Hoops & Red Tape

Jim began physical therapy (PT) with Ryan in the Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) on Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC) in June 2011.  His PT goals:  climb and descend the stairs at least once with only minimum (25%) assistance; walk eight roundtrips in the parallel bars with little assistance, and walk ten roundtrips with a walker with 50% assistance.  Jim’s commitment is evident because within only a few months, Jim exceeded his initial goals.  As a “person-centered” facility, therapists seek to understand what their clients want to accomplish for their life and together discuss what is involved in that process.  Goals are developed; and our therapists create the “therapeutic plan” that facilitates goal achievement.  A goal can simply be “I want to easily move from my wheelchair into my bed;” a simple task to you and me, yet huge to someone with a physical disability.

But our therapists and more significantly, our outpatients face the hurdles of red tape, hoops and bureaucracy in their efforts to reach their goals.  Therapists in all the therapeutic areas share stories of how insurance, Medicare and Medicaid limit patients’ access to these needed therapies.  For example, Medicare sets a dollar amount on how much one can spend per year on therapy.  Some insurance limits the number of therapy sessions a patient can have within a year.  In one case, a child with significant developmental disabilities would benefit long term from weekly therapy session, but his coverage authorizes only twelve therapy sessions for the year, the equivalent to one appointment per month. Reasons vary for these limitations, and understandably our therapists become frustrated.  For most of our outpatients, therapy is an on-going process, not a set number of visits and “be healed” experience.  For those with developmental disabilities, therapy may be a lifelong treatment.  Just as pharmaceuticals are indefinitely prescribed and accessible to offset serious and/or debilitating health challenges such as high blood pressure and diabetes for most of one’s life, therapy treatment offsets serious physical limitations for those with cerebral palsy, promoting and facilitating healthful and functional independence.

Then there’s the red tape and hoops.  One speech therapist tells the story of how a request for coverage for a patient’s therapy was denied because it lacked appropriate information.  She highlighted with a highlighter the “missing” info within the originally submitted text of the paperwork and returned it.  The request was approved.  Another outpatient challenged an insurance hearing panel’s decision to deny additional PT coverage.  His request was finally approved after a third-party neuro-specialist reviewed his case, and deemed it not only justifiable but a necessary treatment to address his condition.  Hoops.  Red tape.  Bureaucracy.

Jim now stands before these hurdles.  He recently became eligible for Medicare, which places a maximum dollar amount per year combined for both speech and physical therapy.  His supplemental plan has a deductible; once met, it covers 80% of his therapy costs.  Since January, Jim had two physical therapy sessions a week, but recently changed to once a week because he’s closing in on his “Medicare allowable amount” for the year.  Healthcare is a big topic in today’s news, and Jim’s situation isn’t unique.  Our therapists constantly battle “the system” to ensure our outpatients receive the necessary therapeutic treatments and equipment needed to empower them to the maximum functionality in their lives.  To limit opportunities of therapy only strips these individuals’ ability and potential. I wonder how limiting its availability isn’t discrimination against those with disabilities, when opportunities abound for those of us without disabilities to reach our fullest health potential. Therapy offers those with developmental disabilities a chance to overcome limitation, and more importantly hope in the face of physical challenges.  It empowers individuals to become more independent so they may do the simplest of things they want to do.

Especially impacted are children; early intervention gives them a chance to manage and overcome long-term limitations their developmental disabilities create.  Therapy increases a young patient’s chance and ability for greater independence and mobility so he or she may thrive into their adolescence and adult life. Early intervention also develops a mindset of “where there is a will, there is a way”; they can do whatever they want with determination.  They learn at a young age not to give up on themselves when many around them, seemingly including the healthcare system, have already given up on them from the get-go.  They learn how to get around any limitation to achieve anything that any one of us can do in our daily life.

One little boy I observe proves the power of early intervention and its worth in my next PT and speech outpatient observations.  Goals can be simple:  “I want to play T-ball this spring” and “I want to eat at Chuckie Cheese.”   This observation introduces me to a six-year-old boy who started physical therapy shortly after birth and speech therapy when he was one.  I learn how important early intervention is, and my entire perception of physical and speech therapy and its value in the life of a young child drastically changes, as does my life and my outlook on it, when I meet a little boy named Nicholas.

In the Next Blog Entry: Against All Odds: “Nicholas was taken to an Evansville hospital’s neo-natal care unit for more intensive care for his medical needs.  He wasn’t expected to survive . . . . . he proved doctors wrong . . .”

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“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
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I’m Gonna Take That Mountain!

In my physical therapy observations at Wendell Foster’sCampus (WFC) in the Green Therapy Pavilion, I watched Ryan encourage Jim as he walked back and forth between the parallel bars, even gently pushing him to “keep on keeping on.”   I saw Jim’s determination and his exhaustion.  I sensed he didn’t like doing it, but I see in Jim a will, a determination to do it anyway.  What I didn’t see in Jim was what Ryan saw in him:  his potential to do more.

Before starting physical therapy (PT), the physical therapist conducts a client evaluation to determine and rule out physical problems, assess pain and discomfort, muscle strength, and range of motion from any joint in your body – ankles, knees, shoulders, elbows, etc.  The evaluation assesses the need for equipment to assist in the recovery and/or mobility of the client, adaptive space needs, etc.   Finally, it also determines the course of therapy treatment and the frequency of sessions needed to facilitate goal achievement, healing and/or rehabilitation.  Ryan gets a good sense of what Jim (and any of his clients, for that matter) is capable of doing as a result of this evaluation, in addition to his observation of Jim’s progress since starting therapy.  So at my next observation with Jim, I was stunned when Ryan announced Jim was going to climb the stairs!

The PT area includes a staircase that ascends nine steps up to a landing then turns left to continue up another nine steps to a larger landing resembling a loft area.  Ryan explains Jim has previously done the stairs exercise which strengthens his leg muscle and builds endurance.  This particular exercise requires the help of a PT assistant.  I sit on a bench off to the side of the stairs and watch, holding my breath to the point my body forces me to breathe as I watch Jim take one wobbly step up at a time.  Ryan spots Jim, lightly holding his waist belt from behind for balance and support as he goes up while a PT assistant stands in front of Jim on the ready in the event of a misstep.  Once upon the landing, they let Jim catch his breath for a minute before he begins his descent of the nine steps he just climbed, with spotters in place as before.  Jim does “take this mountain” twice during this session.  Both Jim and I breathe a deep sigh of relief upon his final step onto the floor.

Another activity involves Jim walking the length of the PT area with a walker.  This exercise requires three people:  Ryan who offers the majority of support to Jim by holding on to the waist belt while another person ahead of the walker helps Jim steady the device. A third person, for which I’m volunteered in this session, follows with Jim’s wheelchair so he may sit for rest breaks and as a safety precaution.  Jim travels a few round trips back and forth across the PT room, and despite these exhausting exercises, Jim never complains.

Jim shows up for each appointment twice a week; many patients who have the opportunity don’t.  Jim never quits.  Many patients do.  Jim is obviously pooped by the end of his session.  Ryan teases Jim that he probably enjoys a good nap after his PT sessions.  Jim confirms he does.

But soon, I learn Jim’s access to physical therapy is jeopardized by red tape, bureaucracy, and ironically, the health industry itself.

In the Next Blog Entry:  Hoops & Red Tape: “. . . .the red tape and hoops. . . . a request for coverage for a patient’s therapy was denied because it lacked appropriate information.  She highlighted with a highlighter the “missing” info within the originally submitted text of the paperwork and returned it. . . . .”

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“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
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Let’s Get Physical!

Tall, stocky and ominous in his build, Ryan Kizer is one of three physical therapists in the Green Therapy Pavilion (CORF), and the only male in the department.  He performed his clinical at Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC) while finishing up physical therapy school, fell in love with the work at WFC, and returned after graduation to begin his physical therapy career. 

