Our mission is to empower children and adults with developmental disabilities to achieve their potential based on personal choices, abilities and interests...
For more information contact:
Regina Moore
Marketing Manager
phone: (914) 428-8330,
ext. 3117
fax: (914) 997-2985
or (914) 428-0322
rmoore@westchesterarc.org
Westchester Arc
Herbert Katzenberg Center
121 Westmoreland Avenue
White Plains, NY 10606
(914) 949-9300
info@westchesterarc.org
24-hour
Crisis Intervention:
(914) 949-8200
Información
en Español
Sign Up for News & Updates
Press Release
Hundreds Attend Workshops on People with Disabilities
Westchester ARC’s First Family Resource Day Fills Information Gap
WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK, February 12, 2005 — Two hundred fifty adults and 70 children attended Westchester Arc’s first Family Resource Day on February 12 at White Plains High School to learn about issues affecting individuals with developmental disabilities. “Families are hungry for information,” explained Executive Director Ric Swierat. “The issues are complex and changing. Parents, guardians and self-advocates must arm themselves with as much information as possible to make critical healthcare, educational, career and lifestyle decisions. Yet the information is fragmented. We’ve brought together 30 experts to cover in one day a wide array of subjects.”
Westchester ARC is the largest organization in the county serving people of all ages who have disabilities such as autistic spectrum disorders, Down syndrome, mental retardation, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities.
Family members joined social service professionals to explore the needs and frustrations of typically developing siblings. The achievements of the “sib movement” were clear as participants described attitudes during the fifties and sixties. “Differences were seen as shameful,” noted Mary McHugh, author of Special Siblings: Growing Up with Someone with a Disability. “I felt I had to be good all the time because my parents were going through ‘a lot,' though I didn’t understand what was going on. I would have done anything for a Sibshop when I was a little,” she said. Sibshops are game-filled, non-threatening sessions during which kids can talk to others having a brother or sister with disabilities. The format was developed by Don Meyer of the Arc of the U.S., who chaired the panel.
Kids between the ages of seven and 12 started off the day with a Sibshop, during which candid discussion--“What do you say when someone asks what’s wrong with your brother or sister?”-- alternated with laughter and balloon volleyball.
Another popular session outlined medical and educational approaches to autism. Dr. John Harrington, New York Medical College, pointed out that at the same time that the autism rate is sky-rocketing, reported cases of mental retardation are in decline. He believes that much of the autism increase is due to “the diagnosis of neurological development problems we didn’t recognize in the past,” which were previously categorized as mental retardation. He also cited Scandinavian research, dating from 1990 and involving one million children, which found no relationship between vaccinations and autism--a controversial hypothesis that has received much publicity.
Dr. Theodore Roth, a psychologist specializing in children with special needs and their parents, discussed the importance of support groups for moms. “You rarely attend to your own emotional needs,” he declared. He mentioned “the shock of discovery, self-blame, depression, strained family relations and hostile responses from others" as some of the issues that should be addressed. “You need to take care of yourselves so that you can take better care of your families.”
Catherine McHugh, New York State Commission on Quality of Care, hosted morning and afternoon sessions focusing on different aspects of educational advocacy. “You have to know the rules yourself,” she stressed. “Don’t depend on someone else to tell you” what your rights are. “Special education is not a place--it can occur anywhere” and should be conducted in the least restrictive environment possible.
Other workshops, all of which encouraged interaction from attendees, focused on financial planning, career development and the role that recreational activities can play in building confidence and community involvement.
Established over 50 years ago, Westchester Arc is a family-focused agency that has long advocated educational and social inclusion for people with disabilities because of its wide-ranging benefits to the entire community. The agency is funded through both public and private means.
XXX