The travel experience can be overwhelming and anxiety-producing for even the most seasoned traveler. But for the child with sensory integration needs, the travel experience that often proves to be full of crowds, waiting and noise, is heightened because of their system’s sensitivity to this stimuli; for these children it is almost unbearable. So as the holidays quickly approach and airplane travel hits record rates, what can a family do when they want to travel but one member has a tough time on an airplane? Read More.
Employment Awareness
December 3, 2014 by
Napa Lives Independently with Support from NBRC
November 23, 2014 by
Paul Page leads a pretty normal life. The 51-year-old Napan has held a steady job at the Napa Valley Register for the past 31 years. He enjoys spending time with his family, has his own apartment, pays his bills on time and manages to get around town, mostly on foot.
“I’m a good guy,” Page said.
There’s just one difference. Page is developmentally disabled. Living independently was never a given for Page. He can’t read very well and doesn’t drive, he said. Page also needs some assistance with managing his finances, going to doctor appointments, shopping and other support.
Annual State Capitol Tree Lighting
November 23, 2014 by
The Department of Developmental Services joins Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown as they kick off the holiday season at the 83rd Annual State Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, on Tuesday, December 2, 2014, at 4:30 p.m. on the West Steps of the State Capitol. The event is open to the public.
Kimie Metcalf of Chino, California, was chosen to help the Governor and First Lady light the tree and hang a special ornament created by a person with a developmental disability. Read more.
25 Years of Progress for those with Disability
November 23, 2014 by
Thanks to the Americans with Disabilities act – which turns 25 next year – and a demanding and aging baby boom generation, the nation has fewer limits for those with physical impairments. When New York City announced 30 years ago that it was spending more than $50 million for buses with wheelchair lifts, Ronnie Raymond rolled her eyes. The founder of a reinsurance brokerage firm, she commuted by bus “and I never saw anyone in a wheelchair, anywhere,” she says. “So why spend all that money?”
The city had already invested in 1,362 accessible buses, and only 10 to 20 people citywide a day boarded in a wheelchair.
“The reason I didn’t see anyone in wheelchairs,” Ms. Raymond later realized when she herself developed multiple sclerosis and had to use a wheelchair, “was because they couldn’t get anywhere.” Read more.
Holiday Tips for Parents of Children with Autism
November 23, 2014 by
A New York service provider, Your Autism Coach, is offering a free booklet for parents of children with autism and other special needs, to help manage the holidays with your children, family, and friends.
“The holiday season may be one of the most stressful times of the year for families dealing with the lifelong challenges of autism. However, it does not always have to be that way.
Read more and download the free booklet here.
Increasingly, Adults With Down Syndrome Face Alzheimer’s
October 14, 2014 by
Marilyn Long gives some medication to her brother, Jeff Malanoski, 57, during breakfast. Long and her husband, Mike, far left, take care of Jeff, who was born with Down Syndrome and has now developed Alzheimer’s. Jeff Malanoski sat in front of his bowl of cereal, watching “The Price is Right” and forgetting to eat his breakfast. His sister, Marilyn Long, sat at the table next to him and repeatedly reminded him. “Why don’t you eat your cereal?” she coaxed, reaching over his shoulder to give it a stir. Her husband, Mike Long, sighed. “It takes forever,” he said.
It didn’t used to. Malanoski has Down syndrome, but until a few years ago, he ate without prompting, dressed himself and was relatively easy for the Longs to care for in their Elk Grove Village, Ill. home. Read more.
