Applauding exemplary adult autism service providers

by Patricia Wright

Easter Seals is a member of the leadership council for Advancing Futures for Adults with Autism (AFAA). Led by the vision of individuals with autism and their families, AFAA is a national consortium of organizations working together to promote a collaborative spirit and develop both public and private sector support that improve the lives of adults living with autism.

Let’s be real: the needs of adults with autism are significant. In an effort to address these needs, AFAA Recently launched AFAA Applauds, a national initiative recognizing innovative, high-quality support programs for adults living with autism. Through a competitive application process, AFAA selected six organizations for their exemplary results in oriented employment, residential support and community life programs (community life includes social skills, transportation, recreational, safety, spirituality or other categories of service that improve life experiences and outcomes for those living with autism).

Each AFAA Applauds winner received a $5,000 grant to develop a video about the program. The videos will be released in April, and AFAA will promote the videos through multiple communication channels. The inaugural winners of AFAA Applauds are:

• Autism Services Inc., New York
  Autism Services Inc. helps individuals with autism become involved in the visual and performing arts and has improved their quality of life.
• Chapel Haven, Connecticut
  Chapel Haven’s supported living program assists individuals with autism as they obtain jobs, gain a network of friends and participate in a vibrant community life. Chapel Haven’s program sets a high standard for excellence.
• Eden Autism Services, New Jersey
  Eden Adult Services’ multifaceted adult employment program promotes the meaningful engagement of adults with autism in their communities through paid employment and active volunteer service. The program has created successful employment opportunities for individuals with autism.
• Family Adult and Child Therapies (FACT), California
  The Generating All Possibilities 4-year program at FACT supports individuals with autism as they make informed decisions about work, college and where to live. The program helps prepare adults with autism for the future.
• Partnerships with Industry (PWI), California PWI provides adults with autism the opportunity to find employment. PWI has helped individuals with autism reach their potential and experience independence.
• The Friendship Circle, California
  The Friendship Circle fosters spiritual, social, and educational experiences for individuals with autism. The program has created activities that bring value to the lives of individuals with autism.

Keep an eye out for the videos. They are in production now, and we will let you know here when you can access the AFAA Applauds videos and learn more about these fantastic programs.

We’re sure going to miss you, Tom Harkin

by Beth Finke

Last week Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) announced he will not seek a sixth term in the U.S. Senate, and this past Tuesday Disability Scoop interviewed my fellow Easter Seals blogger Katy Neas for an article about the many things Harkin has done over the years to advocate for those of us with disabilities. From the article:

While many members of Congress are sympathetic to the needs of those with disabilities, Harkin has a “laser focus” on this population that’s not currently shared by any of his colleagues, said Katy Neas, who worked for Harkin as a congressional staffer in the 1980s and early 1990s and currently handles government relations for Easter Seals.

Katy told the reporter that Harkin looks at every piece of legislation that comes his way and asks what it might mean for people with disabilities.

Without such an ally in the Senate, Neas said disability advocates will soon be left to persuade lawmakers who have other items at the top of their agendas.

“We’re going to have our work cut out for us educating legislators about why people with disabilities should be a priority,” she said.

Harkin was the leading force behind the Americans with Disabilities Act. Melanie Gabel, the Conference and Meeting Coordinator for the Executive Office here at Easter Seals, worked in D.C. with Senator Harkin on the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy back in the 80s and 90s to get that landmark legislation passed.

Melanie grew up in Iowa, and like Tom Harkin’s beloved late brother Frank, Melanie was born with a significant hearing loss. She told me her fondest memory of working with Sen. Harkin is being there to see him on the U.S. Senate Floor introducing the Americans with Disabilities Act in sign language, dedicating it to his brother.

“Seeing him signing that statement, I was overwhelmed with emotions,” Melanie said, describing her feelings of empowerment, happiness and, for the first time in her young adult life, patriotism. “It made me proud to have, and know, a true friend and champion of disability rights on Capitol Hill.”

Melanie echoed what Katy Neas told the Disability Scoop reporter, regaling me me with story after story of Harkin paying special attention to any legislation that could potentially impact the disability community. “Having him not be present there on Capitol Hill will be difficult,” she said. “He was always the fighter for disability rights, and he will be missed.”

