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 Sandy Schroeder and Debbie Wilde A Non-Profit Makes Good on Its Promise By Annie Uyehara             This reporter was on a roll, finding more stories to write about for the Inclusion Campaign for Valley Life For All. Having learned so much about people with challenges and disabilities, I wasn’t ready to give it up.              But Debbie Wilde, Executive Director, and Sandy Schroeder, Vice President of the Board of Directors, are happy see the conclusion of Valley Life For All, for it is a success story, a book where the reader has come to the last page and is satisfied.              And, like finishing a good book, there’s a sense of the bittersweet, says Wilde. “It was a wonderful ride with amazing people. I’m delighted to be a part of a nonprofit that met its mission. That’s the ultimate goal of a nonprofit.”             VLFA began in 2010 the dining room of Margaret “Gary” Bender, whose daughter has Down syndrome. She was joined by another parent, Katie Grange, who also had a ch
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Celebrating the ADA in Glenwood Springs By Annie Uyehara             Jimena De La Cruz was being wheeled around by her parents, Andrea Ramos and Mario De La Cruz. The sights and sounds were exciting; Glenwood Springs had its first annual American with Disabilities Act (ADA) celebration at Two Rivers Park this July. It was also disability pride month. There was a small and diverse crowd, but one in which all had a commonality: They either supported those with disabilities or were a person with a disability, some of whom prefer to call a challenge or an ability.             For Jimena’s parents, the celebration-complete with speakers, live music and some vendors-was an opportunity to be a part of a community. Jimena, 9, has cerebral palsy. “I do feel alone sometimes,” being a parent of a child with disabilities said her father, Mario. “It would be nice to have community.”             Mia Obreque, age 10, has autism. She was helping hand out flyers with her mom, Maribel Obreque, director
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(Photo by Annie Uyehara)   Gail Morning Garners Gold at the Colorado Special Olympics   By Annie Uyehara           She holds onto three glimmering medals around her neck and grins. Gail Morning is adding this metal hardware to her some 100 medals gathering space at her home. She is a Special Olympics champion. Having recently moved here from Pennsylvania to the Western Slope, Morning joined the Vail Barracudas, a team focused on persons with disabilities of all ages. This summer, the Vail Barracudas traveled to Grand Junction for the Special Olympic Colorado State Summer Games, and Morning swam her way to two gold medals and one bronze medal, in the 400 and 100 freestyle events.           Morning is somewhat of a professional Special Olympian, having begun competing in them at age five. The vivacious 38-year-old, who has a learning disability, has won medals in all 16 Special Olympics (S.O.) in swimming, bocce ball, basketball, but weight lifting is her favorite S.O. sport.    
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 Photo by Annie Uyehara You Have the I.D.E.A. workshop By Annie Uyehara             It may feel easier to negotiate a maze than it is for a parent to obtain the rights for their child with disabilities.           Sandy Schroeder is hoping to make this an easier journey. In August, she’s launching “You Have the I.D.E.A.” which is a series of 12 workshops that will allow parents of children with disabilities to connect while also teaching them how to make an education plan for their child that is informed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IDEA is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.           Schroeder was inspired to do the workshop after completing a 20 week diverse leadership training through Family Leadership Training Institute (FLTI), designed to empower people to create a better world for
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(Photo by Annie Uyehara)  Meet Alice Everyday Technology Helps Those with Challenges By Annie Uyehara How many times have we seen an ad for Alexa: “Alexa, turn on the lights!” It’s such a convenient device.  But few of us have considered how this popular household product and other everyday technology can be a game-changer for those with physical and cognitive challenges, or for those who want to age independently.  Alice Brouhard has an adult daughter with cognitive disabilities due to a ski accident at age five which left her partially paralyzed and with significant vision loss and no sense of time. Brouhard is a self-professed technology geek, so when she heard about Amazon’s Alexa device, she was intrigued about how it could help her daughter, Kara, become more independent. Because of Alexa and computer applications, Kara has lived on her own for 15 years.  Brouhard, who gave a TEDX talk about how apps gave her daughter a voice, says technology has “changed by light years
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ASPEN DEAF CAMP SKILL CAMP   By Annie Uyehara  This story is brought to you by:  Steve and Christy Nilsson               The sound of hammers and hand drills compete with the sing-song rippling of Snowmass Creek which wends its way through the Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Other than that, there is silence.             The young people constructing benches and a stage for an amphitheater, are not using their voices, but their hands and facial expressions to communicate about where to drill in screws, where to lay boards on the stage, and how to follow the teachers’ instructions.             The Aspen Camp for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ACDHH)  held its first Tri-State Job SkillsTraining Camp the first week of May. Eighteen students from Utah, New Mexico and Colorado gathered to learn from carpenters from the hearing and deaf communities the skills to build with tools, wood, paint, and concrete.             Ehta Kpaw Say, from Utah, is 18 and hard of hearing.
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  Rae Henson, photo provided When Movies Speak By Annie Uyehara             There was a poignant moment for Rae Henson in the movie, “CODA,” when the father asks his daughter to sing for him. He’s deaf and she can hear. He puts his hand to her throat so he can feel the vibrations of her voice.             “I have two CODA daughters,” explains Henson, who teaches deaf and hard of hearing children and is deaf herself. “One of my daughters sings and I’d say to her, will you sing for me, too?” Her daughters can hear, which makes them both CODA, which is an acronym for Children Of Deaf Adults. “So I could really relate to that scene in the movie.”             The movie, “CODA”, made history for the deaf community by winning three Academy Awards this year, including  Best Supporting Actor by deaf actor Troy Kotsur and Best Picture of the Year.             “When ‘CODA’ won Best Picture, I was crying,” recalls Henson. “It was just a joy! It’s the first time that’s happened and it’s a big open
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