After introductions, permission requested of and granted by Jim to observe his therapy sessions, Jim and Ryan get to work.  Upon arrival, and with Ryan’s assistance to stabilize his balance, Jim mounts a stationary bike to spend anywhere from six minutes as a warm up to twenty minutes as part of building endurance.  Watching Jim transfer from his wheelchair to the bike reveals the balance challenges and weakness of his legs, as well as the mental effort he must exert to move them when and where he wants them to move.  In this transfer, Jim expends focused energy to lift his right leg over the stationary bike centerpiece to sit in the seat, then to place his feet into each pedal.  For this session, Jim is on the bike for approximately six minutes to open the range of motion in his hips, knees and ankles as he pedals, and to warm up his legs for the other strengthening exercises Ryan will have him do later in this session.

Ryan often involved Jim in deciding the day’s exercises designed to strengthen his leg muscles, increase his endurance level, and develop muscle coordination between movements.  Each session may consist of one major movement exercise, such as repetitions of walking within a set of parallel bars or walking back and forth with the assistance of a walker.  These activities might be followed with two or three muscle strengthening exercises, such as squats, side steps, and/or knee bends.  Sometimes, Ryan simply stretches Jim’s muscles.  He’s always by Jim’s side helping him mind his balance and physically spotting him with a hold on a waist belt worn around Jim’s mid-section. 

Walking the parallel bars wouldn’t seem like any big deal but if you’ve depended on a wheelchair as your main source of mobility, it’s a big deal!  Jim has some use of his legs, so one therapy goal includes regaining better steadiness and mobility on his feet with the use of a walker so he can move about within his home a little easier.  The parallel bar exercise not only gets Jim on his feet, but helps him practice the motor skill movement of putting one foot in front of the other, as well as coordinating movement of his hands grasping the bars with feet movement.  This exercise also helps him be more aware of his core balance to increase greater stability on his feet. He holds both bars, one in each hand, and Ryan moves backwards while in front of Jim with a hand lightly on his waist belt to help him maintain and regain balance if he wobbles in his efforts.  Two or three round trips later, the exhaustion is evident in Jim and on his face as he sits in his ever-waiting wheelchair to rest, despite having a minute-long breaks between roundtrips.

I thought Jim doing this parallel bar walking exercise was a big challenge for him; but what Ryan would ask Jim to do in the next PT session baffled my mind!  One, I never would’ve dreamed Ryan would ask Jim to do this next PT exercise which I equate to his “climbing a mountain”; and second, I realized I completely underestimated Jim and what he’s was capable of doing, and willing to do to better his mobility, reminding me again to not underestimate people’s potential or their determination!

In the Next Blog Entry: I’m Gonna Take that Mountain:  “I sit on a bench off to the side of the stairs and watch, holding my breath to the point my body forces me to breathe as I watch Jim take one wobbly step up at a time. . . .”

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“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley

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A Softball Great Goes Down

Once upon a time, I was “prescribed” physical therapy (PT) thanks to a softball injury. 

Flashback to 1995. I made a great hit off a low slow pitch, and as I headed to first, BAM!  My right leg fell out from underneath me; I hobbled in excruciating pain the rest of the way to base.   I later learned I pulled, possibly tore the major set of muscles in my thigh, including the groin.  The doctor told me PT was my best bet to recover the strength and flexibility while healing.  In my first PT appointment, they put me on a treadmill to walk.  Um, how will that help?  I wondered, but I didn’t ask, I just did what I was told.  After fifteen minutes, I’m then asked to do another ten, only this time, walk backwards, at a really slow pace.  Say what?  Again, I did what I was told.  I never asked and they never volunteered the info to me.  My physical therapy lasted three sessions, and I considered it a waste of time.  So upon arriving at PT for my observation, I admit I had skepticism.  Some folks with developmental disabilities can’t walk, I thought to myself, what will they do since they can’t do the treadmill?

Meet Jim, my first PT client observation who works with Ryan Kizer, a physical therapist in our comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF).  Jim lives in one of four handicapped-accessible rental homes sitting on the periphery of and owned by Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC).  I first see Jim slowly moving himself into the physical therapy area in his wheelchair using one hand and his feet.  As I watch him, I am reminded how I take for granted my own mobility, agility, and ability to do so much.  I’m generally a grateful person, but since starting at WFC, that gratitude has deepened daily for all that I have and am physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  As in Jim’s case, it can all be taken away from you in an instant.

