Dear Friends and Colleagues,
|
Angela Wrigglesworth
Houston
Klenk Elementary School
Member, MDA’s National Task Force on Public
Awareness
Ms. Wheelchair Texas, 2004 |
I’ve never had a student in my class with
a neuromuscular disease. So why, you may ask, am I writing an
introductory letter to this informative booklet? Because, although
none of my students uses a wheelchair, I happen to roll through
the door of my third-grade classroom every day.
When I was 16 months old, doctors told my parents I had spinal
muscular atrophy (SMA), and since then I’ve been living
a successful life with muscles that are slowly weakening throughout
my body. These weak muscles prevent me from using a chalkboard,
opening marker caps, or even tying the shoelaces of a clumsy first-grader
tripping down the hallway. Despite these obstacles, the students
in my classroom learn an age-appropriate curriculum, and —
perhaps more importantly — an invaluable lesson of compassion
toward all of humanity.
If you’re reading this booklet, you probably have the unique
opportunity to teach a child with a neuromuscular disease. Just
like me, your student will have limitations. The challenges posed
by these limitations will lead you to consult this guide, exercise
your teacher’s intuition, and even ask the child directly
what to do (thus inadvertently teaching the skill of self-advocacy).
Regardless of how you solve issues that will come about, I ask
that you have as much vision for your student as my teachers had
for me.
I recently came across a pile of letters that my third-grade
teacher had my classmates write me during one of the many hospital
stays of my youth. They are a priceless compilation of overused
crayons, misspelled words and sincere get-well wishes. They remind
me that I was once a part of a little community that missed my
presence, my positive influence and my example that we should
always search for the abilities within our disabilities.
Your student with a neuromuscular disease will be all of these
things to your classroom community, and you and the other children
will be enriched for having known him or her.
As you and your students meet the challenges before you, keep
in mind that MDA is always there to help with resources and support.
You aren’t alone, and — if my life is any proof —
your efforts aren’t in vain.
With best wishes and gratitude,
Angela Wrigglesworth
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