Tag Archives: developmental disabilities

Best Job Ever!

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Best Job Ever!

Hello!! I have been working with people with special needs for a decade now and I simply could not imagine doing anything different. Don’t get me wrong, I love working on the blog and social media but my work community feels like home and it is a beautiful thing. Being able to help and work with so many amazing families is a gift and I don’t take it lightly. One of my greatest joys this year has been being reunited with my VERY FIRST client and her family. It has been like stepping into a time capsule from when I first started out and it feels like I never left. During our last session, my client presented me with this sweet gift and I will treasure it for forever:

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My client and I spent a snowy day inside completing household chores together. About halfway through, she said “Oh! I almost forgot. I wanted you to have this because you have always been there for me and I’m so happy you are able to work with me again”. Then, she handed me the little angel and I almost cried – not just because it was incredibly thoughtful, but because I feel the exact same way. I was ecstatic when her parents reached out to me and it feels so good to be back. It really is a high point of my week.

I love my job even on the most difficult days and it’s moments like these that always makes me eager for my next shift. I have received countless drawings, works of art, cards, and trinkets from my clients over my extensive tenure and I have kept them all. I have enjoyed my time with every family I have worked with and displaying these gifts where I can see them around my apartment is a constant reminder of that. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world as I placed my angel on my knick knack shelf directly across from my computer station. I see it every time I look up and I smile Every. Single. Time.

My work never feels like work because I am genuinely excited every time I hop into the car and venture to one of my clients. Here’s to ten more years in the best field EVER!

What do you love about your job? What would you change about your job? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Holiday Haul: Surprise Gift Edition

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Holiday Haul: Surprise Gift Edition

Hello!! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl” job is as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. I am proud to say that I have worked throughout the entirety of this pandemic and I am even prouder of my county’s board of Developmental Disabilities for taking such good care of all of their employees. From care packages filled with PPE as well as wonderful donations of games and crafting supplies to help keep our clients entertained, we have not been without during the pandemic and it is SO, so, so appreciated.

As if all of the supplies and encouraging emails weren’t enough, my county’s DD board provided us providers with a special gift for the holidays. I was so surprised by this generosity and I am in love with my prezzies picked out just for us. Check it out:

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For my surprise gift, I received a beautiful travel mug filled with caramel and chocolate covered popcorn. I also got the most comfortable pair of socks I have ever owned with “Making A Difference” on one foot and “It’s What I Do!” on the other. How awesome is that?! This gift absolutely touched me and not only did I feel appreciated for the work that I do but it put me in the best mood all day. I was so eager for Johnny to come home from work to show off my spoils and the discovery that my new socks are perfect for sliding around on our hard wood floors!

I love my job so much and would never expect anything in return and I think that’s why these presents mean so much to me. I can’t wait to fill up my travel mug with hot coffee in the morning because I already know it will put a smile on my face. How can the sweet messages printed on the front and back not?!

What makes you feel appreciated? How has your job changed throughout the pandemic? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

At Home Concerts Pt. 2

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At Home Concerts Pt. 2

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl” job is as an independent provider for adults with special needs. Pre-COVID, community integration was my specialty and I was always finding exciting activities and events for my clients to participate in that they might not have had access to before.

One of my favorite haunts “back in the day” with a client who is a music lover was a vinyl record club at the library where a group of our now good friends would sit around, eat pizza, listen to music, and talk about anything and everything. It was such fun and we both miss it a lot so, naturally, at home concerts had to happen when record club was no longer an option.

At home concerts are one of my favorite activities to do with clients now because it’s fun, safe, and I love singing and dancing with my pals! If you remember my original At Home Concerts post, you will know I taught one of my friends how to use YouTube and we are still going strong on watching his favorite golden oldies artists perform.

My other client has a much different taste in music, though. He loves rap! And so do I so at home concerts with him are an absolute trip. In fact, he was the one who introduced me to Cardi B and she’s one of my faves now! Every week we alternate who is going to pick the album and we spend the entire time dancing on opposite ends of the room, laughing, and talking about everything from the important to the downright silly.

