Support from the community and a church is very important for families that are battling MLD. For assistance in finding a church in your area with a disability ministry, please visit the Joni and Friends website and click on your state for more information. Joni and Friends also offers family camps for families who have members with disabilities. These camps are offered all over the country, and each disabled child or individual is paired up with a helper so that the entire family can enjoy the camping experience. Click here for more information.
Exceptional Parent magazine is for parents of special needs children and is very helpful in highlighting and discussing resources that are available. Click here for subscription information and online resources.
The Challenged America Foundation is a nonprofit organization that can provide assistance with therapy and purchasing mobility equipment. Click here for more information.
Many times it is very difficult for families with special needs to integrate with a church and receive the necessary spiritual support that they desperately need. Please click here to read an excellent article that appeared in the July 2008 issue of Exceptional Parent that discusses how you can work with people in your church to create a "spiritual IEP"!
In the May 2008 edition of Working Mother, an article entitled The Quiet Struggle states "The number of working moms raising kids who have special needs is eye-opening. Nearly a quarter of a million children under age 3 have a developmental delay and difficulty moving their arms or legs or both, according to recent U.S. Census figures. More than 400,000 children who are 3 to 5 years old have a developmental delay and are challenged when walking, running or playing. And among those ages 6 to 24, more than eight million have a disability. All told, about 9 percent of employees care for a child with a disability." To read how some working mothers cope with these challenges, click here.