Improving Communities

As we have stated, one of our largest goals is to help make your community a place where people with disabilities can thrive and contribute. We want to assist anyone who desires to be a part of this effort, as so many are needed. If you are:

• A PARENT – We encourage you to attend one of our "Community Voices" groups or seminars. If there is not a group meeting in your community, contact us and we will see what it takes to get one started.
• A TEACHER or ADMINSTRATOR – We can help you reduce the stress of ARD (IEP meetings outside of Texas) meetings and build positive relationships built on trust with the families of special needs kids in your schools. As a preventative measure, we have never had a parent who has gone through our program request a mediation or due process hearing with a school.
• A DOCTOR – We can help the families of your patients deal with the grief, stress, and shock of a diagnosis that shatters the dreams they had for their child.
• A COMMUNITY LEADER – We can show you the positive impact individuals with special needs have on communities when doors are open for them to participate. Then we can help you figure out ways to open those very doors.

All families experience difficulties raising children. Families of children with special needs face not only the normal life stresses, but also the stresses unique to a child's particular condition. Increased uncertainty, self-doubt, and difficulty providing balanced care and attention for all family members can make the difficult task of parenting a special needs child seem overwhelming. The HALI Project addresses the concerns with the following interventions:

• Helping parents realize the appropriateness of their sorrow.
• Helping parents assess their own strengths and successes.
• Helping parents balance care for all family members.
• Helping parents develop the interpersonal skills needed to work with educators, service providers, and community leaders to open the doors of our communities so that our children might reach their full potential.