Happy New Year from God's Got This - Sean Nielsen Foundation

Merry Christmas

Next to his birthday this was Sean’s favorite holiday.  However he liked to call it Jesus' Birthday (so there was a reason to have cake and ice cream 😊😊😊).  I hope these pictures and short “seanerism” brings you smiles during this busy holiday season.

Merry Christmas from God’s Got This® - Sean Nielsen Foundation

My favorite memory of Sean at Christmas is trying to get him to stay up late on Christmas Eve so he will sleep in on Christmas morning, to no avail.  And around 2 AM I hear him sitting on the stairs talking to himself and I can still see him sitting there with his hands cupped together and talking to “Santa” saying “Santa today you are going to bring me my heart’s desire – right?  I know you will because I have been a good boy”.  Yes he believed in Santa Claus his entire life.

Give the Gift of Encouragement

Why Inclusion Is Important

Developmental Disabilities and the Community: Why Inclusion Is Important

·       By Lynne Soraya, www.psychologytoday.com

·       View Original

·       January 17th, 2011

Some months ago, I chanced upon a wonderful video, of a remarkable woman, Karen Gaffney. In 2001, Karen was the first person with Down Syndrome to swim the English Channel. In 2010, she swam Boston Harbor. She is a speaker, self-advocate, and President of the Karen Gaffney Foundation, which advocates for full inclusion of those with developmental disabilities into society.

In the video, recorded at an event sponsored by Anthony Kennedy Shriver's organization Best Buddies International, she said, "For some people, making friends is easy and natural. But for many of us, it's the hardest thing we'll ever do...We need people like you to look beyond our differences and see our strengths. And recognize our abilities to learn, live and grow along with everyone else in the community."

What Karen said in her speech, struck a cord with me, not only because of my own experiences in life, but because of many of the wonderful people I've come to know over the years. Inclusion is a powerful thing, and drives understanding like nothing else.

Years ago, my brother managed a restaurant in a small town. When we could, and business was slow, the rest of the family would drop in to visit him. These afternoons, we got to know several of the restaurant's regular customers - participants of a nearby program for those with cognitive and developmental disabilities.

We didn't know any of their diagnoses - we didn't need to. But they quickly became some of our favorites. We just enjoyed hanging out with them. I remember one man whom I liked in particular. As I slid onto the stool beside him, he turned to me and introduced himself. Then he asked what my favorite comic strip was. I said, "Garfield."

"I can do that!" he said, enthusiastically, grabbing a nearby napkin and a pen. In a flash, he drew a perfect replica of Garfield. "Here," he said, handing me the napkin. Later. he asked me if I liked "Herbie, The Love Bug." In fact, I did. I'd actually been a bit obsessed with these movies, and it turned out that he was, too. He recited, verbatim, several of the major scenes in the series, complete with sound effects - it was if he was "channeling" the movie.

Then he turned to my mother. "What's your favorite singer?" he asked. "Ummm...I'd have to say, Nat King Cole," she replied. "I can do that!" he exclaimed, breaking into a rendition of "Unforgettable" - in an eerily accurate imitation of the original. I've always thought that song was a particularly apt choice - because that's what he was, truly unforgettable.

Talking with him was different...others might have said his approach was "inappropriate," as is often described in medical literature, but I found it refreshing. In practice, it was clear - he was trying to connect. He may not have communicated it in a typical way, but you knew he cared.

One afternoon, my mother and I were sitting there at the counter, and another of the regulars came in, a young woman. As was part of her routine, she slung her backpack onto a stool at the counter, then and called her greeting. My brother asked her what she wanted. She matter-of factly said: "Oh, I think I'd like to try a beer!" Then she left...to take her customary pit stop.

We were faced with a dilemma. We were new to this, and wondered what to do. She was an adult, and a paying customer. And my brother was in the position of having to make the right decision on behalf of the restaurant...and he certainly didn't want to be discriminatory. If she had any other disability, it would have been a no-brainer. Can you imagine, for example, refusing to serve alcohol to a person in a wheelchair? That would certainly be discriminatory.

So, what was the obligation here? Did the fact that her disability just happened to be developmental really change that?

On the other hand, we also understood from experience that she was vulnerable - what if she had a bad reaction, or something happened to her? What risk would there be to the restaurant? Would people judge the restaurant harshly? It wasn't an easy question.

Then there was the intensity of her interest - she'd definitely hinted at this before, and this time, she seemed very focused on it. What if she decided to go somewhere else and try it, someplace where they didn't know her? Some place that wasn't as reputable? What might happen then? She could be victimized...

In the end, my mother stepped in, as she often did. She ordered a drink.