At the young age of 34, Jim suffered a broken neck and severe head trauma in a car accident while living in San Francisco.  His injuries left him in a coma for two days.  Jim’s head injury and its resulting effect can be seen in his face and cranial area; you can also hear its impact on his speech which is understandable with great effort on Jim’s part, but slurred.  From the hospital he moved into a rehabilitation facility for six months where he received physical, occupational and speech therapy.  He returned to Kentucky in 1984 but had no therapy since his return.  Jim moved into his Campus home three and a half years ago, and began physical therapy in June 2011. By the time I arrive to observe in January 2012, he’s been in PT for approximately six months.  Upon introductions, Ryan explains who I am and why I’m there, and Jim graciously agrees to my observation of his PT sessions.  Jim appears as a mild-mannered man, with a dry sense of humor evident during his therapy.

Jim’s therapy differs drastically from my own personal experience; but then I didn’t have the same physical challenges to overcome as Jim does.  In hindsight, I realize what a cry-baby I was when I had my leg injury.  Yes, it hurt terribly and I hobbled for a few days, but it was a big deal because I made it a big deal, when in fact, it was simply an inconvenience, temporary at that.  With Jim’s blessing, I will watch Ryan put him through a physical ringer of a PT workout over several sessions as they work together towards Jim’s physical goals.  And no treadmills were involved.

Upon starting PT with Ryan, Jim hadn’t walked with a walker in twenty-eight years; therefore, his legs were weakened.  In addition to strengthening muscles, Jim wants to easily transfer himself from his wheelchair to a couch, bed or toilet.  His head injury also impacted his perceptual awareness of his body and balance, creating challenges in his efforts to stand and walk.  These are a few of the issues Jim and Ryan began addressing upon starting PT twice a week last June.

I soon will learn how amazing the human body is, how determined the soul can be, and how powerful physical therapy is as a treatment in overcoming physical challenges.

In the Next Blog Entry: Let’s Get Physical! - “I thought Jim doing this parallel bar walking exercise was a big challenge for him; but what Ryan would ask Jim to do in the next PT session baffled my mind . . . . ”

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley

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Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.

A Journey of Therapeutic Blessings

The Robert E. Green Therapy Pavilion, a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF), offers 25,000 square feet of space to provide physical, speech, and occupational therapies to both individuals living on campus and outpatients from all over Western Kentucky.  A beautiful addition to Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC) in 1986, I felt extremely overwhelmed by this facility and all it offers!

Through my therapy observations at CORF, I come to better understand the physical impact of developmental disabilities and the importance of early therapeutic intervention.  I also learn some amazing things about the human body, how brain damage and cerebral palsy impact it, and that early intervention offsets and lessens the long-term impact.  I marvel at what our therapists do, how they do it, and the results they get from doing it.  Even our outpatients impress me.  They (and their families) demonstrate varying levels of commitment to their therapy which can be rigorous, exhausting, and at times, frustrating for them.  Therapy is a process; and depending on the client’s commitment and/or the extent of the developmental challenge, results may be rapid and exciting, or slow and discouraging. The therapists in all three areas of practice find ways to motivate their clients towards success in their goals.  Therapy is a journey, baby steps towards success.  For many CORF outpatients, these small steps may be significant accomplishments, but are celebrated no matter how small or big the progressive stride.

After connecting with each therapy department and determining which patients I would observe and their schedules, I spend four plus hours a week over several weeks in observations.  Upon meeting each client, the therapist and I requested permission for me to observe, essentially explaining I was new and clueless to therapy.  All graciously granted observation privileges and welcomed me into their therapeutic journey.  I also explained I write a blog in which I’d be discussing these observations; again, all kindly gave me and WFC permission to share their stories.  I made every effort to be invisible during the sessions, especially when it involved children, for I didn’t want to be a distraction to the work at hand.  Easier said than done; all the therapists, and sometimes the clients involved me during the sessions.

