Arlene & Shawn
Arlene with her son Shawn, describing his experience with the ILRCC:
“My son Shawn was born in the spring of 1987. He is my third child and I had an uneventful pregnancy. Shawn suffered from cord strangulation at birth, and nine months later was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.
Our family’s journey because of this event has been a challenging and different one.
Shawn is a happy and delightful, non-verbal, physically- and mentally-challenged young man. He requires full-time support.
When Shawn turned 18, he transitioned from childhood service support to adult support services and agencies.
My two biggest challenges for Shawn since he turned 18, have been:
- Finding and retaining motivated and kind support workers that have great energy, and
- Finding activities that give his life value, stimulation, and enjoyment.
The LEARN program at the ILRCC has been wonderful. Shawn especially loves to attend and participate in the Creative Voices class with Bryan Bailey on Tuesday afternoons. Shawn also participates in most of the daily summer activities put on by LEARN.
The volunteers and staff with the LEARN program are kind and dedicated to our city’s differently-abled adults. I am thankful for programs like LEARN and the ILRCC that have everyone’s best interest at heart.”