Special Education as a Spiritual Journey

For more than twenty years, I have served children with disabilities as an occupational therapist in public schools. I have always been drawn to children with the most severe disabilities, including the apparent inability to speak or to understand words, limited vision, orthopedic and muscular problems which impede the ability to move, and multiple medical conditions. Some of my students occasionally "forget" to breathe, are unable to regulate their body temperature, and have life-threatening seizures. Their health may be very fragile, and hospitalizations are common. They may not recognize me, and some show no reaction to being touched or picked up. Many of my students are less severely affected, but I have always gravitated to those with the most needs.