Future Possibilities

   As Kyle get's ready to enter his junior year of high school, one thing we have to think about is his future. Kids with special needs can stay in high school until they're 21, but there are other options as well.

   One of those options is to go to college. Kent State recently started a program for students with intellectual disabilities. This is a two-year program that allows students to experience college and get a degree in Career and Community Studies. The mission statement of the program is: to create meaningful experiences for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities by maximizing opportunities in order to equip them to become self-determined and autonomous adults. 

Kyle on his first day of sophomore year

   Another option is employment. The National Down Syndrome Society talks about different options for employment. One option is to work independently, and apply for jobs/respond to ads and work for a business. Usually, these individual's are more independent and communicative.

   There is also a supported employment. These individual's work with a job coach to help teach them the specific skills they need for their job. At first it will be full time, but then the job coach will come to make check-ups or assist the person when a new task is introduced.

   There are also agencies that offer sheltered employment, which means there is little to no integration, but offers the opportunity to earn wages and work.

   Kyle will probably live with my parents after he graduates from high school, and my sister and I always talk about how he'll have his own room at our future houses so he can stay whenever he wants.

The three of us siblings in Myrtle Beach

Story Time:
 
   Kyle is a very active member in society. We always like to keep him involved in sports and such, but he loves going to concerts and on trips. He'll pack suitcases as soon as we tell him we're going someplace, and the day we leave, he'll sit in the car all day, sometimes with our dog, and complain all day until we leave. He'll load things into the car (sometimes random things we don't need), but he loves it. Whether it's camping, or going to the beach, the kid loves being out and about and seeing different parts of the world, as well as spending time with the people he loves.

Kyle and my dad at one of the many concerts from last summer