Jessica is a happy nine-year-old girl who is deafblind and has cerebral palsy. Sensity provides Jessica Intervenor Services during the summer and holidays with Children's Intervenor Services. She loves swimming, playing the drums, toys that vibrate and enjoys activities that have a lot of movement or rhythm like swimming or horseback riding.
What does it mean for Jessica to have an Intervenor? It means that Jessica is able to grow and develop while she is away from the Deafblind Program at the W Ross Macdonald School. Jessica's mom chooses specific goals for the break and the Intervenor helps her achieve and exceed them. The Intervenor helps Jessica communicate with and understand her surroundings in and outside of the home. As her mom puts it "It isn't a babysitter coming in and watching her."
The Intervenor helps Jessica work on goals like orientation and mobility, communication and self care. Intervenors have even helped Jessica take steps out of her wheel chair. Amazingly, Jessica has come from being wheel chair bound to using a cane.
Jessica's teachers are so proud when she comes back to school in the fall. Her teachers can tell that she has been working hard on her goals throughout the summer with the help of her Intervenor.
Without the support of an Intervenor, returning to school in September would be like starting all over again. Jessica's mother says "I'm really thankful that we have that opportunity. Jessica needs that Intervenor service when she's not in school."
Children's Intervenor Services are also important for her mother. The presence of an Intervenor during school breaks gives her mother the opportunity to continue working her job. Without the Intervenor, Kim would have to care for Jessica while school is out. Instead, Kim is able to go to work with the comfort of knowing that Jessica's enjoying summer and holiday breaks like any other child. Kim enjoys coming home from a hard day at work and finding out about her Jessica's day with her Intervenor and says "it makes me really proud when I get home from work and hear about all the great progress she's made."
You can make a difference.
Your generous support directly helps to enrich the lives of people with deafblindness.
