Spiritual Life Assessment

By David Morstad As evidenced by the joint position statement by the ARC and AAIDD, spirituality is acknowledged to be an important aspect of life for all people. From the standpoint of professional support provider planning and implementation, however, there continues to be little integration of active spiritual support into formal planning – and this [...]

Have You Asked Him Yet?

By Sandra Brese Rice Bethesda Lutheran Communities “I’ve had a breakthrough! I’m so excited!” proclaimed a friend of mine who just began to pastor a congregation in Pennsylvania. He was referring to John, a young man with Down syndrome who attends church regularly with his parents. 

WWJD?

By Ellen Hierl Several years ago the question, “What would Jesus do?” was common in Christian circles as a challenge to guide our day-to-day interactions.  It’s a great question and frankly, one that is very hard to live up to.  All too often I find myself being impatient or self-serving, characteristics that are definitely not [...]

I Will Survive the Darkness

By Thomas Heuer In a recent blog posting I wrote about my son Ryan’s dilemma regarding the Tenebrae service at St. Paul’s. I thought perhaps a follow-up was in order. Up until the actual day of the Good Friday Tenebrae service, Ryan was vacillating between the ‘safety’ of sitting with Mom and Dad in the [...]

A Step Toward Independence

By Thomas Heuer Have you ever been talking with one of your kids, and they say something that nearly knocks your socks off? That happened to me recently. My son Ryan and I were coming home from the Lenten service at St. Paul’s. The church calendar for April had just been made available, and Ryan [...]

Community

By David Morstad We talk a lot about community in this field, e.g., community living, community-based services, etc. But when it comes to a real sense of community, I think we would all agree that we have something more meaningful in mind. What does it take to build real community?

Those Are Just Words

By Matthew Hobson Terminology referring to people with disabilities has definitely changed in the last few years. Referring to them as “disabled people” can be offensive to many. Now the correct thing to say is a “person with a disability.” The reason for this is that they are people first who happen to have this [...]

A Litmus Test for a Society’s Health

By Steve Ristow Executive Director Quiet Waters Outreach   Every couple of weeks guests from our day respite program volunteer for a local nonprofit  organization called “Store to Door” where they buy groceries for elderly and disabled people who are confined to their homes. The other day our group had  finished their shopping and were [...]

Changing Routine when Down Syndrome is a Factor

By Thomas Heuer Like many people who share Down syndrome, my son Ryan is a creature of habit. I guess this is true for most people who don’t share Down syndrome as well, but perhaps not to the same degree as Ryan. Maybe it’s something in that extra chromosome.

Focusing on Ability

By Matthew Hobson God loves all people. God has also given each of us gifts, and He loves us for our own gifts and talents. You may not immediately understand or recognize others’ gifts most of the time. It may take a while to see those unique talents, especially in those people with disabilities. Others, [...]