Am I the only one who helped disabled kids when I was in school?

[CoolCatMar1]

I always helped such kida out in elementary school.. everyone made fun of them and i spent time with them to make them feel better. I also always went into fights with kids who made fun of such kids. I always returned home with messy hair because of the fights hahah.

My grandmother always asked me why my hair is like that and if went in fights again...

[BoopBoopBeep]

I'm not going to retype all of it because I wrote a virtual manifesto on bullying that I already bored everybody once with, but yeah, there was this crippled kid named Andy in my high school. He was poor too, so that made him a double target. He was a funny guy so he ate lunch with my crew. He said he had the original crip walk, because he was crippled, so that made him an honorary gang banger. He did have pretty massive arms at least. He worked those out a lot because nothing there was messed up and it was "his normal arms"... so he had some strength to him.

Up until junior high I got bullied a lot so I already had a bad taste in my mouth for bullies. One day Andy told me he had a bunch of other stuff wrong with him. "I know... I know... I look like a beacon of health..." and that he wasn't exactly going to make it to collect a pension. I thought that was a shame because he was a good guy and homie was hardcore. He jumped in a couple times when cats were testing me and the numbers weren't good... now THAT takes some balls. This one time he kinda... did a controlled fall off a retaining wall onto this guy holding me from behind, knocking all of us down, then mounted ol' boy in a rear naked choke. Got in some hits after he took a nap while I "helped the other two on to the ground for their safety."

Resource officer is holding onto both our collars so we're walking slow down the hall... because... well... Andy (though in typical fashion he had to get his digs in there too "Whoa whoa whoa officer... do you really think I'ma run away?"). That worked out because it gave us more time to do the high school equivalent of the red carpet walk. Two of the other guys on the opposing side are being supervised in one of the empty classrooms until the cop gets done walking us over and the third guy left in an ambulance (nothing major).

Eyes are still burning a little from the pepper spray, but they keep us outside until it subsides a bit so we don't mess up the office, so for the most part that's cleared up. When we were outside and nobody was around I thanked him and asked him why he risked that. He chuckled through the pepperspray tears and goes "what? they gonna beat me un-crippled? Fuck those guys. you heard of drunken boxer? that's rookie shit. I'm a blackbelt in crippled boxer" then he made a really loud bruce lee noise. If I hadn't' cracked a rib I'd have laughed a lot more, but dude was funny.

Anyway, we're getting walked in... we're straight strutting down the main hall into the waiting room to see which principal we're gonna get. There's quite a number of little groups of hot girls watching, so real loud I turn to Andy and go "Thanks for saving my ass out there homeboy... i could've got that one, eventually... probably, but you made short work of those other two before you came and finished mine for me."

We're waiting in the office reception area. Andy goes "that was slick what you said out there. Nobody believe it, but thanks. Hey this may come as a surprise, but I've never been sent to the office for fighting before. Thanks for that too. How's this go?" We got the cool principal. We'll call him Mr. B (not his real initial). Old 'nam vet. Wasn't a big guy, but reminded me of a ripped George Jefferson. Not in the face, but mannerisms. (Side note: Senior year a kid got expelled, came back, shot him in the back, collapsing a lung. He dropped to a three point stance, slowly got up and turned around like the Black Terminator and started walking towards the kid, who self-deleted before he could find out what liquid metal from the future feels like. Nobody ever messed with that principal after that. Dude was HARD.) He comes in, kicks over the trash can, starts throwing stuff and is like "I'm frickin tired of you always getting in fights and always settling your beef with your fists" Not missing a beat Andy deadpans "Wait... Him or me?" Mr. B turned away from us and I saw him stifle a chuckle. I go "Mr. B you know I didn't swing first. I never swing first. RO (resource officer) saying anything different he's full of it." (Other side note: our RO was legit. He'd always do right by you as long as you didn't do dirty. Don't remember his name but he wasn't much older than me really so I hope he's still out there doing his thing).

Me and Andy got 3 days suspension for excessive force since one kid went to the hospital. We weren't upset by that, we'd just go hang out at Putt-Putt for three days or something. I could usually hustle up enough money up there on bets to sustain indefinitely. Can't remember if it was near summer or not. My summer job paid well so I might have had some of that, too. I think three days was probably pretty fair. That's usually what I got if I didn't get to just go back to class. That was "first offense" at my school but they just kept recycling I guess. I never got "second offense" of a week. Andy, always ready, replied with "... but does he look like me now? How many days suspension does life get?" Andy's dad was wholesale garbage. I wanted to get in a second fight when I met him, but that's a story for another day.

Andy pulled up to senior prom with the second biggest limo, and a friend of mine on each arm. He had 'em laughing every time I looked over at him. He didn't stop smiling for like a week. Hope wherever he is, he's still straight strutting today.

[abc3643]

When I was 16, my first job with a paycheck was for $2/hour and about 5 hours/week to participate in a recreational program for kids who were "mentally handicapped" (that's what we said 40+ years ago). I loved it and it changed my life. The program, GAP, still exists too although it has expanded and become more specialized.

https://oysterbaytown.com/departments/community-and-youth-services/handicapped-services-division/

[jennifer_bloom]

Yeah, I used to tutor a disabled kid in my class and I got the highest grade among 200 students in that class which I think was Gods way of blessing me. I had gotten the highest grade before, but never in a class with 200 students.

[Dinklex3]

That wasn’t a thing in my school.

The disabled kids were pretty popular and treated with respect. No one wanted to be the asshole who would bully someone with a disability.

“We don’t do that here”.

[AviatorTom]

You are not the only one.

In college, there was a guy who was confined to a wheelchair. He was a good friend, a member of our group. We did everything with him, never excluded him, and, when necessary, helped him get in and out of his chair.

[OfMiceandMen]

I recall getting in a few scraps because of bullies that took things out on disabled kids. I also remember getting sent home one time for letting the disabled kid bitch slap the bully while I held him down. Guy was a total ass and out of line, Jeff was such a nice kid, always happy.

[Blueeyes81]

No. I always stuck up for them and tried to make them feel like a normal kid. Their life is hard enough without some asshole picking on them or treating them like some sort of freak. They just want to be included and treated like every other kid.

[exitseven]

One of my best friends was disabled. He had polio as a kid. He used to be in a wheelchair but after a few surgeries he walked with a cane. I would not say that I helped him and least no more than he helped me.

[WhitneySnow]

I do peer tutoring at my school. Some of the people I work with are learning disabled. Does that count?

[XXblack88]

No, I doubt you're the only person who done this.

[Nikki1989]

I did the same.

[CoolCatMar1]

I am happy that there are people like that

[AydenHazor]

I didn't get into fights, but I did help them. I didn't time volunteering in the special ed class in high school as well

[Mynameisbobby]

I always stood up for kids that were bullied. I still would.

[Mr-take-yo-girl]

You’re nice and so pretty at the same time

[CoolCatMar1]

Thank you

[Mr-take-yo-girl]

Can you follow me back

[CubaPirate]

Nope I did that too, but ad you know some kids are cruel 😢

[MementoMori777]

My school had people for that lol

[Cubus]

I didn't have any in my school.

[Kelly6]

That’s very nice

[Immyallan01]

I hate bullies so much

[Christoff92]

No. Lots of people do.