WHEELS FOR LIFE ~ My Responsibility

Sometimes I’d rather forget my past and move on with my life. At a recent speaking event, however, I was reminded just how important talking about one’s childhood can be.

New Alternatives for Children asked me to speak at a foster care forum hosted by the New York City Administration for Children’s Services. The forum was designed for prospective foster and adoptive parents to learn more about the process, and a key aspect would be a discussion of adopting and fostering children with special physical and/or mental needs.

It’s easy to imagine all the challenges that might come with raising someone with unique needs. I wanted to let the prospective parents know that, aside from all the woe, there’s also an enormous reward. Another gentleman and I shared our stories to a crowd of over 50 people. Thirty of those fifty decided that they wanted to continue on with the process.

The statistics of how many children are in the foster care system are probably as foreign to you as they were to me. There are currently about 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system nationwide. Of those 400,000, roughly 30-40% (120,000-160,000) have disabilities. Often a physical or cognitive disability makes placement much harder.

It is imperative that I continue to spread the word about foster care and adoption. A loving foster family cared for me when my biological family could not, and they forever changed my life. I have a responsibility to let families know just how important foster care and adoption can be.

Tamara Morgan is an art therapist and social worker in the South Bronx and a graduate of NYU’s Steinhardt School for Art Therapy. Diagnosed at birth with osteogenesis imperfecta, a condition that makes her bones abnormally fragile, Tamara writes about conquering NYC as an individual with a disability.