Third Place
Brianna Larson
Washington High School
Washington Missouri

            The inclusion of people with disabilities provides many opportunities for others to learn important lessons that create stronger values and greater successes.  Having had first-hand experience, I realize that including people with disabilities in everyday activities is beneficial to everyone, weather disabled or not.  Through my contact with people with disabilities, I have been taught many valuable lessons that have aided me in becoming the best person I can be.  Involving people with disabilities, whether mental or physical, offers an opportunity for all to learn the importance of persistence, acceptance of others, and much more.  Because of the life-changing experience I have had with people with disabilities, I recognize the importance of the inclusion of others and the benefits of the opportunities it creates.
            If I have learned anything from my encounters with people who are disabled, I have learned that persistence and never giving up leads to success.  Having a disability is hard, no one can deny that.  Whether mentally retarded or physically impaired, people with disabilities have a difficult life.  My brother, Tyler, has every right to make excuses for himself, but he never does because Tyler has Down syndrome, a genetic disorder, he is moderately mentally retarded and has a hard time reading and understanding money.  In spite of these difficulties, he has created a life for himself.  He graduated from high school and now has a great job.  Looking at our society, I wish more people had the persistence that Tyler has.  The high school drop out rate is again rising and it seems more and more people are settling for less.  We often hear of the “dumbing” of our nation and the acceptance of mediocrity.  It seems like more people have stopped trying to reach their fullest potential because they believe too many obstacles stand in front of them.  The inclusion of people with disabilities in activities with others shows the determination of these people in spite of all the obstacles they face.  Tyler’s determination to create a life of his own and to do the things that other people do has inspired me to never give up and to work until I have reached my goals.  Through the inclusion of people with disabilities, more non-disabled people would have the opportunity to experience their determination and learn that persistence does lead to success.
            The importance of accepting people for who they are, despite their differences, can also be learned by spending time with a person who is disabled.  When I was in the fifth grade, my class had a student who was blind.  Caleb was only in class with me for a few months, but we became very good friends.  On Caleb’s first day, I volunteered to help him and guide him through the school.  Caleb’s eyes were severely damaged and most of the other students avoided him because of it.  When I volunteered to help Caleb, I was given the opportunity to meet someone I had a great deal in common with.  Caleb had read many of the same books that I had and we liked to do the same things at recess.  We both played the piano, too, but Caleb was much better than I was.  He told me once that he knew I was a friendly person because I had such a nice voice.  We were great friends.  Caleb reminded me of the importance of getting to know people before judging them.  He showed me that we should accept people for who they are and not what they look like.  Many people avoid spending time with people who have disabilities because of their physical appearances.  If I had acted this way and not helped Caleb because his eyes were damaged, I would have missed out on a great friendship.  I had always been told “not to judge a book by its cover”, but Caleb made me see this.
            These experiences I have had, and many more like them, are very important to me.  Through the people I have met, I have learned lessons on persistence, acceptance and many other values that will lead me to be a successful person.  Through the inclusion of people with disabilities, more people would have the opportunity to learn the things I have.  An excellent way of providing people with this opportunity is establishing clubs at schools that arrange activities for students in special education classes to do with students in mainstream classes.  At my high school, the special education department recently opened “The Cocoa Café” as a fundraising and job training tool.  Students can go to the café before school and get breakfast foods and coffee.  The café is run completely by the students in the special education program with the help of other school clubs that volunteer.  The “Cocoa Café” provides an opportunity for the students to interact with fellow students with disabilities.  Through the inclusion of students with disabilities, “The Cocoa Café” has been beneficial to everyone.  The many positive experiences I have had with people with disabilities have improved my life and the lives of others.  Because of these experiences, I have grown to see the importance of the inclusion of people with disabilities and the many opportunities it creates to learn lessons of persistence and acceptance.