Adopting has always been considered an act of love. But adopting a child with a disability is much more than that, it is an act of courage and a lot of affection. Many parents are willing to adopt, but when they fill out the documentation, more than 70% say they don't want to adopt a child with a disability.
In practice, this beautiful act of love is not easy. It also requires preparation of the couple, especially financially, to be able to afford the expenses of surgeries and regular consultations that occur in these cases. But data from the Corregedoria Nacional de Justiça showed that in 2015, there were 143 adoptions of children and adolescents with some limitation or illness - an increase of 49% compared to 2013. The numbers are good, but they are still not enough, since the Disabled children end up being sidelined at the time of adoption.
Life with a disabled child
When a mother becomes pregnant, what she wants most is for her child to be born healthy. It is the wish of all mothers. And when a child is born with a disability, everything is a challenge and, of course, adaptation.
When a mother or father is going to adopt a child and chooses the one with a disability, that action needs to be celebrated. It is an attitude of love, gratitude. A series of questions imply this choice, which is not easy, not at all easy.
All parents dream of seeing their children healthy, playing, and when they have a disability, the process can occur, but it is more delicate. Parents need to learn to deal with their children's limitations. It takes patience, tolerance. Not always what is planned comes out. Doing an activity with a child with a disability is planning, studying the places, ways of getting around.
Above all, it is self-knowledge, it is showing yourself that you have all the possibilities to educate, to show the paths, even if these are so often painful and difficult.
Adopting a child with a disability is affirming that humanity has hope, that there are people capable of loving unconditionally without putting vanity and perfection in the first place, showing that it is possible to build a family without the prerequisites required by society. It's affection, courage, it's living and, of course, learning.
Text written by Angélica Fabiane Weise from the Eu Sem Fronteiras Team.
