No Shame: Disabled Kids Now 'Angels' of Taiwan

There was a time when children with disabilities in Taiwan were referred to as "useless." Traditional social values caused many parents of those children to feel shame.

But thanks to one organization, that is changing.

Chao-Chen Lin and Ya-Wen Hsiao were ashamed after they had two children born with disabilities. Then they found God and realized their children were really special – angels in every sense of the word.

To help other parents who have children with physical or mental disabilities, they established Angel Heart Family Social Welfare Foundation (AHFSW). Each year since, the group sponsors Angel's Day to encourage families in similar circumstances to publicly acknowledge their own children as angels.

Speaking at an Angel's Day event, Chao-Chen declared, "For all the parents out there, I understand your hard work, but the doors have now opened. Let us begin this journey together!"

The event is 6 years old, and this year almost 3,000 families joined in with the full support of the government and the Ministry of National Defense. All divisions of the armed forces were on hand to interact with the children.

"I am very emotional inside," Chun-Chen Lin, an Angel parent said. "They are just like any other normal kids, marching just like the military – even walking in front of us really made my heart melt."

"It is not often that we get to have interactions like this, to watch our kids show their appreciation by saluting their parents today was tremendous," he added.

"Parenting is hard; being parents of these angels is no exception" Yi-Chen Wang, another Angel parent, said. "But what they've done here today, all those feelings of hard work has turned into inspiration and happiness."

Chao-Chen explained how the organization came about. He said it all started with an autistic child and his mother on a bus. The child was acting up and they had to withstand the scornful looks from other bus riders who showed no empathy.

Upset by the story, Chao-Chen vowed to use the hand of God to help the public understand more about Angels and learn the lessons of friendship and acceptance.

Later, that same parent told him another bus story with a different ending.

"A parent came to me and said her kid was running around on the bus," Chao-Chen recounted. "She apologized to the driver and much to her surprise, he said, 'It doesn't matter. Kids this age should be out having fun.' And everyone on the bus applauded."

"The parent told me she cried," he said. "This was the second time she cried on the bus. The first time, she was forced off the bus with her kid. But this time she cried because she felt accepted. Society is changing for the better."

"The slogan, 'The parents' first step is the hope for the kids,' is not just for the families in Taiwan who have kid's with special needs, but for all Chinese out there, wherever you are," Hsiao said.

"You can live a life of an Angel's heart so that the families that do need help can come to understand that there is hope and you do have it in you to break through," she added.

The AHFSW started with the vision of one couple but it has grown to encompass thousands. And with God leading the way and faith like the parable of the mustard seed, its founders believe it will spread throughout the Chinese world and beyond.