Offering A Helping Hand in Texas By Homer Page
It is often those who have the most to do, who find time to lend a helping hand to others. Candie Wilson is a mother of five children under the age of ten. She home schools the two oldest of her children and coordinates the home schooling group at her Church. Two of her children have disabilities. Her nine year old daughter was born with a rare problem that has required multiple surgeries and her six year old son has an attention disorder. Still she wants to help those families in her Church who have children with autism.
Mrs. Wilson grew up in Virginia and moved to Arlington, Texas three years ago. While she finally was placed in a gifted and talented program as a child, she too initially struggled with an attention disorder. When her own children faced neglect and misunderstanding, she could empathize. Her daughter has a bladder dysfunction and requires assistance. A school nurse, responsible for helping, forgot to check on Candie's daughter and the child became soaked. She was humiliated and tried to hide from the other children. When Candie found out about this incident, she immediately withdrew her daughter from the school and began home schooling. Later school officials failed to offer any special services to her Kindergarten age son causing Mrs. Wilson to also withdraw him.
Candie Wilson doesn't want any special sympathy for her situation. She says, "We are fine. The kids are doing well, and I can handle what I have been given. With God's help I do not get overwhelmed". It is her goal to set up a program to help other parents. There are families in her Church who have children with disabilities. She wants to give these parents a few nights a year, when they can have some time alone. She would like to be able to let them go out for a nice dinner with the assurance that their children are being well cared for. Her goal is to allow these parents to have three nights out a year and provide a stimulating experience for the children at the same time. Candie contacted Disability Media Inc. to find out if we could help her. Her inquiry caused us to think. We believe that there are many people who would like to help persons with disabilities or their families. Like Candie, they are not associated with a governmental program or a large charitable organization. They are well meaning people who want to help. We want to encourage these grassroots efforts. These are people to people programs that offer a chance for persons with disabilities the opportunity to become involved in normal social interaction and support them in their efforts to live independently.
In order to encourage these grassroots efforts DMI will offer small grants in the amounts of $100 to $250. These funds can be used as the individuals see fit. The only requirement is that they further grassroots efforts to assist persons with disabilities. If Candie Wilson chooses to use her grant to send the parents out for a nice dinner or if she wishes to spend the money to provide high quality child care, it will be a good investment. We hope to help many efforts to get started and we will publicize these efforts. We want to provide many examples of how persons at the grassroots level can become involved in person to person relationships with persons with disabilities.
You may read more about some of these grassroots efforts at our web site, www.disabilitymedia.org. If you have questions concerning how you may apply for a DMI grant, please call Homer Page at 1-800-321-8708 or write to Disability Media Inc., The Handicapped Texan, 1201 West Arbrook Blvd, Suite 121, PMB 938, Arlington, Texas, 76015. You may reach us by email at silcnetwork@earthlink.net
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