When the ABC sitcom Speechless premiers September 21, 2016, viewers will see a different kind of sitcom family. Minnie Driver plays Maya, the mother of three kids, one of which is a special needs child confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak. It has been over 25 years since a star in a TV show emphasized the life of a special needs child. Life Goes On (1989-1993) had Chris Burke as Corky, a young boy with Down syndrome. Speechless has Micah Fowler as JJ, a young boy with cerebral palsy. Driver's character does everything in her power to make sure her kids have a "normal" life and goes out of her way to create a positive environment for JJ, often to the extent of overdoing her attention to him and his needs and possibly giving less attention to her other two children. Speaking to the media at the recent Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Driver explained, "You know, when I read this, it is a high degree of difficulty to pull this particular character off, because she's a lot. And someone said that "Speechless" refers to JJ, the character's nonverbal situation, but also [my character of] Maya renders people speechless with the stuff that she says. I think I understand her. I'm a mother. All mothers fight hard for their children. To have a child with special needs, you have to fight so much harder, from everything that I learned. So yeah, I was up for the challenge."...

'Speechless' sitcom depicts a family with a special needs child, emphasizing the mother's fight for a 'normal' life for him.

'Speechless' Series Focuses on Special Needs

When the ABC sitcom Speechless premiers September 21, 2016, viewers will see a different kind of sitcom family. Minnie Driver plays Maya, the mother of three kids, one of which is a special needs child confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak. It has been over 25 years since a star in a TV show emphasized the life of a special needs child. Life Goes On (1989-1993) had Chris Burke as Corky, a young boy with Down syndrome. Speechless has Micah Fowler as JJ, a young boy with cerebral palsy. Driver's character does everything in her power to make sure her kids have a "normal" life and goes out of her way to create a positive environment for JJ, often to the extent of overdoing her attention to him and his needs and possibly giving less attention to her other two children. Speaking to the media at the recent Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour, Driver explained, "You know, when I read this, it is a high degree of difficulty to pull this particular character off, because she's a lot. And someone said that "Speechless" refers to JJ, the character's nonverbal situation, but also [my character of] Maya renders people speechless with the stuff that she says. I think I understand her. I'm a mother. All mothers fight hard for their children. To have a child with special needs, you have to fight so much harder, from everything that I learned. So yeah, I was up for the challenge."...

'Speechless' sitcom depicts a family with a special needs child, emphasizing the mother's fight for a 'normal' life for him.

'Speechless' Series Focuses on Special Needs

Photo Courtesy of Joe Kusumoto Two new Paralympic champions were crowned at Olympic Stadium Wednesday as Team USA added five medals to its tally, including two gold, and smashed a world record. Rachael Morrison (Farmington Hills, Michigan) won her first Paralympic gold in record-breaking fashion in the women's discus throw F52 as she topped her own world mark set at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in October. The defending world champion was challenged by U.S. teammate Cassie Mitchell (Atlanta, Georgia) who broke Morrison's world record on her second attempt with a mark of 12.87-meters. Three throws later, Morrison took back the record, adding 22 centimeters to polish off gold with a final mark of 13.09. "It feels amazing," Morrison said. "To set a world record at a Paralympic Games leaves me mostly speechless with a plastered smile across my face which will be there for quite a while." Mitchell, who has overcome a difficult year with a leukemia diagnosis in April, won her second medal of the Games. She'll turnaround from the track to the pool as she'll compete with the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team tomorrow in the women's 50-meter backstroke S2. "That's one of those things where you go with the flow," Mitchell said. "I haven't really thought about it too much other than it's exciting. There's no expectations. I'm here, I'm going to do my best and have fun. Now I have two medals in my pocket and I'm going to be thankful for...

Rachael Morrison reclaims discus F52 world record, winning Paralympic gold with a 13.09m throw, as Team USA earns five medals.

Rachael Morrison Smashes Her Own World Record For Paralympic Discus Gold

 Photo Courtesy of Joe Kusumoto  Two new Paralympic champions were crowned at Olympic Stadium Wednesday as Team USA added five medals to its tally, including two gold, and smashed a world record.  Rachael Morrison (Farmington Hills, Michigan) won her first Paralympic gold in record-breaking fashion in the women's discus throw F52 as she topped her own world mark set at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships in October. The defending world champion was challenged by U.S. teammate Cassie Mitchell (Atlanta, Georgia) who broke Morrison's world record on her second attempt with a mark of 12.87-meters. Three throws later, Morrison took back the record, adding 22 centimeters to polish off gold with a final mark of 13.09. "It feels amazing," Morrison said. "To set a world record at a Paralympic Games leaves me mostly speechless with a plastered smile across my face which will be there for quite a while." Mitchell, who has overcome a difficult year with a leukemia diagnosis in April, won her second medal of the Games. She'll turnaround from the track to the pool as she'll compete with the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Team tomorrow in the women's 50-meter backstroke S2. "That's one of those things where you go with the flow," Mitchell said. "I haven't really thought about it too much other than it's exciting. There's no expectations. I'm here, I'm going to do my best and have fun. Now I have two medals in my pocket and I'm going to be thankful for...

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Special Needs
Articles

'Speechless' Series Focuses on Special Needs

Rachael Morrison Smashes Her Own World Record For Paralympic Discus Gold

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Special Needs Articles

'Speechless' Series Focuses on Special Needs

Rachael Morrison Smashes Her Own World Record For Paralympic Discus Gold

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles