Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008

Mothers of kids with disabilities hope to bridge the awareness gap

By CORINNE REILLY
creilly@mercedsun-star.com

For most parents, loading the kids into the car for a quick errand to the grocery store is no big deal. But for parents of children with disabilities, few things are simple.

"You always wonder, 'Is he going to get overwhelmed and have a meltdown this time? How are other people going to react?'" said Merced resident Lynda Kovalcheck, whose 5-year-old son has autism. "What makes it so hard is that most people don't understand what it's like to have a child with a disability, so they stare or they judge. It can be enough to make you just want to stay home."

But Kovalcheck doesn't think her son should have to stay at home just because he's misunderstood. So she came up with a solution: She's made it her mission to make sure more people understand families with disabilities.

On Tuesday night, Kovalcheck and six other local mothers with disabled children will host a Disability Awareness Night at the Merced Civic Center.

The mothers, whose children have a range of disabilities including autism, Asperger's syndrome, Down syndrome, attention deficit disorder and mental illness, will share their stories and explain what it's like to raise a disabled child.

Kovalcheck, who spearheaded the event, is hoping for a good turnout, and she's hoping lots of families without disabilities will attend. If it's successful, she and the other moms plan to host more awareness nights.

"It's not about sympathy," Kovalcheck said. "It's about teaching people what disabilities can look like and how they affect families. The ultimate goal is to make it a little less isolating and a little easier for families of all kinds."

Statistics show that autism affects one in 150 children and one in 94 boys; 4.4 million kids between the ages of 4 and 17 have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD; one in 800 is born with Down syndrome.

Kovalcheck's idea to organize the awareness night was born out of a course she took with a handful of other moms at the Challenged Family Resource Center, a Merced-based nonprofit that provides support for parents of disabled children.

The course teaches parents how to share their stories of raising disabled children -- all in the hope that they'll use that skill to raise awareness.

"Parenting a child with a disability is a long, hard road, and it makes it easier when the community understands that," said Judy Rehling, a program director at the Challenged Family Resource Center and the mother of a daughter with Down syndrome. "It really does take a village."

Susan Garcia, whose 19-year-old son was diagnosed 11 years ago with attention deficit disorder, is among the moms who will speak Tuesday night. "There's still a lot of stigma and discrimination when it comes to disabilities," she said. "That's why I'm doing this. Anything we can do to open the eyes of more people is a good thing. There's a lot of progress left to make."

The Disability Awareness Night will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Sam Pipes room at the Merced Civic Center, 678 W. 18th St. It's free and open to anyone.

For more information on the event, call the Challenged Family Resource Center at (209) 385-5314.

Reporter Corinne Reilly can be reached at (209) 385-2477 or creilly@mercedsun-star.com.

Disability Awareness Night

WHAT: Moms of disabled kids will share their stories with the public.

WHEN: Tuesday at 6 p.m.

WHERE: The Merced Civic Center, Sam Pipes room, 678 W. 18th St.