Daniela's Journey to Independence

Great News and a Great Day at Shepherds College!!

2011-10-28T14:15:00.000-04:00

This just in from Shepherds College Facebook page -

"Congratulations to the Shepherds College faculty & staff! Their committed work in developing & maintaining an outstanding program for people with intellectual disabilities has resulted in Shepherds College being the 1st post-secondary school for people w/intellectual disabilities being recommended for full accreditation by the NCA and, as far as we know, any accreditation board. For this and so much more, we give God all the thanks and praise."

This is such amazing news and so well deserved. NCA is the North Central Association. This is their description from Wikipedia and the organization's Facebook page -

"The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), also known as the North Central Association, is a membership organization, consisting of colleges, universities, and schools in 19 U.S. states, that is engaged in educational accreditation. It is one of six regional accreditation bodies in the United States, and its Higher Learning Commission is recognized by the United States Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as a regional accreditor for higher education institutions.[1]
The NCA accredits over 10,000 public and private educational institutions in its service area, including more than 1,000 higher education institutions.[2] The service area includes the states of Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, as well as the Navajo Nation.[3][4]"

Being the first college for students with intellectual disabilities to receive a recommendation for full accreditation is such a remarkable achievement and the staff students, and all associated with Shepherds should be so proud of this day!!

Congratulations!!

Handheld Screening,a new documentary on PBS, and an AHA Moment!

2011-10-21T12:57:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share a couple of interesting items with all of you -

For those of you living near Williamsburg Virginia, there will be a free screening (they are accepting donations) of the wonderful documentary Handheld on Nov. 6th at 6:30 PM, which I spoke about earlier on this blog. Handheld was directed and produced by the Academy Award winning director Don Hahn about Mike Carroll and the beginnings of a life-changing charity Romanian Children's Relief which has benefited abandoned and struggling Romanian children for the past 20 years. I am going to try to attend. Mike Carroll will be in attendance along with the executive Director of RCR, my friend Eileen McHenry. You can find out more (and also about a showing on Nov. 2nd at the Romanian Embassy in Wash. DC!) and reserve your spot here. I hope to see you there!

In other news, PBS will be showing a documentary about the beginnings of the disability movement next Thursday (check local listings - it may be different where you live) on Independent Lens called, "Lives Worth Living" Set your DVR's now to record this program! See more here.

Click on all the links above to find out more!

Daniela is having at great week at Shepherds. She had her first class in Introduction to Horticulture and is excited that she is going to spend the weekend at another classmate's house!

Here is one more great link about a video featuring the parent of one of Daniela's first year classmates. Vote for the video so it will be featured on an upcoming commercial for Mutual of Omaha! Then even more of the world will find out about our wonderful Shepherds College!!

Mutual of Omaha's Aha moments

Weekend at Miranda's

2011-10-11T10:21:00.002-04:00

Daniela had a wonderful weekend at her roommate Miranda;'s house this past weekend. They went to a pumpkin farm, came back to the house, and carved some great looking pumpkins. They came back to campus Sunday night exhausted but happy! Daniela said they had a blast! For those of you who belong to the blog's Facebook groups (you can join if you're not!) you can see some photos of the weekend.

Thank you Brody family for your wonderful hospitality!

Also, the order form for the Arc calender is now on the previous post for those of you who want to place an order!

2012 Arc Calenders

2011-10-07T14:20:00.001-04:00

Hi, everyone!

Everything is going great with Daniela this week. She is off to spend the weekend at her roommate's house, which they are both very excited about. She was very happy to begin working on her knife skills in culinary arts yesterday.

The main reason I am writing you today is to encourage you all to order a beautiful calender for the coming year created by the Arc of Virginia. Not only is it filled with great photos of wonderful people reaching to live their best lives, but the money raised will "help keep The Arc of Virginia’s grassroots advocacy efforts going and growing!".

Most of you reading this blog know and love someone who has a disability. In that person's honor, why not buy a calender (or several) that could make a real difference in someone's life!

And hey buy them a calender, too!! Daniela will certainly be getting one for Christmas this year.
It would be great if you mentioned Daniela's blog when ordering so the Arc staff will know where you found out about ordering! Thanks! Tina

Here is more info about the calender below:

Achieve With Us
2012 Advocacy Calendar
The gift that gives back all year long!
Purchase your 2012 edition of The Arc of Virginia advocacy calendar and help
keep The Arc of Virginia’s grassroots advocacy efforts going and growing!
The Arc of Virginia’s Advocacy Calendar is a great way to thank
family and friends who help make “A Life Like Yours” a reality in Virginia.
Calendars are $10 each
Buy in bulk and save! Purchase 50 or more for $8.50/ea, or 100 or more for $7/ea.
Questions? Contact Jessica Fleenor, Special Projects Coordinator, at (804) 649-8481 ext 102, or jfleenor@thearcofva.org
Shipping Rate
1-49 @ $10/ea   1-5 @ $2
50-99 @ $8.50/ea 5-25   @ $7
100+ @ $7/ea   26-50   @ $15
51-99   @ $25
100+ @ $30
Prefer to pick yours up?
Contact Jessica Fleenor at (804) 649-8481, ext 102,
or jfleenor@arcofva.org
Make checks payable to: The Arc of Virginia
2025 E Main St, Ste 107, Richmond, VA 23223
Thank You for making “A Life Like Yours” a reality in Virginia!

Week 3 at Shepherds College

2011-09-27T16:16:00.003-04:00

Daniela has now completed her third week at Shepherds. Each phone call home sounds happier, less nervous and more confident in her surroundings.

Classes have now started in earnest and Daniela's biggest challenge is just keeping her schedule straight and bringing what she needs for each class. I would imagine this is common for most students with disabilities (and for most new college students regardless of abilities or disabilities). Fortunately at Shepherds, they help them with this challenge. There is a class in study skills and also Mrs. K., Daniela's adviser, is helping her to devise strategies to make sure she stays organized. Daniela is also coming up with her own suggestions of what will help her to stay on top of things. Let me be clear about this - Shepherds students are not coddled or patronized. There are clear expectations which they are expected to meet. AND there are clear consequences if they do not meet them, including not being able to participate in a class or other activity. (And the classes and activities are so interesting, and so much fun, that students DO NOT want this to happen).

Students are expected to dress in a professional manner for classes, and to bring everything their class requires in order to participate. No phones or other electronic media are allowed in certain areas, especially the academic areas. Proper behavior and participation, of course, is a must. The strict routines will be very helpful to students as they make their way into the job force. In fact, I have worked in places where employees would certainly have benefited from these lessons!

