When a person who has a disability takes that big step of transitioning out of the home and into some type of residential living, it may not always be easy but it is definitely possible. There are different types of residential living, but anyone who is living in an apartment--whether they are an individual with a disability or not--is in…

Over the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 800,000 children with autism will age out of their school systems and look to state and federal governments for support services and resources to meet their many needs. "Autism: Coming of Age" provides an inside look at the lives of three adults with autism and their families. The film delves into the…

Nineteen years ago, the author's family made the momentous decision to adopt a child from Romania. Daniela had been terribly neglected and was extremely delayed in her development. When she was five she was diagnosed as having an intellectual disability (ID). As a teenager, with the help of her family and great professionals, Daniela began to make…

Technology is making it easier for people with disabilities to function independently in their homes, workplaces, schools, and communities. Things that were once thought impossible are now possible with the aid of new tools available to assist in the transition toward independent living. None have had as big an impact as the iPod Touch. When most…

Residents in a group home, supported apartment, or intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) are not guaranteed a place for life. Neither are they guaranteed they won't have to move if their provider needs to "rearrange" clients. Separating residence from support gives an individual control over the most basic decisions…

EMARC, Inc. is a Massachusetts based nonprofit organization founded by family members in 1954 that provides support to individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. This article describes EMARC's Life Choices Program which offers participants the opportunity to receive individualized attention in small groups through the program's…

When the author was a boy growing up in Van Nuys, California, during the 1950s and 60s, he remembers waiting patiently by the curb so he could help his mother, who suffered from polio and was on crutches, get up on the sidewalk. The world they lived in back then certainly was not designed to meet her special needs, but a lot has changed since…

Moving Forward Towards Independence, a California-based nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by a group of parents, is a unique residential program where young adults with disabilities learn to enjoy productive, fulfilling and healthy lives within a caring, responsive community made up of fellow residents, trained staff members, parents and…

One of the biggest fears and challenges a parent of a child with special needs faces is navigating the post-22 landscape. When a child hits the age of 22, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is no longer required to provide daily services and support. Whatever the abilities, or disabilities, of a child, every parent has the…

This article is the eighth part of a 12-part series that chronicles the life of a fictional family--Amita and Samir, and their daughter with special needs, Anjali. This article describes the transition process experienced by Anjali as she learns to become independent despite her disabilities. In this article, Anjali's experiences as an employee at…

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices can be of huge benefit to people with verbal communication challenges and is applicable in making a living space more accessible. This article presents the story of Sara Pyszka. Sara, 22, wanted a place where she could dance in her wheelchair with no onlookers and have friends over to watch…

In the United States today, if a student with a serious physical disability wants to go away to college and live on campus, only four colleges provide the necessary services for that student to do so. To meet these students' requirements for living on campus, a college would have to have not only accessibility to its academic programs and its…

Deciding what to do after high school is a daunting task for any young person, but for students on the autism spectrum, the thought can be paralyzing. Additional questions need to be asked and answered to insure a goodness of fit between the student's strengths, goals, and weaknesses and a post secondary educational program's strengths, goals, and…

All parents go through a rite of passage when their children turn 18, a time when, in most states, children are recognized as adults. These 18-year-old adults can now enter into contracts, live where they want, and make their own medical and educational decisions, including quitting school, if they so choose. For parents of children with special…

Have parents ever thought about the future of their child with special needs? What happens after they graduate from or ages out of the school system? In this article, the author discusses employment. She feels the best time to start planning and preparing is while the child is still in junior high school. She offers some suggestions that may help…