The day started like any other day. I awoke at the usual time and began to prepare my breakfast, but something felt different. Everything looked the same, everything in its proper place, but something just didn't seem right. As I dressed for work, I tried to put it out of my mind, but I couldn't shake the feeling. I knew my life was about to change forever!

       Driving to work, things all seemed the same. The traffic hadn't changed, the storefronts all looked as they always had. I struggled to overcome the feeling of dread. Everything looked the same as ever, but something was very, very different.

       As I parked the car and walked into the office building where I worked, I began to notice strange things. There, beside the stairs, was a ramp leading up to the door. What in the world could that be for? It must be for loading supplies, I thought. It was then I noticed the people on the street. For the most part, they looked like they did everyday. Everyone hurrying to whatever appointment they had for the day. Still, some of the people were different. Some looked strange. Some acted strange. Others were using strange equipment. There was definitely something going on. I was determined to find out what it was.

       As I sat down at my desk, I noticed the desk next to me was now occupied. Funny, it had been empty yesterday. My new coworker was seated in some contraption with wheels on it. He used it to wheel himself around the office. Looks like something from a bad science fiction movie I thought to myself. I decided to stay as far away from this person as possible.

       Later that morning, on my way to the bathroom, I nearly collided with a woman waving a white cane back and forth in front of her. You wouldn't believe the look in her eyes. They had a blue cast to them and appeared to be staring into space. I was beginning to get scared. What had happened during the night? An invasion from outer space? Strange, zombie-like creatures taking over the earth? I had to get to the bottom of this.

       I made my way to my supervisor's office. Surely, Mr. Matthews would be able to help me figure this out. I burst into his office, spouting my suspicions and fears about the "aliens" I had seen. Mr. Matthews tried to allay my suspicions by telling me that Jim had worked at the company for years. He had lost the use of his legs and used a wheel chair to get around. Then, he tried to tell me that Mary could not see and used the white cane to help her move around the office safely. I could tell by the implausibility of his story that he had been coached by these strange beings on what to say. He tried to explain that these people had "disabilities" but could still be useful, contributing members of society. I wasn't buying it, not for a minute. These people were freaks and no way were they going to get to me!

       I went immediately back to my desk -- it was obvious I couldn't stay there. I packed my things and headed for my car. On the way, I saw more and more strange people. Some had a strange slant to their eyes and some made strange jerking movements, but others were accepting them as if they were normal. I had to get out of this nightmare! I needed to get back home and sort everything out.

       I sat in my darkened living room and tried to organize my thoughts. Why was I the only one able to see the strangeness of these people? Why did everyone else accept them as if nothing were wrong? Why had these different people suddenly appeared and what did it mean to the future of normal people like me?

       I was startled out of my thoughts by a sudden knock at my front door. Had the strange people finally come for me? I peered out the window and saw my neighbor Curt. He still looked the same, but I remained cautious.

       "What do you want?" I yelled through the locked door.

       "Please, please, let me in! Haven't you seen the strange people yet? Everyone has changed, and I don't understand! Let me in, PLEASE!" Curt wailed.

       His plea seemed so genuine that I opened the door. Curt ran in and slammed it shut. "I don't know what is going on," he cried. "You have to help me. What should we do?"

       "I'm not sure," I said. "I haven't figured it out either. I think we need to find others like us. People who can still see the truth. One of us has to go outside and look around."

       "How can we go outside with those things out there?" asked Curt.

       "Act like everyone else," I said. "Smile at the strange people and treat them like you would any normal person. Don't let on you know they are different."

       We drew straws and Curt got the short one. Nervously, he went out into the strange, new world.

       It seemed like he was gone forever. I paced the floor and worried. What if something happened to him? What if I were the last normal person left on earth? Why couldn't I wake up from this nightmare?

       I had fallen into a fitful sleep when Curt's knock woke me. I peered out the window to make sure everything was clear. "Thank goodness you're back," I cried opening the door. In an instant, I could see things had changed. They had gotten to Curt too!

       "We have been wrong," Curt said. "These people are not aliens or zombies. They are not strange or weird. They are just like us. They are smart, funny, and capable of doing all the things we do. Some of them just need to develop different ways of doing things. Some need adaptive equipment and others need more time to learn. The bottom line is that we are all people and each have something to contribute to the world."

       I couldn't believe my ears! He actually believed what he was saying! I started to protest, but then I saw them massing in my front yard. I turned to run, but another group was coming in my back door. I had nowhere to run! I was trapped! As they surrounded me, I began to feel their warmth and understanding. For the first time in my life, I knew how it felt to be accepted for whom and what I was. I drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep....

       I'm feeling much better now. Things are, finally, back to normal. I go to work in the same office and sit beside Jim in his wheelchair. Sometimes I even take Mary to lunch, describing all the activity around us that she cannot see. I have been promoted at work. I travel to other cities, ones that haven't discovered the truth yet. I talk to them about their fear, their prejudice and their hatred. I tell them it doesn't need to be that way. There is nothing to fear, we are all people. We all have hopes, and fears and dreams. I let them know if we all work together to promote acceptance and understanding that no one needs to feel different or left out.

       People do not always understand my message. They lock themselves away and cower in fear. I have great hope that someday, something will reach them. People need to learn they cannot run and hide. They can no longer deny that people with disabilities really do exist. They need to open up and embrace those with different abilities. Only then, will the fear and suspicion disappear.

       That is what I learned on the day they came for me!

About the Author

      Sue Saladino describes herself as a stay-at-home mom to three sons with disabilities. Zack, 9, and Matt, 7, are fully included in regular education classrooms. Alex, her youngest, passed away on December 31, 2000, at age 4. Sue relates, "He lives on in our hearts and through my writing."

       Sue writes that she's a "grammatically impaired" writer, and that her high school English teachers called her "imaginative" and "wordy". "What I lack in skill," she says, "I try to make up for in feeling. I write about my sons and our lives. They are my inspiration."

      Kudzu Monthly feels that Mrs. Saladino is far too modest. Her efforts speak for themselves. When asked for a bio picture, Sue supplied the one below. They are Alex, Matt, and Zack.

      Sue writes short stories, including "inclusion fables," for and about children and poetry. Her works are about living with a "dislabeled" child, the adoption process, and dealing with depression and grief. If that sounds somber, you should know that her works also encompass her own special, personal joy. Catch Sue's stories and poetry at her website, Dislabled Writings.

* * *

October is National Disabilities Awareness Month.

* * *