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Some kids must use sign language to communicate
because they are deaf. Others are confined
to a wheelchair. Practically any child
disability requires special treatment or
equipment, special care and extra parental
resources to meet child's special needs.
That's what we call children with disabilities -
children with special needs. No doubt,
this is a vague term. Is a child wearing
hearing aid a special-needs child? What
about an asthmatic child or a child requiring
insulin to manage her diabetes? To some
parents meeting these extra needs does not seem
like a burden. Most people would agree,
though, that children unable to walk, see,
learn, interact with others, etc. now or in a
foreseeable future, need special care and
special assistance, maybe for the rest of their
lives. Despite their extra needs, these
kids are precious. Like everyone else,
they need love and security never attainable in
an
orphanage.
About A Child is committed to helping
children with severe disabilities find forever families
that will do whatever it takes to treat, heal
and care for these very special children.
We waive all agency fees for families adopting
these children and seek additional grants to
cover travel and overseas expenses associated
with adoption. We channel all profits left
over after operating expenses towards our
Medical Aid and Adoption Grants programs.
We do whatever we can to help these children and
we hope to find adoptive parents who will, too.
Upon learning of their pregnancy, most mothers-to-be
stop drinking and smoking, start
eating healthier foods and spend more time
outside. All this to make sure the baby is
born healthy. But there is never such
thing as being sure, and some mothers give birth
to babies with Down Syndrome or other genetic
disorders. Others have healthy kids who
get into accidents or develop serious medical
conditions. All these children require
special care or equipment, special education, or
as we commonly call it, have special needs.
When it comes to biological kids, many feel
there is no choice. They go through a
grieving period, anger even, and then slowly
accept their child's special needs. There
is a beautiful testimonial by Emily Perl
Kingsley, whose son has Down Syndrome, called Welcome
To Holland. Like many other parents of
special-needs kids, Emily sees her son as a
special blessing, bringing her quiet joy and
happiness every day.
International Adoption, though, is always
about choice. There are millions of
orphans around the globe all needing mom and
dad. More than half of them have a wide
range of disabilities, from easily correctable
cleft palate or crossed eyes to severe cerebral
palsy or autism. In developing countries,
these kids are often abandoned at birth because
their mothers, too, have little choice: they
have no financial or medical resources for
treating or caring for these children's special
needs. Most often, orphanages can't
provide adequate treatment either, and vast
majority of kids with disabilities die in
childhood or spend their entire lives in closed
institutions.
Every time a child like this is chosen for
adoption is seen as a miracle by orphanage
workers. They wonder most of all, why
would someone choose to adopt a child
with disability. And there is no correct
answer to that. Some hear a calling from
above to help a child, some can't remain
indifferent to a plea of a sick child. And
some look beyond a child's medical condition,
seeing only a beautiful smile and a beautiful
soul.
True, not everyone is capable of what Emily
masterfully describes as "traveling
to Holland rather than Italy."
Raising a child with disability means financial
resources and time commitment not everyone is
able to provide. But some disabilities are
correctable or "manageable" in our
country through surgery, prosthetics or even
special diet. With a little help, many of
these kids can lead normal, productive and happy
lives. This help is often not available in
developing countries, at least not to kids
living in state orphanages. It takes a
village to raise a child, but it takes a devoted
mother to fight for her child's health.
How We Can Help
About A Child waives all agency case management fees
and for families adopting children with special needs requiring
immediate life-saving surgeries or treatment. About A Child offers
significantly reduced fees to families adopting children with non-life threatening
disabilities and actively seeks out additional grants on
families' behalf to cover the costs of travel
and overseas expenses.
Our Partners
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