Maybe everyone should ask themselves why there are no other 40 or 50 year old adults with Down Syndrome in first grade classrooms in the country? I bet the reasons no other school district in the country has a 48 year old women or 50 year old man with Down Syndrome in with 6 year old children is the same reasons this church used to decide not to have a 48 year old woman with Down Syndrome have a sleep over with these children. <br> <br> I can on a professional level say that a woman with Down Syndrome is not a six year old child even if she reads at the same grade level. That is a misuse and misunderstanding of what those grade levels indicate, it is not intended to be used in a manner of mainstream classroom placement. <br> <br> I would suggest that a more appropriate placement for this woman would be as a volunteer assistant to the teacher. If this teacher rejects her in that capacity, I have the name and number of a teacher that would most likely love to
have her as an assistant to the teacher--if this family wants to contact me, I will happily provide it. <br> <br> Best,<br> <br> _DJA<br> <br> <br><b><i>Art Deco <deco@moscow.com></i></b> wrote:<blockquote class="replbq" style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"> Perhaps all professional Christian church religionists, church employees, <br>and other church functionaries should read very carefully the four gospels. <br>Even a casual reading would show that Jesus would have quite another thought <br>about Ginger than the head pastor and the director of children's ministries <br>in the church referenced. Somehow the main message of Christ about the poor <br>and sick has been lost or severely down-graded by most of modern <br>Christianity.<br><br>I hope the particular church at issue here are not slandering Christ by <br>calling themselves a Christian Church.<br><br>Art Deco (Wayne A.
Fox)<br>deco@moscow.com<br><br>----- Original Message ----- <br>From: "Saundra Lund" <sslund @adelphia.net=""><br>To: <vision2020 @moscow.com=""><br>Sent: Friday, August 04, 2006 11:04 PM<br>Subject: [Vision2020] Letter to the Editor: Church is noninclusive<br><br><br>> Dear Visionaries:<br>><br>> It's not often I'm moved to heartbroken tears by a letter to the editor, <br>> but<br>> it happened today. For those who don't subscribe to the Moscow-Pullman<br>> Daily News, I'm pasting the letter below my signature. I've been around<br>> long enough to know that there are always at least two sides to every <br>> story,<br>> and this letter tells only one side.<br>><br>> I hope everyone takes the 45 seconds or so it will take to read the <br>> letter,<br>> but I'm hoping for more than that: my fervent prayer is that each of you<br>> who reads this will find out what your place of worship would do in this<br>> situation. Let your
feelings be known, and demand that inclusive policies<br>> be more than policies -- insist that inclusiveness be practiced.<br>><br>> And, if any of you happen to know the family in question, please pass <br>> along<br>> my heartfelt prayers for them and for Ginger . . . and for their church.<br>><br>> Please don't forget to scroll down to read the letter!<br>><br>><br>> Wiping Away Tears of Sorrow,<br>> Saundra Lund<br>> Moscow, ID<br>><br>> The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do<br>> nothing.<br>> - Edmund Burke<br>><br>> Published: 08-04-2006<br>> Church is noninclusive<br>><br>> I am writing so I can stand up for a disabled person who has no voice to<br>> challenge the policy of a big church. Ginger has Down syndrome. Since <br>> the<br>> death of her mother six years ago, her sister in Florida has been taking<br>> care of her. Now it's my wife's turn to
take care of her. She just came<br>> here to live with us. My wife is doing her best to do what's good for<br>> Ginger. We take her out to numerous places so that she is "mainstreamed."<br>><br>> We have lived in different parts of the United States, and this is the <br>> first<br>> time we have had any issues with organizations who provide services. We<br>> attended this particular church that we thought had great youth programs.<br>> So, when Ginger came to live with us, we placed her in a first-grade <br>> Sunday<br>> school class. The teacher was more than welcoming and accepting to her, <br>> as<br>> well as the other students in her classroom.<br>><br>> Although she is 48 years old physiologically, her mental age is about that<br>> of a first grader. She is well mannered, loves to color, write letters to<br>> her sisters, reads at first-grade level, etc.<br>><br>> This church was having a vacation Bible
school from July 17-21. We had<br>> hoped to place her in the first-grade class, however, we were told the<br>> director of children's ministries had made a decision along with the head<br>> pastor to exclude Ginger from the program.<br>><br>> I don't understand. An institution like a church promoting <br>> "inclusiveness"<br>> didn't let Ginger participate. My wife was going to be one of the helpers<br>> at the vacation Bible school, so that she could keep an eye on Ginger if<br>> something happened.<br>><br>> I didn't know where to turn so I am writing this letter.<br>><br>><br>> Yoshi Smith, Pullman<br>><br>><br>> =======================================================<br>> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> http://www.fsr.net<br>> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>>
=======================================================<br>><br>> <br><br>=======================================================<br> List services made available by First Step Internet, <br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <br> http://www.fsr.net <br> mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<br>=======================================================<br></vision2020></sslund></blockquote><br><p> 
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