Letter 63 - Was This Crazy Mother Pushing Her Son Too Hard??
Hello Bregdan Woman!
Ginny today…
Sometimes, it’s a single event that completely changes your life and takes you on a path you never envisioned or planned.
It’s at times like this when you can choose to live as a Bregdan Woman – full of courage, determination, and hope.
That’s what happened to Dina Abdel Wahab when her son was born with Down Syndrome.
A child with Down Syndrome will face challenges no matter where they are born but being born in Egypt in the mid 1990’s created even more challenges. There was virtually no information available to her.
Her pediatrician, who didn’t give her a diagnosis until Ali was three months old, was no help. “There’s something you must understand. Your son is retarded and will always be retarded.”
Retarded is a horrible word that has fallen out of favor with thinking people, but that was the word he used at the time.
Dina will tell you now, “The birth of a baby with Down’s Syndrome is not traumatic in itself – it’s the reaction of the people around you that is.”
Since she could get no help in her home country, this determined mother flew to Washington, D.C. with her son, in order to get answers. She was thrilled to be told that people with Down’s Syndrome could become full-fledged members of society, providing early attention was given to developing their skills.
Dina returned to Egypt with hope and confidence, and a drive to seek physical and speech therapy for Ali.
If only it had been so simple. Immediately, she and Ali ran into walls of ignorance.
Her young son was eager to learn and considerate of those around him. Dina decided to put him in a regular nursery school. She heard it all as they turned him away. They didn’t want to take him. They asked if he was aggressive. They were afraid to put him with other children.
When she finally found a nursery school that accepted him, the teachers treated Ali as an object of pity who couldn’t do anything.
Dina was looked upon as the crazy mother who was pushing her son too hard.
Remember, how one event can change the trajectory of your whole life?
Dina realized the only way she could give Ali what he needed and deserved was to create it herself.
She founded The Baby Academy in Heliopolis, where children with disabilities would be treated with respect while surrounded by “normal” (neurotypical) children. Ali was her first student.
The Baby Academy accepted students from 3 months to 5 years old.
Dina encountered challenges immediately. Because there was little knowledge, and no training, good teachers for children with special needs turned out to be very hard to find in Egypt.
In true Bregdan Woman fashion, Dina was determined to create a solution.
She recruited recent college graduates and trained them using specialists flown in from Canada. The new teachers were taught how to work with every child’s unique qualities.
It quickly became clear how good it was for all the children to go to school together. Special needs children are stimulated and learn from neurotypical children, who in turn learn compassion, acceptance, and helpfulness.
I love what Dina said when she made the decision to stay in Egypt: “I didn’t want to change my son’s lifestyle, so I decided to try to change society.”
The child-centered philosophy of the school is based on love, learning and play. The curriculum is tailored to each specific child’s developmental needs and designed to challenge all children to achieve their potential.
Is it working?
Oh yeah…
The Baby Academy is thriving. Twenty percent of the children enrolled are special needs kids.
When Ali left preschool, he was enrolled in a public school, and did amazingly well – fulfilling the hopes Dina had when she began The Baby Academy for her special son!
Dina has opened more preschools. She points out that according to the United Nations, in 2007, less than 4% of Arab children have access to preschool education. The Baby Academy is becoming a leader in early childhood education throughout Egypt and the Middle East.
Dina couldn’t stop at just helping Ali. She realized many people could not afford The Baby Academy, so she worked with the government to foster inclusion of special needs children in Egypt’s mainstream educational system.
Today, she is responsible for pioneering integration of children with disabilities in many international schools and she works closely with many schools who accept children with special needs. She is the founder and Managing Director of the Egyptian Child Care Corporation, that has expanded The Baby Academy and developed new programs to fulfill her passion.
The Baby Academy is in great demand by parents of preschoolers in Cairo.
Well… she did say she was going to change Egyptian society – for her son.
This Bregdan Woman did exactly that!
Like Dina, you may find that you need to reach out to help someone who has a special need. That shouldn’t frighten you – it should excite you!
You are unique. No one else is exactly like you – you are the only one who can use and share your personal uniqueness – your exclusive gifts and talents.
You never need to worry that you can’t do something as well as someone else – because no one else can do exactly what YOU can do as well as YOU can!
Dina used her gifts to help her son and other young children. You have gifts to share as well. They won’t look like Dina’s – hers won’t look like yours.
Has Dina’s story inspired you to look at a problem in a different light?
I hope you will identify (if you haven’t already) what your gifts are and then decide to use them to help others. The world needs more people like you who are not afraid to step out and make a difference!
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What will you do to be a Bregdan Woman?
What will you do today to impact history??
We’re on this journey with you… (and have 2 FREE Gifts for you below…)
Ginny & Suess
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