I thought you might be interested to hear about the classes Daniela is taking this semester. There are many, so I can see why it is a bit difficult to keep them all straight. Here they are:

1. Language Arts
2. Math
3. Personal Bible Study
4. Root of Faith
5. Computer Skills
6. Personal Development
7. Study Skills
8. Introduction to Culinary Arts
9. Introduction to Horticulture
10. Daily Living Skills and Daily Living Skills Lab

Wow, Huh! Each class is held 1-4 times a week. They also have a study hall at the end of the afternoon where they are expected to complete all or most of their homework assignments. They have Chapel on Monday mornings and attend church on Sunday mornings. There are also evening activities planned many evenings. There is a student led group called Ai2 which holds weekly meetings. (It is led by third year students with the assistance of second year students.) There are also activities planned most weekends. This past weekend they went boating on Saturday and went to the Down Syndrome Buddy Walk at the Milwaukee Zoo on Sunday. ( see links to photos below.)

Daniela loves almost everything about Shepherds, with maybe the exception of chores, which are mandatory. Even then, she understands she is part of a team, part of a family and that she needs to fulfill her responsibilities to make that family run smoothly. I know there will be more challenges as the year goes by for Daniela but, happily, she seems ready to face them, meet them head-on, and move ahead in her journey to independence!

Here are some links you might want to check out -

This a wonderful blog by the mother of another young woman on her own journey to independence! The Ordinary Life of an Extraordinary Girl

Photo of Daniela in Computer class (first class of the day - hair still wet from a shower)

Daniela and friends at the Buddy Walk at the Milwaukee Zoo - It was a little chilly and rainy but looks like they had a great time!

Daniela and her friend Lindsey

Daniela and classmates at the Buddy walk

Not sure who this character in the middle is!

A New Postsecondary Program in Virginia and Photos of Daniela at College!

2011-09-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

I want to pass on info about a great new post-secondary program for young adults with intellectual disabilities here in Virginia. It is called ACE-IT and it is starting this coming spring at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. I am very excited to see Virginia taking another step forward with this program. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30th so any interested families need to act very quickly!! It is a 30 month program and VERY reasonably priced. As far as I can tell, it is a commuter program so that may be disappointing for those who live further out from the Richmond area. Their goal is to also start the program in 2 community colleges, so that will make it accessible to many more families. It also has a part-time work component which is super. You can email me for the application here and I'll send you the attachment. Or you can email the program directly for more info here. Thanks to Renee Wilson, Daniela's terrific job coach at Gloucester High School for the info!

Daniela had a second very productive week at Shepherds College. She is settling in, making friends and learning all the ropes to being successful at the program. It's been challenging for her and she has faltered a little, but is trying very hard and we are so proud of her efforts to be brave with all of the new challenges facing her. The staff has been so supportive in helping the students to adjust to new expectations. Daniela told me she "LOVES" the college and her new friends. She especially loves her "Intro to Culinary Arts" classes. She told me last night she misses us, but does not really feel homesick anymore! (Yah!) You go, Daniela! - oh - and don't forget to do your homework and your chores!!

The college just posted new photos of the students today in some sort of group exercises in the gymnasium. You will notice Daniela proudly wearing her Shepherds t-shirt, obviously having fun. You can see the photos on Shepherds College Facebook page . Thank you Susan Griffis, member of the Shepherds staff and dear friend, for taking and posting them! (I kind of bugged her a little about posting some - she wanted to wait until the students got over some their new student anxieties before she started shoving a camera in their face ( my choice of words here, not hers!) As always, the staff is always thinking with kindness!) She picked a perfect time to take photos. The students were very involved in their activity and having too great a time to be worried about photos! (photo of Daniela!)

Have a great week everyone! Enjoy the photos!

all the best,

Tina

Daniela Goldstone - College Girl!!

2011-09-11T13:25:00.000-04:00

Daniela at orientation - meeting her friend Katy from New Jersey. They have been writing to each other for months and were so excited to finally meet!

meeting Lindsey from Wisconsin, Katy's roommate

Daniela sees her room for the first time. (see her new guitar which she can't wait to learn to play!) Daniela was very gracious. Though we arrived first, she let her roommate choose which bed she wanted. Her roommate chose the single bed on the other side of the room. The top bunk is reserved for the college's only commuter student, Cody. Cody will sleep over occasionally, especially when they have evening activities. The rooms are beautiful, just remodeled and very spacious.

The first year academic advisers making a presentation to students and their families. They are just great young women. On the right is Daniela's incredible adviser Lori Konopasek. In just the first week, she has emailed or called me several times to ask questions and let me know how Daniela is doing. She is very proactive in trying to make sure all her students have the best transition possible. Daniela is so very lucky to have her there supporting her.

At lunch the first day - so typical - young women checking the texts on their cell phones!

Daniela with her lovely roommate Miranda. Miranda is from Wisconsin and her family has already invited Daniela to come visit when Miranda goes home some weekends. Such a nice young woman and family!

Sitting on her bed, decorated just as she wanted! (sorry it's blurry!)

sitting at her desk, where hopefully, she will do lots of work in the coming year

her storage area in her room, lots of space!!

Daniela's bed - very cozy!

In the first year kitchen - Daniela has already helped cook dinner there. She helped make spaghetti with one of the first year guys!

With Bethany, a really sweet first year student who we met when we came to Wisconsin in June. She's from Illinois. Her family has also invited Daniela to come home with Bethany!

From Tina -

Well - at long last Daniela Goldstone is a college student! Last weekend she and I flew to Wisconsin so that she could begin her new journey. She was so excited and nervous, we both were!

She had so much fun meeting all of the new students. She especially was looking forward to meeting Katy Stengele. (You can read more about Katy by clicking on her name). They have been emailing each other for several months and were already friends before they met! She also couldn't wait to meet her roommate Miranda. Also in the photos are Lindsey and Bethany. They are all great young women, just like Daniela, so excited to be starting this new journey together. There are also 4 other young women and 8 young men in the first year class whom she will come to know very well in the coming year.

Daniela's room is beautiful, as are all of the facilities of the college. The administration and staff have gone to a great deal of effort and expense to make sure the students have everything they need to live, learn, and work for their three years at Shepherds.

The orientation was wonderful and informative, getting to meet so many other families with high expectations for their children's lives. Everyone was so thrilled that they were getting this spectacular, unique opportunity. Such lovely families, filled with hope and happiness! The air was electric!

We had sessions with our children and separate from them, gradually spending more and more time apart to ease the students into their families leaving. Everything was so well planned out. I could feel Daniela becoming more comfortable and safe. By the time I left her on Saturday afternoon, she was ready and there were no tears on either side (though she told me she cried a bit that night, as I'm sure was true for many students).

