caregivers & healthcare corner By Lisa M. Monge, MSN, RN

Hero for Jennifer Stern - Making a Difference! Hoosiers… and Abroad

Welcome to the New Year! As we roll into the new year, it is beneficial to remind healthcare workers we have an ethical duty to be cognizant of those living with a disability. We, as an integrated health team of caregivers, must understand how much we can positively impact the quality of life for those living with special needs. According to the National Alliance for Caregiving and AARP, roughly 43.5 million caregivers provide care unpaid care to an adult or child in the last 12 months.

Part of the mission of Healthcare Corner includes highlighting caregivers who go above and beyond their ethical duty as a healthcare provider and aide in the reduction of healthcare barriers for those with living with a disability. Jennie Stern is stellar example of just that! Jennie is a special education teacher at the Independence Academy of Indiana (IA) who pays it forward for the most vulnerable Hoosiers.

The IA is the only state accredited private school serving adolescents on the autism spectrum. Students attending the academy will graduate with a fully accredited high school diploma. The IA allows for small student teacher ratios (8:1). Middle school students attending the academy are also fortunate enough to attend daily life and social skills classes and high school students partake in daily transition classes. In addition, to ensure optimal outcomes for each and every student, the IA has partnered with HANDS in Autism, SpeakIndy, the Arc of Indy and the Autism Society of Indiana, just to name a few.

Jennie has been a part of this academy for nine years and works with upper elementary and middle school students. One of her favorite things about her student is to watch their growth and states:

“So many students come to our school looking for a place to belong. It is so beautiful to see them connect with others and for many, have friends for the first time. I have learned to never underestimate the abilities of the students. They all have unique and amazing abilities”

Justin Reid, Jennie Stern and Peter Sima

At the IA, Jennie regularly goes above and beyond her teaching duties. Jennie has coordinated a “girls’ lunch” for female students, taking time away from her own lunch or break times to create these fun events. According to the Autism Society of Indiana (2020), there are 4.5 times more common in boys than in girls. For this reason, there are typically a large number of male students compared to female students at the academy. By hosting the “girls’ lunch” Jennie enables the female students to feel special and included. Jennie also volunteers for the special needs prom each year.

Teacher Appreciation outing in Nicaragua

The director of the IA, Marisa Gill, could not say enough positive things about her teacher. She boasted how Jennie is creative in her teaching and finds ways to keep her students engaged. Marisa continued “Jennie is a remarkable woman, with a true passion for teaching and a heart of gold. She is tirelessly dedicated to our students and helping them to overcome their unique challenges. I have worked with Jennie over the past seven years and her kindness and thoughtfulness never ceases to amaze me. Jennie has a special way of connecting with her students and pushing them to reach their full potential.”

Recess at IA

Not only does this Hoosier make a huge difference here in Indiana, she also has been on ten mission trips, serving the special needs community abroad. After graduating college, Jennie joined a team connected with the Nicaragua Resource Network (NRN). The team works with teachers, students, and families in a special needs program. They train teachers to work with the students and help parents connect and encourage them to support each other. Her first mission trip was to Nicaragua. After this initial trip, her teammates connected her with a church’s special needs ministry, she began serving in this ministry and has been continuing her work there ever since.

Spirit Week at IA

Jennie demonstrates selfless service at the city, state and international level. She is a role model to those around her and an inspiration to her students, colleagues and to everyone she interacts with. Jennie has adopted her generous and noble ways from her parents. Her father, Dr. Arthur Stern, also lives and demonstrates a selfless and giving way of life to the most vulnerable population. Dr. Stern continues to serve over 33 years as an Emergency medicine physician and has also volunteers on several medical missions to Guatemala and once to Peru. He pays it forward to the Independence Academy and to the Nicaragua Resource Network. Dr. and Mrs. Stern sponsor two students in Nicaragua, including a special needs student. Their sponsorship provides the children with school tuition, uniforms, books, and meals. Dr. Stern also accompanies Jennie in her volunteer work at the local church prom for adults who have special needs. Jennie is very proud of her dad and how he as modeled his selfless service to others. She mentions her first mission trip was with him as a freshman in high school to Guatemala. Dr. Stern provided medical care to patients in the clinic while Jennie played with the local children. of kindness. Jennie and her family live everyday to knock down healthcare barriers and provide selfless service both at home and abroad. Within the special needs community, Jennie and her family have many different caregiver roles. Every single role is unique, important and improves the quality of life. Most importantly, however, makes each child and adult smile a little wider.

Art & Sue Stern at the IA Gala

The Independence Academy - Serving students on the autism spectrum in grades 4-12 4701 N. Central Ave Indianapolis IN 46205 317-926-0043 https://www.iaindiana.org/

Reference

Autism Society of Indiana. (2018, December 15). Autism Facts and Statistics Did you know? https:// www.autismsocietyofindiana.org/

Family Caregiving Alliance: National Canter on Caregiving. (2019, April 17). Caregiver statistics: Demographics. Family Caregiver Alliance. https://www.caregiver.org/ caregiver-statistics-demographics

Do you have a particularly memorable or encouraging experience to share from your time working with this organization?

One of my favorite stories is how a senior impacted a new class of 6th and 7th graders. He started attending IA when he was in 8th grade. His senior year he was a cadet teacher in one of my classes. He led activities and created games and learning materials. The 6th and 7th graders loved him. They easily connected with him and his drawings of popular characters such as Disney/Pixar characters and SpongeBob. He drew pictures to go with the novels we read and picture for vocabulary words. He would make character references in these materials too to see if the students could figure out the references. These visuals helped the students’ understanding. This student graduated 4 years ago but his impact is lasting. One of those 6th graders, now a 10th grader, draws vocabulary pictures and has requested to be a cadet teacher for me when he is a senior. A 7th grade student looks forward to the 10th grade student’s new pictures each week. Other students enjoy trying to figure out his character references.

Do you have a caregiver that you would like to nominate to be in an upcoming issue of Special Needs

Living? Email us at SpecialNeedsLivingIndy@n2pub.com.