ConnectAbility’s Beginning

Many people have asked how I got involved in working with people with disabilities. There is an assumption that I have a sibling or other close family member with a disability. But that is not the case.

Macy is the reason that I have dedicated my life to the work of ConnectAbility and people with disabilities.

When I was about 12 or 13 years old, a coordinator in the nursery of my church asked if I would be willing to help out a little girl in the 3 year old Sunday School class that needed some extra help. All I remember being told was that she used a wheelchair. Even at that young age, I was already involved with babysitting jobs and volunteering in the church nursery. I have always loved working with kids. Naturally, I agreed right away to help in this class.

I remember clearly the first day I met Macy. I was struck with how incredibly adorable she was! She had the most beautiful blue eyes and dark brown hair. She was sitting in a cute pink wheelchair. Her dad was there to show me the basics of buckling the straps and how I could best work with Macy. I instantly fell in love with this sweet little lady and enjoyed every minute of my time with her. She sat in my lap during Bible story times and we worked together on all the class activities.

As the kids grew older, they became curious about Macy and sometimes asked questions about her. I was glad to talk to them honestly about their questions: Why doesn’t she talk? Can she walk? What about her wheelchair? They were simple questions that had simple answers and that’s all those kids were looking for.

I remember very well going to a puppet show each week with Macy sitting on my lap. Sometimes she thought it was boring and dosed off on my lap, but other times she was engaged and enjoyed watching the puppets and other kids.

As Macy got older, she started attending a class that had other kids with disabilities. I remember quite a few of those kids and I loved my time with them as well. My relationship with Macy had inspired me to get to know others who faced disabilities. I knew soon that my life’s calling was to work with people with disabilities. That has never changed.

Time went on and when I was in high school, sometimes Macy would join me with a group of girls in the youth group on Sunday mornings. I loved having her join me to hang out with the “big girls” and she got lots of love and attention from my friends. I was growing up and so was she! And those blue eyes just got more and more amazing!

When I moved away to college, I came back to see Macy and my friends in the Sunday School class whenever I came home. It was even more of a gift to spend time with this group since I was not home very often. I searched for an opportunity to get involved with a church, an organization or a group of some sort so I could meet some friends in my new community of Dahlonega. Sadly, there were zero options. Someone said, “There’s not anything like that here in Dahlonega, so why don’t you start something?”

And I did.

I had such a hard time finding a contact of any kind to reach out to families impacted by disabilities. But I knew they were around – I had met enough families at home to know that for a fact. Slowly, one by one at first, we started making connections. And pretty soon we had a tiny group of college students and a sprinkling of people with disabilities getting together on a regular basis. That started in 2001.

Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that my friendship with Macy when I was so young would lead me to create a group that has become ConnectAbility.

So what happened after I graduated from college, got married and started teaching elementary special education? Well, I lost touch with Macy for the most part. Macy’s family started attending another church and I hardly ever returned home. I heard a couple of times from other friends when she was sick or in the hospital but I went for several years without seeing her. I never got together with Macy or her family outside of church. We didn’t hang out on the weekends. But she had a profound impact on my life. A bigger impact than anyone outside my family.

The last time I saw Macy and her family was at her memorial service just a few days before her 20^th birthday. By this time, I was 30 and had a little girl of my own. I was able to hear from Macy’s teachers, therapists and family members and learn things about her life that I never knew.

Macy never spoke a word. She never took a step. She was not valued by our culture as a leader or a person who contributes to society in any way. Macy was not successful in the eyes of our world. Her life was short and often difficult. Her parents, Randy and Joanna, worked tirelessly for two decades to provide for her needs. It was not always easy. I wasn’t part of any of that.

But what would the world be like today if Macy had not been a part of it? For me, I can’t imagine. For the hundreds of families and individuals that I’ve had the opportunity to meet and become friends with through ConnectAbility, could it be that I wouldn’t have known you without Macy?

Macy taught me so much in the brief times that we spent together. But I think I can sum it up in one quick phrase: Every life has value. Macy’s life and her gifts were crucial to showing me the path of my entire life. Isn’t that incredible?

Thank you Randy & Joanna for sharing your sweet and (sometimes) sassy girl with me. Her life lives on through the smiles, tears, friendships and fun of all the people that Macy helped to introduce me to. Thank you God for creating Macy for such an important purpose. It is my hope that every person reading this story will have the opportunity to meet your Macy and understand the magnitude of impact each life has on this planet.