This past week has been challenging for her, I'm sure. So many changes - no family, no TV (or very, very little), no cat, no nightly calls to her boyfriend, no food in her new room PLUS new food, new friends, new bathrooms and showers, NEW RULES! In addition - getting used to all of her classes, instructors, combination locks on lockers, and last, but not least, HOMEWORK! Wow, I'm sure she and the other new students crash into their beds at night (along with the very devoted staff and teachers!)

As I said in the photos, Daniela's adviser, Lori Konopasek (Mrs. K to the students) is amazing. Intelligent, insightful, and kind, she and I are totally on the same page when it comes to helping Daniela adjust. I already trust her advice completely. To add to the stress this week, all of a sudden, the State of Wisconsin decided (after I left, of course.....) that Daniela DOES qualify for the IRIS program (see the previous posts concerning IRIS)! Great, fabulous news, to be sure. The funding means that her scholarship can be used by other students, which is absolutely what we wanted. It did mean, however, that Daniela had to attend the meeting required to begin the IRIS program without me there. I was able to attend by conference call (from work, which was a bit awkward), so that helped a bit. Fortunately, her adviser and another Shepherds staff person, Trecia Christianson (who Daniela knew well from our visit in June) were there for her. Challenging for Daniela, but she got through it...

I won't share details here on any other challenges right now but I may share some later on (ONLY with Daniela's permission). I'll never share issues about any other students, unless I have their and their families blessing). As this first week went on there has been concrete progress in Daniela's comfort level. She loves her classes, the instructors, and all of her new friends. We are going to touch base by phone several times a week, and email each other in between. Thursday night, she went to a gathering in the second year girls housing to watch football (Green Bay Packers!), play games and eat popcorn. She sounded like she was having a blast and ended the call by saying "I gotta go, mom!" I look forward to hearing how her weekend went when I talk to her tonight.

For now, it will be just be me writing on the blog. Daniela will be far too busy with school, chores, (and fun!) to write, though I will ask her what she wants me to say about her experiences and will ask her if I can quote some of her emails. Hopefully, I'll be able to get some photos to share as well with the help of the staff. So keep reading - the blog will continue! Now is the time when Daniela's journey will start to get very, very interesting!!

All the best,

Tina

Great News!! IRIS funding re-instated for Shepherds College students!!

2011-08-26T10:54:00.001-04:00

From Tina - Last night, we received a wonderful email from Shepherds College letting everyone know that the state of Wisconsin, after many emails, meetings and interventions, has decided to allow the Wisconsin students to continue to receive IRIS funding while attending Shepherds College.

The Board of Directors and college staff spent countless hours and made superhuman efforts to help make this happen. The bold, daring move they took in delaying the college opening for a month has resulted in a miracle. There was also incredible support and help from numerous federal and state officials in helping to successfully resolve this challenging issue. All of the previously funded students will be able to return for orientation next week!

In the end, everyone involved in the decision came to see what we already knew, that this innovative program makes incredible use of the funding to help these students attain their maximum level of independence and enjoyment of life. It gives students the tools to live a life with purpose and dignity. It helps them to truly become part of their community, not only in Union Grove Wisconsin, the home of Shepherds College, but also in each of the communities they return to after their graduation (though Shepherds continues to be play a supportive role for the rest of their lives, if the graduates so desire.).

Daniela actually also became a Wisconsin resident in June, when I helped her move all of her belongings there and she established her residency (She's actually just a Virginia visitor right now!). It is still being determined whether or not she qualifies for IRIS at this time, since the freeze went into effect approximately 2 weeks after she moved there. If the state of Wisconsin determines she hadn't been there long enough before the freeze to qualify right now, hopefully she will then go onto the IRIS waiting list. We can only hope it won't be a 10 year waiting list like the one she was on as a Virginia resident.

Very thankfully, Shepherds has awarded Daniela a generous scholarship, as it has many of the "out of state" and other students who don't qualify for IRIS. We are so grateful to them for this great blessing. We still hope IRIS will be a possibility eventually so that the scholarship money granted to Daniela can go to other students. This funding, where-ever it comes from, will mean that my husband and I can reserve some funds to help her in the future as, hopefully, she graduates and moves into a home of her own. Our goal is for her to gain as much independence as possible to live and work where ever she chooses to settle down. We'll, of course, be here to help her for the rest of our lives - it's when we aren't here that we are working towards. Isn't this what all parents are working towards? Some of us just need to give a little more guidance and set up a few more safety nets! Being part of the Shepherds family is the safety net which gives us such hope that all of these goals are completely within her grasp.

Anyway, we are off to Wisconsin next Thursday! Excited doesn't begin to describe our feelings. Now we can only hope that one nasty hurricane doesn't interfere with our plans! We are thinking good thoughts and saying our prayers for everyone who will be effected by this horrible storm. Stay safe out there across the Eastern Seaboard!!!

Tina and Daniela

Wretches & Jabberers 2011 Theatrical Trailer

2011-08-18T13:30:00.006-04:00

We have added the trailer from the movie Wretches and Jabberers to the blog. If you watch the entire video, at the end you will have the opportunity to watch more videos from and about the movie.

We encourage you to watch! (For new readers, read post about the documentary which is 2 posts down) I hope you will all look into purchasing or renting this movie, especially those of you who are teachers or involved with any school!

love,

Tina and Daniela

The 2011 Convention of the Arc of Virginia - Tina's Perspective Part 1

2011-08-16T21:20:00.010-04:00

When I was elected to be on the board of Directors for the Arc of Virginia, I immediately started looking forward to attending the state convention in Virginia Beach (this past weekend). I assumed I would be attending by myself but since Daniela's school delay meant she would still be at home with us I knew, of course, she should attend as well.

I was a little concerned about what Daniela would do while I was in board meetings and attending sessions that I knew would not interest her. The convention had great sessions lined up for self advocates (people attending who have disabilities), but I wasn't sure how comfortable she would be attending them since it was unlikely she would know anyone. I explained to her that if she did come with me she would have to be independent much of time. She still really wanted to come so I told her that she was now a representative of Shepherds College and that her behavior would reflect on the college. She took this very seriously. I asked the college to send us some brochures to distribute, since I knew that people in attendance would be very interested in finding out more when we told them about Daniela's future plan for college (and they certainly were).

We arrived last Thursday morning just before the first sessions started. Daniela and I split up with her nervously attending a session about peer advocacy. I went to an informative session for board member training. When we met up after the session, she was really excited. She had already met people and loved the session. She went from being nervous to looking forward to attending all the future self advocate sessions. We went to the opening plenary together Later in the day, she attended her own session on dating and relationships (which she said was really cool).

