AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY
Hudson Preschool Parents is committed to:
- Raising awareness of people who access the world differently due to a medical diagnosis or developmental delay.
- Providing resources and opportunities for parents to advocate for their children.
Everyone sees and navigates the world in their own way. Some people use different approaches, accommodations or supports to do so.
Whether your child has a medical diagnosis, or you’re noticing they are hitting milestones at different times than other children, there are resources available to provide your child with the support they need to thrive.
LOCAL RESOURCES
For families with pregnant mothers and children through age 3:
For families with children ages 3-5:
- Help Me Grow Home Visiting Program A home visiting program for pregnant moms and new parents. Help Me Grow team members partner with you at no cost to access the information and resources that can support the physical and emotional health of your baby and the entire family. For more information call: (330) 616-3322.
- Help Me Grow Early Intervention Program Early intervention (EI) provides family-centered services for infants and toddlers from birth to age three with a medical diagnosis or developmental delay/disability. EI is grounded in the philosophy that young children learn best from familiar people and familiar settings. Your local EI team works with you in your home and other locations that are part of your child’s routine. For more information call: (330) 616-3322.
- Bold Beginning! A website dedicated to connecting Ohio’s parents, grandparents, caretakers, teachers, and child care providers with all things related to early childhood in Ohio’s state agencies.
For families with children ages 3-5:
- Hudson City Schools Integrated Preschool Program An early intervention program for children with disabilities and typically developing children between the ages of 3-5 years. Children with suspected delays or disabilities undergo a multi-part evaluation consisting of a play-based assessment performed by a dedicated school team (school psychologist, educators, speech pathologist, occupational therapist and/or physical therapist). Children in the integrated preschool program receive support services for delays or disabilities in communication, hearing, motor (fine and/or gross), vision, cognition, adaptive behavior (self-help skills), and/or social/emotional/behavioral functioning. If you have a preschool age child (turning 3) with a disability, or if you suspect that your preschooler may have a disability, contact Tara Kieser, Assistant Principal at Evamere Elementary, at (330) 653-1226.
- Parent Mentor Program Need help with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or navigating the Hudson school system? The parent mentor serves as the support person and an information resource to assist parents.
- SST-8 A state support program for the school districts of Medina, Portage, and Summit Counties. SST-8 is working to close the achievement gap for students with disabilities. They offer free professional development and support, including a monthly Parent Access Collaborative speaker series at Summit County ESC.
Moving away from the term "special needs"
When we examine needs in their most basic form we can think back to Maslow: nourishment, shelter, safety, love, belonging—these needs are universal to the human condition. No matter our race, gender, age or diagnoses, we all seek fulfillment of these same needs.
What is different from person to person is not the need, but how we access fulfillment of the need. We all process information and approach tasks in our own way. Some people use different accommodations or supports to do so. This does not make these individuals wrong, or less or “special.”
The term “special needs” is also sometimes used as a cushion by people who are uncomfortable with the word “disability.” When using the term “special needs,” people think they are sidestepping a perceived negative connotation of the word “disability.”
But, if you look at the definition of disability, you can see it is not a negative word. Disability is defined as a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. Put simply, disability means you are unable to do something.
If we step back and ask ourselves how often a person’s inability to engage in certain tasks is not because of their condition, but because of limited forms of access, we can see that there is opportunity to make the world more accessible to everyone.
Disabilities, delays and differences are not a “needs” discussion, they are an “access” discussion. Access can often be achieved through accommodations, modifications, services and supports.
What is different from person to person is not the need, but how we access fulfillment of the need. We all process information and approach tasks in our own way. Some people use different accommodations or supports to do so. This does not make these individuals wrong, or less or “special.”
The term “special needs” is also sometimes used as a cushion by people who are uncomfortable with the word “disability.” When using the term “special needs,” people think they are sidestepping a perceived negative connotation of the word “disability.”
But, if you look at the definition of disability, you can see it is not a negative word. Disability is defined as a physical, mental, cognitive, or developmental condition that impairs, interferes with, or limits a person's ability to engage in certain tasks or participate in typical daily activities and interactions. Put simply, disability means you are unable to do something.
If we step back and ask ourselves how often a person’s inability to engage in certain tasks is not because of their condition, but because of limited forms of access, we can see that there is opportunity to make the world more accessible to everyone.
Disabilities, delays and differences are not a “needs” discussion, they are an “access” discussion. Access can often be achieved through accommodations, modifications, services and supports.
Private Programs / Nonprofit Organizations:
- Achievement Centers for Children: A Cleveland, Ohio based non-profit organization that provides support, services, and programs that help children with a wide range of physical, emotional, neurological, or developmental disabilities achieve their full potential in life.
- Autism Society of Greater Akron: The Autism Society is the leading voice and resource of the entire autism community in education, advocacy, services, research and support. We are committed to meaningful participation and self-determination in all aspects of life for individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.
- Autism Society of Greater Cleveland: Our goal at the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland is "To serve the autism community by providing information, coordinating support services, and facilitating communication for the benefit of those with Autism Spectrum Disorders from diagnosis through adulthood."
- Coalition for Children’s Mental Health: Based in Hudson, CCMH is dedicated to increasing awareness of mental illnesses among children and adolescents. Their goal is to promote early intervention and to prevent the physical, emotional and social consequences of the failure to treat mental illnesses.
- Dentably: A blog focusing on disabilities and dental care.
- Matthew's Lending Library: Need to borrow adaptive technology? Matthew's Lending Library is a Lakewood, Ohio-based not-for-profit publicly supported children’s charity that loans adaptive therapy equipment and capability switch-operated toys to children and young adults with delays and disabilities.
- Milestones Autism Resources: Founded in 2003 by parents seeking to improve programming available for their children with autism, Milestones Autism Resources improves the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum by educating, coaching and connecting the autism community with evidence-based information.
- OCALI: The Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence serves families, educators, and professionals working with students with autism and low-incidence disabilities, including autism spectrum disorders, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, and traumatic brain injuries. They offer numerous free web modules that might be of interest to parents on autism, assistive technologies, and universal design for learning.
- Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities: Nonprofit organization serves as the Parent Training and Information Center (PTI) for the state of Ohio with the mission of ensuring that every Ohio child with disabilities receives a free, appropriate, public education in the least restrictive environment to enable that child to reach his/her highest potential. Their Parent and Resources webpages have tons of helpful information including sample IEP tips and goals; communication tips; and sample letters to the school district requesting things like initiation of services, evaluations, extended school year, or bullying.
- The Upside of Downs: To provide support, education, and advocacy for people with Down syndrome, their families and communities.
- Zane Foundation: Our mission is to provide services for children and adults with disabilities. This is done through funding assistance; and community outreach and educational programs.