 |
| Dr. Stephen Shore, Ph.D. - Adelphi University Professor |
Dr. Stephen Shore recently visited CASP to conduct a seminar with Dr. Liliana Mayo titled, “The UNLIMITED potential of the person with autism.” Dr. Shore, who at a young age was diagnosed with
“atypical development with strong autistic tendencies” and who was nonverbal until the age of four went on to complete his Ph.D. at Boston University.
My visit to CASP began at the doorway with
warm greetings and hugs from what seemed like all of the staff at CASP! I found
CASP to be an amazing place employing abilities based model by asking
what can the person
with a disability do rather than focusing on what the individual is unable to
do.
I was deeply impressed by a number of aspects
of CASP. One, the extensive
parent support network where parents from distant cities receive education and
training to support their children with disabilities – and then go on to teach
other parents in their cities the same. Parents are the experts on their
children and CASP certainly knows that!
Two, the amount of successful inclusion of people
with disabilities in the workplace. By providing support to both the
employer and the person having different abilities, this involvement in
employment is a crucial part to community inclusion as a whole.
There's so much to report. However, I
will end with the Q & A session with teenage and adult individuals with
disabilities. Although it may seem surprising that most of the questions
focused on relations, dating, and intimate relationships. However, these
issues tend to be on the minds of many people with disabilities – or not.
Therefore, in addition to these concerns be international in scope amongst
people with disabilities, I have found that people who don't have disabilities
have the same concerns. This suggest that these questions or more of just
being human, rather than being bound by ability or geographical location.
And... they bind us all together as part of the human race.
Looking forward to my next visit to CASP!