I am the father of a disabled 2 year old baby girl. She is the sweetest, most lovable child, but she was born with Cri-du-chat, a genetic malformity, where part of her fifth chromosome is missing, leaving her physically and mentally disabled for the rest of her life. I thought I would enlighten you, Governor Schwarzenegger, about how her daily struggles are our daily challenges, and how your education cuts are going to affect her, us, and indeed the entire state of California.
Being the parent of a disabled child means that on top of being a full time father, and physically disabled myself with CREST Syndrome and Degenerative Disc Disease, my wife and I have to be our daughter’s physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and child development specialist. It means constant visits to numerous doctors in an attempt to give her a decent life. And in between therapies and doctors and duties at home, my wife and I also have to try to find a few minutes to ourselves, just so that we won’t go crazy and take it out on our healthy son, who doesn’t understand why his parents are always so tired.
And then we found a miracle, in the form of our local Regional Center. These dedicated people came to our aid, assisting with our daughter’s therapies, finding us counseling, and even respite care, to allow us to catch our breath. Your education cuts are threatening to put an end to our new found hope that our daughter would, one day, be able to go to a regular school and grow up to be a contributing member of society.
You might want to turn to the words of another Republican who declared that no child should be left behind, not no child should be left behind as long as he or she is not disabled.
Education means a better future for California. Education reduces crime, as educated people can find jobs to support themselves. It ensures kids have a safe place to be, instead of the streets, joining gangs. Education means fewer health problems, as educated people take better care of themselves, and have jobs that allow them health insurance. Education means a better economy, higher per capita income, and thus higher tax revenues. Educated people start businesses, become entrepreneurs, creating more jobs.
I am very sad to learn that the governor of the strongest state in the Union is selling her future so easily, and without any shame or remorse.
It is sad to see how little we have learned in the past 70 years. When the Nazis came into power, the first ones they came after were not the Jews or the Gypsies, it was the disabled, as they were the easiest targets. I am ashamed that you choose to do the same. Children, especially the disabled ones, are always easy targets for bullies. They can’t vote. Their cry for better education, for a better future, seems to stop at your doorstep. But here is the one difference between Germany of the 1930’s and California of the 2000’s. Here we still have a democratic system, and children, even disabled children, have parents who can vote. And those parents have extended families who can vote. And I am going to make sure that this letter reaches as many families as possible, so come next election, people like you, who, like Yertle the Turtle, aim to reach so high they forget those at the bottom, will be brought down by “Macs” like me. Hopefully, together, we will be able to replace people with such narrow vision with those who believe we should invest in our children, invest in our future, invest in our state. All our children, healthy and disabled alike.
I am ashamed that you are the face of this state I love so much.
Ronald B. Wenick
Father of a disabled child.
