It is very rare that a picture of Sarah brings me a pang of sadness. This one does.
Most of the time get-togethers are challenging for Sarah. This picture pretty much sums up the situation. We were at a backyard graduation celebration. Sarah couldn't tolerate the sounds so I had to put the headphones on her to silence it all. She wears sunglasses for the sun. She sits in her chair. She cannot participate. She wants to but can't. It is just too much noise, too much chaos. She is effectively enclosed in a 'box' in the middle of the yard. I took her home. Inclusion isn't for everyone. For her to physically be 'there' I have to wall off her senses. This is what it would be like for her in school. It is what it is. Sometimes it makes me sad for her. Because she would love to be a part. But it's too painful for her.
Sarah uses her hearing for her information. She does not like to touch things and she cannot see very well so her hearing is her primary way of gathering information of what's going on around her. The irony is that her hearing is also extremely sensitive to the point that MANY sounds are painful for her. So the sense she uses to understand her world is also the sense that brings her pain. When I have to put the headphones on I have effectively shut her off from the world as she has no way of making sense of her environment. It really stinks. So we go home.
