i have to share something with you in terms of living with disabilities. when i was born, i had problems. birth defects. docs told my mom that it would be a good idea to have me institutionalized for my whole life, since they thought i was going to be mentally retarded. my mom thought of this whole thing and decided, no and that she's going to raise me because no one knows what happens in a child's future. it turned out to be a great decision for my mom. even with the difficulties of my profound deafness, i learned how to speak and do other things that regular kids could do. the only think i couldn't do was hear! my mother didn't hide me or anything. she encouraged me to tackle the world. she was and is my link to the outside world, filling in when i couldn't understand or hear what other people are saying. i treasure my mother for her courage and encouragement.