Stephen
As told by his sister
S
tephen came to live with my husband and I in 1979, after our last surviving parent passed away at a very early age. Given that my husband, Rick, and I we were both fully engaged in professional careers at the time, we were unsure of where to turn for assistance. Luckily, Ability Beyond Disability (formerly Datahr) was there to provide us with the guidance we needed during a very difficult period. We were intent in finding a safe and caring environment for Steve that would also afford him the opportunity to reach his full potential. Ability Beyond Disability fulfilled both Stephen's needs and our own requirements in every way possible!
As a working couple, day care was especially important. Ability Beyond Disability arranged for the early morning and afternoon day care that was needed. Their day care service was invaluable, as we never had to worry about the quality of his care. In addition, if we were ever delayed, we could always count on the staff's ability to seamlessly handle such unexpected situations - even if it meant moving Stephen to a different location until we could pick him up.
On December 15, 1981, Steve was able to move into one of the new group homes on Maple Avenue. Steve is now at the residence on Whippoorwill. His home is wonderful and he shares it with five housemates who have been with him for years. Steve is especially lucky, since Whippoorwill has an in ground swimming pool that everyone enjoys. Steve's success swimming in the Special Olympics is largely due to the availability of this pool.
Since joining Ability Beyond Disability, Steve has enjoyed working in many different positions in the community. For the past twenty-three years, Stephen has been involved in each of the work programs listed below:
- The Bottle Redemption Program (through January, 1998)
- The day crew at We'ar the Best (Shepard's Warehouse), (through January 2000)
- Kmart, where he worked for five months and had various duties, including: unloading trucks, folding clothes, and putting tags on items.
- Fairfield Processing (current job)
Steve is very serious about his work and never wants to miss a day! However, much like us, his favorite day is payday!
The staff at Ability Beyond Disability is superb at planning and scheduling a variety of social events. In fact, it seems like most weeks, Steve has more activities planned than either my husband or myself! Steve loves to dance, swim, and go to the grocery and even horseback ride. Quite the food lover, Steve is always up for going to the pizza parlor. He has even gone to Disneyland! Steve has also participated in the Special Olympics for many years. He has won medals in swimming, track & field and skiing. One other activity Steve enjoys very much is flying from New York's LaGuardia Airport to Louisville, Kentucky where my husband and I live. Thanks to the wonderful and caring staff at Whippoorwill and Ability Beyond Disability, Stephen is able to visit Louisville twice a year. Even though Steve is hearing and speech impaired, he has never hesitated about flying by himself to Louisville. In fact, Steve has a communication book he always carries in his fanny pack to help him with unfamiliar listeners. He phones us frequently to tell us of his latest activities. Since we live so far away, Steve cannot always spend the holidays with us. But, through the generosity of staff members, he always has a family to share special occasions with.
Through the help and support from all at Ability Beyond Disability over all these years, Steve has been able to live a very happy and fulfilling life. Ability Beyond Disability has experienced and achieved wonderful growth and recognition over the years and through all of it we have had an extremely happy experience with all of the staff. We would like to individually name all who have helped us and Steve, but it would take up this entire article. Since Steve's parents died at such young ages, my husband and I have always had updated, living wills. We want to be assured that his future needs will be met and have included a bequest to Ability Beyond Disability to carry on the wonderful work they have always done.
