Little girls, who suffer from cerebral palsy and other disabilities, get to be ballerinas.

In the spirit of inclusiveness, I'd like to point out to the editors (and readers) that a much better (and less parental) way of saying this is that the girls live with their disabilities, rather than putting the emphasis on perceived "suffering." I flinch whenever I hear/read phrases like that above, as they are informed (at least subconsciously) by the idea that one must be suffering if one has a disability; that people are "bound to their wheelchairs" as to crosses rather than using them to achieve greater mobility; and so forth. These may seem like minor quibbles, but women the world over know the power of language to shape and define experience. And this, fundamentally, is about those of us with disabilities having the right to define our own experiences and to express our lives as being full, loving, and worthwhile rather than simply objects of pity or fodder for human-interest stories.

On a lighter note, I was able to dance in my community's production of "The Nutcracker" for two years as a child; I was the only little girl invited to the Christmas party who used a wheelchair, and I can absolutely testify to the importance the class mentioned in the Times article will have on those little girls as they grow up into strong young women.

It's a credit to the writer that when I read the NYTimes article and saw its images (admittedly from a non-disabled point of view) I didn't see the disabilities; what jumped out at me was the radiant little girls doing what many little girls like to do. It made my day, truly. But it shouldn't be seen as a sappy human interest story: it should demonstrate to dancing schools everywhere that it can be done, and that there are no excuses for not doing so.

That article made my day! Those little girls were so cute--I sent a link to everyone I know. And kudos to the teacher and her volunteers for making it possible. The story is just a great reminder of what can be done if you just DO something.