Pre-COVID, at home concerts were the last thing on my mind when I could take my clients to all kinds of wonderful events where live music was played. Post-COVID, I find at home concerts to be an inspired idea and it has become my new favorite part about my job.

Exploring different genres of music, hearing songs I’ve never listened to before, and seeing my clients have fun is a high point of my day when we feel like listening to some tunes. We all consider our at home concerts to be an exciting event and it could be for you and your friends/family too!

Dress as your favorite artists, celebrate a different theme or genre, or even learn the different dances of the times so you can better groove to the music. An at home concert can turn a blah day into something really awesome – all it takes is a little creativity. 🙂

What are some of your favorite at home activities? Do you have any suggestions for what my clients and I should listen to next? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Simple Popsicle Stick Halloween Craft

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Simple Popsicle Stick Halloween Craft

Hi! Lil Red may not be the craftiest gal in the bunch but, I’ll be damned if I don’t try my best with my clients when we’re creating something together. One of my pals had a plethora of Popsicle sticks so I figured we could try to do a Halloween craft with them by painting them into little ghosts. While my client opted for making names of his loved ones out of the sticks (So sweet!), I made the following for Johnny’s desk at work and something special for my crafting partner. Check it out:

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I started my crafting palooza with something easy by painting the Popsicle sticks white and making little ghost faces with Sharpie markers once the paint was dry. Simple, yes, but they turned out so cute I decided to try my hand at a few more designs even though they were going to be much harder for my non crafty self.

I thought a Frankenstein stick would look awesome and I knew Johnny would love it so I looked up a picture of ol’ Frank and did my best. While the green paint on the stick dried, I practiced drawing his face several times on paper before I Sharpied in the final effort and, frankly (lol), I couldn’t believe how good it turned out. In fact, it ended up being Johnny’s favorite creation.

After seeing my Frankenstein, my client asked me if I could make him a Barney one. I told him I’ll see what I can do and got to work on two Barney themed Popsicle sticks. In honor of the Barney Halloween episode that he loves, I painted a stick purple with green polka dots, just like the pumpkin Barney had in the show.

The real challenge, now, was going to be making Barney’s face because I can’t draw for crap. Lol, like with Frankenstein, I looked up a picture of Barney and practiced drawing his face while the purple base paint dried. Once I was satisfied, I Sharpied in the face of the friendly purple dinosaur and I thought it turned out great. I added a green tummy and his yellow toes and my client was so happy with what I made him, which is all that matters to me.

To wrap up our crafting, I made a Jack-O-Lantern stick to complete Johnny’s spooky set. Both my client and I had a blast with our arts and crafts hour and I was so happy to come up with something that was simple but we both enjoyed so much. Oh you crafty, huh?!

Would you consider yourself crafty? What is something that you have made that you are proud of? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Ballooning Around

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Ballooning Around

Hello! As of right now, there has been a sharp increase of COVID cases in Ohio. Myself and Johnny, both of our families, and all of my clients are hunkered down more than ever and the feeling of having “nothing to do” is particularly strong. As an independent provider for people with special needs, I am constantly trying to figure out ways to keep my clients entertained from the comfort of their home. This past month, I learned that something has simple as a balloon can be a whole lot of fun.

My most senior (and high risk) client’s brother celebrated a birthday in October, so we spent a lot of time making decorations and discussing birthdays of years’ past. The piece de resistance, however, was definitely when I blew up a ton of balloons the day before and the morning of the big day. My client loved selecting which color balloons he wanted and he wrote his brother’s name on every single one.

Once we had plenty of balloons ready, I asked my client if he wanted to hit it back and forth together and he was all for it. In fact, so much so that we have played “Balloon Bounce” pretty much every day that I’ve seen him since. This has been my “sneaky” way of incorporating a more, for lack of a better words, “active” activity into my client’s routine and he has so much fun that it doesn’t even feel like a little work out.

We have dubbed ourselves the Balloon Bounce International League and we have nicknames too! While we’re hitting the balloon, we always play our favorites tunes and it brings my client back to playing volleyball in the Special Olympics. My only rule? Placing items that could get hit throughout his room elsewhere so nothing breaks!

Balloon Bounce is one of the most simple past times I think I have ever come up with and it really is a blast. All it takes it a little creativity and imagination and even the smallest activities can become a new daily favorite. Hey, I’ll take it!

