My mother was 71 the last time she was hospitalized for a serious illness that she would end her life. “Will you bring my CD player to the hospital so that I can listen to Jimmy Buffett?” she asked. I’ll never forget my mom’s smile (and the nurses too) as she listened to “Cheeseburger in Paradise” [Read more…]
I sat in a child-size chair and watched as my two-year-old son, Matthew, dressed in his green Gymboree shorts and a blue-striped polo shirt, stacked small multi-colored blocks. “See how he is drooling a little?” asked the child psychologist, “That means he is working hard.” She would later use the word “developmentally delayed” to describe [Read more…]
The Special Hope Foundation awarded a grant to JFK Partners UCEDD and LEND at the University of Colorado last February to help a student group, Disability Dialogue, expand their program.
The group, which is committed to examining health care disparities affecting individuals with developmental disabilities, engages speakers in all medical disciplines, community support organizations, parents [Read more…]
They are an important source of support for many people with disabilities who need help to live in the community. But so far, many of these services have been provided in restrictive or group settings, instead of people’s own homes, communities, or integrated workplaces.
Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has boosted the Special Hope Foundation’s mission of establishing comprehensive health care for adults with developmental disabilities designed to address their unique and fundamental needs.
And we couldn’t be happier.
Their 2013 report confirmed that youth with intellectual [Read more…]
Alice Wong, who has spinal muscular atrophy, knew that it was important to get regular pelvic exams. But the woman’s health practice where her doctor works did not have a single adjustable height exam table. So instead, Alice went to “the clinic upstairs” where they had just one adjustable exam table. There she was [Read more…]
When we last left off, we were completing day one of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) Conference. A recap here.
This years conference is in conjunction with The Special Olympics 2014 USA Games, the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes Program, and The National [Read more…]
Laura Shumaker, Communications Director Special Hope Foundation
I am reporting to you LIVE from Princeton New Jersey after the first Day of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) Conference. As many of you know, this is a conference that The Special Hope Foundation provided funding for, as the organization lives and breathes [Read more…]