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Special Olympics State Includes Lake, McHenry Athletes

By on June 12, 2012 in Health, Lifestyle, Other, Recreation, Special Event, Uncategorized

Next weekend Lake and McHenry Counties will be well represented at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Normal.  Top regional athletes from several teams will compete in events at Illinois State University.

Aquatics — Individual and relay events
Independent Fox Lake, Lamb’s Farm, Libertyville Stars, Northern Illinois Special Recreation Association, Warren Special Recreation Association

Bocce Ball — Traditional and Unified
Lamb’s Farm, SEDOL, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County, Special Recreation Services of North Lake County, Vernon Hills, School District, Warren Special Recreation Association

Gymnastics — Bars, Vault, Floor Exercise, Rings, Balance Beam and Rhythmic Gymnastics
Gymspot Champions, Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Woodstock School District

Power Lifting
Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County

Soccer — Individual skills and team play
Northern Illinois SRA, Woodstock School District

Track and Field — Walk, Wheelchair, Run, Shot-put, Long Jump, Ball Throw, Relay
Barrington Broncos, Grayslake Central High School, Jacobs High School, Kiley Center,  Lamb’s Farm, Northern Illinois Special Recreation, Northshore Special Olympics, SEDOL, Special Recreation Services of Northern Lake County, Special Recreation Association of Central Lake County, Vernon Hills, School District, Woodstock School District, Warren Special Recreation Association

TheNemoNews.com praises the organizations that field these wonderful teams of athletes.  We further recognize the coaches, volunteers, boosters and families that support them.  We regretfully noted that it was sometimes difficult to locate information on the sponsoring organizations and/or teams.  We would love to see these athletes and teams honored on organization websites by mentioning that they “made State”.

We wish all of these fine athletes well in the competition and are reminded of the Special Olympics Athlete’s Oath  — “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be strong in the attempt.”

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Free Clinic in Grayslake June 8-9 — CURE Network and Dental Mission of Mercy

By on May 25, 2012 in Health, Special Event

Individuals of all ages are invited to attend a Free Dental, Vision and Health Clinic at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake.  (1060 E Peterson Road off Midlothian Road).  The clinic is an initiative of the Illinois State Dental Society’s Mission of Mercy (MOM) program and of the Collaborative Underserved Relief and Education (CURE) Network.

Doors will open at 6am each day.  Patients will be seen on a first-come, first served basis.   Doors will close when the day’s capacity is reached.  There are no pre-appointments.  Many patients choose to line up hours in advance of the opening, and some may be turned away.  Basic services include health exams, dental exams with fillings, cleanings, and extractions, and vision exams with glasses and/or frames.  General information can be viewed here.  Those with complex needs or severe disabilities may be beyond the scope of this clinic.

Last year, the event was held at Malcolm X College in Chicago.  According to the website, 550 volunteer professionals conducted 1147 Dental Exams, 1322 Medical Exams and 772 Vision Exams.

Professional and general volunteers are still needed for the event.  There is particular need for Doctors of Optometry (optometrists)to conduct eye exams. In addition, sign language interpreters are sought.

For more information visit the http://www.curenetwork.org or contact Karen Carroll, kcarroll@curenetwork.org, 877-278-7631

 

 

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Rosalind Franklin Medical Students Conduct Autism Events

By on May 24, 2012 in Education, Health, Other

Medical students at Rosalind Franklin University conducted three events in April to observe National Autism Awareness Month and increase disability awareness among health care students.

The events included a workshop with a panel of parents, team participation in the North Shore Walk Now for Autism Speaks and lunch discussion with a developmental pediatrician.  The events were co-sponsored by the Pediatric Interest Group and the Student Interest Group in Neurology.

Noting that medical students don’t often encounter patients with disabilities in their curriculum, the sponsors developed a panel of local parents to discuss their experiences.  The parent panel included several parents who currently serve on the SEDOL Parent Advisory Board.  One of the panel members was a medical student with a child with a disability.

Parents and students felt positively about the experience according to Eva Schwartz, medical student and event organizer.  “Overall, the panel was a good reminder about some of the basics of patient care  — treat the patient not the disease, be involved with your patients and their families, listen, and show compassion.”, Schwartz continued.

There is interest in repeating the event, although It has not been determined if this will be repeated next year.  For more information contact Eva Schwartz at eva.schwartz@my.rfums.org.

The Nemo News salutes the medical students for reaching out to learn more about our families and autism.

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YL Capernaum Bowling Night May 25

By on May 23, 2012 in Faith Based, Recreation, Special Event

Young Life Capernaum is hosting it’s first event in Lake County on Friday, May 25.  Abled and disabled youth are invited to bowl at the Brunswick Zone, 316 Center Drive in Vernon Hills at 6:30pm.

Young Life  Capernaum represents a growing movement among Christian churches to reach out to those with disabilities and promote peer friendship through club, camp, service and other activities.  There are several Young Life groups in Lake County, but this is the first Capaernaum group in the county.   TheNemoNews has reported on efforts to organize this new group.  There is already a group in Naperville.

The Young Life website describes the project as follows.

Young Life Capernaum gives young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities the chance to experience fun and adventure, to develop fulfilling friendships and to challenge their limits while building self-esteem through club, camp and other exciting activities. Young Life staff and volunteers model Christ’s unconditional love and acceptance as they walk alongside these young adults — filling their lives with love and support.

