It’s graduation day at Read for Rose, the Amos Youth Centre’s Special Education Program. Forty students ages 5-24 wait patiently as the six Read for Rose Special Education Program Teachers hand out certificates such as “best green thumb”, “most selfless and brave”, and, “youngest reader”. Every child is recognized for their unique skills and the improvements they’ve made in their education and learning over the last year.

Acceptance, particularly regarding disabilities, often feels like an unreachable dream. The story of Wisdom, a young boy in our Read for Rose Special Education Program, and his mother, Thelma, brings to light a subject that is known all too well by our specially-abled students and their families: discrimination.