0:00 [Music]
0:08 [Applause]
0:16 these texts are from my daughter and she
0:20 sent them to me while she was hiding in
0:21 a school bathroom and when she finally
0:24 called me my heart jumped out of my
0:27 chest because this she was crying so
0:30 hard I couldn't understand her
0:32 my daughter has multiple learning
0:34 disabilities and ADHD and this was not
0:36 the first time she had sent me these
0:38 text from school she spent a lot of time
0:40 in junior high hiding so that she didn't
0:42 have to go back to class because of the
0:44 labels people gave her he was in
0:46 preschool that I began noticing that
0:48 something may be wrong but I was hoping
0:50 if she went through school that she
0:51 would catch up but in third grade
0:55 everything changed her teacher suggested
0:58 testing her for learning disabilities
0:59 and I'll admit getting her tested was
1:02 one of the hardest decisions we've ever
1:04 had to make
1:05 partly because her teacher treated her
1:07 terribly that year and selfishly we just
1:10 didn't want her to be right about our
1:12 daughter needing extra help but mostly
1:14 because you never want to find out that
1:16 something is wrong with your child and I
1:18 knew that if these tests came back the
1:20 way I figured they would that she would
1:22 have a long hard road in front of her
1:24 the night before we were supposed to
1:27 meet with the teachers the school
1:29 psychologists call this at home to tell
1:31 us the results and her exact words were
1:34 severe learning disabilities when we
1:38 hung up the phone I ran out to the
1:39 Graduate I crumpled a hand of the floor
1:41 where no one especially my daughter
1:43 could see or hear me break down because
1:47 I never wanted her to know how upset and
1:49 worried I was severe learning
1:54 disabilities I never wanted her to know
1:57 they were severe so I never told her
2:00 instead I had a practice saying it's not
2:03 you it's just a difference in learning
2:05 and it doesn't mean that you can't learn
2:07 it just means that you learn differently
2:10 because when we had finally decided to
2:13 test her
2:13 we did it not to give her a label but to
2:17 give her a reason the school years are
2:20 full of unfair challenges for kids with
2:23 learning disabilities but I tell my
2:25 daughter repeatedly that she is going to
2:26 do something big with her life and help
2:28 others I believe that were not given
2:31 challenges like this unless we're meant
2:33 to do something bigger and I can tell
2:35 you exactly why
2:38 in January of 1982 I began complaining
2:41 of back and arm pain and a couple days
2:43 later I just completely collapsed when I
2:45 tried to pick up my cat and that's when
2:48 my parents knew it was time to call the
2:50 doctor and he ran some tests and he
2:52 didn't know what was wrong but he knew
2:54 it was serious so he sent us straight to
2:56 a hospital Chicago and said there is no
2:58 time to go home and pack so we had to
3:01 leave in the middle of a snowstorm and
3:02 it was in that hospital just two weeks
3:05 before my seventh birthday I was
3:08 diagnosed with leukemia and a lot of my
3:11 child was childhood was spent in and out
3:13 of hospitals and missing school which
3:15 was okay and missing all the silver
3:17 parties and then there were the not so
3:20 fun side-effects from the chemo but have
3:22 I ever looked back at that painful time
3:24 and wondered why me yes so many times
3:27 but I've never had any doubt that it was
3:30 for a reason and what I've realized
3:32 recently is that my childhood cancer was
3:35 a gift that would perfectly prepare me
3:38 to help my own daughter through her
3:39 struggles with learning disabilities we
3:42 were both given a label a diagnosis in
3:45 our early school years but during my
3:47 struggle with cancer I was showered with
3:50 love and gifts and attention but my
3:53 daughter is also struggling through her
3:55 two cyst and she gets hurtful comments
3:58 and bullied why is this the norm and
4:01 really what is the difference between
4:03 our experiences a learning disability is
4:06 just a difference in brain wiring a
4:08 mental health challenge is just a
4:10 chemical imbalance in the brain and
4:12 cancer is a mutation in DNA these are
4:16 all things that happen in the body that
4:18 can't be helped we would never withhold
4:21 chemo from a cancer patient so why would
4:23 we withhold treatment of medication for
4:25 someone with a mental health challenge
4:27 and we would never withhold Braille from
4:29 a nun sighted student or a hearing
4:31 device from a hearing challenged student
4:33 so why do we consider modifications in
