“I am not broken, just different”

https://youtu.be/0Ml5-nT8bR4 If you are reading this blog, you may agree with the following from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to life, liberty, and safety. No one shall be subject to arbitrary interference with their privacy. Ben has autism. He does not use words to communicate. Ben has friends and lives independently – in his own apartment. He also attends college-level courses, is witty, analytical, has a great memory, makes his own decisions, and looks forward to his future. Do you find this inspirational? Ben is a regular, smart young man with dreams. What’s inspiring to me is that his family continued to have expectations. Expectations that he would learn and matriculate – even though “the system” for years literally told his parents that Ben would never learn, or accomplish certain milestones. The system had low expectations for Ben, but his parents did not. With the right supports for Ben, he has the tools he needs to make the right choices. He has the time and space to practice making decisions. This is where SafeinHome comes in. Ben’s Mom says in the video “SafeinHome is an important part of Ben’s toolbox so that he can make good choices to build the skills he needs to go forward as he matures. SafeinHome’s, mission is to empower people to live independently in their own homes and communities, helping their self-confidence flourish, their pride grows exponentially, and their enjoyment of life abound. SafeinHome encourages families, people with disabilities, case managers, providers – all stakeholders – to think about what is possible, not just stopping something from happening. With the right supports, all people can flourish. What Ben said he would like people to know, “I am smart, I am not broken, just different”