After the afternoon sessions were over there was a beachfront reception with music. Daniela danced with some of her new friends while I chatted with Howard Cullum the President of the Virginia Arc, Jamie Liban, the executive director and other Arc leaders. I was truly humbled by their work (some for up to 40 years) on behalf of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are the people who have truly changed the lives of Virginians (and Americans outside of Virginia) who deal with extreme challenges every day of their lives.

When it got dark, I wanted to head up to our room, but Daniela was having too much fun and asked to stay with her new friends (who planned to end the evening with karaoke). I, with some trepidation, told her to act responsibly and headed upstairs. I was really pleasantly surprised at Daniela's confidence and independence! She acted with maturity the entire weekend, informing her new friends she doesn't drink and letting the interested young men know that she had a boyfriend. My worries about her going away to school significantly diminished and I saw Daniela in a new light as she moved forward to take her place as an independent adult.

Day 2

The next day followed with many more interesting sessions for both of us, some together - some separately. The luncheon speakers were Alison Barkoff and Aaron Sisser from the U.S. Dept. of Justice. They work for the Civil Rights Division at the DOJ and are currently involved in the investigation against the Commonwealth of Virginia's compliance with the Olmstead Act (click for more info). Because this is an ongoing investigation, they mostly limited their remarks to their efforts in other states and what they have accomplished to maintain the civil rights of individuals with disabilities. It is through the dedicated efforts of the Arc, the DOJ, and others that institutions housing people with disabilities across the U.S. are being closed and better housing in their communities is being opened up. It is the Arc's (and my) great hope that the Virginia investigation will also lead to the reduction in the long, long waiting lists for Medicaid Waivers. One surprising fact I found out during the convention is that while Virginia ranks 7th in per capita wealth in the USA, it ranks 47th in Medicaid expenditures per capita. While many Virginians may be proud of this fact, they should be mindful that this spells disaster for thousands of families impacted by disabilities and poverty.

Immediately following the luncheon, Mr. Sisser and Ms. Barkoff went to a discussion forum for self advocates that I also decided to attend. I was really curious as to how well these advocates would tell their stories. Would any of them speak up for themselves? Well - there was no problem there. Person after person stood up and told their story, most very eloquently. The most moving stories were from those who had lived in institutions and who now had independent lives. It was obvious how seriously these attorneys were listening to what they were hearing. They restored my faith (momentarily) in the federal government. They are fighting diligently to restore "lives with dignity" to people who have been marginalized for centuries. At that point of the convention, I thought this was going the highlight of the convention for me. But by the end of the weekend there were so many highlights, it was very hard to choose.....

After this session I had to attend the Arc board meeting. It was dinnertime and I really didn't have something for Daniela to do, since there were no sessions for her. I gave her $20.00 for dinner but most of her new friends were heading out of the hotel to eat and party for the rest of the evening. Daniela didn't want to do that. We were both looking forward to a screening of a new documentary after my meeting. I told her she could head up to our room but she decided just to hang around the lobby and see if she could meet up with someone. I was a bit nervous about that, but decided to trust her judgement....

The board meeting was surprisingly fascinating. Daniela called while I was in the meeting, but I couldn't check my phone till the meeting ended. She had, indeed, found wonderful friends to meet up with and have dinner with in the hotel restaurant. Who is this new independent young woman (who used to be afraid of new people and situations)???

We then went to the documentary screening and I will write about it in the next post. I am an avid documentary watcher, but never, ever, ever have I been so moved and changed by a movie. Daniela was impacted greatly (as was was the entire audience.) Of course, having the cast of the movie (!) in attendance may have had something to do with my intense feelings. More on this in the next post.....

All the best,

Tina

Arc Convention Part 2 - Wretches and Jabberers

2011-08-16T21:20:00.007-04:00

From Tina -

As I left off in my last post we were about to attend the screening of a new documentary.

Wretches and Jabberers is the story of two truly remarkable men, Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonnette. Their journeys in life both began with childhoods in which they were thought, by almost everyone (their families always believed in them), to be extremely, extremely disabled. Both were autistic and nonverbal with no way to reach out to their families or anyone else whom they came in contact with. Larry spent his youth in a grim institution where he never received an education. Tracy's education, even though he attended school, was extremely limited. Both were aching and angry at being trapped in bodies that would not allow them to express themselves. Then, by some sort of miracle twenty years ago, both were given the gift of language. They were given devices to type with and the assistance of caring people to help give them a voice. Slowly, their brilliant minds were revealed to the world. Their voices also revealed - surprisingly - compassion, poetry and love.

Larry and Tracy eventually became fierce self advocates and staunch advocates for other individuals with disabilities. They had and have a strong desire to mentor young people. Several years ago an award winning film producer offered them the chance to tell their story as they traveled the world reaching out to others. Wretches and Jabberers is that story. With a haunting soundtrack by J. Ralph (which features many famous artists), it is a film that sweeps you into another world - a world in which your perceptions of disability will be forever changed. The overriding message - "Presume competence" - will always be with me, a part of my soul.

Filmed by the Academy Award winning director, Gerry Wurzburg, in Vermont, Sri Lanka, Japan, and Finland, the landscape is viewed through the poetic typewritten words of the heroes of the film along with the calming assistance with their longtime noble guides Harvey Lavoy and Pascal Cheng. The film was sprinkled with sarcastic humor layered with poignant thoughts and visions about life in a world where individuals with disabilities are marginalized. We meet young adults facing their own struggles who are given new hope in meeting these two unlikely middle-aged men. We find out that Tracy is extremely spiritual and that Larry is a talented artist. Their most important message - to look much deeper than the outward presentation of people. When the documentary was over Daniela and I, along with the rest of the audience were momentarily speechless. All around the room of 4-500 people, I saw people wiping their eyes, that is, as soon as I wiped my own tears away. As the lights came up there on a podium at the front of the ballroom sat Harvey, Tracy, Pascal and Larry. Even though we knew they would be there, it was still a bit of a shock. Daniela shouted out "Mom, look! There they are!!!

For over an hour, the four men sat patiently while the audience asked questions. Both men typed their answered diligently - their words even more astounding in person than they were on film. Larry's comedic timing was brilliant. Tracy's solemn facial expression was often at odds with the excitement he felt and the warm words he typed. The fact that Harvey and Pascal, two brilliant and educated men in their own right, are able to check their egos and allow the two other men to shine was also very moving to me. They all received a standing ovation, of course, at the end of their presentation. I, personally, could not sleep that night. I felt too much emotion at what I had just experienced. Daniela was changed as well. We both knew we had experienced something we would never forget.