How do you get creative with activities at home? How did you celebrate any recent birthdays? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Deeana Creates From Pexels

Working In The Care Profession During COVID Times

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Working In The Care Profession During COVID Times

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, I am an Independent Provider for people with special needs and I provide care in home and in the community. I have been an essential worker since the beginning of all of this COVID business in March and, I’ll be honest, sometimes I just want to crawl back in bed instead of go to work!

Because I work with some very high risk families, I have been essentially in my own state of lock down for the past seven months. Coffees with friends have turned into FaceTime dates and dinners out with Johnny just means Door Dashing something now. Of course, this is all A-okay, though, because I would never forgive myself if I ever brought this virus to any of my clients. It’s a lot of pressure but it’s just me doing my job.

I have come to terms with the fact that I will not be “going out” and Johnny has too, since we live together (Believe me, I wouldn’t want to. Just the thought of going to a bar or restaurant makes me cringe!). This has put us in very close acquaintance with our TV, Nintendo Switch, and each other literally every day, lol.

Although it can feel like a lot to be so limited to my apartment, I do still treat myself monthly to getting my nails done and it is my outing to look forward to. I know that many of those working in the care and health profession are doing everything that they can to keep their clients and patients safe and I applaud all of them because it’s not easy, that’s for sure.

I also encourage all of us who are hunkered down to participate in a “treat” to help lift your spirits. After a rough day at work or even just hearing the state of the world on the news, I never say no to a pick me up. Whether that be pampering myself with a face mask or maybe ordering something small online – it’s important for me to be in the best mood I can to continue being able to give the best care that I can to my clients every day.

I am very thankful to my clients and their families because they motivate me to be extra careful every day. I am also very thankful to everyone in the health and care profession as well as all employees right now who continue with their duties despite potentially being in harm’s way. We rock and I wish nothing but the best for all of you! ❤

How has your job been affected from COVID? How do you keep your spirits high right now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

A Great Day

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A Great Day

Hi! It is always hard to go back to work after having any type of time off, whether that be from being sick, a vacation, or what have you. When I returned back to work after a stint with a sinus infection this month, I can’t say that I was thrilled lol but the ride to my client’s house with Cardi B bumping was enough to get me right back into work mode and it ended up being a great day.

I had to take my client to the eye doctor as well as help her pick out some glasses – it was definitely a long time coming for a new pair! I have always loved helping people pick out glasses and I take a lot of pride in picking out a lot of the pairs that my mom has had throughout the years, so I knew that we were both going to have some fun.

My client and I both decided that it was time for a totally new style of glasses as opposed to her old metal frames so we experimented with a lot of different styles. After finding a few “winners”, I took her outside so she could she what she looked like in a picture without her mask on. It’s hard to imagine a whole new look with more than half of your face covered!

Once we had a quick photo shoot, we both decided that a funky pair of deep purple square plastic frames were the way to go. And, I’ve got to say, they looked fabulous on her. The best part? She knew she looked awesome too and I could tell my client was feeling herself with her brand new look. My friend had such a sense of pride for trying something completely different and the frames working out perfectly was the cherry on top.

It may seem like a simple outing, but a quick trip to the eye doctor reminded me of how much I enjoy my job. I felt amazing because my client felt amazing and I had something to do with it. It made her day and it made my month! ❤

How has someone made your day recently? What was the last new thing you tried? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Feeling Presidential

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Feeling Presidential

Hi everyone!! For those of you who don’t know, my “big girl job” is as an Independent Provider for people with special needs. Most of my clients are not too interested in politics and that is totally fine. However, one of my clients decided he wants to become president this past week. With nothing to do cause COVID, we turned our time together into running his campaign and nurturing his dreams.

My client and I made posters, campaign speeches, and discussed all of his platforms and strategies. It proved to be educational for both of us because he learned more about what it takes to become president and I got to learn about all of the things that are really important to him. It was also just plain fun and something different.

If you work in the field like me or if you have children, this could be a great idea to get them Feeling Presidential too. Spend some time talking about what it means to be president and how your future candidate would go about their victory. Then, you can craft to your heart’s content and even work on some grammar as you write your speeches.

