I have selected 10 quotes in light of the scriptural significance of the numeral ten. The reason for that is the number 10 in the Bible often represents perfection, order, and completeness. For example, the phrase “God said” appears ten times in Genesis 1, highlighting His creative power and authority. Likewise, humanity’s responsibility in relationship to God and others is reflected in the Ten Commandments.
Whether the person quoted is a Christian or not, God has used their flourishing in spite of their special needs to reflect His perfecting and completing power, spoken of in James 1:2-5.
The list is short so that you can spend time mediating on the truth of each one. I hope one of the encouraging quotes resonates with you, your situation, or your child’s special needs. Tuck it away in the depths of your heart and mind. Pull it out when you need it to smooth the jagged rocks in your life”s road or fill the potholes that come along the way.
Each of the curated quotes are made by people who used the smarts God gave them while managing their special needs. Links to more about that person’s story is included for some of the people. Some of the names you’ll recognize, some you might not. The last one is made by a man who acquired a physical disability later in life. You’ll know who he is.
Quotes for Encouraging Parents and Kids with Special Needs…
- “People will tell you that I overcame obstacles…maybe. But the truth is I was incredible blessed in my life. More was given than was ever taken away.” – Jim Abbott. He was successful pitcher playing for the New York Yankees despite being born without a right hand. This Youtube video tells his story.
- “If I could snap my fingers and be nonautistic, I would not. Autism is part of what I am.” – Temple Grandin.
Mary Temple Grandin is an American academic, inventor, ethologist, and university professor. She is a prominent proponent of the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter and the author of more than 60 scientific papers on animal behavior. Grandin is one of the first autistic people to document the insights she gained from her personal experiences with autism. Below is the trailer to this inspiring movie about her and the difficulties her mother faced in a world that knew nothing about autism. If you have a child on the Autism Spectrum, you need to watch this movie.
- “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full the overcoming of it.” – Helen Keller.
National Women’s History Museum reports that Helen Keller lived a life “undeterred by deafness and blindness…” She “rose to become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator and writer. She advocated for the blind and for women’s suffrage and co-founded the American Civil Liberties Union.”
- “I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions.” – Stephen Covey.
Encyclopedia.com reports that he “started out being an athlete but suffered through surgical reconstruction of the bones in his thighs as a teenager, causing him to spend three years on crutches with steel pins implanted in his legs. Covey redirected his energies into academics, taking a particular liking to debate, public speaking classes, and also forensics during high school. He authored The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, to become one of the two most influential business books of the 20th Century, according to CEO Magazine.
- “The wheelchair should not be a symbol of disability. A wheelchair is a vehicle to liberation and freedom; a chariot for independence.” – Rick Hansen.
Rick is a Canadian track and field athlete (Paraplegic Games and Olympic Games), activist, and philanthropist for people with disabilities. When Rick was 15, he was riding in the back of a pickup truck after a fishing trip with his friend, when the driver lost control and the vehicle rolled over. Hansen was trapped on the inside of the roll and thrown to the ground, along with the equipment from the truck. As a result of a motor vehicle accident, sustained a spinal cord injury and became paralyzed from the waist down. Hansen is most famous for his Man In Motion World Tour, in which he circled the globe in a wheelchair to demonstrate the potential of people with disabilities if barriers were removed. It was also to raise money to support the removal of additional barriers for people with disabilities in the future. This is his story.
- “I wish for a world that views disability, mental or physical, not as a hindrance but as unique attributes that can be seen as powerful assets if given the right opportunities.” – Oliver Sacks.
This gentleman lived with prosopagnosia, commonly known as face blindness, a neurological condition that impaired his ability to recognize faces, including his own reflection in mirrors. He was was a physician, best-selling author, and professor of neurology.
- “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” – J.K. Rowling.
As most people know, she is award-winning author of the wildly popular Harry Potter series of books. Her quote is not made from a distance, but from a person daily thriving in spite of dyslexia.
- “… for every disability you have, you are blessed with more than enough abilities to overcome your challenges.”
― Nick Vujicic.
Nick was born with no limbs. He is one of the world’s most loved communicators. The goal of his ministry, NickV Ministries, is to share the Gospel with one billion people by 2028.
- “When my hope is gone, solitude with The God of All Comfort restores my vision. When my endurance is gone, solitude with My Sustainer restores my strength. When my dreams are gone, solitude with The Creator magnifies His plan.” – Melissa Myers Tabisz
- “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” – Paul of Tarsus in II Corinthians 12:9-10
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Share in the Comment section below about a person who has influenced your parenting.
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