[Music]
ten years ago my son Michael was
diagnosed with intellectual disability
his condition is close to autism it is
called fragile X I remember that day
vividly not because that news had
shattered our family I remember it
because the day started out with the
father's in the bathroom my son my
daughter my husband and me preparing for
the day and it ended exactly the same
way with the same for preparing for the
night
despite the diagnosis nothing had really
changed and yet in our society such a
diagnosis is often interpreted as the
end of the world for those who are
affected and their family but I would
like to disagree such a diagnosis
categorizes triggers some medical
administrative social system sure but it
is not the end of the world I believe
that any diagnosis of disability rather
than creating despair should raise the
question of its opposite nature is a
balanced system
it offers what it takes elsewhere
we call them disabled because they do
not have the same capabilities as us but
they might have other capacities as well
a better integration of disabled people
in our society might not mean to
assimilate them into whatever we deem
normal but rather to understand how they
complete us I love this quote I have
once read online if you laugh at a
different child he will laugh with you
because his innocence surpasses your
ignorance I want to tell you about the
main benefit that I have gotten from 10
years with my aunt
to lead this abortion sure when I got my
son diagnosis I was upset
it came unexpectedly but I never
suffered and ten years later I can say
that I've learned more than I've lost
adapting to my son reality he allows me
to be white truly am because his
different compares me to question myself
about my inner life about my existence
about my role he has a sort of pure
essence that I treasure he brings
flowers to life that I had forgotten
because like many among us I kept
returning instead of living fully so
what are the main benefits that I have
gotten from ten years with my
intellectually disabled son I would
mention three the first is mindfulness I
didn't realize how many time during a
single day I have risen to be up here
about my life not by buying something
new or doing something trendy to search
for the approval of our society but
simply enjoying your true moments of
happiness like a good meal a nice walk
or an interesting discussion Michael
love watching would be on television for
him every match is as intense as the
work cup he stands up his hand on his
heart and he lived the whole game as if
his life depend on it
it truly is in the moment seeing him
reminds me that often in life great
things are right in front of us we
simply need to notice them a certain
benefit is time management Michael
cannot be rushed into things so we had
to review our perception of time to join
him in a dimension where we could
function together
it started with limiting the number of
activities precisely preparing the days
in
advanced and learning how to use time
instead of constantly catching up
it isn't easy as many of us know we're
constantly running after time I found
that it helped if you learn how to make
time and dedicate it to specific
purposes remember that I used to think
that my life was full before and now
that I have many more things to manage
with this special gift I have the
impression to have plenty of time ahead
of me
one place it has been particularly
liberating is the weekend we used to
spend our Saturday trying to catch up
for everything we have not been able to
do during the week running being
stressed that all changed since my
cannot be rushed into things we are
never in hurry and everything that
cannot be done today will be done
tomorrow my perception and the way I
manage time change drastically and
finally I also learn how to enrich my
emotional intelligence one summer we
went on holiday for a week with some old
friend who had kids
globally everything was going well we
had rented a big house with a pool and
plenty of space to spend quality time
collectively and individually Mike was
often aside in the corner of the garden
after a few days I went to see him to
understand why I was so distant and he
told me that it was nobody's fault but
that some people felt more comfortable
than others with his handicap is the
natural rather for emotion his sort of
see through you so many times we will
come home from work and being stress out
and sad and he feels it instantly his
moon changes readapt he can't always
processing but he feels it and act
accordingly and he can even do this with
strangers he has never met
ham pathy is the most valuable lesson my
son teaches me mike is not pretending or
acting his life so any moment matters
for a penis in time and with others
I remember that cinema told us already
20 years ago about the power of
different intelligence when a friend
reminded me of Rain Man remember that
movie during those two hours the
character played by Tom Cruise
confronted to his seventh autistic
brother played by Dustin Hoffman moved
from a seemingly perfect and successful
but selfish and ignorant businessman
into a loving caring and happy brother
we could have built on this essential
message but we didn't instead of bearing
the weight of the difference we could
make it valuable one way to do so would
be to employ does that today we exclude
and invalidate or to use a fashionable
expression once that successful startup
are sized upon we could call that
deploying unused asset into the economy
I believe that the special perception
provided by intellectually disabled
people and their way of living are
indeed some of those unused asset that
we are currently letting go to waste
it starts with accepting neurodiversity
but it goes far beyond that
intellectually disabled people can bring
added value to our society because they
are life achievers just consider the
strength free of the mental barrier
responsible for isolation and
segregation they are natural-born
mediators incapable of going as fast as
society they are human metronome Asst
expert in human and natural
all rhythm because every day they are
forced to try and compensate the ante
cap they have proven to have
super-heroes capabilities my son Michael
once told me when I have kids I want to
teach them to be happy I don't know if
he will have kids one day but I do know
that teaching a penis is something is
capable of thank you
[Applause]