“Cultivating a love of service and selflessness opens the window to a world that I want to live in, and one that provides experiences and memories of a lifetime for campers of every ability.” BY LAURA WHITAKER As an eager freshman at the University of Georgia, I sought out opportunities to volunteer for organizations whose purposes were meaningful to me. Extra Special People (ESP) immediately caught my eye as a nonprofit serving youth and adults […]
BY JEFFREY GIORGI AND AMELIA MULFORD Summer camp can be a profound and transformative experience for children of all ages. Camp challenges us to interact with people we don’t know, perform feats we didn’t think we were capable of, and develop a stronger sense of self-reliance. But when the very act of moving around is a labored chore, summer camp experience can become less carefree and more stress-inducing, as in the case of five-year-old James. […]
BY LAUREN AGORATUS, M.A. It’s hard enough on family caregivers when their child receives a new diagnosis. The challenge is made even more difficult when the condition is rare. “Rare disorders” are conditions that are rare or unusual, affecting small numbers of children. This could make it even more challenging to find information from good sources. Genetic resources may also be helpful in gathering information on rare diseases, particularly to help determine whether there is […]
BY MARILYN HOYSON, PH.D October marked National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which traces its origins to 1945. Much has changed since that time. Today our nation recognizes the needs and contributions of individuals with all types of disabilities, and legislation is continually evolving to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Integrated employment for individuals with disabilities has become a priority over the past several years, bringing with it significant changes to […]
Students with dyslexia are often not identified until they are older and are not offered proper services and intervention until someone notices there’s a real deficiency, which often happens after the ideal time for intervention (kindergarten and 1st grade) has passed. BY SHANTELL THAXTON BERRETT When the diagnosis of dyslexia – and later dysgraphia – came to light with my son, I felt overwhelmed and afraid. I was unsure of how to help him, or […]
