In yet another great story about our local community embracing those with disabilities with fervor and enthusiasm, I am so happy pleased with another story I read recently in our local newspaper.  A dance troupe that assembled last fall includes five dancers with Down syndrome ranging in age from 11 to 27.  All of the [...]

In what I promise to be my last blog about TV for a while, I thought it was appropriate to discuss the wildly popular show that’s taken audiences by storm over the past two seasons, Glee.  (I feel like a chorus of La, la, la in harmony should follow me every time I even mention [...]

I’m always pleased when I see people with disabilities portrayed in entertainment in a positive light.  Do I always cry profusely at movies or scenes in TV shows that show especially touching moments with people who are physically or intellectually disabled?  Of course.  There’s just a soft spot in me for things like that.  I [...]

I’m on a little bit of a TV kick.  Maybe it’s because it’s summer.  Maybe I am just enjoying the relaxation and enjoyment of just sitting back and watching mindless TV and movies.  Or maybe it’s because when we see things that touch our hearts, they stick with us.  So was the TV show “Life Goes [...]

Yesterday was a new adventure for us at ARC Marion, when we welcomed four area rock-n-roll and punk bands made up of teenagers for a battle-of-the-bands type competition.  Essentially, during our Hog for Hope events, we have this enormous tent in the field for nearly two weeks and had nothing planned to do with it.  [...]

No sooner did I post the blog about Brian’s League did I hear about yet another amazing baseball organization in our local community that is catering to the needs of the disabled children right here in Marion County, Florida!   The organization called “Dream Catchers” is a baseball league backed by Little League International for disabled children from [...]

In our quest to find sponsors for our annual Hog for HopeTM events, one new local company stepped up to the plate at the Silver Level.  As a first time sponsor, that’s a pretty big accomplishment, but now we know why.
Recently I noticed an ad in our local newspaper for a Marion County Baseball League [...]

From time to time our email inboxes can be inundated with the equivalent of spam sent from well-intentioned, forward-happy friends who are touched by a story they read online and choose to send to everyone else to be touched as well.  The thing is, so many times those forwards come from folks who have a lot [...]

I have been pleasantly surprised in the recent past with the use and representation of individuals with disabilities in children’s programming.  With two children under four, I see my fair share of kids’ shows.  I’ve discussed previously my adoration for the show Little Bill, but just as adults want variety in the shows they view, [...]

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m an American Idol junkie.  Since midway through season 1 I’ve literally been hooked every January through June.  My husband has only been with me through the last five seasons and isn’t into music like I am, so he thinks I’m nuts.  I have, however, gotten his parents [...]

I recently watched a story on ABC’s Good Morning America about a group called Flame.  The touring band of 10 members is quite unique in that each of them has some form of development disability ranging from cerebral palsy to autism to blindness to mental retardation and other disorders.  They all attend the Lexington Center located in [...]

I am so proud of the individuals at ARC Marion who come here to fulfill the mission: to live, work and play to their fullest of their abilities.   Each day 166 developmentally disabled clients attend the Adult Day Training workshop and are given the opportunity to choose how they want to spend their day.  They [...]

Unless you have a toddler who watches Noggin on TV, or a school age child who used to watch Nick Jr. on CBS Saturday mornings, you probably have not seen or heard of “Little Bill.”  I know I hadn’t until about a year ago when we discovered the show that now only runs in syndication.  [...]

A few years back our local United Way hosted their annual campaign kick-off celebration with a twist.  They brought in the comedian, Josh Blue, to be the guest speaker for the event.  Blue won NBC’s Last Comic Standing in 2006 partly because of his humorous jokes about himself.  He lives with cerebral palsy and said [...]