Precerpt from Raising God's Rainbow Makers: 🌈 Doah Integrates His Special Education Class
Some people navigate social life with nuance, strategy, and finely tuned emotional radar.
Doah is not one of those people.
He has never had the cognitive scaffolding or emotional filters that help most of us sort out relationships, hierarchies, or the unwritten rules of “oughts” and “shoulds.” Instead, he moves through the world with a kind of joyful directness—simple, sincere, and utterly unencumbered by social categories.
Which is how he greets his primary care physician.
The moment we step into the hallway, Doah takes off at full speed, arms flung wide, shouting, “My doctor! My doctor!” before slamming into the poor man with a full‑body hug. His PCP—an introverted, elderly gentleman who looks like he might faint if someone so much as waves at him—stiffens, blushes, and then awkwardly pats Doah’s back.
But he likes it. I can tell he likes Doah very much.
School was no different.
Doah never distinguished between the “in” crowd and the “others.” He didn’t recognize social cliques, popularity tiers, or even—gulp—the two rival gangs on campus. The Norteños wore red. The Sureños wore blue. Every student knew the rules.
Except Doah.
He wore both colors indiscriminately, sometimes in the same outfit, and somehow got away with it. He pal’d around with members of both gangs, who treated him with a kind of protective fondness. They never pulled him into their activities, never let him get hurt, and never let anyone else mess with him.
At 4'7", he wasn’t exactly intimidating. The cheerleaders thought he was adorable when he flirted with them, and their football‑player boyfriends thought he was adorable too. Doah was the only boy on campus who could hit on a cheerleader and get high‑fives from her boyfriend for doing it.
His special education teacher, meanwhile, had one recurring complaint:
“Doah disappears at lunch.”
Yes. Yes, he did. He was off having lunch with the regular‑ed kids, who welcomed him like a mascot, a little brother, and a friend rolled into one.
So it should not have surprised anyone that he wanted to do what they did—including going to their physical education class.
“Please, Coach,” the regular‑ed kids begged. “Let Doah come to PE with us.”
The coach was game. The special ed teacher was not.
This was unheard of.
So she delivered what she thought was the perfect, conversation‑ending line:
“If you take one of the special ed students, you have to take them all.”
She expected the coach to back down immediately.
“Okay,” he said.
She had no comeback.
And that is how Doah—without strategy, without advocacy, without even realizing he was doing anything unusual—integrated his entire special education class into regular education.
At least for gym.
He didn’t do it through policy or protest or planning.
He did it the way he does everything: by simply assuming he belonged, and by making everyone else believe it too.
Book Description:
Raising God's Rainbow Makers
A Family Memoir of Grace, Grit, and Growing Up Different
What happens when a military family welcomes four children—each with wildly different needs—into a world not always built to support them?
In Raising God’s Rainbow Makers, one mother shares the remarkable journey of raising two children with complex disabilities—one with spina bifida, one with CHARGE Syndrome—and two intellectually gifted children, all born in different states during years of military life. Through medical crises, educational challenges, and societal roadblocks (both intentional and unintentional), this honest and inspiring memoir tells the story of how one family built a life of strength, compassion, and resilience.
With warmth and unflinching honesty, the author reflects on emergency surgeries, IEP battles, unexpected victories, and the fierce sibling bonds that formed in the face of it all. The children—now grown—bear witness to the power of support, faith, and never giving up.
This is not just a story of survival. It is a celebration of difference, a chronicle of hope, and a powerful testament to what love and determination can build when the world says "impossible."
Keywords:
Parenting memoir; Special needs parenting; Raising children with disabilities; Military family life; Family resilience; Inspirational family story; Faith-based memoir; Coping with medical challenges; Sibling support stories; Gifted children; Spina bifida; CHARGE Syndrome; Hydrocephalus; Congenital disabilities; Complex medical needs; Pediatric neurosurgery; IEP and special education; Gifted education; Educational advocacy; Inclusive education; Hope and healing; Courage and strength; Love and perseverance; Raising different children; Disability acceptance; Parenting through adversity; Overcoming barriers; Finding joy in hardship; Special needs journey; Family unity and support; For parents of disabled children; For parents of gifted children; For educators and therapists; Christian parenting memoir; For families facing rare diagnoses; Real-life parenting stories; Memoirs about raising children; Stories of medical miracles
For more posts about Elizabeth and her books, click HERE.
Read more stories -- and photos -- about the Mahlou family in the blog (no longer maintained), Clan of Mahlou.
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