By Geri Lieb Benter Passion is a driving force and takes people to the ultimate limit of their abilities. Nick Goepper, first ever bronze medal winner in Olympic Slopestyle Skiing and three-time gold medalist at the X Games, pursued his passion from an early age. Nick began skiing at age 5 and spent his younger […]
By Kelly Carr For this topic of special needs, I talked to my sister-in-law, Heather Carr. Her son Jack, the fourth of five children, was diagnosed with autism at age 3 and is now 8. She shared: “When someone meets Jack, at first glance you may never know that he has any problems. It just […]
By Jeanne M. Phelan “Jeanne, do you think you could care for a 7-year-old boy with special needs?” asked our caseworker. “What kind of special needs?” I asked. “Patrick is blind, has cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and intellectual disabilities.” As she ticked off the list, my apprehension grew. Living as an orphan until age 8 gave […]
By Linda Gilden “G’wace, G’wace. You OK. Calm down.” Elizabeth, age 2, ran to her 4-year-old sister. Touching Grace’s arm, Elizabeth said, “G’wace, bweathe. Bweathe.” Grace was in the midst of a meltdown. But at Elizabeth’s words, she began to calm down. “Here, G’wace, here’s your blankie.” You see, Grace has autism and even though […]
By Joyce Long “Charlene needs to work with them like she needs to breathe.” A few years ago while we walked toward the Jesus Friendship Club classroom at Mount Pleasant Christian Church (MPCC) in Greenwood, Indiana, David Guthrie explained his wife’s passion to teach adults with disabilities. A former administrator at RISE Learning Center in […]
