Ben was honored to be invited to the White House to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the 50 anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act. He was allowed to bring 2 guests and decided that he would love to go with his 2 brothers. His oldest brother Glenn lives in Maryland and there is a train that goes right into the heart of D.C. So the plan was set. Dan picked Ben up after the Eagles game he was working and they hopped on I95 and drove to Glenn's house. The next morning they left in plenty of time to catch the train to Washington D.C. only to get to the station and find that it had been cancelled. Always ready to pivot as needed, his brothers ordered an Uber and they were on their way.
It is so amazing to me that Ben is able to now go with the flow of plans in his life. There was a time where this kind of disruption would have derailed him to the point of not being able to accomplish the task or event at hand. Through lots of hard work and practice, he knows that not all plans go as planned and that he will still be able to enjoy events even if they are a bit different than he hoped. We were very deliberate when we would visit amusement parks to not go on the rides in set order so that he would feel comfortable with mixing things up on purpose or by necessity.
The brothers really enjoyed the event and knowing how many of the organizations represented and the Acts themselves helped to shape Ben's present and future. There is just something about standing on the White House lawn eating desserts on White House napkins that transcends political party lines.
When Glenn was ready to high tail it out of the event when it was over, Dan advocated for Ben knowing that he would want to spend time meeting and interacting with all of the guests as well as taking his signature selfie (see last weeks post to learn more about this amazing skill)
Today, Ben is again heading to Washington DC, traveling solo to see the sights and enjoy an actual White House tour. He makes everyone he meets feel like a rock star and I am sure these amazing Amtrak workers smiled bigger and brighter for having met Ben. Stay tuned to next week to see what adventures he found on his trip.
Love you more...
Mom