I’m a smart gal with a nursing background that includes biology, anatomy, and physiology classes along a misguided college path I travelled for three years before switching majors.  Those classes helped me understand much of the therapists’ explanations and rationale for the therapy agendas.  My observations also connected a lot of dots in my understanding of what causes the physical characteristics we see in people with developmental disabilities.

I witnessed small miracles (therapeutic accomplishments) and the excitement of outpatients who achieved them; sometimes, I witnessed their frustrations.  I sensed not only the determination of these souls striving to overcome physical or verbal hurdles, but the determination of therapists to find creative ways to motivate their clients to circumvent their frustration into progress towards goal achievements.  The therapist and patient move together through rigorous and even monotonous repetition of activities, through impatience and discouragement until breakthroughs happen.

Progress measures in baby steps, some so small only the therapist and/or the patient may recognize them.  These incremental steps create the “mile” in “milestone” achievement.  Each step of progress becomes the sum of which equals the eventual goal. Therapeutic healing isn’t what’s seen in the movies where the hero or heroine one day magically overcomes major obstacles to walk again within a two-hour time frame after a debilitating accident.  Therapy requires time, patience, commitment, energy, a desire, perseverance, and an effort on the part of the patient, and in many cases, on the part of the patient’s family.  Some will overcome challenges faster than others.  In many ways therapy is a reflection of the well-known quote:  “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

Through my observations, I cross paths with an older gentleman who suffered a broken neck and severe head trauma in a car accident; a courageous six-year-old who battled against all odds after a difficult premature birth; a young woman with a central nervous system dysfunction eager to be independent in the home, and; a feisty fifty-year-old woman with a wicked sense of humor who finds her voice after going without since birth. 

My life's journey is blessed upon meeting Jim, the “mountain” climber; Nicholas, the heart thief; Jamie, the horse lover; Denise, the jokester; and several others whom we serve on Wendell Foster’s Campus!

In the Next Blog Entry:  A Softball Great Goes Down:  “My physical therapy lasted three sessions, and I considered it a waste of time.  So upon arriving at PT for my observation, I admit I had skepticism.”

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
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Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.

Our Campus Geeks

The first place I toured upon arrival at Wendell Foster’sCampus (WFC) was Western Kentucky Assistive Technology Center (WKATC) housed in the Green Therapy Pavilion.  WKATC provides assistive devices, equipment or systems that help improve the ability of individuals with physical disabilities, vision and hearing impairments, communication challenges, or cognitive impairments to function in their life. 

Technology and I have an estranged relationship.  Technology turns me into a deer in headlights, and much like a computer locking up, my brain freezes up, my eyes glaze over, and my ears tune out anything high-tech.  When I purchased a new laptop that forced me to shift from Microsoft Word 2003 to Microsoft 2007, I cried and experienced moments of meltdowns as my brain short circuited coping with the changes.  It was a Prozac opportunity.

The two gals who staff WKATC are passionate about their work, and that passion comes through when they talk about the devices that are available to empower individuals with disabilities.  This passion is what makes them good at what they do, and their efforts in empowering others successful.  Whether it’s iPad trainings, or assisting a client in their high-tech lab to facilitate life skills learning, or assessing someone’s need for a power switch, these experts are the “go-to gals” in assistive technology.  I am in awe of their knowledge and what they do, and I’m very glad they do what they do and not me.

I learned WKATC and their offerings in small bites so my technologically-challenged brain could process.  With each visit and inquiry, I am slowly understanding what all they do to empower their clients.  I attended their iPad training, offered free to the public, and learned all the amazing accessibility features on the iPad (and iPhone!) to accommodate visual and hearing impairments!  iPads are fast becoming a popular assistive device for individuals with disabilities with oodles of applications available to support individuals with disabilities.  For example, someone unable to speak can use an app called Speak It where you can text what you need to say, then it speaks on your behalf.  WKATC staff provides guidance and information about all the apps that are available for different needs.

