A mother-son team at the Bridges to Employment conference engaged an audience with their experience during a workshop entitled, "Latino Culture and Disability: A Family Perspective."

"When people look at my son they don't realize he has a disability because it's invisible," said Matty Lazo-Chadderton, director of the Hispanic/Latino Affairs for the Office of the North Carolina President Pro Tempore of the North Carolina Senate. "Disability is universal. It affects people at all different levels. While it's challenging to be the mom, it's double or triple the challenge to be the mom of a person with a 'different' ability." David Chadderton-Lazo, Matty's son, is an intelligent, strong young man who is very family-oriented and is a powerful self-advocate.

"I don't think of my son as a person with a disability," Matty said. "To me, he has a 'different' ability, as do most of the people who are labeled "disabled." I shudder to think what my son's situation would be like if we still lived in Peru. The situation for people with disabilities is worse there. But, we don't. We live here and therein lies another challenge."

Matty continued, "Despite the challenges, I embraced help from other people, not only for my son, but for myself in learning English. That was tough, but now I am bilingual. I wanted David to be bilingual and bicultural. David could communicate in English, but his Spanish was very poor. However, I sent him to Peru to live for a while, and he came back bilingual and bicultural. I prayed for a miracle and David is my miracle."

David said there were many people who helped him develop coping mechanisms. "I knew that even if I wasn't bilingual at the outset, I could always go back to learn Spanish. I know this because we disabled people happen to be some of the most intelligent people in the world. Of course, if you let stereotypes and myths about people with disabilities get to you, it will affect you. But, if you don't let it affect you, it won't. It's a personal challenge."

David is an articulate 21-year-old who became certified in Culinary Art through an eleven week Culinary Art course at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle, a non-profit organization in Raleigh. Currently, he is assistant cook at Inter-Faith Food Shuttle. David wants to pursue further studies to become a chef. His dream is to own a Peruvian-Mexican-Venezuelan restaurant. He said that he loves the fact he's Latino and that he's proud of his grandmother and her Spanish surname, Valdivia. "Latinos are taking over," David joked. "Being a Latino is special, it's an honor. Being Latino is the key to our culture's 'corazon' (heart). My brother Andrew and I are the only two people in our family who were born in the United States.

Matty Lazo-Chadderton said that the "shame and the stigma" of being disabled is worse than the actual disability. "The Spanish term 'invalido' (invalid) and all the negative connotations that go along with it are no good. We are not invalid. We are valid people with purpose and strength. We are too much in a rush, but we must be patient if we are to learn anything. Being disabled carries a stigma, and we still have a long way to go in the Latino community to be accepted as people with disabilities. However, people should continue to be themselves, no matter the disability or the stigma."

David said he loves sports - especially soccer - and making food for his family. As a fledgling chef, he tries out recipes on his mother and brother, and anyone else who will sit down at the dinner table. He also enjoys dancing. Said David, "Being disabled doesn't mean that I can't dance. The disability has no effect, it all depends on what you understand. We all have disabilities to some extent."

David also likes to travel. He said, "When I was in Peru, it was beautiful. I would look at the mountains and feel happiness. The mountains make you feel as if you're home, as if that's where you belong."

"I may be what they call developmentally disabled, but that doesn't mean that I can't have goals. My short-term goal is to return to Peru. My intermediate-term goal is to work at the Fiesta del Pueblo, an educational and cultural celebration here in Raleigh, NC. And, my long-term goal is to become a chef.

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