When I was in primary school I was in a special needs group, which is the polite way of saying the dopey kids.
I definitely want to have a career in the TV/film industry, as I love acting, but if it all goes to pot, I want to set up a performing arts school for children with special needs.
Low-income people, racial or ethnic minorities, pregnant women, seniors, people with special needs, people in rural areas - they all have a much harder time accessing a dentist than other groups of Americans.
At home, he's a 100-percent softie; that's who he is. I just blew his cover. When Howard has a really stressful day at work or he feels overwhelmed, it's funny, I point to the foster room. After 30 seconds of being there with these baby kittens or these special needs cats, it just changes your whole mood.
Schools shouldn't have to choose between serving a student with special needs or cutting an art class, laying off teachers or using outdated textbooks. But these are the positions that far too many schools have been placed in, and only a meaningful acknowledgment of the problem can begin the process of getting them out.
It's expensive to raise a child with special needs, which people don't even think about. Emotionally it can be a struggle, but financially it's really rough.
As I grew up, I became aware that there are people with special needs out there, and I have a real connection with them.
I was born in Corpus Christi, Texas, the youngest of four girls, including my oldest sister, Lisa, who has special needs. My mom was a special education teacher, and my dad worked on the Army base. We weren't wealthy, but we were determined to succeed.
As a mom, you worry about protecting your kid. But there are extra added layers of fears when you're talking about a kid with autism or who has some special needs issue.
I will say, in open adoption, all these choices you make about race, about the amount of mental illness you can deal with, about special needs and physical maladies, you have to lay all this out there before you know anybody's story.
