Handout 1: Maggie and Joey
My name is Maggie and I have a four-year-old son named Joey. Joey loves Batman, tadpoles, and karate. He likes painting and using his hammer, too. He has a great sense of humor and other kids usually like him. He has not attended school yet but is eager to go. Right now, Joey needs a wheelchair to get around. We hope he'll be able to walk someday but we're not sure it will ever happen. Other things will probably last forever. He is blind in one eye and he wears a patch over it. One side of his face looks lopsided and he drools, and sometimes it takes him longer to understand what's going on. He's still Joey, though, and even though his right arm shakes a bit, he can still swing his hammer. I want Joey to be just like any other kid, and I want both of us to be treated like any other parent and child.