Change and challenges: women in today’s military

by Rachel Talen

Last Thursday, U.S. Navy veteran Kim Mitchell, Deputy Director for Dixon Center, participated in a panel called “Change and Challenges — Women in Today’s Military” at the Pritzker Military Library here in Chicago. Two of my colleagues here at Easter Seals were at the event, and when they returned to the office they told me how powerful it all was. I wan’t surprised.

The panel took place one day after the Pentagon announced that the U.S. military will be lifting its ban on women serving in combat. When Mitchell was asked to comment on the Pentagon’s decision, she pointed out that as a Navy veteran, she knows women have been serving side-by-side with their male counterparts for years. Referring to the Pentagon’s announcement as a “watershed moment for our country,” she said it recognizes the capabilities, valor and achievements of all service members.

“Opening combat roles to females should not be lauded as a bold step but rather a normal progression towards equality,” she said. “The military’s mix of gender, races, creed, lifestyles, and backgrounds makes it a bellwether of society. This decision should not be used as an opportunity for demagoguery, but rather a chance to acknowledge our military’s ability to fight and win our nations’ wars.”

Mitchell — along with Dixon Center and Easter Seals — urge policymakers to collaborate with the myriad of resources in the civic and private sector. She emphasized the need to support and dedicate resources to all military service members — women and men alike — and their families and the families of the fallen when they return home from their deployments. “We need to consolidate local efforts in communities and find synergies for the delivery of services or to services,” Mitchell concluded. “We as a society need to focus on enabling their potential, and not create more cookie-cutter solutions. This is our mission at Dixon Center.”

Easter Seals is a valuable resource to military service members, veterans and their families. Call Easter Seals Community One Source at 866-423-4981 to find local support if you’re a military family or if you want to learn how to make a difference for military families.

In Wisconsin, we’re transforming resolutions into priorities

by Bob Glowacki

By now I am sure we have all laid out our new year’s resolutions, and I’m guessing nearly half of us have already forgotten what they were. Not me, though! Here at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin we call resolutions our priorities plan. It’s what we think we need to accomplish in a calendar year.

One item on that list for 2013 is already coming along. By March, our organization will vacate two buildings we have owned for a generation and move into a new facility in West Allis, Wisconsin. Buildings are not transformative, people are. With this move we’ll be bringing most of our Milwaukee county staff under one roof — in fact, we’ll be delivering services and programs for children and adults under one roof for the first time in our affiliate’s history.

We are calling the new facility our Easter Seals Generations Center. This huge move is one priority that is above all others and has really added an element of excitement and anticipation to 2013.

What’s more, we’ll be launching a new program called Start Early in April! Start Early is a series of training sessions to help families who have just learned their child has autism. It will offer strategies and support for families who are learning what autism is, and it presents options for parents and caregivers who want to know how they can take an active part in their child’s development.

We will have trained staff to consult, practice and support families navigating Wisconsin’s government systems, and then begin working with their child at home. This will be another way we are creating a world of possibilities for children living with autism.

So Happy New Year! 2013 will be exciting!

Just one of the gals vying for love on The Bachelor

by Kristen Barnfield

It’s really a ridiculous two solid hours of TV every Monday night. But much to my husband’s utter dismay, the two hours of 26 twenty-somethings’ quest for love with one man — oozing with steamy and obnoxious “reality” dating glory — is something I can’t seem to shake. I am, of course, talking about ABC’s The Bachelor.

