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They had no idea that she would speak, much less what she would say. I’m John Stonestreet and this is the Point.

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Children with disabilities have a new, unlikely spokesperson -- Carly Fleischmann. Carly was born severely autistic. For years she couldn’t walk or speak. Experts described her as “moderately mentally retarded.”

But that changed the day Carly began to type, trying to send a brief message to her therapist. No one knew Carly understood language, much less imagined she could write. But, after months of coaching, Carly began to type regularly. And for the first time, Carly’s parents learned her true self -- a sometimes playful teenage girl with dreams and desires, fully aware of everything happening around her, even when she could not respond to it.

Carly’s story shows the image of God is present in every person, and that our scientific certainties about life and value are not as reliable as we think. At next month’s Wilbeforce Weekend, we’ll celebrate the life of Joni Erickson Tada, who’s been teaching this message for years. Come to thePointRadio.org to learn more about Joni and attending this important weekend. For the Point, I’m John Stonestreet.