Have you ever written out a Christmas wishlist?
Maybe when you were younger you even mailed one to Santa at the North Pole. As we age sometimes our wishes change. This year if I could have anything for Christmas, I would wish for the following:
- I wish people with disabilities would have their voices heard.
- I wish that the ADA was just the starting point and not thought of as a finish line.
- I wish that the world was not robbed of the joy from the millions of babies with down syndrome who have been aborted.
- I wish that disability inclusion and accessibility were a part of the justice conversation.
- I wish that people with disabilities that have been abused and neglected would find safety and healing.
- I wish people with disabilities have equal opportunities and not just leftovers.
- I wish that disability was a part of the diversity conversation.
- I wish that the world would stop buying the lies that disability is a burden, undesirable, shameful, and should be disposed of.
- I wish that parents of children with disabilities would all find the rest that they need.
- I wish that children with disabilities would not only be accepted by their peers but would find genuine relationships with them.
- I wish that adults with disabilities would find meaningful employment.
- I wish that places of worship leaders in the conversation about disability and always last.
- I wish that people with disabilities were prioritized by their employers and seen as more than just door greeters.
- I wish that leadership opportunities in communities were not reserved only for those who are “able-bodied and neurotypical”.
- I wish that disability discrimination was viewed as unacceptable as other types of discrimination.
- I wish that single mothers of children with disabilities could all know they are not alone because they are surrounded by family and friends that care.
- I wish that teens with disabilities were not crushed by anxiety.
- I wish fathers of children with disabilities could all beam with joy and be proud of their children.
- I wish that no one affected by disability ever had to spend the holidays alone.
- I wish that all people with disabilities would know that they are valued and loved.
Are my wishes that far-fetched, pie in the sky, or like something that could only come true in a fairy tale? I don’t think so! I am going to make it my resolution to fight to make some of these wishes a reality.
What would you wish for?