The next morning, the four men held another session (minus the film) to a packed crowd. We were thrilled to hear more from them, including more about their backgrounds and follow-up videos made after the movie was filmed. (available on the web-site). Daniela had a chance to meet, and have her photo taken with, Larry, Pascal, and Tracy. Tracy reached out to her (after I briefed him on her history and goals) and offered to stay in contact with her. This meant the world to her and I hope they are able to do this. He is a wonderful mentor for young people, regardless of their level of abilities.

Daniela asked the last question at their presentation. "Was it difficult to learn to communicate at first?" I was in awe of her bravery in standing up in front of so many people. They each answered her. Tracy said that "It was like climbing Mt. Everest, but well worth the effort". You can read Larry's response on a photo on Daniela's post about the conference.

I highly recommend that everyone buy or rent "Wretches and Jabberers". I think that it will change who you are inside and you will never forget it. It should be required viewing in every high school, middle school and college. I plan to lobby for our local schools to show it this coming year and urge you to do the same.

To sum the weekend up, this was the best conference I have been to in my entire life. I wasn't bored for a single second and had a very hard time choosing which sessions I wanted to attend. I truly look forward to the next convention. Jamie Liban (executive director), her staff and the other people from the local chapters who put this together should be extremely proud of themselves. I am so grateful to them for the wonderful weekend Daniela and I had together!

Daniela, as I said in the previous post, became a poised adult who I barely recognized. She found a new inspiring community that she aspires to be like. At the end of the convention, several Arc leaders, including the impressive Jamie, came up to me and told me how impressed they were with Daniela. They think she will be an up and coming leader in the Arc movement when she graduates from Shepherds. (I happen to agree with them).

I am just so embarrassed that we have not truly been involved with the Arc before now. They are responsible for so many of the positive changes in the lives of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Well, we're on board now and very excited to help, in our own small way, to make an impact.They give me much greater hope for Daniela's future and the future of all young adults with ID and DD!

All the best,

Tina

PS Be sure to read Daniela's account below!!

My trip to the 2011 Virginia Arc Convention!

2011-08-16T20:33:00.002-04:00

The first night they had a party on the beach.This was at Virginia Beach. I danced with my new friends.

Here I am with my new friend Quntia Grummell. She lives in Newport News.

This is Alison Barkoff and Aaron Zisser with the U.S. Department of Justice.They fight for the rights of people with disabilities all over the country.

This is Shawn Kirk. He is the President of a great self advocate group named VAULT

This is Maggie and another new friend from the group People for People.

More people from People for People and Diana ( in red) from another great group People First.

This is Harvey, Tracy, Pascal and Larry. They showed us their movie, Wretches and Jabberers. It was really, really good. I loved it. Some parts were funny and some were sad.

Larry and (in red) is a really good artist. He uses his hands to paint.

Here Larry and Tracy are typing and what they wrote showed up on the big screens.

I got to meet the stars of the movie! It was exciting!! Tracy gave me his card and is going to stay in touch with me!!

I asked a question in front of the very big crowd. I asked, "Was it difficult to communicate at first?" Tracy said it was like climbing Mt. Everest, but it was well worth it. Above is what Larry's answer was. My mom thought I was brave to stand in up in front of some many people.


This is Jamie Liban. She is the Executive Director of the Virginia Arc. She works very hard for all the people in Virginia with intellectual and developmental disabilities!

I had a blast at the conference. I met lots of new people and I learned alot of new things. When I graduate, I want to come back and be part of the Arc. I want to start my own group of self advocates here in Gloucester!

In two weeks I will be in school in Wisconsin. I told everyone at the conference about Shepherds College. They thought it was really cool!

love, Daniela

Shepherds College update - delayed start until Sept 2

2011-08-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

From Tina-

For those of you who are thinking that Daniela must, by now, be at school in Wisconsin, I thought I would give you an update -

About a week before we were due to fly to Shepherds for the orientation, we received a phone call from the college, saying there would be a delay in the start date until the second of September. This, of course, was a big shock to all of us, but after the school explained the reason why, the delay became very understandable.

In every state, there is a program for people with intellectual disabilities called "medicaid waivers". Most of you who are familiar with the world of disabilities know all about this program, but for those of you who do not know this term, I'll give you a basic explanation (you can google it for a more detailed explanation).

Waiver programs were developed to promote individuals with disabilities, both children and adults, being able to live in the community and not be institutionalized. There are various types of programs for different populations and each state runs their program differently. Here in Virginia, there is approximately a 10 year waiting list for the ID (intellectual disability) waiver. Daniela was on that list. The funds help to support services to keep individuals in their family home or, when they become adults, in a home of their own. This can include many types of services: such as vocational services, life skills training, minor services such as weekly visits or 24 hour a day supervision. While this sounds expensive, institutional care is much, much more costly.

Shepherds College has been an incredible provider of waiver services. It's program up until recently has fit the guidelines and a number of the Wisconsin resident students costs were covered, in varying amounts, by the Wisconsin waiver program (called IRIS). Wisconsin, has ranked in the top 10-15 states in providing excellent services tho their residents with disabilities. (Virginia is ranked at 40.....)

This summer the Wisconsin legislature has decided to put a 2 year freeze on new participants. This is devastating to many families in Wisconsin. But for Shepherds students already receiving services, there is a different problem - somehow, the program has recently been denied as being considered as a provider of services for the IRIS program. From my understanding (and this is very confusing) someone has decided the college students are being "institutionalized" because they live together in the dorms and apartments..... Therefore they are not living in the community. Does this mean all "regular" students living in college housing are institutionalized???

The college is working very hard in this month of delay to get the program reinstated to receive IRIS funding. There is a great deal of support within the state government and legislature, which is good news. The college will find out by the end of next week whether they were successful in their efforts. If they are not, sadly, a number of students may not have the funds to continue in the program. The college offers scholarships, but those funds will be very strained by this major loss of funding. This situation would be devastating for affected students and their families. Shepherds College is one of, (if not THE), most innovative and amazing programs in the world helping young adults with intellectual disabilities to live the most independent lives possible. The graduates will be much less likely to need expensive services to live in the community, whether in Wisconsin or anywhere else they live. Please send your prayers and good thoughts that ALL the students will be returning to school next month. The college is also soon going to add a place on their web-site that will accept donations to the scholarship program. (you can donate now as well - if you are interested, email me privately and I'll tell you how.)

I will update you all when I find out the outcome of the college's efforts. Daniela is busy now with a packet the college sent to help her transition into school. She has to keep a record of a number of daily chores around the house. She is expected to read and exercise for a certain number of minutes each week. She also has cooking assignments (She made us a delicious roast with potatoes and carrots tonight!!)