WKATC also has a “lending library” with an inventory of communication and visual devices people may borrow and “test-drive” before literally investing thousands of dollars into its purchase. For example, one device is a camera that takes pictures of something printed, like a restaurant menu, a magazine, or a book, then reads back what was photographed!  These devices are available to try in WKATC’s computer lab or to check out and take home.  Also available is the Attainment Workstation which provides forty software programs promoting skills development such as literacy, social, math, and money skills, to name a few.  Then, there are these switches that facilitate a user’s ability to power on and off his or her computer or iPad, or manuever the mouse if s/he cannot do it the traditional way.  These switches may be operated with a hand, a foot, and if someone is completely immobile, even a puff of breath!

WFC doesn’t just “house” individuals with developmental disabilities.  We empower people with disabilities who live on and off Campus that want to learn, to speak and be heard, and to better manage normal daily activities.  WKATC plays a huge part in providing assistive solutions to facilitating independence for adults and children in their home or school environments.  They help people identify what they need and how to best enhance their abilities through device assistance while providing cost-effective alternatives and a means in which to make the best financial investment possible.

In reviewing what I’ve written, I’m pretty impressed I understand that much!  The gals at WKATC may feel differently though . . . . . .

In the Next Blog Entry:  The Path to Blessings - “I made every effort to be invisible during the sessions, especially when it involved children  . . . Easier said than done. . .”

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
Please share our blog with others via Facebook, Twitter, or email!  Follow our blog!  Click on “Join our Site” below.

Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.

“Your People”

The humble beginnings of Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC) started as a gathering of seven families in the backyard of Edith and Wendell Foster.  Their common bond:  they had children with cerebral palsy.  This backyard meeting was the start of the Foster’s legacy, eventually leading to an eleven-bed residential home for children providing therapy, an education, and support.  The Foster’s commitment evolved into what is known today as a nationally-recognized non-profit organization providing comprehensive services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

For decades afterwards, many in Owensboro would view WFC as the place “where the spastics live.”  Upon learning about my interview with WFC, my dad used these exact words, representing an outdated frame of reference of his generation.  There’s no denying WFC’s earliest name was The Davets Home for Spastic Paralysis, which was later changed to The Spastics Home and School.  “Spastic paralysis” was the medical term used in the 1940’s to describe the condition which is medically defined today as cerebral palsy.  Since working at WFC, and after a gentle lecture about the outdated term, my dad now says, “I saw your people at the mall today.”  God love him, that’s progress for him and far better than his using the “S” word.

During his military career stationed in numerous states, Mr. Foster seized every opportunity to meet with physicians specializing in the care for children with disabilities.  Upon his return to Owensboro, KY, Mr. Foster implemented the knowledge he learned from these medical specialists. He built equipment and administered “therapy” for their daughter Louise and other local children who had cerebral palsy.  This simple get-together in the Foster’s backyard morphed over sixty-five years into an organization offering a comprehensive array of services for Western Kentucky that includes two residential programs (Centre Pointe Cottages and Supports for Community Living) housing 83 individuals with developmental disabilities.  But wait!  Wendell Foster’s Campus is so much more than just a residential campus!

In 1986, WFC built the Green Therapy Pavilion to provide a state of the art facility where those in our residential programs could receive therapeutic treatments.  Over time, WFC recognized an unmet need for families caring for loved ones with developmental disabilities in their homes.  In 1997, the Green Therapy Pavilion became licensed as a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility (CORF) to offer outpatient therapies including speech, occupational and physical therapy.  This facility’s services also include the Kelly Autism Program (KAP) which provides an afterschool program for children age seven through young adulthood diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum Continuum.  It also houses the Western Kentucky Assistive Technology Center (WKATC) which offers an assistive learning lab and a lending library of assistive devices that facilitate and increase the functionality for those with disabilities.

Through WFC’s CORF, I will meet, observe, and understand the unique challenges many with cerebral palsy and/or brain damage face and how they’ve overcome them and function despite them.  I will witness the drive and determination, and the triumphs of perseverance of those working and receiving services within the walls of the Green Therapy Pavilion.

In the Next Blog Entry:  The Campus Geeks - “The two gals who staff WKATC are passionate about their work  . . . what makes them good at what they do and their efforts successful in empowering those with disabilities.”

