That was the theme of my podcast interview with Ed Sickles, one of The Arc’s board members. I talked to him recently as part of our Meet the Boards series. You can listen to our conversation here:
Ed has been involved with The Arc and helping the disabled since he was 15. That was about 40 years ago. He was a student at Abington High School, and started a recreational program for special needs students.
Listen as he tells the story of why he became so passionate about the disabled at an early age, and how he’s turned that passion into his life’s work. Ed is now a teacher at Upper Perkiomen High School in Pennsburg. Most of his students have minimal disablities.
Ed is also a service adviser for various programs at the school and in the local community that support special needs children and adults.
And his deep commitment of course extends to The Arc, where he’s served as a board member for 30 years. He spends time with the advocacy, parent, and foundation boards. Ed is also the legal guardian to a man with Down syndrome.
He is an inspiration to anyone who wants to help the developmentally disabled live better, fulfilling lives. In our interview, Ed drills down into what he thinks is the No. 1 reason preventing the developmentally disabled from achieving respect and equality. He also talks about how unfortunate financial circumstances have added to their struggle.
While Ed is concerned for the future of the developmentally disabled, he is still hopeful. He shares his perspective on how to we can create and take better advantage of educational opportunities to provide a higher quality of life to the disabled.
If you’re looking for some meaninful, low-cost ways to get involved, Ed offers some suggestions, and explains how we can help the community understand that disabled or not, we’re all the same and deserve the same opportunites in life.
