent has done wrong in the past that God is punishing them for . ( 2 ). Children with disabilities aren ’ t worth the investment . All they need is to be fed , clothed , and kept at home . They are not viable human beings . I remember having a specialist in Jamaica tell us “ Not to bother with this one as he will never , ever …”, there was also the owner of a company which sells rehabilitation equipment who told me that “ I am to stop giving parents false hope into thinking their child with disability can become more ”.
I cannot stress enough how wrong these are . Much of my speaking work has been about shifting mindsets around such thinking and helping parents to see beyond their disability and learn to see the gift that is their child .
In my book , How to Cope : Parenting a Child with Special Needs which was released earlier in 2020 , I invited my husband and older children to share their experience of having a son and brother with disabilities . In carrying out their interviews , it was the first time