The college was kind enough to reimburse for the fees required in changing our flights so we are rebooked and ready to head to Wisconsin again next month!!

All the best,

Tina

My Summer

2011-07-15T14:15:00.000-04:00

I had a great Summer and I am looking forward to leaving for school in less than two weeks!!!!!! I am excited but I am going to miss all my friends and family here in Virginia.

I am enjoying the time with my cat. I am going to miss her when I go off to college.

I enjoyed making cookies.

We made a trip to Wisconsin last month.This was taken at the Milwaukee Public Museum.

this was in downtown Milwaukee. My mom says this is someone named Fonzie. I don't know who this is!

This was taken at Old World Wisconsin. He made a horseshoe for me. I am going to keep it in my room for good luck.

This was a tree at Lake Geneva. We walked around the lake and went on a boat ride.

I went to Six Flags. I rode lots of rides.

Appointment to the Arc Board of Directors, nonprofit research, and a Daniela update!

2011-05-24T14:04:00.002-04:00

From Tina -

I found out yesterday that I have been appointed to the Arc of Virginia Board of Directors!! I am very excited and honored and I hope I will be able to make a real difference in the lives of Virginia's citizens with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I plan to put my main focus in improving opportunities for young adults with I.D and D.D.

My other (admittedly ambitious) plan for the next 3 years is to lay the groundwork for Daniela's permanent return to Virginia so that she can make the most of all the new skills she will have gained at Shepherds College. With that goal in mind, I am in the early (research) stage of planning to build a local nonprofit to benefit Daniela and all her independent minded young adult peers with intellectual and developmental disabilities in our region (the Middle Peninsula). My first step will be to begin classes this fall in nonprofit management.

My goal for the nonprofit will be to help provide these young adults with better access to adult education, transportation, vocational opportunities, housing, and last, but certainly not least, a social and support community within our larger community. Their advocacy, leadership, ideas and goals will be guiding the direction of the organization.

I have decided to move forward with this goal because I have noticed the severe lack of opportunities and support (including financial support) for this younger age group (18-35) to actually achieve independent lives. These great young adults have been taught to expect inclusion and opportunities in their school setting, only to finish school with little opportunities out there for them to make good use of their independence and other skills. In this current financial climate, it's a little hard to be optimistic that waivers and other federal and state programs are going to be there for all of them, at least any time in the near future. I know my goal is a lofty one and, frankly, an overwhelming one, but I am very determined that Daniela and her peers will lead happy, productive lives, even after their parents are no longer around to help make that happen.

I will fill you in more as my appointment and work in setting up the nonprofit become active!

Meanwhile, Daniela is busy enjoying her summer at home before she leaves for Shepherds College at the end of July. She is spending lots of time with her friends and, literally, counting the days until school begins. (Time is just not passing quickly enough to suit her!!) She has already made friends with another incoming student named Katy from New Jersey via Facebook. They can't wait to meet each other and the other new students.

I think it is a wonderful twist of fate that Daniela and I will be starting new journeys this summer, hers in Wisconsin and mine, with the Arc and the (hopefully possible!) nonprofit, here in Virginia!

Best wishes for a wonderful summer to all our followers!!

Thanks to Ms. Dupont - a free link to my article (and other great articles!)In Exceptional Parent

2011-03-27T16:47:00.001-04:00

From Tina -

For those of you who don't read the comments here on the blog, we have one dedicated reader who very frequently leaves the nicest and most encouraging comments. Here name is Adelaide Dupont. I haven't figured out a way to email her directly so I will thank her publicly here on behalf of Daniela and myself for all of her kind and thoughtful words!

In her last comment she gave an extremely helpful link I was unaware of. My article from Shepherds College is available from the Free Library! You can also freely access many other great articles at the site from Exceptional Parent and, I'm sure, other helpful magazines.

The photos from the article are not available at the site, but you can see many like them at the Shepherds College web-site. There are advertisements at the site but I think that is a reasonable trade-off.

Shepherds College article in Exceptional Parent magazine

Thanks again Ms. Dupont and to all the lovely people who take time to leave comments on Daniela's blog!

Daniela's Twenty Year Anniversary of being our daughter!!! How far she has come!!

2011-03-07T06:18:00.003-05:00

Daniela's translated new birth certificate - saying she was a Romanian child born in the Netherlands to us!?

From Tina - Twenty years ago on March 7th 1991, a new chapter began in the life of the Goldstone family of Wijnandsrade, the Netherlands (and the good ol' USA!). On that day, a scared little girl with very big eyes entered our lives and would change us all (and many other people who have come to know her) in profound and positive ways. We knew from the start that life would always be challenging for her. Her lack of pre-natal care, possible exposure to alcohol in the womb, and early life in an orphanage would effect her development in serious and permanent ways. Though no amount of love or education would ever have been able to totally restore her original potential, as you can see from this blog, Daniela is one VERY determined survivor! She has come farther than any of us could have predicted (and is only just beginning!)

As we celebrate her twenty years with us, I thought I'd share some photos from her very early hours and days as Daniela Goldstone. I hope you enjoy them!

Our beautiful Daniela, we are so glad you are our daughter! The years have really flown by. I can't believe in a few months you'll be headed off to college - we are all so excited for you and love you very, very much!! This is a tribute to you - SURPRISE!!

(Be sure to check back later for Daniela's post about this special day. We have other surprises in store for her today - shhhhh!

Also, be sure to check the second post I'm including now. By coincidence or fate (or providence!) today my big story comes out in Exceptional Parent Magazine about Daniela's visit to Shepherds College! Read the post to find out all about it and find out how to see the article for yourself! (One hint here - our story made the cover of the magazine!!!!!)

Now - here's our lovely baby Daniela!

March 7, 1991 at the Focsani, Romania orphanage - This photo was taken right before they dressed Daniela and she left forever to go first to Bucharest, and two days later, to her forever home with me, her dad and her big sister. Notice how she is staring at her hand, avoiding all that was going on around her. Also notice the lack of color, toys, or any semblance of joy. This was her life for almost 15 months. She was terrified of the orphanage workers and screamed and shook in fear when they picked her up. When I was there they handled her like a sack of potatoes. The staff spent only enough time with the babies to very quickly give them bottles, change their clothes and diapers, etc. No effort was made to interact with them. As a result, the children only rarely heard human voices. Daniela was silent for many days, except for guttural, almost animal noises. She also had rarely been held and was either stiff as a board or entirely floppy. The children spent their days sleeping or rocking themselves in their beds. Daniela was standing here, but didn't stand again for over a month. She had a very weak crawl and didn't walk until she was 18 months old.

