Jacks Academy: Field of Angels

(long post, but worth the read)

I originally put this on Hailey’s Medical Blog, But I felt like I needed to share it here as well.

If you have a child with special needs, whether it be medical needs, or mental health needs, you know the reality of your child being left out of activities. Now I am all for inclusion, but sometimes that is not a reality.

Take baseball for instance; Sure they will let your child on the team if they have ADHD, or even mild Autism. Some teams will have children in wheelchairs. But what is the reality of that child truly being included? They get to bat (because the league requires it), They may even play one inning in the field, but most of the game they are on the bench. It’s really hard for parents as well. That’s something only a parent of a SN child would understand. It’s so hard as the parent to fight ALL of the time for inclusion for your child.

Hailey has always wanted to play sports. We have tried several. Though they were fun for her at times. They also presented challenges. Well, seeing as how she had 5 brain surgeries this summer, I was not planning to have her in any sports. The accommodations would just be overwhelming, and I didn’t feel like having her stared at and treated differently.

Last week I was told about a special needs Baseball league that was starting called, Field of Angel’s. I gathered all of the information, and reluctantly signed her up. I’ll be honest, I had no idea what to expect, and I was concerned that this would draw even more attention to the fact that she was different.

I was pleasantly surprised when we arrived at practice. She was accepted as part of the group right away. There were all types of children, with all types of diagnoses’. Hailey made friends immediately. Each child had a “Buddy” to assist them as little or as much as needed. There was no attention brought to the SN of the children. They were all treated just like any other child. Practice went like any other practice.

So what was the difference? Each child was given a fair chance to be successful, Each child received the individual help that they needed, There was cheering and encouragement the whole time, If a child needed a break they took one, and nobody thought anything about it. They all got hit’s, They all got to play, they all made it to home plate! If they sat down in the field, it was OK, and nobody looked at the parent and wondered why their child wouldn’t cooperate. The parents were all understanding of each other, and therefore friendships could be made.

Two Saturday’s ago was their first game. It was set up like any other baseball game. the field was lined, the Fan’s were there, and the games went smoothly. It was the most amazing thing i have ever been apart of. Just look at the pictures and decide for yourself.