Maria Valverde Quotes

When I am in Madrid, I just like to see my friends and walk around the city. I go to the school where my mum works and help out. My plan B, if acting doesn't work out, is to work with disabled children.

I went to school for special education. I always assumed when I had the opportunity I would love to try and help kids with disabilities.

I have a special child and there are not a lot of services around for that special child, and so we picked out a school that would be a very good school for her.

Working with special needs children is hard.

I think we have to think about strategies that will help kids who have disabilities.

My understanding is that Kansas, Massachusetts, they've been more pioneers on the special education side.

I have a son, Mason, who is disabled - cerebral palsy - and he does not walk independently, sit independently or speak. He uses a talking computer. I started becoming an advocate for him when he was 3 years old.

I studied with a blind teacher from about 5 until I was 16, at two different schools. From the age of 12 until 16, I was in a boarding school-which, I believe, at that time was compulsory for blind children.

I'd like to work with kids in special education - younger kids.

If this whole acting thing doesn't work out, I'll just get a talk show.

My mother always said I should have a back-up profession if the acting doesn't work out.

When I started acting, everyone told me to get a backup in case it didn't work out; if there was something else I could have done, I would have done it. Acting should never be your chosen path if you can help it.

We need our children in Jamaica - especially those suffering with dyslexia, autism, cerebral palsy - to get more attention.

It could be easy to get frustrated or discouraged when it comes to educating students with disabilities. But that's because there are too often artificial barriers and roadblocks that limit your ability to focus on meeting their individual needs.

Children with special needs inspire a very, very special love.

I'm an artist. So if acting doesn't work out, which I hope it does, I'm probably going to go into graphic design or something like that.

I decided to study special education and fell in love with working with individuals with autism. That's what I planned to do with my life.

I grew up using hearing aids, and I had speech therapy and so forth, and that helped me to develop a passion for music and helped me to develop my drumming talents.

I always wanted to be an athlete. Then when I realized that I can't run very fast, jump very high, or catch anything, I thought, 'Maybe if this doesn't work out, I can be an actor.'

The only way to ensure that our promise to provide every opportunity for students with disabilities, and help them achieve their full potential, is to give our schools the dollars they need.

Mom worked with autistic children.

If the acting don't work out, I'll have a future in construction.

I was very disruptive. I was horrible. I didn't learn like all the other kids. I had to sometimes take my tests out in the hallways because I couldn't focus. But, my teachers would come see me in the plays and were like 'I don't understand how you can focus and be in the moment in a play and you go into math class and you can't focus.'

If acting doesn't work out, I plan to do food photography and just eat my way through the entire world. I'm a big foodie, and if I could make some career out of it, that would be fantastic.

I always joke around with my parents and say that if Hollywood doesn't work out I'll go to Broadway!