Ok now for my hot take and how, once again, Revi is challenging me to think critically. While our neurologist spoke with us and discussed the MANY considerations of surgery, she said something so casually that stuck in my mind. She said something to the effect of this: ‘surgery on a child who is learning to read versus surgery on Revi who is learning personal care skills has different implications.’ This statement really packs a punch. I am not mad that she said this and she clearly thought it was innocuous comment. What this reveals to me, is that, 1. She doesn’t think we are teaching Revi to read, 2. A child like Revi needs to learn basic skills instead of academic ones 3. The casual nature of this comment means this is a widely held (ableist) belief in our culture. The idea that people with disabilities must first demonstrate that they deserve access to the education their typical peers receive. Instead we should only teach them personal care skills before they are deserving of the same education (like learning to read). I don’t think our neurologist is malicious in any way, but I do think this comment highlights oppressive ideas about disabled people in our culture. On our recent road trip, we listened to Trevor Noah’s audiobook, Born A Crime, his autobiography about growing up in South Africa during apartheid. Revi listened to this whole audiobook with us! Did he understand it? I have no idea. In the hospital, Kiran read his novel aloud to me and Revi, did Revi understand it? I have no idea. Before we went to the hospital, Revi’s amazing teacher, Liz, read him books about the hospital, what an EEG stay would be like and we talked to him about might happen. Again, I don’t know if he understood or how much, but I do know that Revi was remarkably calm during his hospitalization and didn’t fight or cry nearly as much as he had in the past. Providing Revi with education, beyond personal skills, provides room for possibility. I do not have the expectation Revi will read, but I do allow room for the possibility he might read. Revi (and everyone for that matter) unequivocally deserves access to the same education, no prerequisites. Allow for possibility.