This historic illustration depicts an itinerant surgeon extracting stones from a man’s head; symbolizing the expulsion of ‘folly'(insanity) .
Pencil drawing by Pieter Jansz Quast, via the Wellcome Trust
At Advancing Opportunities, we excel in providing residential and respite services to people of with all disabilities, along with advocacy and education services for parents and guardians and assistive technology support. As a leader in the field, we are pleased to share our experience, knowledge, and expertise with the disability community through our social media outlets: Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Pinterest. In our Disability and Ability Highlights of the Week column, we will select the best of what we found and shared and present them. Please click on the titles with embedded links to find the full article.
In addition, we are specialists in the area of assistive technology and offer a huge array of services; the Assistive Technology Center is New Jersey’s premier source of information and equipment.
Advancing Opportunities job announcement of the week:
We’re hiring!
Advancing Opportunities has immediate openings for part-time Direct-Support Professionals in residential care programs throughout New Jersey. In May, we will be holding job from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., as follows:
- Wednesday, May 17. Parsippany Event. Family Resource Network, 322 U.S. Hwy. 46, Ste. 290, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
- Tuesday, May 23. Marlboro Event. Marlboro Free Public Library, 1 Library Ct., Marlboro, NJ 07746
Advancing Opportunities provides supports to individuals with disabilities and their families, so they can live fully in the community.
Our team includes a diverse collection of men and women committed to treating the people and families we serve with dignity and respect and providing the highest quality services and supports.
Employees of the agency enjoy paid training and an excellent array of benefits, including health care and dental benefits for all eligible full-time staff and a 401(k) retirement plan for all eligible employees.
If you are unable to make it to one of the job fair open houses, you can also visit us online, at: https://advopps.org/careers/
Advancing Opportunities news:
Carly Hewitt, honored with our Andrew J. Murphy award for self-advocacy, was featured in this article how assistive technology continues to help her realize her dreams.
Disability in the news (mostly in New Jersey, the population we serve):
Learning Ally is offering two National Achievement Awards: one is for a student with a visual impairment or blindness, and one is for a student with a learning disability. The student has to use Learning Ally. Find out if you are eligible for these prestigious awards. Deadline to apply is Wednesday, May 31.
New Jersey Governor Christie signed into law Bill S1825/A3432, which “establishes the New Jersey Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder Mobility and Support Services Task Force to study and make recommendations concerning the mobility and support services needs of New Jersey adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).”
For parents of a child with a disability (parenting):
Parents can help children with autism become better storytellers.
A New Jersey father of two autistic children finds solace and meaning through golf.
Special Education:
“Autistic girls and school exclusion: Perspectives of students and their parents”
Open-source article in the journal Autism & Developmental Language Impairments
Teachers and students work together to encourage self-regulation. This is especially important for autistic students, accepting their “autistic behaviors” in this context.
Advocacy and self-advocacy:
A woman with an “invisible disability” shares how her condition inspired her to become a disability advocate.
Informative, positive, noteworthy (or all three!):
A special mom of special children: “…External successes and failures will be your successes and failures. You get to have those on your own, and I will rejoice and celebrate and swell with pride as if I created those monumental moments, but I do not get to take credit for those.”
An 11-year-old boy with autism finds happiness through music: “It brought him into my world,” said his mother.
A mom of three boys with autism has found the time to write and illustrate a children’s book, Jasmine’s World of Autism, to inform other parents of a child with an autistic sibling.
The Arts and People with Disabilities:
It’s about time! Mickey Rowe, an actor with autism, is starring in “Curious Incident.”
People with a disability in the community (disability rights and acceptance; inclusion):
Many children dream of one day walking down a runway. But for children with disabilities, that dream may seem out of reach. One community fashion show is making those fashionista dreams come true with a show designed to help children with disabilities, and local high school students, shine.
Disability awareness and appreciation:
Thanks to the hard work of one talented and caring individual – a two-year labor of love – for spreading the critically important message of autism awareness and appreciation. The message of empathy in this video will certainly extend to other children who are “different.”
Noteworthy blog piece: “Leaving Neverland: Autism and the Peter Pan Myth”
Medical news – research:
Jon Elder Robison: “Why autistic people like me need to help shape autism science.”
Beauty, glamour, and fashion: the inclusion of people with disabilities:
A woman with Down syndrome competes in the Miss USA state pageant.
Animals and animal therapy:
An autistic rider who found her soulmate in an “unmanageable and unhappy” horse has saved the mare from being sold, thanks to the generosity of strangers.