Me, preparing to grab Daniela as the orphanage staff handed her to me out of the window.

Holding Daniela as my daughter for the first time (It was the orphanage tradition that all new parents received their children this way - sort of a birth experience. I thought it was a nice touch. They hadn't taken great care of her, but did keep her alive. Most of the women were poor and uneducated and thought these children (many of them Roma - "gypsy") were of no value. Little did I know Daniela's brother was also there - secreted away from the other children in even worse conditions because he was HIV positive (which the orphanage had given him from dirty needles and infected transfusions). Read about Daniel in an earlier post.

Daniela's passport photo, taken 3 hours after we left the orphanage. She was frozen with fear. Could her eyes possibly have been larger or more beautiful? I don't think so!! She was so silent and had not cried once since we left the orphanage. She was watching every single thing going on around her (but wouldn't look directly at us)>

Back at the Bucharest apartment I lived in while in Romania. She refused to make eye contact and was flapping her little hand. Her self-stimulating behaviors continued for months. Her hands had been all she had to comfort and entertain herself with for 15 months.

Her first present given to her by an Irish adopting mom (who was also staying in the apartment). Daniela didn't want to touch it but REALLY did not want it touching her either. She still has this doll and I think it still scares her a little bit!

After I got her ready for bed the first night - Can you imagine how overwhelmed and confused she must have been? She'd never seen a toy, heard music, been hugged or held while she was drinking her bottle and refused to drink if anyone was near her for several days. In fact, mealtime was almost the only time she cried after she left the orphanage -it was very stressful for her. She had never had anything but milk and raw eggs in a bottle - no solids. She had food issues for years and still mostly loves milk and eggs! She also had almost no pain sensations for years - her nerve endings seemed numbed and she constantly sought sensory stimulation. She does feel pain now and her sensory issues are almost completely resolved ( a huge step forward for her).

Back home in Holland, Daniela gets to know her Dad for the first time. By now she was beginning to look us in the eye! She loved nostrils (of all things!) and especially loved sticking her fingers in them. "Hi, Pop!" He was the person who received her first hug - at the 4th of July fireworks when they shot off cannons - she jumped into his safe arms and buried herself in his chest! From then on, Daniela has been one big, hugging machine! Just ask anyone who knows her!

Getting to know her big sister, Marcy (age 9). Daniela adored her from the start. Marcy was the person who first made Daniela laugh! Marcy was her great motivator and cheerleader. Daniela also terrorized her big sister (and her belongings) when she finally became mobile! She was a notorious paper shredder. No book was safe for a number of years!

Home for one month - her first Easter with us - she was beginning to show us her impish personality - curious, energetic, and happy. She was also just beginning to trust us and realize that life had so much to offer! It would take years and years of love, therapy and education for Daniela to recover from her early life. They were challenging years for all of us and her future in the early years seemed quite precarious. Somewhere in her core, Daniela held a resilient determination and sunny optimism that saved her from turning into a sad statistic. We now look forward to seeing how she begins this new chapter her new life as an adult - learning, working, and sharing her optimism and determination with the rest of the world!

All the best, Tina

Now Available - "Daniela's Journey to Shepherds College" in the March 11 issue of Exceptional Parent Magazine!!

2011-03-07T06:18:00.002-05:00

From Tina - What a great day for this issue to come out! March 7, 2011 - the 20th anniversary of Daniela's adoption!! Yah!! Be sure to check out the other post written today for my tribute (and photos!) to Daniela on this special day in her life.

I found out Friday that the March issue of Exceptional Parent Magazine would be coming out on Monday, which I was thrilled about. It didn't occur to me until later the significance of the day - then I got goosebumps!

I haven't shared the news with Daniela yet (and she also doesn't remember the anniversary day), so she is in for 2 big surprises this morning. She loves surprises so I know she'll be excited about these two. I have to go to work this morning, but will cue her in before I leave. I'm planning on taking her out to lunch today - just her and me - just like the day we adopted her.

When we come home, I'll sit down with her and help her put together her own post with her reflections about this great day. We have been taking a break from the blog for the past couple of months. After working so hard to finish high school and then the intensive efforts to look for, apply, and interview with college programs, we both felt we needed a little break to chill out and relax before she gets ready to leave for Wisconsin in July. She has been sleeping in, volunteering at the Humane Society, hanging out with friends and just enjoying not feeling any pressure to accomplish anything (except doing her laundry, caring for her cat, and keeping her room clean - hey, I'm not her maid after all! ;) ) This is a great day to get back in gear. (Soon we'll start shopping for school supplies. Her sister already bought her long underwear for those cold Wisconsin winters!)

Back to Exceptional Parent - wow, congratulations to the editors and staff for doing such a wonderful presentation of my article. It is four pages long with lots of pictures -wow! The pictures on the first page were provided by me (with Daniela in them, of course!) The rest are professional photographs provided by Shepherds College, including....... THE COVER PHOTO! How exciting that is. It's the first time one of my articles has been honored with a cover photo. It's a beautiful shot of a first year student, Samuel Zdancewicz, taken by the talented professional photographer Ellen Cook. Daniela will come to know Ellen next year as she takes many photographs for the college (including their upcoming first graduation ceremony!).

The article provides active links to this blog, the college web-site, and to Think College's web-site. With a circulation of 500,000 readers, hopefully all three web-sites will get lots of new interest. I think families, even with young children, will be excited to see the possibilities for their children's futures.

Here's more great news - you can all see the article in print! The magazine has recently gone digital to lower costs for subscribers (only $19.95 a year for 11 informative issues - plus the fantastic yearly resource guide!) One super advantage of reading it digitally is the ability to click on any link (including to this site!) featured in the magazine and be able to go to directly to the web-site. So cool!

For those of you who want to preview this great magazine, you can do it for free and, if you are careful, you can even read my article! You can only view limited pages in the preview so I'm going to explain here how to make sure you can view my article - here's how to do it:

Click here:

Exceptional Parent March 2011

Go to the bottom of the page where it says PREVIEW. Click on that word.

Next go to - 1) contents: (where you will see the article, "Daniela's Journey to Shepherds College"on the left side). You can click on that to get to the article.

Or - 2) you can click on pages: where you can click on pages 12/13. This will also take you to the article.

After reading the article I suggest you also click on the cover to see the great photo of Samuel and also go to the contents page to see all of the other great material in the magazine.

I hope all of you enjoy my story of our wonderful visit to Shepherds College and the rest of this great magazine!

All the best,

Tina

Happy Birthday!

