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 » »

Surfing and autism

Posted by Patricia Wright on February 18th, 2009

It must be the weather … living here in Chicago in the dead of winter makes me want to talk about warm weather sports! Last year at about this time, we posted information about Surfer’s Healing, and now I just saw a great video on the Ocean Psychology blog about surfing and individuals with autism.

From that blog post, …Read More » »

What did Paul Newman have in common with kids who have autism?

Posted by Beth Finke on September 29th, 2008

I just read a terrific post on Slate.com about Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camps for kids with serious illnesses.

While the post does not focus on autism per se, it says a lot about what it’s like to be judged “different” from others. It tells of Paul Newman regularly coming to camp to …Read More » »

Vacationing with autism: bypassing the roadblocks

Posted by Beth Finke on September 19th, 2008

Our family went on some pretty great vacations with Gus when he was little. Other vacations, not so great. Take the time we drove 150 miles to go to a Prince concert. We all loved the concert, but Gus was so stimulated by the music that he couldn’t settle down afterwards in our hotel room. Gus screamed. And screamed. …Read More » »

Maurice reports in from White Sox Field

Posted by Maurice Snell on August 8th, 2008

Tuesday was the grand opening and unveiling of the new White Sox Field, Easter Seals’ “field of dreams.” White Sox Field is a softball field designed for people with autism, and it is located right next to the new Therapeutic School and Center for …Read More » »

Chicago White Sox team-up for autism

Posted by Beth Finke on August 7th, 2008

I’m not a member of any Rotary Club. I am a White Sox fan, though. And I’m also a fan of Easter Seals Metropolitan Chicago’s new state-of-the-art Therapeutic School and Center for Autism Research.

So when I found out that members of Rotary District 6450 and other Chicagoland Rotary Districts were joining together at a White …Read More » »

Anchors away, mates: sailing with autism

Posted by Beth Finke on June 4th, 2008

Big news! After a horrendously long winter, we finally enjoyed a warm weekend in Chicago recently! To celebrate, my husband and I headed to Burnham Harbor on Lake Michigan for an open house — the Judd Goldman Adaptive Sailing Program was offering free sailboat rides and grilled food to get the word out about what exactly they do.

What they …Read More » »

Governor awarded for autism advocacy

Posted by Bob Glowacki on March 26th, 2008

Well, we had plenty of excitement yesterday with a visit from Jim Doyle — he’s the governor of Wisconsin. He came to our adult day services center in Wauwatosa to receive the National Easter Seals Outstanding Advocate of the Year award. Governor Doyle received the award for his work towards improving access to services and his support in …Read More » »

Autism day after day

Posted by Kathy Patrick on March 5th, 2008

In my last blog post, I was wondering whether and how to tell my son Adam about his unique special needs. Who would’ve guessed a rock opera could help get the conversation started?

Here’s the story: last Thursday, the rock opera Day After Day came to town, and when …Read More » »