When the young woman returned, she asked for advice. "If I want to order beer," she asked. "What kind of beer should I get?" Then, her sharp eyes caught the bottle in my mother's hand. "What are you drinking?" She asked. This was what my mother had been waiting for.

"This is what I like to drink," my mother replied. "It's called Sharp's." A few years earlier she'd given up alcohol - and Sharp's was her non-alcoholic beer of choice. "Do you want to try it?"

"Yes." The young woman responded, and took a sip. "This is good! What's it called again?" she asked

"Sharp's," my mother replied, facing her and enunciating.

"Sharks?," the young woman asked.

"No, Sharp's..." my mother responded again, enunciating just a little more.

"Sharp's," the young woman repeated. Then she turned to my brother with a big smile, and said, "I'd like one of those please!" He served one up.

I still remember her happiness, even joy, as she sat there with my mother, nursing a beer and hanging out with "the gang." It struck me then, watching her, that this was more than just about the drink. It was about the ritual.

"Having a beer with the gang" is a rite that most people take for granted. She had never had that. All her life, she'd been told what to drink, and what not to drink. And although she was of age, many people still treated her as a child. Before I had known her, that probably would have been my instinct as well. But she was much more than that - just because she thought differently, and she didn't have the same profile of skills and abilities as others, didn't make her a child.

In the end, I like to think that my mother came up with a good solution - she gave the example, but our friend made her own decision. On the other hand, I often revisit that day...should we have volunteered that she was drinking non-alcoholic beer? Was that a betrayal? Should we have been less protective?

I don't know. But I do know that that afternoon with her changed how I saw the world in a deep, but profound way. It reminded me not to take anything for granted - and that there is joy in the little things. And when I get frustrated with life, I remember the lesson I learned from her: Sometimes, happiness is as simple as sharing a drink with friends.

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Jesus is the Reason for the Season

BELIEVE!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

As you prepare for your family meal; PLEASE remember and say a prayer for someone out there spending their holidays alone.  This is the time of year that they need to know there is hope.

Happy Thanksgiving From God’s Got This® - Sean Nielsen Foundation

National Role Model Month

Remembering Seaner

November 10^th, 2017 will be a day that my heart started hurting and it will hurt …forever.   2017 marks 4 years since Sean has been living in Heaven and I have tried to survive living on this earth without him.  Without the loss of Sean our foundation would never have been developed; and I know that Sean is glad that we are reaching out to others to help them.  I miss him and cry for days before and after, but the people we help makes the pain a little less each year.  This foundation has given my life meaning again; I am forever grateful to have this effort to give my focus to.

Honor Sean’s memory by joining our foundation and help others that don’t need a hand out, but support, guidance and a friend.

Do for others what encompassed Seaner’s life;

o   Love God and Spread His Word

o   Make others smile

o   Love Unconditionally

o   Make a goal of independence

o   Help anyone that needs help

Halloween

Seaner LOVED Harry Potter and dressed up as Harry for several years for the Halloween Dance:  

DO YOU KNOW OF OTHER ACTIVITIES FOR ADULTS WITH LD?  LET US KNOW AND WE CAN ADVERTISE AND/OR SUPPORT THEM!!!

Be A Part of Disability Awareness

Designer Genes

Americans Lack a Basic Understanding of Learning Disabilities (LDs)

This survey completely astonished me - In 2017 and this is still going on?

The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) recently released a revealing new survey showing that Americans lack a basic understanding of learning disabilities (LDs).

The survey of nearly 2,000 American adults finds that Americans are confused about the causes, treatments, and rights of those with LDs. Myths persist regarding the correlation between IQ, poor vision and childhood vaccines to LDs.

A few highlights from the survey include:

·       Over 66% of parents want more information about learning disabilities than schools currently provide.

·       33% of respondents said it is appropriate to ask a job candidate if they have a learning disability, when it is in fact against the law.

·       43% of those polled said that there is a negative relationship with IQ and the presence of learning disabilities, where no such correlation exists.

·       22% incorrectly believe learning disabilities can be caused by too much screen time; 31% believe a cause is poor diet; 24% believe a cause is childhood vaccinations.

View the infographic below:

October is Awareness Month

Sean’s Dad’s Birthday

Send Bill McKibben A Happy Birthday Note on 9/27!!!

This is for Bill from Seaner!

Change the World Views

Sean Changed the view of the world for many!!!  

Pay It Forward

4 Reasons to Celebrate this Week

We have so many things to celebrate:

National Courtesy Month;  A bit of kindness can change a life…it can even save a life

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB;  Jacob was Seaner’s best friend and president of our foundation

        

     

Patriot Day:Where were you on 9/11/01?

