"When I participated in Leadership, my daughter was only three years old and in a self-contained preschool program. Leadership was my first serious lesson in "Standing Up For What Is Right 101". I gained confidence in my ability to be an advocate for my daughter, acquired knowledge about what all the possibilities are for people with disabilities, and made the friends I need for support. Following my Leadership experience, we advocated for our daughter to be placed in a typical preschool program, and she was! At the middle school level, we had to advocate for our daughter to be placed in the general curriculum program and be graded like her peers, and she was! Marika is in high school now, working toward a scholastic diploma, despite the many challenges she faces because of cerebral palsy. Although she uses a wheelchair for mobility and augmentative communication devices, she will enroll in the Driver's Education program in the fall. This summer, Marika has been interviewing for a part-time job in the health services field. In 1998, after facing several years of discriminatory practices in a Girl Scout troop and being flat-out rejected from another troop because of her disability, Marika filed a lawsuit against Girl Scouts of America (diversityingirlscouts.com).
Marika is indeed unique and special, but not special in the way people would traditionally envision a "special child". She is special because she has been a leader and teacher to hundreds of people. She is special because she is surprisingly brave and determined. And, she is special to us because she is our daughter. Leadership showed me how to stand up for her rights and teach her to stand up for herself. Her education, social life, and community experiences have all been positively influenced by what I learned in Leadership."