Now in its 17th season, The Bachelor is still offering up just enough unexpected twists and turns to keep millions of hopeless romantics like me glued to the tube. New for this season is The Bachelor’s inclusion of a young woman living with a physical disability in the mix of contestants — a true Bachelor first. Sarah Herron is one of 13 women vying for the love of Bachelor Sean Lowe, and she also happens to have been born with only one full arm. What’s been great so far in The Bachelor’s portrayal of Sarah’s storyline with Sean is that she’s really just one of the gals hoping to find love. Sarah is experiencing the extreme dates (free-falling off a 30+ story building in the second episode) and romantic gestures (Sean arranging for a visit for Sarah on set with her French Bulldog, Leo, in episode three) as any other contestant would. She shrugged off her physical disability in a recent article in USA Today, pointing out that most women her age have insecurities. “Everybody has something about them that they don’t feel awesome about,” she told the reporter. “For me, my barrier is having one arm.” The article noted how surprised Sarah was to find herself becoming a role model for others:

“I’ve been doing a little reading of comments online and on some message boards. It seems to be incredibly positive and I get overwhelming feedback from women saying I’ve inspiring (sic) them and motivated them.” She continues, “I truthfully went on the show to meet Sean, but if I’m a role model for anybody, I’m honored that people perceive me like that.”

On a more global scale, I hope other producers and industry execs will take note — from such an unlikely source as The Bachelor — and strive to include more realistic depictions of and inclusion of people and actors living with disabilities in their programming.

But for now, at the grassroots level, as the season continues I’ll be anxiously watching, curious to see how Sarah’s story will unfold, rooting for her from the comfort of my couch. I know I’m not alone, what do you think of Sarah’s attempts to find love?

Shopping with Caroline’s Cart

by Beth Finke

Our son Gus has developmental disabilities and uses a wheelchair. He’s 26 years old now and has been living in a group home since he was 16. One thing he always liked doing with us when he lived at home? Grocery shopping.

While Gus was still little, we could use the traditional shopping carts retailers provide for customers. As Gus grew older and bigger, though, he couldn’t fit in the cart anymore. Pushing both Gus in a wheelchair and a grocery cart at the same time was not feasible.

That’s why I was so pleased to hear how our Easter Seals 2012 Youth Representative Caroline Long inspired her mother, Drew Ann, to come up with a grocery cart that accommodates older kids with disabilities. Caroline has received services from Easter Seals Alabama since she was 13 months old, and she and her mom were featured in an article in Supermarket News about Caroline’s Cart this month. The article explains that 11-year-old Caroline has Rett syndrome (a disorder of the nervous system) and is unable to walk or use her hands:

Her mother, Drew Ann Long, who has two other children, has tried to make Caroline feel included in everyday life activities, including grocery shopping, in their hometown of Alabaster, Ala., a suburb of Birmingham.

Drew Ann shared her dream of Caroline’s Cart with Easter Seals Alabama, and then Caroline’s father David flew to Chicago to meet with people here at Easter Seals Headquarters to present the idea. By that time, Drew Ann had already

• hired a professional design firm to engineer the cart
• retained legal counsel for business and patent matters, and
• enlisted the services of business and public relations consultants.

Today, Drew Ann Long’s dream is a reality, and you can watch a video to see how Carolin’s Cart works. The Long family’s goal is to make Caroline’s Cart available at retailers across the country. If your local retailer does not offer Caroline’s Cart, Drew Ann Long suggests you ask for it by name or contact her for an outlet nearest you.

Check out this toolkit before disaster strikes

by Beth Finke

I just found out that the Emergency 2.0 Wiki Project has launched a Toolkit to help people with disabilities use social media during and after disasters. A blog post by one of the members of the Emergency 2.0 Wiki Accessibility Reference Group explains why they took this project on:

The reason for developing the kit is that we’ve witnessed from recent disasters that social media can save lives, but people with disabilities often have difficulty accessing important messages because the social media platforms themselves are inaccessible.

The Emergency 2.0 Wiki Accessibility Toolkit is free online. It offers tips, resources and apps to help those of us with disabilities overcome some of the accessibility challenges that come with social media, and it has guidelines to assist the emergency sector, government, community, media and business to make social media messages more accessible, too.

The toolkit is intended to help us access messages that might be sent during an emergency, but I’m finding it helpful dealing with everyday messages, too. Example: I have a hard time accessing Twitter with my screen reader (a program that reads information on a screen out loud for people who are blind), and the toolkit pointed me to some alternative sites. One, called Easy Chirp, can read tweets out loud for me. I noticed links in the toolkit that people who are deaf can use to request auto-captions for YouTube videos, and a whole bunch of Emergency smartphone apps provided to help those of us with with a disability prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies. Do what I did: don’t wait for an emergency. Check out the toolkit now, it’s helpful right away!