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley

Please share our blog with others via Facebook, Twitter, or email!  Follow our blog!  Click on “Join our Site” below.

Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.

Here Comes Trouble’s Match

The Valentine’s Day Party, hosted by the Academy of Young Leaders (AYL) is hopping as Josh, Charlie and Bobby’s crew play a rousing game of UNO and John is kicking butt in Dominoes.  A few more Cottage residents come in during the first hour of the party starting; you know, fashionably late.

One of the first to arrive at the party was Connie, Becky and James.  Connie had something on her mind and made it known upon arrival with repetitive vocalizations, eventually settling down once she got to the Valentine crafts table.  Becky came in seemingly disinterested about being there.  Her body language, her demeanor demonstrated a lack of care for anything really, and my heart saddened a bit.  The young gals who were at this table were trying to engage both ladies without much success.  Connie and Becky were a tough audience, but the young ladies persevered, going about the business of making V-day cards for Connie and Becky.  Suddenly, Connie decides she’s bored and takes her leave from the table, backing her electric wheelchair away to make her way across the room.  One of the startled Youth Leaders asked if she should be leaving.  I smiled as I watched Connie “make dust” halfway to her destination; I chuckled and told them it looked like that decision had already been made and executed.

Connie made her way to a game table at which a few AYL students were playing a game called Trouble which has a “pop-o-matic” dome.  A dye is enclosed in the dome situated on a spring; to roll the dye, you push down on the dome and the dye pops for a new roll.  The students invited Connie to join them but rather than letting her push the dome herself, someone was popping it for Connie.  I quietly whispered in one student’s ear to give the board to Connie so she could pop it herself, suggesting they may need to help her.  They positioned the game on her wheelchair tray and after a few tries Connie got it and the dye rolled.  They let Connie do as much as she could from there on out.

James was sitting at the Valentine craft table, at times with a boyish grin on his face as the young ladies helped him with his card.  He really wasn’t that interested in the making of it, but he liked watching them, and um, the attention they were giving him.

Becky who started at a Valentine crafts table ended up at the same gaming table Connie joined.  She had that same disinterested look about her as the gals played Trouble.  I went about my business of taking pictures.  Upon return to their table, I was amazed to see Becky was popping the dye dome on their game.  They got her involved!  She was struggling with the task but one of the young ladies helped her positioned it so Becky could get a better push on it.  Later on, I was amazed to see Becky actually working on a Valentine with a marker in hand drawing on a heart-shaped cutout.  I don’t know what changed; who knows and who cares!  I was thrilled that she was more involved with the activity.

Connie was on the move again, this time heading back to the table where she first started.  Either she wasn’t paying attention or being mischievous, because she powered her wheelchair into the back of an AYL students’ chair, which forced her into the table.  As a result, that forced the table into those students sitting on the opposite side.  The student starting laughing, trapped and unable to do anything as Connie continued to press forward into her chair.  I stood there unsure what to do either, until a Direct Support Provider came to the rescue to help Connie back out of the pickle she’d gotten into. We all chuckled over the scenario as Connie, un-phased and unimpressed by it all, continued on her merry way in a different direction.

The nervousness felt earlier in the Young Building had dramatically shifted to one of joy and fun.  The young AYL students were all smiles and laughter as they interacted with their party guests.  Many WFC guests were making Valentine’s Day cards, playing games, or having conversations with their hosts.  I left feeling rejuvenated from the “feel good” energy of human/heart connections between these young students and their new friends.

Wendell Foster’s Campus appreciates the Academy for Young Leaders for their time and energy to have some fun with our WFC peeps.  They’ve come back twice to spend time with our Campus Peeps.  It’s heartwarming to see young people breaking through historically-placed barriers to simply “be” with others who face unique challenges but still enjoy the same things they enjoy such as making crafts, playing games, and having fun.

In the Next Blog Entry:  "Your People" - “. . . after a gentle lecture about the outdated term, my dad now says, “I saw your people at the mall today.”  God love him, that’s progress for him . . . ”

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Be My UNO Valentine

Who’s in the mood for love, fun and games?  This Valentine’s Day found me without a Valentine, so instead, I celebrated the holiday at a Campus Valentine’s Day party hosted by the Academy for Young Leaders (AYL).

