Biography of a 
Daughter, Sister,
& Mother

   Growing up in a home full of love and the gift of giving; this was something treasured in my bones. As far back as I could remember, I watched my parents play a role of servitude, social justice, and equality for all. At the age of seven, my mom an RN turned our 5-bedroom home into S.A.F.E (Senior Awareness Family Environment) house for senior citizens. I could remember the day I came home from school to a house with 6 strangers in it. It was a tremendous adjustment trying to understand what your mother meant when she would always speak about being “your brother’s keeper.” This was so far different than her cooking meals and always making extra food or setting a space at the table for that unexpected guest. Until those 6 people’s passing, they became family, like grandparents to me. I truly learned different levels of love, caring and acceptance.

 

    My dad work in a senior care facility, who always had hard core work values. He worked 2 jobs for thirty years taught himself how to speak Hebrew and some Spanish. I thought I should have mentioned that this was a man with a 6th grade education.

 

   Why bring up my parents in my “About me” section? My parents were my influencers to who I have become. My mother believed in the pursuit of creativity, stepping out on faith, building dreams. My father was a hard worker and set a clear standard for me to see strong family and work ethics.

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    Having lost both parents over 26 plus years ago, I am marveled daily with how much is instilled in me from them.

 

   There is this passion for help people, understanding the world, passing on knowledge, utilizing my skills, or being a voice for the unheard.

 

   People over the years have asked me when did my passion begin. I normally use to answer when I had my second child who was born premature and later was found at the age of 3 to have been diagnosed with a learning disability.

 

   Really though, when I look back to my childhood, there was a young lady in my neighborhood named Linda, then she would have been labelled mentally retarded, this was in the 1970’s. I would stare at Linda from across the street, not to make fun of her but to try to understand her. Her mom was very protective of her so when she was outside her mom was right there. When to many kids came outside her mom would take her inside. I wanted to be Linda’s friend, but at the age of seven and not understanding what disability looked like then (The topic that was not talked about) I did not figure out an approach. I remember talking to my mother and my mother walked me across the street and I sat on the steps with Linda and her and my mom talked. I remember Linda touching all over me and I was fine with that. Drawing a blank after that, I never remember seeing Linda again. 

 

    Institutions were popular then and I remember being told that she went away but know one said where. I never saw her again; she always stayed a thought as my earliest IDD experience.

I later worked as a teenager in summer youth programs with children who had learning challenges. So as a counselor, I tutored them with special attention to help them achieve the techniques to understand their subject matter.

 

    Back to my son, when he was born, I was told that he had lacked oxygen to the brain. At the age of 4 he was not talking and could not identify objects. I did not recognize anything was wrong because his big brother would always do and get things for him so, that why I assumed why he never spoke. He played well with his younger sister, so I was not alerted until one day they were both babbling and laughing. When I took him for his psychological evaluation, the language the doctor used to engage me was so far above my intellect, I was frustrated and decided at that moment that I had to educate my self in the field of disabilities.

 

   I remember I was working at United Cerebral Palsy, the adult population as an Employment Specialist when an opportunity opened as position for an Early Intervention Coordination CSPE 3-5 years of age; about 2000. This was a privileged time for me to learn the field, gain experience and be there for my son as he attended school at the organization. I was determined to learn as much as possible. Talking manuals home, reading brochures, watching videos, and shadowing those experienced at my new job. I soon became an advocate and was able to utilize the lingo and taught other parents what to look for and how to speak up for the needs of their children. 

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    Each job, each moment was an experience to which, I drew experiences and a wealth of knowledge from. I have learned over the years from different people in management positions what is required to be successful in this area of Human Services. I would like to thank an array of amazing supervisors who have shown compassion, professionalism, how to motivate staff, listening skills, organization, teamwork and values, patience, knowledge.

 

Thank you: to Albert Arrieta CRC Day Services Director, Susan Campbell CEO & Clinical Director, David Shapiro Director, Kellen Hassell Clinical Assistant Professor, Dr. Willena George, Wanda McCoy IDD Team Lead, Fawn Waterman Director, and a host of co-workers. All these people believed that coming to work every day was a special mission and together we loved rendering services and working as a team to help individuals build skills and change lives. All these people brought out the best of who I am by the lessons I drew from them to do what I do in the Human Service field. Helping people is not always about monetary gain, it is about teaching others to achieve each on teach one; building resources, and watching a persons growth. No matter the number of steps as long as there is an ability to keep stepping and pressing forward.