2010-12-18T08:57:00.002-05:00

From Tina -

21 years ago today, a beautiful little girl was born in Focsani, Romania. She spent her first 15 months in a dreary orphanage with no one to care for her or love her. She is now a beautiful caring young woman who I am proud to call my daughter. Happy birthday Daniela!

Training Heidi - teaching basic obedience to a friend's dog

2010-12-04T12:04:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody!

It's been awhile since I've written. I'm sorry about that! My mom had surgery a couple of weeks ago but now we are back!

For the past couple of months I have been doing a basic obedience course at the Gloucester Kennel Club with my sister's friend's dog Heidi. I was excited to get the chance to learn how to work with a dog. It was lots of fun and I learned a lot. I want to thank my sister Marcy and her friend Jacob for helping me to do this. Below are some pictures of my training and a video!

The first couple of weeks were hard but it got easier every week. I would love to do the advanced course in the spring.

I think the course will help me a lot with my volunteer work at the Humane Society.

love, Daniela

Teaching Heidi to stay!

Receiving our certificate at the end of the course!

The Winter I'm Determined Youth Summit

2010-12-04T11:54:00.000-05:00

With Miss Virginia - She has a disability too!

With Mr. Doug Cox, the head of Special Education with the Virginia Dept. of Education

With Brett Leake - a very funny comedian who has appeared on the Tonight Show! He also has a disability!

With Darren (who I met at the summer summit) and another staff member of the summit

With my friend Zach, who I also met at the summer summit. His mom is also very nice!

With staff members from the summit!

at the dance with my friends

The dance was great!


with the DJ for the dance!

I had a wonderful time at the winter Summit in Staunton Virginia last month. I got to meet new friends and meet up with old friends from the summer summit. The most fun event was the dance and kareoke.

I learned more about how to stand up for myself and others. My mom went to special classes just for parents and she had a really good time too. We had a beautiful drive through the mountains going to the summit, but coming home the weather was awful with lots of fog and rain! I really miss all the friends I made at the summit. I hope I get to see them again. If any of you are reading my blog please email me so we can stay in touch! My mom and I want to thank everyone at the summit and everyone who made the summit happen. It was really wonderful. Other students with disabilities in Virginia should really apply to be apart of the next summit. You will learn so much and make so many friends!

Love,

Daniela

Article in UK's Telegraph about remarkable Romanian Adoptee

2010-11-13T08:08:00.000-05:00

From Tina - A frequent commenter to the blog, Adelaide Dupont, just gave us this link, in her last comment, to this inspiring article in the UK about a brilliant young man who, like Daniela, was adopted from Romania. He has overcome incredible challenges and is now a student at Oxford. His challenges are much different than Daniela's but, like her, he is truly resilient and strives to make the most of his life regardless of the obstacles that he faces on a daily basis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/8125688/The-Romanian-orphan-enjoying-his-first-time-at-Oxford.html

Thank you so much, Adelaide for the link to this article and for all your wonderful and supportive comments. They are much appreciated!

Tina

Another Great Article on Shepherds College,more about the program, and other news.

2010-11-12T10:35:00.005-05:00

/From Tina - With The Christianity Today Article coming out this week on Shepherds College, this program is becoming much more widely known and talked about. Yesterday this article came out in (click link) Mission Network News.

The college has a Facebook page that details events and daily life for the students. It's great to hear the stories and see photos of all the activities. I know we will really appreciate them next year when Daniela is in them! (For the Shepherds College Facebook page and photos you can go to the college web-site link at: http://www.shepherdscollege.org/ Look in the bottom right hand corner to link to their Facebook page).

They have had lots going on at Shepherds College the past few weeks. Recently they had an accreditation team visit them to assess the program for U.S. Dept. of Education accreditation. Being accredited will mean many great things, first among them that it will allow students to apply for Pell grants, federal college loans, etc. The visit apparently went very, very well. The team was incredibly impressed and the college is now in candidate status and on their way to being fully approved next year!

This week at the college they had their dedication of the new college buildings. It was a very big event with lots of visitors. The students helped prepare the food (which looked incredibly tasty and beautifully prepared and presented). They also help create the gorgeous decorations for the tables. They sang to the audience during the ceremonies as well.

Today they are having another open house like the one we attended in September. This one is much larger than the one we attended. I know how excited those families and students are to see the program. I wish them all the best in their application process. Some of the students visiting today could be Daniela's best friends next year!

I have to say that we are so glad Daniela was accepted before all the recent publicity! I still think she would have been a strong candidate regardless but I also know they are so many talented, eager, independent-minded young adults across the nation who deserve a chance to attend a program like Shepherds College. I hope all of them find the program which best suits their desires and abilities.

In other news, I'm soon going to be writing a review of the documentary Hand Held here on the blog (see the post about Daniela's movie posters) which will accompany the one I wrote for Adoption Today Magazine. That article came out this week in the magazine and I'll provide info on how to buy that issue of the magazine.

Before I close this diverse post, I wanted to let you know that Daniela and I will be traveling to another I'm Determined youth summit (see the post on our trip to Washington DC) in Staunton Virginia this weekend. She was again selected by an essay which she wrote. I will be attending lectures for parents while she attends the student functions. She's thrilled to be going and to be meeting new people. It should be a very informative and exciting event!

Have a great weekend!

Tina

Article in Christianity Today on Shepherds College!

2010-11-08T13:55:00.000-05:00

From Tina

The online version of the article on Shepherds College just came out in Christianity Today Magazine. It is a wonderful description of just why we think Shepherds College is so amazing. When you read the stories about two of the senior students and see how far they have come in their lives, it will truly change your perceptions of individuals with intellectual disabilities. The writer did a great job and students featured are remarkable representatives of the students and the college. I can't wait to buy the print version, because it also has photos.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/november/12.17.html

I wrote an article for Exceptional Parent Magazine about our visit to the college that will published in December so be sure to look for that as well!!

Daniela's blog is now followed in Iran, 44 other countries and all 50 states!!

2010-10-31T16:03:00.001-04:00

From Tina - I frequently check the stats for Daniela's blog to see who is reading it. I do this because it is fascinating to see who has found it, but also to make sure it is not getting linked to anything unsavory on the internet (no evidence of that, so far....)

This week I found it is being followed in Iran. With it being such a closed society, I was very interested to find out more. Below (if you can read it and link to it) is the translated version of a blog in Iran which seems to follow disability blogs. That her blog could be affecting lives there is very touching to me and to Daniela.

Iran blog

This weekend she reached a major goal - to have the blog be read in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It is now read in 45 countries as well. Amazing!

To those of you with disabilities in Iran - and across the globe, we identify with you and wish you all the best for productive and independent futures!

Tina and Daniela