"Treat people the way you want to be treated.”

Children with special needs are no exception to this rule. They aren’t always able to comprehend that they are being treated differently. It is the job of a person with the strength, patience, and the ability to understand that he or she needs to become their advocate in our self-absorbed society. The experience has impacted me in a significant way.

In elementary school, there was this boy who had a learning problem. He acted differently than other boys. He was socially awkward with his classmates. Every day this boy was bullied. I had known him since kindergarten. I had personal experiences with his actions in the classroom. Some days he would come to school unkempt: his underwear above his pants or he would have snot running down his face. The treatment he received from others bothered me a lot. I felt bad for him. He got bullied to his face and behind his back, but he didn’t realize it.

One day, these two girls came up to him and started making fun of him. I heard it and reacted immediately.

“How would you like it if someone treated you the way you treat him,” I asked.

“What are you his mommy? Are you going to protect him?” the girls said through giggling laughter.

I responded with, “No, I’m not, I’m just his friend.” The girls didn’t know how to respond.

Those words and that moment have been permanently etched into my brain. I wasn’t afraid of what repercussions might occur from this action. All that mattered to me was to help fight this boy's battle; I cared for him as if he were my brother.

Families don’t let other people bully their siblings, blood-related or not. Every child needs someone to care for them unconditionally. Special needs kids need it more, though. My fate had been sealed from this day.

This was the day that I knew what I wanted to do for the rest of my life: I wanted to help kids with special needs.

The skill I gained that day was learning how to treat people despite their differences. The personality traits that I have possessed from that day on are patience, understanding, empathy, and strength. Patience is key when dealing with any person, but is especially necessary with special needs kids. Understanding is having the knowledge that these kids don’t act the way a “normal” child would act. I was able to understand that this boy acted differently from the rest of his peers.

Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. I am able to understand this child’s perspective on the world. It is the same as a dog and a human. Dogs see the world in black and white, whereas humans see the world in color. Special needs kids have a different view in life and it takes someone with the right amount of empathy to see and appreciate it.

Finally, the last attribute is strength. To work with special needs kids, one has to have the strength of an army. Every child needs someone to be caring toward.

“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” This quote sums up why I fight for special needs children. I will never give up on any child despite all the curveballs thrown my way.

Never did I make fun of my friend, instead I listened to him. I took in what he had to say about anything. There are going to be people who are going to bully special needs kids or stare at them. Those children are going to need an advocate, a voice to stand up for them and protect them from outside forces. I had the strength of an army in order to protect my friend and take the chance of being bullied.

The day that my fate was sealed has opened my eyes to a deeper, more complex, viewing of life. I learned the golden rule that day. All that mattered to me from that day on was becoming the voice for kids with special needs, despite the negativity that will emerge from the cracks of the society.

As a society, we need to stop and listen to those who have learning disabilities. Their voice matters as well. Being an advocate for those who have their voice swallowed up by the hustle and bustle need someone to be able to shout over those who don't listen.