SIBLING TIES BY PAIGE TALHELM The kindness you receive from strangers is such a rare thing when you’re part of a family touched by special needs. So when you get it, you want to embrace it as much as you can. The stares in the cereal aisle. The whispers from the customer behind you in line. The snickers from the table next to you. All of these are things we all want to avoid experiencing. […]
BY JENNIFER WOODWORTH, PSY.D. Separation from military service requires planning. Whether the separation was by choice or by force, there are a set of protocols that are followed. Transition seminars focus on writing resumes, looking for employment, and using social media to stay connected. However, these seminars minimally touch on the emotional side of leaving the military. Identifying as a Marine, Sailor, Soldier, Airman, or Guardsman comes with a sense of pride, accomplishment, and meaning. […]
BY MELISSA GOETZ Like most mothers-to-be, I waited for my daughter to be born with the usual mix of anticipation and hope. I couldn’t wait for her to arrive, and I dreamed that she would be healthy and happy and full of spirit. I could never have anticipated that my experience would propel me to learn about a rare genetic disease that I had never heard of before. Or that my daughter would inspire me […]
BY LAUREN AGORATUS, M.A. EMPLOYMENT & TRANSITION ANNUAL ISSUE Unfortunately, post-secondary education isn’t commonly thought of as an option for students with special needs. Yet only one percent of students eligible for special education have significant intellectual disabilities,1 and there are now postsecondary options for students with cognitive disabilities, too. THINK COLLEGE One of the best resources for students with special needs is Think College found at http://www.thinkcollege.net/. It is important to note that although […]
The Daniel Jordan Fiddle Foundation (DJFF), the nation’s first not-for-profit organization to exclusively focus on adult autism, announced two new groundbreaking endowment funds, adding to DJFF’s existing endowed program initiatives at Yale University and the University of Miami. With gifts of $100,000 each to Brown University and Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, the newest DJFF endowed programs continue to expand the Foundation’s mission for a global focus on adult autism. Designed to increase […]