Transportation: keeping it simple

by Patricia Wright

When I read Lucinda Shannon’s post about access to public transportation last week, it reminded me of something that happened when I first started teaching.

My first job as a teacher was in Berkeley, California. I worked with transition age youth with autism, and Berkeley was rich with opportunities for public transport and ready access to busses and subways. Still, there were many challenges.

My student David was a person who needed an auditory cue to know when the bus was at his stop. He learned to sit or stand right at the front of the bus and ask the bus driver to announce his stop. A simple solution, maybe, but one you might not come up with when in the midst of commuter chaos. That’s one reason I like this new GET Going! guide that Lucinda talked about in her post — it’s full of practical tips and uncomplicated suggestions.

Let’s face it. Transportation is pivotal for a high quality life. Employment, a rich social life and access to the community is reliant on transportation. But too often the lack of access to transportation prevents individuals living with disabilities from taking advantage of it.

Easter Seals has been championing accessible transportation with Easter Seals Project Action since 1988. Project ACTION promotes universal access to transportation for people with disabilities. One of the wonderful services provided by Project ACTION is distribution of materials related to accessible transportation, and the new GET Going! pocket Guide is one of these — it’s a revolutionary travel trouble-shooting tool to support individuals living with disabilities as they travel independently on public transportation.

And get this: the Get Going! guide is available for free! Check out the GET Going! guide and see if it might support you or someone you know in making transportation more accessible. Through transportation, you can get where you want to go and do what you want to do!

We’re looking forward to many more milestones

by Erin Rogers

Easter Seals Peoria-Bloomington was featured in a story in Central Illinois Proud last month. The segment followed the Stribling family’s decision to return to our autism diagnostic clinic with their son, Roran and gave brief examples of how the diagnostic process works.

The story quoted the Medical Director of our Autism Center, Dr. Ronald Lindsay, explaining why parents of a child already receiving services might consider having a child re-evaluated.

Last time, he didn’t meet enough criteria to have an autism diagnosis. But this day could give a different answer.

“When we first saw him, he was very behind in his language skills. Now, as his language has developed, what we noted was that he’s become echolalic,” explains Dr. Lindsay.

That means, Roran repeats words immediately after he hears them. Repetitive language is common with kids within the autism spectrum. It’s something doctors and evaluators watch closely during the diagnostic clinic.

The Stribling family has two children on the spectrum, and their dad was also quoted in the story. “Everyone at Easter Seals does a wonderful job,” he said. “They’re wonderful to our family. They’re great at taking care of us and I trust them when it comes to talking about things our kids are going to be dealing with.”

Because Roran’s brother received Early Intervention services, the Stribling family was quick to take action when they had concerns with their second child. Easter Seals knows that early identification and intervention makes a lifelong difference.

Because of Roran’s early services and diagnostic evaluations, his developmental outlook is bright! We’re pleased to have had the opportunity to support his progress and look forward to many more milestones in Roran’s life!

Here she comes

by Patricia Wright

The Miss America pageant is tomorrow, and I’m rooting for Miss Montana. I traveled to Montana last year to give an autism workshop, and was lucky enough to hear Alexis Wineman, this year’s Miss Montana, share her story to open the day’s activities.

Her story included a childhood with serious social struggles, an autism diagnosis in grade seven, success in high school with the cross-country and drama club and … victory at the Miss Montana pageant.

Ms. Wineman shared her story eloquently with 300 workshop attendees. Many of the attendees were parents, and hearing Ms. Wineman share her story clearly gave them a positive perspective on the possibilities for people living with autism.

There were many quotable moments in Ms. Wineman’s speech, but my favorite was definitely this one: “Being on the spectrum is not a death sentence, but a life adventure, and one that I realize has been given to me for a reason.”

Alexis Wineman is at the Miss America pageant getting ready for the big event tomorrow, and you can sign our good luck card now to join us in letting her know we’re rooting for her. Go, Alexis, go!