Lessons Learned

I've taken somewhat of a sabbatical from the corporate grind and currently work for a Reno nonprofit. Amplify Life serves people of all ages with special needs. I like to call this gig my ticket to heaven! We run much needed residential recreational camps and social enrichment programs, because let's face it, fun is and should be non-discriminating.

Not long ago, I was proudly showing off some video footage of our campers to someone when they said, they are all kind of like your kids aren’t they? Momentarily perplexed by this observation but realizing the enthusiasm with which I was explaining the video’s I blurted out, yes, I guess they are!

Prior to my indoctrination at Amplify Life, my exposure to someone with a developmental disability was through my Uncle Roger. My grandfather, a strong-willed retired Navy man from the south, refused to conform to the standard of the day and allow the school system to isolate Roger in a classroom with only other disabled students. My granddad wasn’t some trail blazer, ahead of his time. It was because he struggled with the knowledge that Roger was not going to be the son he had envisioned. What this led to was Roger having a very ordinary childhood along-side me and my brothers. We treated Roger like a sibling. We gave him plenty of grief as siblings do, and we defended him fiercely when someone was cruel or unfair to him.

When I came to Amplify Life, I was hit by the realization that not all people with special needs were treated like Roger. This is for countless and complicated reasons. But one startling revelation is the stigma and discrimination that exists towards people with an intellectual or developmental disability. We’ve come so far yet there is still so much work to be done in homes, schools, workplaces, and communities across America to help the disabled realize their dreams. Cognitively they may function differently than you or me, but we all have the ability to experience life to the fullest extent we are capable. We also reap the same sense of accomplishment and joy at our successes. As I have watched interactions among people and the individuals we serve, I am troubled by the thought that people outside of my family circle may not treat or see Roger as I do.

Roger has worked his entire adult life and has an exceptional work ethic. He married his high school sweetheart, also with a developmental disability. He shared his life with her until her passing three years ago from breast cancer. Since then he has been terribly lonely. Because of his work schedule he is unable to attend residential camps, so I include Roger in our short programs whenever possible. The social circle has been a welcome reprieve from sadness for him, providing him with a sense of belonging.

Roger has been able to lead a very ordinary life, which is extraordinary because my grandfather expected him to achieve no less than what he deserved. Whether my granddad was ever cognizant of the lessons he gave his son or my brothers and me is unknown. What is certain is that he never stopped expecting less of Roger than he did of me and my siblings. I have come to realize in my short time with Amplify Life that my grandfather influenced me in ways I am still realizing.

I'm pretty proud of the work we do at Amplify Life, how I've contributed to improving lives of those less fortunate…and yes, they are all like my kids.