October is Down syndrome awareness month, but it is also spina bifida awareness month, and mental health awareness month, and sensory processing disorder awareness month (not to mention breast cancer awareness month). In short, there is a lot of awareness happening during October!

My youngest daughter has Down syndrome, and every October I take this as an opportunity to share facts about her diagnosis, or share stories of how people with Down syndrome enrich other people’s lives. But as I parent children with disabilities (because my middle daughter has cerebral palsy, and wouldn’t you know it, October 1st was cerebral palsy awareness day), I wonder if all this awareness should be focusing on the fact that disability is a normal part of life.

Disability knows no bounds. People with disabilities make up the largest “minority” group in the world. Just in the Unites States, the US census estimates that 20% of Americans live with a disability. That means 1 in every 5 people has a disability.

But I don’t like to look at disability simply in numbers or statistics, because I live this life as I parent two girls with disabilities. Disability is so much more than a diagnosis, it is about people, it is about lives. It is about lives that have value, and meaning, and purpose.

There are several instances in the Bible where it talks about how each of us make a part of the “body of Christ.” We all have a role to play, we are all different parts of the body. We have different gifts, talents, abilities.

We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. Romans 12:5

So if we are to talk about any awareness at all this month, perhaps this should be our awareness focus: we need people with disabilities in our lives, in our churches. We all need each other to function in this beautiful body of Christ.

Ellen Stumbo is a writer and speaker. She is the mother of three daughters: Ellie; Nichole, who has Down syndrome; and Nina, who was adopted and also has special needs. She is wife to Andy, a pastor. Visit her at ellenstumbo.com.

source: Tulane Publications

She claps her hands, smiles, and her eyes sparkle with excitement.

“Mom! Daddy!” she says, inviting us to clap along with her.

It doesn’t matter what we are doing, every time, every single time we find her joy irresistible. So we clap with her. In her excitement, she takes a bow and laughs. So we cheer for her and clap some more.

When her movies finish, as the credits roll and the fun music plays, we go through this routine. Sometimes I wonder if she thinks, “That was a great show, it was fun, I really enjoyed it. I feel so happy I cannot contain myself, I need to clap, cheer, and invite others to join me in this moment of joy.”

My daughter might face extra challenges because she has Down syndrome, but her ability to enjoy life and celebrate every day moments surpasses the ability I have to do the same. So she stands before me clapping, smiling, with joy radiating from her little body and I can feel that joy and excitement.

She gifts her enthusiasm about life, and it is contagious.

I sometimes hear people question if people with Down syndrome or other disabilities are contributing members to society. Maybe once I wondered the same thing. But I know better now. While their contributions might not include being doctors, scientist, or teachers, their contributions pierce through the very essence of what makes us human: love, joy, kindness, compassion, understanding, and complete acceptance. Contributions that have already touched my heart and changed my life.

So I clap and celebrate when the Barbie show is over. I delight in the little girl that takes a bow, and sometimes I bow with her too, a sign of thankfulness for the joy she brings into my life. The gratitude I have that God chose me to be her mother.

Ellen Stumbo is a writer and speaker. She is the mother of three daughters: Ellie; Nichole, who has Down syndrome; and Nina, who was adopted and also has special needs. She is wife to Andy, a pastor.