Notice anything different?
by Beth
Notice anything different? I sure hope so! Easter Seals has been working long and hard to expand our blog into one that covers other disabilities, in addition to autism, and today’s our launch day!
If you’ve been following the Easter Seals and Autism blog already, you know that my name is Beth Finke, and I’m the Easter Seals Interactive Community Coordinator. And if you’ve been reading very closely over the past six years, you also know that I am blind. That means I have first-hand experience with the resourcefulness it takes to live with a disability — I use assistive technology. A computer program called JAWS reads the text on my screen out loud. That’s how I’m able to read your comments to the blog. I also have a grown son who has developmental and mental disabilities of his own. What that all means is I am familiar with — and have an inherent interest in — the services and feelings you all are writing about when it comes to dealing with disabilities. You are not alone, and we want to hear from you.
We will still be covering autism on our blog, of course, and we’ll also talk about Easter Seals and its services to children, adults and families … with all sorts of other disabilities as well. My fancy-schmancey Interactive Community Coordinator title means I’m the one who will be moderating this new edition of the Easter Seals blog. I’ll keep my ear open for articles and news involving people with disabilities, then ask our featured bloggers and spokespeople at Easter Seals affiliates across the country to write blog posts about those things. They’ll email the posts to me, I’ll use my talking computer to edit them and add html code, and, presto!
And that’s where you come in. It’s my job to read through the comments you leave on our blog, and I hope you’ll weigh in with comments and questions. When appropriate, I’ll forward your comments to Easter Seals blog authors and information and referral staff for answers. We want you to feel comfortable sharing information and interacting — that way, this online community will thrive. So please keep your comments, questions and recommendations about life with autism and other disabilities coming. It’s a privilege to hear from you.