pioneer parents in indiana
About Linda Hankins By Angela Arlington
In February of 1981, Linda Hankins gave birth to her son David. He was beautiful and adored by his family. “When he was diagnosed with Down syndrome it was a shock, and left us full of questions,” Linda recalled. “Even though my husband and I were both teachers and already had 2 kids, we had no training on how to raise a child with a disability.”
It was an overwhelming time for Linda. “We read everything we could get our hands on, made dozens of phone calls-- remember there was no internet at the time--and learned that we should start our son in physical and occupational therapy.” But where? Insurance would not cover services and the Hankinses could not take him to the hospital as an outpatient. “There were no services in Hendricks County for infants with disabilities. It was so frustrating,” Linda said. “We kept calling as many places as we could and eventually were put in contact with other families raising children with Down syndrome. They did not have all the answers, but at least we knew we were not alone.” Linda eventually reached the early childhood director at Noble Center (now Noble of Indiana) in Indianapolis. “After I explained our situation, he said the magic words-’We have an opening in our program and there is no waiting list. We will enroll your son.’” So on November 11, 1981, after nine months of seeking answers, David started therapy and early intervention services for 3 days a week. Linda had to handle transportation, but there were no charges for the services. “What a Godsend for our family,” she recalled. “I cried as I left him that day, but I also felt relief that he was finally getting the therapies he needed.” During that time, David was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect and had open-heart surgery when he was 2 ½ years old. While in the hospital, Linda met another family whose son had Down syndrome and was having heart surgery too.
26 Special Needs Living • September 2021
Then Linda discovered that they had the same pediatrician. “We had no idea the other family existed. I remember thinking this was not right, so I made a phone call right from the waiting room lounge, and gave the pediatrician an earful! From that time on, whenever a family of a child with Down syndrome came to him, he would give them my name and phone number to call if they wished. We connected with several families that way.” David was at Noble Center for 3 years. During that time, both he and Linda progressed through therapies and developed many friendships. “The early childhood director urged me to get involved with Indiana’s Task Force on Early Childhood Intervention that he chaired. The members of the task force were professionals from around the state that were meeting to propose mandating early intervention services for infants and toddlers with disabilities to the Indiana Legislature. It was just the opportunity that I was seeking. I was determined that no more families should have to go through what we did to get services for their child.” At the task force, she was introduced to Donna Olsen, who had 2 children with cystic fibrosis. That meeting led to Linda and Donna becoming lifelong friends and ultimately, the formation of Indiana Parent Information Network (IPIN.) “Every parent needed ready access to a phone number to call where they could talk to another parent about available community resources,” Linda said. “Our co-conspirators, Gary Collings, Director of Special Education for Washington Township, and Lana Thompson, a social worker for the Child Development Center at Riley Hospital, felt as strongly as we did that parents and professionals needed
one place to call to get answers about resources for families.” The time from 1981-1987 was a blur of activity for Linda. “My husband and I were so busy, she said. “He continued teaching and started a lawn grading business to make extra money, since I had to quit my job. I was busy transporting David to doctor’s appointments and Noble Center, visiting legislators, and trying to keep a semblance of order at home. I found out years later that all my daughters remembered of that time was that I was never home--that was heartbreaking to learn.” A member of the task force, who was a special education director from northern Indiana, took Linda to visit the State House for the first time. “It was a real eye-opener. From that time until the passage of the First Steps legislation in 1987, I was a regular visitor at the State House, talking to anyone who would listen about the importance of early intervention services for children with disabilities. On the day the First Steps legislation was enacted, David sat on Governor Evan Bayh’s lap as he signed the legislation into law.” IPIN’s first “office” was in Donna’s basement. “The kitchen table was the conference room,” Donna laughed. “It was great, we could fold clothes while we talked, and feed the kids as we worked.” Linda was actively involved with IPIN/ ASK from 1987-2007. She served in many leadership roles on the board, including president and treasurer.
