Article in the World newspaper about Bridges Advocacy Center:
Group helps bridge parents' emotional needs
LeeAnn MacDonald walks with her 9-year-old son, Rayne, at Castle Crest, Ocean Crest Elementary School's playground last week. MacDonald is the founder of Bridges, a non-profit group for parents of children with special needs. World Photo by Lou Sennick
BANDON - When LeeAnn MacDonald gave birth to her second son, Rayne, in 1994, she never dreamed of the challenge she would soon be facing.
"For the first year, he developed normally," the tall, soft-spoken woman said. "But by the time he was 1, I knew something was wrong."
She and her husband, Paul, along with a number of doctors and specialists, tried to pinpoint a diagnosis to no avail. It finally came from a specialist in Eugene when Rayne was 21/2: autism.
The MacDonalds soon found that the diagnosis is not rare, and in fact is becoming increasingly common, but there were almost no support systems in Coos County for parents dealing with the disorder.
While there were some programs for children with special needs, navigating those to best suit a particular child was not only difficult, but also often overwhelming, MacDonald said.
"In the years that followed, I quickly learned the system and how things were run," she said. "There were times when things seemed reasonable, but there were also times when policies and programs seemed to hurt my child more than benefit him."
After speaking with other parents experiencing similar frustrations, MacDonald began to develop an idea: What if parents could band together and advocate for one another for the needs of their special children?
The answer was Bridges Advocacy and Outreach Center. The idea was to offer emotional support to and advocate on behalf of the families of children with special needs and disabilities in Coos and Curry counties.
MacDonald was joined in her quest by Julie Miles, whom she met when Miles worked as an instructional assistant for Rayne while he was a first-grader at Ocean Crest Elementary School in Bandon.
"Rayne made an incredible connection to Julie," MacDonald said. "It was a connection that was very exciting for me as a parent of a child with special needs."
MacDonald said the love Miles had for Rayne and the insight she had into his needs was not only good for him, but also good for her.
"She saw the value of a parent's voice and she encouraged, embraced and included my vision for my child," MacDonald said. "She taught me that parents always have a choice."
Rayne, now 9, a handsome child with straight brownish hair, does not have verbal skills. But he is learning sign language and is able to communicate many of his needs to those close to him, according to MacDonald.
Children with autism are often hypersensitive to light, sound, touch and other external stimuli. MacDonald said some days are easier than other days for Rayne and she never knows quite what to expect. It's been a learning process for everyone in the family, she said and now those are the people who know him best and what he might need.
But many parents are lost when it comes to giving input to authorities on trying to develop an individual education plan for their child or how to get the services they need elsewhere, MacDonald said.
"A parent kind of goes in blindsided when they go into the school system to figure out the educational plan," Miles said. "We try to bridge the gap by taking a parent who may be upset, frustrated, overwhelmed or just sad and help them advocate for their child's best needs."
Rayne was the first child with severe special needs to attend Ocean Crest, according to MacDonald. Next year, he will be the first at Harbor Lights Middle School, where he will attend fifth grade.
MacDonald feels children with special needs often are transported to different school districts for various reasons. But children such as Rayne need to be in their hometowns, so she advocated that choice for her son.
"That's where parents need to step up," she said. "Rayne needs to learn how to live in this community. How are his peers supposed to accept him if he keeps bouncing around?"
MacDonald added the Bandon School District has been supportive of her son's needs.
Since it was founded, Bridges has given lectures for parents and caregivers on how to find the services needed for their children and for themselves.
In addition, the center has set up an assembly to teach children empathy for special needs' children. The assembly, called "Just Like You, Just Like Me," shows children through a hands-on approach, what it's like to be confined to a wheelchair, or to have sensory issues or a severe disability.
It has been conducted at Ocean Crest Elementary, but MacDonald hopes to be able to take the assembly to other South Coast schools.
Bridges, a nonprofit foundation that is in the process of writing grants in hopes of obtaining funding, would like to expand its services for parents and their special children. The eventual goal is to open a center where families can come to develop a support system, among other services.
"Our main goal is to let parents know they have a voice," MacDonald said.
"Never is there an end to what parents of children with special needs can learn. We want to help acclimate these children into the community and to have them learn some independence. But we also want to educate the community to be aware and to understand these children.
"We want them to see just what a blessing they are because they have so much to give," she added.
(Bridges can be reached by calling MacDonald at 297-5542 or Miles at 297-7328, or by visiting the Web site at http://www.bridges-advocacy.org.)
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