Differences In Sharon Draper's Out Of My Mind

In today's world there are many people with differences, but people may not always accept them. For example, I have a friend named Reece. Reece was in a car accident when he was 5 years old. This crash took away his ability to speak and he was paralyzed from the waist down. Since then he has had multiple surgeries to try to help, but sadly they have not been able to make him walk and talk again. Because of being in a wheelchair and using a tablet to talk for him, people look at him strange. They can't fully accept that his different on the outside, but on the inside he is still a 12 year old kid that can think perfectly and just because he can't say anything or walk doesn't make him dumb or not able to think. The theme of both Rules by Cynthia Lord and Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper is Acceptance, just because someone is different on the inside it doesn't

In the beginning of the book no one accepts melody. When Mrs. Billups refers to her and the other kids with disabilities as “these children”. “These children need constant review because they don’t retain information like the rest of us” (page 56). This shows how they don’t really accept them. Also melody is one of the smartest characters in the book and because Mrs. Billups chooses not to acknowledge that show she doesn't accept her. Just because the can’t walk, talk, or look different on the outside, doesn’t mean they aren't smart on the inside. Catherine melody’s aid from school realizes she not different and that she is very smart but some kids make fun of her for it. When Catherine says “what your body looks like has nothing to do with how your brain works” (page 152). That people like Catherine learn to accept her for who she is and realizes that she’s not that different after all. When Mrs. Billups calls them these children and when Catherine tell people that she not that different show the theme of acceptance. Next is how they