Diversity & Best Friends

Through the years Sean displayed the perfect picture of acceptance of all.  When Sean started a class in school that was “required” to learn tolerance and he was being integrated, I got a call the 1^st day of class advising me that Sean would NOT be attending the class but would “get credit”.  Needless to say I was quite angry and made a beeline for the school to talk to the teacher.  While I was in the office and waiting for the teacher to come and talk to me, I was fuming and the longer I waited the angrier I got.  When the teacher entered the office I looked at her and I was close to tears (thinking all of our hard word at integration had failed on the very first class he attended) and the teacher looked at me and directed me into a conference room.  The MINUTE the door closed I started yelling at her that it was completely unacceptable that she was discriminating against my son and he had a right to attend this class with his classmates and on…and on…and on.  The whole time she listened and tried to interrupt me to say something but I WASN’T GOING TO BE STOPPED stating my sons rights!!!

Once I took a breath she took the opportunity to get a word in and said I am NOT keeping him from attending – I just don’t believe that it is in his best interest.  Needless to say my arms crossed against my chest and I was about to start into another diatribe and she put her hand up and said give me a chance to explain.  I shut my mouth fully expecting the worst and experiencing one of my top 10 joyful mom moments.  Here is what she said: Our class is designed to help our students understand the differences so they will have a tolerance in order to hopefully avoid bullying, teasing and other negative reactions.  After the 1^st 30 minutes I came to realize that Sean didn’t KNOW there was a difference and I didn’t want him to attend the class and learn that there were differences.  I would like to ask your permission to use Sean as an example during my lessons to show our students how they really should be treating others. 

I instantly cried for the 10^th time that afternoon (I became good friends with this teacher and of course gave her permission to use Sean as a role model)– but this time from pride not anger and knew that though as a mom I messed up and made so many mistakes, this is an area that I felt like I did something right.  Sean’s “Bestest” friends crossed the scope of so many diversities and I am proud to say that I was his mother.

There Is No Greater Disability than the Ability To See a Person As More – Robert M. Hensel

We Aren't As Informed About Intellectual Disabilities As We Think We Are

This article in the 2015 Huffington Post article "Intellectual Disabilities in the US" put into words that those of us that volunteer for the God’s Got This® - Sean Nielsen Foundation have known for a long time. 

“We thought it was a critical time to take a deep dive into our national attitudes,” Maria Shriver, the founder of Shriver Media, said in a statement. “We wanted to know where we are today, where we are going and who is going to take us there. The open-minded attitudes of this generation who grew up in classrooms and playing sports with people with ID makes an undeniable case for inclusion... Experience, inclusion and intervention are the ways to combat isolation, intolerance and injustice.”Maria Shriver 

Why We Started The Foundation and What We Wanted to Accomplish

I wanted to start this foundation, I must admit, at first because I was SO afraid that everyone but me would forget that Sean existed and all of his accomplishments would get lost.  All the trials and struggles we went through would be for nothing (totally selfish I know).  I brought the people that was closest to him together to talk through what I wanted to do.  And these are my notes from the very first meeting that took place shortly after Sean’s death.

What do we want to accomplish with our Foundation: 

We want to give other adults with developmental disabilities the opportunities that Seaner had.  I knew from experience with Sean’s friends that several adults that live on their own with or without support did not have access to attending Church, going to Camp or getting out in the community (except grocery shopping).  Whether it was because they didn’t have natural supports to help them with these things, the finances to attend activities or the opportunities to attend them because they are relying on others to transport them and the transportation isn’t available.  

Also, from personal experience with Sean, numerous churches did not open their doors to him and if they did it was to “put them in a class room” so they weren’t included in church with everyone else so the didn’t “bother” the other people attending. 

Thanks to Josh at Living Waters Fellowship we were able to find a church that opened their doors to him with a safe and accepting environment but not everyone has someone that keeps trying until they find it.

Josh introduced us to IRBC Church Camp for adults with developmental disabilities that Sean came to love almost as much as he loved “his church”.