A man in a striped shirt raised his hand.
“Charity, can you describe what it’s like to have your challenges?”
I see the world differently. Often I cannot control my body. I cannot do many things that other people do. But I can open my heart. Can you?
The man smiled and nodded.
I am Charity. Tomorrow is my fourteenth birthday. I still love sour gummies and pepperoni pizza. And like my name says, my heart is open to all the world.
Afterword by Carol Cujec
This book was inspired by the wisest, most courageous person I know, my friend Peyton Goddard. Peyton could not speak and did not have full control over her body when she was young, so the experts (she called them the Thinkers) labeled her “severely mentally challenged.” They could not see her brilliant mind trapped inside. Here is how she describes it:
Personally, I saw a life I’ll never want anyone to teach as acceptable for any human being. Understaters utter I’m no one. I’m broken, nothing worthy, moldy bread, throwaway trash.
She was removed from public school and sent to a school like Borden Academy, where she was often left sitting alone on the blacktop of the playground or locked in a seclusion room.
I daily went not to school, but to various institutions, defined by me as any place that all people are not included. Segregation is the beast whose bite cheats us all. The isolation of people different renders you and me strangers. Reality is that you are me and I am you. Difference is in all of us. Fear it we do not need.
Peyton became severely depressed. When her parents realized the abuse she was suffering, they fought to get her into a public-school classroom with the support she needed. Right away, they saw improvements in Peyton’s ability to control her body and in her overall well-being.
When Peyton was twenty-two years old, her mom learned about supported typing and arranged for Peyton to be evaluated. Her mom did not expect much to come of it, though. She had tried, unsuccessfully, typing with Peyton at home many times.
In her very first typing session, Peyton amazed everyone when she typed a sentence she hoped would forever change the way people treated her: I AM INTLGENT.
Finally able to communicate, Peyton asked for the one thing she always wanted—a real education. And that’s what she got. With the support of teachers and administrators at Cuyamaca College in San Diego, Peyton became the first person using supported typing to graduate valedictorian from a US college.
Today, she is working on speaking words with her lips and continuing to fight for the millions of kids who deserve to be included in our classrooms and communities. She would like all readers to understand the value of friendship, especially for kids who are different.
To have friends is the most important thing for all people. Without friends, a person cannot have fun. It is hard to live. There is no joy, just sadness. I have felt this, because I look different and I am labeled autistic. I cannot always control my body. It does not do what my mind tells it. My face cannot show my feelings. For most of my life, I had to speak through behaviors and most people misunderstood. I need help to do most things. But I can open my heart. Can you?
There is joy for all kids to greatly contribute to the necessary improvement of humanity by participating and belonging and contributing and having diverse friends.
This is my wish for all of you.
Acknowledgments
From Carol and Peyton:
Dear readers, thank YOU for picking up our book. Like Charity, we’re on a mission to spread kindness and include all people. We’re tossing the ball to you now. Will you pass it forward for us? We want to hear your stories. Find us on social media and let us know what you’re up to.
Teachers and librarians, thank YOU for seeing every child as capable. We would love to meet with your students, virtually or in person.
With endless gratitude to our agent, Stacey Glick, who never stopped believing our story needed to be told.
We loudly love the creative minds at Shadow Mountain Publishing, who embraced our story with open hearts, crafted our beautiful cover art, masterfully edited it, and helped us launch kindness into the universe.
Deep appreciation to our beta readers in the beloved community of inclusionists, who read and cheered us on—Caren Sax, Emma van der Klift, Norm Kunc, Diana Pastora Carson, Beth Gallagher, Jacque Thousand, and Rich Villa. And Anne Donnellan, trailblazing pioneer exploring sensory-movement differences in autism, who encouraged us along the way. To all non-speakers, whose writings lifted and advised REAL, keep telling the world your stories so we can understand each other better.
From Carol:
With everlasting love to my family. Anton, I am heartened by your kind heart. Noah, I am uplifted by your keen wit. Ella, thank goodness you were my first reader, with highlighter in hand, telling me you never wanted the story to end. To my wonderful husband, Tom, I am forever grateful for your love and support. Hugs also to my eight siblings and their sweet families for their encouragement and never-ending supply of bad jokes.
To my beta readers: Anne Marie, my SCBWI critique group (Jeanne, Danielle, Alyssa, Jessica, Fran, Ruth), and David Larson’s writing meet-up. Googolplex thanks for your precious feedback and firm nudges forward.
Finally, to my many students over the years—you have also been my teachers. Thank you.
From Peyton:
I loudly thank all persons who hearted help lift up my living. Each of your kindnesses hurry my healing and rest me as real.
To my family, your love saturates me, fueling my IOU quest to teach “treasure all, great is each.” Murray and Lincoln, each dawning day your caring betters me and my writing. I am jellybeans happy you are my nephews.
To all who type to talk, your voices seed my feathers of hope for a better world
