About a year ago, I was scrolling through my news feed not realizing that I was about to come across one of the most powerful videos on the internet. In this video, I saw a man sitting in a classroom with his students. Each student came up to him and he gave them a positive message about themselves such as "you are an amazing student" or "you're very smart". I couldn't hold back tears as I watched this video and I knew I wanted to know more about this man.
I started to dig around to find out who this man was when finally I came across a Facebook page that changed my life. Chis Ulmer was that man in the video. He and his girlfriend, Alyssa, have dedicated their lives to creating a place to share the stories of Chris' students. Chris (known as Mr. Chris to his students) initially wanted to create a book series telling the stories of his special education students. Instead, he turned it into a multi-media movement. Special Books By Special Kids (SBSK) is an organization that brings awareness of the special needs community all while creating an accepting environment.
Chris decided that he wanted to share with the community the unique talents and bright personalities of his students. He wanted to create a book in which his students would talk about their lives so we could see the world through their eyes. Instead of creating a book he picked up his iPhone and decided to record interviews with his students to post on SBSK's Facebook page.
Chris wanted to make sure that his students never faced isolation, and if they did he wanted to create an environment where they wouldn't feel as alone. This environment that Chris created not only proved that these children were special, but it also proved that they should not limit their potential. He saw something amazing in his students and he was ready to show the world what he saw. Just about every day, Chris posts videos on the SBSK's Facebook page. These videos show off the talents of his students, all while introducing them and their unique minds to the world.
Chris is creating a movement of not just acceptance but also love. He has taught these children that each person is different in their own way and that we should embrace these differences, not hide them away from the world. It's incredible to see such love and admiration these students have for their teacher. It's even more incredible to see how much time, dedication and love Chris has been putting into this movement.
If you would like to donate to the Special Books By Special Kids movement, you can visit their donation page here.
You can check out some of the amazing things Chris does with his students in the video below.
