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Parents of teens with disabilities struggle to find summer care Date published: 5/29/2009
BY AMY FLOWERS UMBLE After a week of riding horses, swimming and hanging out with friends last summer, Kiersten Collins begged to stay for a second week of camp. Her mom could afford only one week. This year, Kiersten, a Fredericksburg resident, will go to two weeks of summer camp. That leaves 10 weeks of day care for her mom to plan. Kelly Collins has made more than 20 phone calls to fill those weeks. She is just one mom of hundreds who desperately call the disAbility Resource Center, the Spotsylvania County Parent Resource Center, the Arc of the Rappahannock and the Childcare Network to find day care for a disabled child. At 16, Kiersten has the appearance of a young woman. But at times she displays the naivete of a kindergartner. The combination symbolizes the dilemma Collins faces. Kiersten is, technically, too old for day care--most centers stop watching kids older than 12. But Kiersten barely reads, trusts nearly everyone and can't remember if she's taken her seizure-prevention pills. She has a seizure disorder, cysts on her brain and mild mental retardation. She can't spend all day by herself. A single mom, Collins can't quit work for the summer. For years, Kiersten spent most of the summer with her grandmother in Michigan. But her grandmother died last fall. As soon as spring arrived, Collins started calling area day-care centers, disability advocacy groups and the department of social services. "I felt like I kept getting doors slammed in my face," she said. "It was just stressful, and life is already stressful enough." Parents such as Kelly Collins all have the same need: someone to watch their disabled children. All get the same limited options: sleep-away camps costing about $700 per week or finding a relative or neighbor. "We can't give them a decent answer," said Jan Griffin, executive director of the Arc of the Rappahannock. "This is a very bad area, for the parents and for us, because we would love to be able to provide that day care. We know they need it." In Charlottesville and Prince William County, for example, ARC chapters offer day care. Parents who have Medicaid waivers for their children have more options, Griffin said. With a waiver, Medicaid pays for a companion to take care of the person with a disability.
Date published: 5/29/2009
a lot of college kids home for the summer and unable to find work that could sit with your daughter. Some of them may even be education majors.
Depending on the extent of the disability, I would explore the possibility of hiring a high school student to supervise a handicapped daughter/son. There are many mature and responsible students who could do this job.
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