Safeway earns Easter Seals’ All-Time Top Corporate Partner designation

Posted by Beth Finke on May 22nd, 2009

Easter Seals recently designated Safeway Inc. its All-Time Top Corporate Partner. Man oh man, do they deserve that honor!In their fundraising campaign during April (Autism Awareness Month), Safeway invited customers to support Easter Seals services for people with autism and other disabilities at checkout. In just one month, Safeway raised $8,824,141! Safeway employees also raised an additional …Read More » »

Hizzonor, Maurice Snell

Posted by Maurice Snell on May 6th, 2009

In all the excitement of meeting White Sox players last week, and going to that White Sox game, I forgot to mention one very important thing in my post about Autism Awareness Month.

Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley came to Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago …Read More » »

Adults have autism too: World Autism Awareness Day

Posted by Patricia Wright on April 2nd, 2009

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, and that gives me a chance to let you know about the autism services and treatments Easter Seals makes available to families living with autism. A number of wonderful organizations research and study the cause and cure for autism — Easter Seals stands out as the nation’s leading provider of services and support …Read More » »

The stimulus plan: what’s in it for people with autism?

Posted by Beth Finke on February 23rd, 2009

Here’s an understatement for you: that stimulus package President Obama signed into law last week is huge. It’s a bit daunting, too. To help sort through all the changes, the Disability Policy Collaboration (The Arc of the United States, combined with United Cerebral Palsy) lists the amount of increased spending disability specific programs will receive from the time the …Read More » »

Living with Autism Study reveals parents’ fears for their children with autism

Posted by Patricia Wright on December 16th, 2008

The one consistent message Easter Seals hears from families — after the initial apprehension and anxiety of learning their child has autism – is an overwhelming concern about the life-long supports their child with autism may need to be independent.

Until today, we have had no data to quantify what we’ve heard anecdotally over the years. So Easter Seals worked with …Read More » »

Starbucks’ grande gesture for people with disabilities

Posted by Paula Pompa-Craven on December 5th, 2008

Over a year ago, I was invited to represent Easter Seals at a two-day meeting at Starbucks Headquarters in Seattle, Washington. There were about a dozen disability services and advocacy organizations represented at this meeting, along with a dozen or so members of the Starbucks team. We were there to provide input as to how Starbucks could better market …Read More » »

Why I like shopping at Safeway

Posted by Beth Finke on October 14th, 2008

Every year, the U.S. Department of Labor gives the SPIRIT Award to an individual with a disability or an organization demonstrating leadership and “an unyielding commitment to achieving success.” There are over 1,700 Safeway stores across the United States and Canada, and Safeway’s national workforce includes over 10,000 employees with autism and other disabilities.

So it was no surprise to …Read More » »

Maurice Snell inspires Joe Mantegna, and vice-versa

Posted by Maurice Snell on June 16th, 2008

Friday, June 13 turned out to be a lucky day for Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago. Emmy and Tony Award winner Joe Mantegna returned to his native Chicago to share his perspective of Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago’s New Therapeutic School and Center for Autism …Read More » »

No-brainer: families with autism end up with lower incomes

Posted by Beth Finke on April 23rd, 2008

The results of a study in this month’s Pediatrics journal will come as no surprise to those of you raising children with autism. The study surveyed the parents of 11,684 school-aged children with autism. It found that on average a household with a child with autism makes $6,200 per year less …Read More » »

Working with undiagnosed autism

Posted by Debbie Smith on March 28th, 2008

The media does a fantastic job on reporting the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of autism, but the needs of older individuals have to be addressed too.

I’ve been working with individuals with disabilities for many years. About 10 years ago we had a huge increase of children being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficient Hyperactivity Disorder …Read More » »