4:35 the classroom cheating by giving kids
4:38 with learning disabilities simple tools
4:40 they need we can eliminate the ripple
4:42 effect of defeat that goes beyond the
4:44 classroom and by embracing these
4:47 modifications we give the kids with
4:49 learning disabilities the chance they
4:51 can they need to thrive when we teach
4:54 our kids to see the gifts that come
4:56 along with whatever make them different
4:58 we can change their lives and if we can
5:02 teach everyone else that things like
5:04 learning disabilities and mental health
5:05 challenges deserve the same care and
5:08 respect as cancer we can change so many
5:10 more lives the day my daughter called me
5:14 crying from school happened because of a
5:16 few unkind words for a teacher that just
5:18 about broke her unfortunately it's not
5:21 just the other kids she has to worry
5:22 about on a daily basis but sometimes
5:24 it's also the teachers and school
5:27 resources are tight and I understand
5:29 that because I have a degree in
5:30 elementary education and I know that
5:33 teachers aren't always taught how to
5:35 teach students who learn differently but
5:37 since we can't change the school system
5:39 overnight or even the unkind words that
5:41 are often said we have to change what we
5:43 can and that's the way our children see
5:46 themselves the school years are tough
5:49 for every child but especially those for
5:51 learning differences they're full of
5:54 scary to statistics like 35% of teens
5:56 with ADHD will eventually drop out of
5:58 school and just 5 percent of students
6:02 with learning disabilities will finish
6:04 of college students will finish college
6:06 just 5 percent but then there's
6:09 statistics like these that 40% of
6:11 self-made millionaires are dyslexic and
6:14 approximately 50% of NASA scientists
6:17 have dyslexia and Scotland Yard has an
6:20 estimated 120 dyslexic detectives
6:23 because of their ability to see codes
6:25 and patterns and emissions that most
6:26 people can't see so to show my daughter
6:30 what's possible instead of talking to
6:32 her about it every day which I try to do
6:34 and she hates I've made a list of
6:38 successful people that have learning
6:41 challenges with 8080 and dyslexia and
6:43 more people like Walt Disney Erin
6:46 Brokovich Richard Branson Jennifer
6:49 Aniston and Albert Einstein and I put
6:52 these names in the frame in her room I
6:54 want her to see these names every day
6:57 and realize what the world would be
6:58 missing if they and so many other people
7:01 all thought and learned in the same way
7:03 because what was considered to be their
7:05 disability in the school years it's just
7:08 a difference in learning and thinking
7:09 and many successful people with learning
7:13 disabilities claim to become that they
7:15 didn't become successful in spite of
7:17 their learning disabilities but because
7:19 of them and when we're telling our kids
7:22 to see these gifts and they act like
7:24 they're not listening which I know
7:25 firsthand it you can be actually really
7:31 surprised that they are listening
7:32 because I was so surprised when my
7:35 daughter wrote this poem what are you
7:39 supposed to do when you're in school
7:40 struggling coping do you just sit there
7:42 and take the criticism and keep on
7:44 hoping walk into school and all I hear
7:47 is all their hateful words all this hate
7:48 and sorrow is hitting me and heards
7:50 can't seem to find the light that's
7:52 shining within so I tried to stick
7:54 positive thoughts in my head like a pin
7:56 I get put in a different room to take
7:59 all my tests but when I come back they
8:01 look at me like I'm different from all
8:02 the rest why do people only accept you
8:05 if you're pretty or smart what happened
8:06 to being judged off the size of your
8:08 heart why don't people understand that
8:11 there's no such thing as normal it's
8:13 just a bunch of people being fake and
8:14 acting formal so next time someone tries
8:17 to tear you down for who you are
8:19 just remember it'll all be over soon and
8:22 you'll go far
8:24 [Applause]
8:31 my daughter has been so brave and
8:34 letting me share her story and by her
8:37 sharing her story she has empowered so
8:39 many others to share their own healing
8:41 is an ongoing process that we all have a
8:43 responsibility to support and Lindsay
8:45 feels that by you sharing your story and
8:49 your struggles you give us the
8:51 opportunity to help and connect and to
8:55 heal you are not alone thank you
9:00 [Applause]
9:06 [Music]
9:09 you
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