News and stories that make you feel better after reading.
When Colleen Powell, a SPED teacher, walked down the aisle at her wedding, she knew that she wanted two people to give her away to her future husband – her father, Greg Costello, and her 10-year-old student, Dominic May. Dominic has Down syndrome and is non-verbal, yet he’s touched Colleen’s heart in so many ways.
As adults, we have a ton of responsibilities on our plates. We are tasked to maintain our homes, we experience pressure at work, and some of us are raising children. With age comes knowledge, and as we grow older, we gain wisdom about how to deal with life’s challenges. We tend to believe that there
A four-year-old Maltese girl with Down syndrome is becoming a champion for inclusion after participating in numerous fashion shows and winning various modeling competitions. In a recent charity fashion show for models with disabilities, Francesca Rausi expertly walked the runway, smiling and waving at the audience throughout the duration of her turn. In a clip
Homecoming night was more than special this year for Arapahoe High School. When Terri Stokes heard about his son, Noah’s popularity, she had no idea how his peers love his son. This year, Arapahoe Highschool crowned their homecoming royalties Noah and Khrystya. In the video footage of their nomination, the pair were welcomed by the
As recently as 1983, the average life expectancy of people with Down syndrome was 25 years. Today, that number has increased to approximately 60 years, which can be largely attributed to the end of the cruel practice of institutionalizing babies born with this condition. To say that people with Down syndrome have gone through a
Though it wasn’t part of his plan, this National Football League trainer was inspired to build a one-of-a-kind gym for people with disabilities. Ned Norton’s biggest dream was to become a strength coach in the NFL. So when he reached his teenage years, he started working towards that goal and began powerlifting. Fast forward to
Proving that they are a champion for inclusivity, major retail brand Target is now offering adaptive Halloween costumes dedicated to children with special needs. The company has released these sensory-friendly costumes in conjunction with Hyde and Eek! Boutique. They come in four styles, two of which are for children who use wheelchairs. The Princess Carriage
Cats are one of the sweetest creatures to ever walk this earth. They are viewed as aloof animals most of the time, but the people who believe so couldn’t be more wrong – and this shelter cat just proves that. Meet Lou, a shelter cat that has been waiting for a forever family that he
They say that until you become a parent, you’ll never know how much love you are capable of giving to another human being. The sacrifices you make won’t feel like sacrifices at all, instead, all these selfless deeds will flow out of you naturally, being borne out of nothing else but pure love. A parent’s act
There is nothing that a father will not do for the happiness of their child. And for Greg Eichhorn, creating a wheelchair-accessible igloo for his treasured children is but one of them. Greg dedicated his incredible effort in his desire to give his nine kids, who have special needs, a fun childhood that they wouldn’t
Motherhood is uniquely experienced by all who have children, be it birth or adoptive mother. You are A MOTHER. No two mothers are the same and no two babies are the same. So understandably, we all go through a phase of trying to figure out what is best for our children. We receive unsolicited advice
Nowadays, the news is often filled with stories breaking the negative stigma about people with special needs and disabilities. More people are now becoming are aware that people with special needs are as capable as those without disabilities are. There are people with special needs who are showing the world the magnificent things they can