 

For more information on this group or the bowling outing, contact Tasha Taylor at 847-735-9595 or Melisa Roberts at 847-504-7128, melissa@ylchicago.com

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SEDOL Superintendent Moline’s Blog

By on May 22, 2012 in Education

As Dr. Thomas Moline finishes his first year as superintendent of the Special Education District of Lake County (SEDOL), he has initiated a blog to share news with staff and others  connected to SEDOL.   Recent posts include reflections on end-of-year activities like prom, awards and graduation.

Dr. Moline writes that he enjoys visiting SEDOL classrooms and seeing student projects.  In addition, he has been reaching out to member districts.  He offers a presentation and meets the school boards that make up the SEDOL cooperative. You can access his blog here and from the main SEDOL home page.  Readers can receive new posts  by clicking on the follow button at the bottom right of the blog.

TheNemoNews enjoys reading his blog and seeing the pictures he includes.  We honor his efforts reach out to us.

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Ligas Consent Decree Update at Town Hall Meeting

By on May 15, 2012 in Uncategorized

Tony Records, the court monitor appointed to oversee implementation of the Ligas Consent Decree will speak at a Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Community Living Initiative.  He will speak on Tuesday, May 15, at the WIFi Building, 8180 N. McCormick Blvd, Skokie, IL.  Last month, Tony spoke at the state ARC convention.  His presentation can be downloaded here.  The  Ligas Consent Decree affects thousands of Ligas class members in the State of Illinois.

The Community Living Initiative for people with disabilities was announced last fall at another Town Hall meeting sponsored by  Jewish Federation, Jewish Child & Family Services and Keshet.  In addition to launching a pilot project, they hope to develop a model for other communities to adopt and replicate.   They will give an update at the meeting.  The previous meeting,  Creating Options, was reported in TheNemoNews.com.

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Teen Depression: A Graphic Novel

By on May 10, 2012 in Health, Other, Social Life

A local teenager recently shared his experience with depression in a moving graphic novel format.  The Chicago Tribune published his story, a video and a slideshow of his experience on May 9, 2012.  The article notes that 1 in 12 teens experience a major depressive episode.  Kudos to Mr. Watson and his family for sharing their insight, compassion and courage with others who may suffer.

The Nemo News notes that the young author had Tourette’s Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder before experiencing the depressive episode he describes.  These  pre-existing conditions most likely contributed to the low social standing and bullying that is described in his story.  This highlights the importance of Social Emotional Learning from an early age.  The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) has published standards for this domain and the FAQ can be found here.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) offers support, education, resources and advocacy for individuals and families affected by mental illness.  The Lake County Chapter  .and the  McHenry County Chapter have regular meetings, resource guides, and support groups for recovering individuals and their families.  Typically these services are free of charge.  Contact information is on each respective website.

Readers are encouraged to share information on other resources that may be helpful to those facing mental illness in Lake and McHenry Counties.   Use the comment button to share your thoughts.

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Valor Games Midwest Registration Begins

By on May 9, 2012 in Employment, Lifestyle, Other, Recreation, Special Event

Registration for the Second Annual Valor Games Midwest began this week.  The games are for disabled veterans and wounded, ill and injured active duty service members.  The games will be held  August 13-15 at various Chicago venues including Soldier Field and US Cellular Field.  Events include shot put, discus, cycling, archery, power-lifting and indoor rowing.  Applications will be reviewed and participants will be notified of their acceptance for the competition by July 15.

Last year, many of the 100+ participants had little or no previous experience.  In addition, applicants may apply for a 4-day introductory sports camp before the games.  The camp is sponsored by   the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. All costs for Valor Games participants are covered, with the exception of transportation to and from Chicago. Those that participate in the camp will receive a travel stipend.

Organizers are seeking additional volunteers and sponsors.   Other events during the games will include a (Careerbuilder) job fair, veterans resource fair and more.  Current supporters include U.S. Paralympics, the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Chicago Park District.

For more information contact:  Susan Katz, Director of Paralympic & Disability Sport, (312) 861-4848, skatz@worldsportchicago.org

 

 

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Stipends to Attend Conferences Available

By on May 8, 2012 in Other, Post Transition, Special Event

Individuals with developmental disabilities and their families are eligible to apply for funding to attend conferences that pertain to their disabilities.  The Consumer Involvement Program is administered by the ARC of Illinois.

Applicants may receive up to $300 per conference or $500 per family per year. The conference may be in-state or out-of-state.  Other rules apply, and these are clearly stated on the application form.  Find the application here.

These stipends allow those directly affected by a developmental disability to participate in and contribute to discussions of direct interest to them.

 

 

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Gurnee-Area Educational Transportation Changes Planned

By on May 7, 2012 in Education, Transportation

A new program to transport Special Education students in Gurnee area school districts is currently in the works, according to a recent article the Chicago Tribune (TribLocal).  The cooperating districts plan to purchase 12 vans and hire 12 drivers to improve the students experience.  The districts estimate that this will save some money.  Moreover, it will result in better screening and supervision of drivers.

The districts hope to develop their intergovernmental agreement by late May.  The districts involved are Warren Township High School (D121), Woodland (D50) and Gurnee (D56).

Currently, some Special Education students are transported in taxis to receive services that are specifically tailored to meet their special needs and are not available in their home school.

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