HELPING FAMILIES NAVIGATE DISABILITIES
Feeling Bad, Help Someone By Carrie Vittitoe
O
ne of the best ways to help get your mind off your own troubles is to help someone else. Whether you wish to volunteer regularly or occasionally, these nonprofits can always benefit from committed helpers.
Since 1952, The Council on Developmental Disabilities has helped families navigate the complex world of disability from birth to end of life. The nonprofit’s mission is to educate developmentally disabled individuals and their families. Parents learn about special education assessments and the creation of children’s individualized education plans (IEPs), while disabled teens and adults receive valuable life and employment skills training. The Council informs families about wills, trusts, and guardianships/ conservatorships. Additionally, the organization works on public advocacy to ensure developmentally disabled individuals’ rights are protected. As the mom of an autistic child, Family Outreach Coordinator Sara Beth McCrady experienced firsthand how the Council could help and empower her. When a Council staff member told her, “I got you. Breathe; it’s OK now,” it changed her life. “That phrase has stuck with me forever so now I tell people that: ‘It’s OK; you can breathe now.’ We understand, and we’re going to help get you what you need,” she says. Shannon Masterson is a private practice occupational therapist and educational consultant who has been volunteering as a grant writer with the Council. “We have really similar missions. It’s easy to work with people who are headed in the same direction as you,” she says. One of the grants she is working on is to provide sensory boxes to families. “I feel really good about being able to offer sensory rich experiences that are affordable and easy.”
WISHLIST COUNCIL ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES councilondd.org
• Feedback from families on what they need during COVID-19 • Funding and grants
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February 2021 / TodaysWomanNow.com