National Grandparents Day: Give Hug to a Grandparent!!!!

Happy Labor Day

Happy Birthday to Seaner’s Mom

September 1^st is my (Seaner’s Mom) birthday; Bring a smile to someone this week!!!

School Starting – Prevent Bullying

Violence Committed Against Persons with Disabilities

PLEASE READ ALL 10 OF THESE FACTS – THEY CHANGED MY LIFE

Violence committed against persons with disabilities is a frequently unrecognized and under-reported problem that has reached epidemic proportions in the United States as reflected in the following statistics:

1. There are 54 million Americans with disabilities (U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Crime Victim Bulletin, 1998)
2. According to one study in 2000, approximately five (5) million crimes were committed against persons with developmental disabilities in comparison to 1.4 million child abuse cases and one (1) million elder abuse cases. (From Joan Petersilia, Ph.D., When Justice Sleeps: Violence and Abuse Against the Developmentally Disabled.)
3. More than ninety percent (90%) of people (both male and female) with developmental disabilities will experience sexual abuse at some point in their lives. Forty-nine percent (49%) will experience ten or more abuse incidents. (Valenti-Hein, D. & Schwartz, L. (1995). The Sexual Abuse Interview for Those with Developmental Disabilities. James Stanfield Company. Santa Barbara: California)
4. A study of psychiatric inpatients found that eighty-one percent (81%) had been physically or sexually assaulted. (From Jacobson & Richardson, American Journal of Psychiatry, 1987)
5. Sixty-two percent (62%) of women with physical disabilities reported experiencing emotional, physical or sexual abuse. (From Nosek & Howland, 1998)
6. Only three percent (3%) of sexual abuse cases involving people with developmental disabilities will ever be reported. (From Valenti-Hein, D. & Schwartz, L. (1995), The Sexual Abuse Interview for Those with Developmental Disabilities. California: James Stanfield Company.)
7. Adults with developmental disabilities are at risk of being physically or sexually assaulted at rates four to ten times greater than other adults. (From Sobsey, Dick (1994). Violence and Abuse in the Lives of People with Disabilities The End of Silent Acceptance? Maryland: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.)
8. Sixty-eight (68) to eighty-three (83) percent of women with developmental disabilities will be sexually assaulted in their lifetime, which represents a 50 percent higher rate than the rest of the population (Pease & Franz 1994, Warick, Jason (1997).
9. The violence that women with disabilities experience includes verbal abuse, forced segregation, intimidation, abandonment and neglect, withholding of medications, transportation, equipment and personal assistance services and physical and sexual violence (Matsuda, 1996).
10. Women with disabilities are raped, assaulted and abused at rates more than two times greater than women without disabilities.

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I was looking for inspirational videos and this one made me do the happy cry!

Our Second Gala

Our Second gala brought great concern for me and I think it will continue to concern me for quite some time.  That is will anyone show up?  Seaner has been gone for 1 ½ years, I wondered if I am the only one that remembers him and if everyone else has forgotten about him? 

We again were blessed with wonderful attendance.  Kara blew it out of the park when it came to auction items with over 80 items.  We had a wonderful choir (Sound Reach Choir) perform that was composed of God’s special adults and Miss Amazing Iowa winners helping everyone feel welcome.  

Drew Brown who was the SMILE award winner for 2015 presented Ryan Van Hooser the 2016 SMILE award and his acceptance speech was the hit of the night.  Again we were blessed with donations beyond our beliefs.

Happy Parents Day

What Matters Most to God's Amazing Adults

Getting Involved In the Community - NOT

According to a study completed by daddcec.org on getting involved in the community only 5.6% of God's Amazing Adults get involved in activities and rely on family 88.9% of the time.  As we discussed in June “We have increased the number of God’s Special individuals 322% however, the amount of family support has decreased 51%.”  So you can imagine the difficulties our adults are having

4th of July

Taking a bit of a break on our progress as a foundation for Independence Day.

As we reflect on this holiday about the liberties and freedoms that our forefathers fought for us; 

our foundation celebrates that our Declaration of Independence references WE THE PEOPLE that is inclusive of everyone for their goal for independence.  Independence is at the core of what we at the God’s Got This^® - Sean Nielsen Foundation work towards. For people with disabilities, ‘independence’ can have diverse and very personal meaning.

For God’s Special adults working with our foundation it means participating in, and contributing to their community, getting an opportunity to prove themselves, worshipping God in their wonderful and unique way.  We continue to work so they can reach their version of independence through inclusion.  Help us celebrate this holiday in a way that includes ALL individuals.

The Worst Thing

If You Agree - TYPE SEANER