School fights family over autism assistance dog

Posted by Beth Finke on September 17th, 2009

The Associated Press reports that an Illinois family wants their 6-year-old son, who has autism, to be able to bring his dog along to school this year. The family said the dog would help with the transition to a new place and would also help keep him safe from traffic and other dangers. Service dogs are allowed in the …Read More » »

Temple Grandin: A Breath of Fresh Air

Posted by Beth Finke on September 3rd, 2009

Imagine my happy surprise to switch on the radio Tuesday morning and hear Terry Gross interviewing Temple Grandin on NPR’s Fresh Air. Turns out the show was a re-broadcast. It’s “Animal Week” on Fresh Air, and their January 5, 2009 interview with Grandin was one of their best animal-related stories this year, so they decided to air it …Read More » »

A Wider World for kids with autism

Posted by Matt McAlear on September 2nd, 2009

Earlier this year Easter Seals Bay Area was contacted by the PBS show A Wider World. Roger McCarville, the show’s host, had heard about Easter Seals …Read More » »

Dr. Wright interviewed in Education Week

Posted by Beth Finke on August 14th, 2009

Last month, Patricia Wright published a post here called Friendly’s helps kids find Friends Who Care.

FRIENDS WHO CARE® is an interactive educational program designed to help children understand what it means and how it feels to be a young person with a disability. The program shows kids how their peers with autism and other disabilities adapt to …Read More » »

A thank-you to Eunice

Posted by Beth Finke on August 12th, 2009

Eunice Kennedy Shriver, an advocate for people with physical and developmental disabilities, died yesterday. Shriver was a co-founder of the Special Olympics, an organization she hoped would develop confidence and social skills for …Read More » »

Lose the training wheels, and gain your independence

Posted by Scott Fogo on August 6th, 2009

What a pleasure it is to introduce Candy Porter as a guest blogger. Candy is the Director of Marketing and Communications here at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indianapolis.

Lose the training wheels, and gain your independence
By Candy Porter

Last month I had the privilege of observing the opening and closing ceremonies of the Lose The Training Wheels camp here at Easter …Read More » »

Living on the edge

Posted by Kathy Patrick on July 30th, 2009

I’m the vice president of services for Easter Seals New Jersey, so I was invited to attend the Legislative Summit of the National Conference of State Legislatures in Philadelphia earlier this month.

Along with other Easter Seals affiliate and national staff members who handle state government relations, I networked with state legislators, learned about the issues facing my …Read More » »

Friendly’s helps kids find Friends Who Care

Posted by Patricia Wright on July 27th, 2009

Thanks to the Friendly Ice Cream Corporation, Easter Seals has been able to update and re-design our free disability awareness curriculum for teachers and parents.

FRIENDS WHO CARE® is an interactive educational program designed to help children understand what it means and how …Read More » »

What Harry Potter can teach us about autism

Posted by Beth Finke on July 6th, 2009

Attention all “Muggles”: To celebrate the long-awaited paperback release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows tonight (The book goes on sale at midnight on July 7), we are publishing a Harry Potter post from our 2007 archives — enjoy!Harry Potter and the Chamber of Autismby Ellen Harrington-KaneJuly 24th, 2007What can reading a Harry Potter book teach us about …Read More » »

Reimbursement for special ed at private schools

Posted by Beth Finke on July 1st, 2009

A story on NPR’s All Things Considered explains how a Supreme Court ruling last week makes it easier for parents of special education students to get reimbursed for private school tuition.

The case started in Oregon — the parents of a teenager who was refused special education services at a public high school transferred the student to a private academy …Read More » »