Academy for Young Leaders is a group of local high school students, grades 10-12 who participate in this leadership training program co-sponsored by Daviess County and Owensboro Public Schools.  This social event was coordinated by Larkin Wetzel who works as a speech pathologist with Henderson County Schools.  Larkin had previously completed her speech therapy practicum during a summer at Wendell Foster’s Campus (WFC) while finishing up college.  During this short span, our Campus left a deep impression on Larkin which motivated the reconnection in setting up this Valentine’s Day party.  And a party it was!  For two hours, these young volunteers made Valentine’s Day cards and played UNO, Dominoes and Sorry! with fifteen or more Centre Pointe Cottage residents.  I digitally captured the fun moments, smiles and joyous expressions on camera.

When I arrived at the Young Building ten minutes before the party started, tables were set up in a "u-shape" design.  I felt the nervous energy in the room which was awfully quiet, despite the fact a dozen teenagers were there.  I met Larkin, and learned none of these young leaders had ever worked with or been around individuals with developmental disabilities.   As the first of their party guests arrived, I noticed the students’ awkwardness as they attempted to connect and relate with them. Connie was first on the scene, and obviously had something on her mind because she simply kept repeating a one-syllable vocalization that sounded like “augh”.  The Direct Support Provider (DSP) whispered something in Connie’s ear and she quieted, allowing the opportunity for two young gals at her table to start the process of making a Valentine’s Day card for her.  Slowly, others arrive as their dining schedules wrapped up.  Becky, another resident, arrived; her body language and facial expression gave the impression she was less than enthused to be there.   Her DSP set her next to Connie, and so, the Valentine makers worked to engage Becky in art activity.  Becky appeared unimpressed and disinterested as she simply watched them.

More folks arrived, and as such, more of the young Leaders were forced to engage and interact.  In the center of the U-shaped table arrangement was John sitting with four young men who were playing Dominoes upon his arrival.  After they finished their game, the young leaders included John by “dealing” his dominoes.  Over the course of ten or fifteen minutes, these young men had figured out how to communicate and interact with a non-verbal John.  John would signal with slight head nods to one student who was assisting him with his dominoes selection.  The student would finger one domino, look to John who’d nod his approval.  The student would then slide the domino over in front of John.  At one point, I heard one of John’s competitors say, He’s kicking our butts in Dominoes!  I got a nice shot of John looking pretty pleased and smarmy with his game winning performance.

On another side of the room, Charlie, Josh and Bobby sat with several students engaged in a rousing game of UNO.  Charlie was having thetime of his life laughing.  Josh, in cahoots with his UNO partner, slung with great dramatic flair his card into the pile on the table.  Bobby’s UNO partner was an attractive young lady and they were high fiving successful moves.  This group was by far the rowdiest bunch at the party as playful accusations of cheating and “in your face” celebrations of game wins took place.

What an honor to witness such activities as this one event.  I am continuously surprised and reminded of the blessings available to me through this work, which are really available to anyone who wants to have the opportunity to be involved in some way.  And I am continuously reminded of the power of hearts connecting, as two Youth Leaders would demonstrate in their interactions with Connie and Becky.

In the Next Blog Entry:  Here Comes Trouble's Match - “One of the startled Youth Leaders asked if she should be leaving.  I smiled as I watched Connie “make dust” halfway to her destination; I chuckled . . . .”

We want to hear from you!  Please share your responses and comments by clicking below on “Comment” – you may post them anonymously or using your gmail.com profile name.

“The educated do not share a common body of information, but a common state of mind.” ~Mason Cooley
Please share our blog with others via Facebook, Twitter, or email!  Follow our blog!  Click on “Join our Site” below.

Blog content is copyrighted property of Wendell Foster’s Campus for Development Disabilities and Carolyn Smith Ferber and/or other blog authors).  Content may be used, duplicated or reprinted only with the expressed authorization of the Wendell Foster’s Campus.  Permission for use, duplication or reprints may be made to wfcampus.org@gmail.com.