The crafting and talking about future goals is inspiring and it could open up a whole new world that your child or client might not know existed before. So put your president pants on and get to work!

How do you create fun and unique activities for your children? What would your platform be if you were president? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Featured Image By: Press & Journal

Special Delivery

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Special Delivery

Hello! For those of you who don’t know, I am an independent provider and work with people with special needs. The services provided through the Ohio Department of Developmental Disabilities are considered essential and I have still been going to work Monday through Friday. Going to work has now consisted of just staying at each client’s home instead of getting them out and about in the community. And, no matter where I am, I’m still just as bored as if I was in my apartment. Lol, we all are!

I am sure many providers have said the same thing. I mean, there’s only so many movies you can watch, games you can play, and crafts you can complete until there is literally nothing left. So, my county’s board of Developmental Disabilities held a donation drive to help provide us with some new activities for our clients.

Last week, a reusable bag full of goodies was left on my parent’s porch. When I opened in up, I was so surprised to see all of the following:

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Something new is always exciting and I’m looking forward to sharing all of these treats with my clients. There seems to be something for everyone I work with in my care package and I am so thankful for such a generous and thoughtful gift. I definitely feel a new found pep in my step when it comes to going to work. Because, let’s be honest, I think everyone who is still working right now doesn’t really want to! But, I just know I’ll have some great days on the job ahead and that is a wonderful change of pace! 🙂

How are you helping your community during this crazy time? What helps keep you occupied at home? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Don’t Let Your Disability Define Your Life

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Don’t Let Your Disability Define Your Life

Disability is something that has been defining people for years and years. There’s, sadly, still so much bullying and hate that we just can’t stand to think of. Because those with disabilities deserve support the most. Not support to live their lives, but support to help them believe they can live their lives on their own, without carrying around that label of having a disability. If carrying around a label is something you feel like you’ve been doing all your life, it’s time to rip it clean off. There are so many things you can do with your life, and so many things your mind can think if you don’t let your disability define you. Some of which, we want to talk about today. It’s the perfect time to think about how the rest of this year is going to be totally different. Have a read on to find out more:

The Mindset Of Other People:

This is a really important one that we wanted to start with, because we think that more often than not it’s the mindset of other people rather than yourself that’s holding you back. And, thankfully, we will say that there is now such a better understanding of the different disabilities out there, how they can affect the life of that person, and how they deserve to be treated. At the end of the day, even though our body’s or minds might be a little different, we still crave those basic human needs of love, affection, and normality. What we’re trying to say here is, if you ever come across someone who you know is being a bit awkward and standoffish because of your disability, simply try and educate them. Don’t be afraid to talk about your condition and express that you’re no different to anyone else in the things that you want out of life. If this doesn’t work, just walk away. You really don’t need negative people like that in your life, and you should gravitate as much as you can towards the people who are positive to you.

The Things You Think Will Hold You Back:

Finances are something that is talked about a lot in life and, disability or not, everyone goes through a struggle at some point. If you ever feel like you are in a rut with money, don’t be afraid to look at loans for people on disability with bad credit. It’s a quick way of getting that pick me up that you need, without having to worry about being rejected. We will promote safe lending and encourage you to always make sure that you’re only borrowing what you can, so that you don’t find yourself in more financial trouble further down the line.

The Life You Need To Think About Living:

The life you need to think about living is a free one. It’s a life where you’re out with your friends or family, making the best experiences for you to look back on when you get older. Don’t be that person who is always staying in on the weekend, because before you know it a whole life is passing you by. Going out for food or drinks, swimming, walking, going to the cinema… there is a world of things out there for you to do, you just need to have the motivation to go and do it. You might feel limited in what you can do compared to your other friends, but if they’re true friends they’ll be the ones encouraging you to do it. Surround yourself with the right people who are going to enrich your life. If you feel like you don’t have the right people in your life, it might be time to join a new crowd. Participate in clubs, do things you don’t usually do, and you’ll soon start to feel your mood lifting completely.

We know the world is changing so quickly and so is the views of disability, but let’s change how you view your world and its surroundings, too!

Featured Image By: Pixabay