Proloquo2Go workshop: Campbelltown

Proloquo2Go workshop with Hands Can Talk
Campbelltown


Friday 17th August
10am to 12.30 
Morning tea provided. 


Thinking about purchasing, just setting up or looking for ideas or help? All levels of knowledge and interest. Limited places available, bookings essential.


For more information email aileen@handscantalk.com.au

Will Becky go to college?

College Urged For ‘Glee’ Character With Down Syndrome

When students on (the TV series) Glee graduated this (US) season, they all headed to college. Now a Twitter campaign is calling on the show’s writers to make the same plan for a character with Down syndrome.

Using the hashtag #College4Becky, a social media push  is encouraging the Glee writers to send Becky Jackson (played by Lauren Potter) to college at the end of the show’s next season. Though the character is believed to be a rising high school senior, little has been said about her future.
... read the full story by Michelle Diament in Disability Scoop

Open letter the writers of Glee, from Think College.

Ability Links: taskforce appointed

Ability Links NSW, the NSW approach to local area coordination, includes the creation of 248 Ability Links NSW coordinator (ALNC) positions across the state, including 27 Aboriginal identified positions. Coordinators will work with people with a disability, their families and carers to plan for their future, build their support networks, and access community based services.

The Ability Links NSW tender process (RFT ADHC.12.03) was unsuccessful.
The NSW Government remains committed to Ability Links NSW being fully established by 1 July 2014 when individualised budgets become available to people with a disability. An Ability Links NSW Taskforce has been formed to provide advice on the establishment of an entity to achieve this.
ADHC is continuing to develop a community engagement model to identify suitable Aboriginal non-government organisations to deliver the 27 Aboriginal ALNCs.

Ability Links NSW Taskforce

ADHC is establishing a seven-member taskforce to provide advice on the establishment of an independent entity to deliver Ability Links NSW.

To be chaired by the ADHC’s incoming Chief Executive, Jim Longley, the taskforce will include seven members with expertise in disability services and the non-government and business sectors:

• Cain Beckett, Disability Council NSW
• John Walsh, Pricewaterhouse Coopers
• Patricia Forsythe, Sydney Business Chamber
• Peter Shergold, University of Western Sydney
• Kerry Doyle, NSW Department Trade and Investment
• Ken Baker, National Disability Services

The taskforce is required to report on the outcome of its deliberations by 30 September 2012.

Source: ADHC website, 30th July 2012 (features)

Key word signs for the Olympics

On a lighter note than the last few days' posts, the ever on-the-ball Aileen Ryan is posting a series of Olympic related sign tutorials over on the Hands Can Talk Facebook page.  Some are complex, and require a bit of concentration, so you might need to practise them before teaching someone else. So far, there are 'Olympics'; 'Australia'; 'win'; 'celebrate' - all useful right now, and at other times.

What a good idea - and our kids could teach them to others at school over the next few weeks, for the Olympics and Paralympics.

NDIS media attention continues

Progress and politics on the implementation of launch sites and the eventual national delivery of the National Disability Insurance Scheme continues to be debated across the country, with media interest remaining high over the weekend, following developments resulting from the COAG meeting last week.

Amongst several articles and reports in today's press, this open letter from a mother to politicians has been published nationally.

If you wish to follow the debate closely, the Every Australian Counts, and People with Disability (Australia) Facebook pages post links to media, State and Federal Government and Oppostion statements as they appear.

Prevention of Alzheimer Disease in people with Down syndrome: do statins have a role?

Dr Brian Chocoine, Medical Director of the Adult Down Sndrome Clinic in Chicago, and co-author of both Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome and The Guide to Good Health for Teens & Adults with Down Syndrome, provides advice about the use of a particular group of medications (statins) to prevent Alzheimer's disease in people with Down syndrome in this post on the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic's Facebook page, on 28th July. It considers experience and research in people with and without Down syndrome, and what has been learned from people with Down syndrome attending the clinic.


You do not need to have a Facebook account to access the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic's page.  If you have any difficulty with the link, contact us here for assistance with the information provided.

DSE International conferences: UK, September and October

Should you or your child's teachers be planning to be in the UK  in September or October, you might be interested in Down Syndrome International's autumn conference program:

Down Sydrome Education International (DSE) will be hosting four one-day conferences presenting the reading and language intervention for primary schoolchildren with Down syndrome that was recently evaluated in a landmark randomised controlled trial. The events will take place in late September and early October in Woking, Swindon, Birmingham and York.


More details are available from DSE, here.

Weekend reading and viewing 28th - 29th July

A girl with Down Syndrome is new face of swimwear, Natalie Reilly, Daily life, A popular story this week - this version also poses some thoughtful questions.

How do we stop young people entering aged care? Di Winkler and Libby Callaway, Ramp Up 20 Jul 2012

Mainstream or special school? Our decision for the later years of high school, Fiona Place, Disabilty and Culture, 22nd July 2012

Aggression and sibs, Kate Strohm - a blog post for Siblings Australia

Reminder: the (US) National Down Syndrome Congress has made 17 sessions from its 2012 Convention in Washington DC available online - you can sign up to access the sessions up until June 12013.

Proloquo2go webinars - you can access past webinars through iTunes (as video poscasts), and/or sign up for future webinars

A modelling job, not an awareness campaign

The Essential Kids section of today's Sydney Morning Herald features the story of little  Valentina Guerrero being the face of a Spanish swimwear label, and other models with Down syndrome.  Reporter Amber Robinson notes,


What's special about these modelling gigs is that they're not part of a special awareness campaign for charity or a misguided PR stunt ... they said so much by saying nothing at all. 


And she thoughfully included our short video, Ten things people with Down syndrome would like you to know, at the foot of the article, where it will gain a wider audience.


It's just a little ironic that the ads not mentioning that the models have Down syndrome is still remarkable, but it is very welcome progress.

Some quinoa varieties may be unsuitable for strict gluten-free diets, study suggests

It is well known that the incidence of coeliac disease is much increased among people with Down syndrome.  Dietician and health educator Joan Medlen, from Phronesis Publishing and JEM Communications has posted a link on her Facebook page to a new study that ' ...has questioned advice to include quinoa in gluten-free diets for those with celiac disease, finding that some varieties may trigger symptoms.'


Read the article here on Food Navigator - USA, along with the citation for the research report.

Image: Methylsoy at the English language Wikipedia, GNU Free Documentation License

NDIS: COAG + 2 days

Are you keeping up with developments this afternoon?

NSW to provide $35 million for NDIS July 27, 2012 - 4:34PM, The Age online, via AAP:  

NSW government has promised to contribute $35 million for a trial of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), Disability Services Minister Andrew Constance says. (This is the full report so far).

Baillieu makes offer to break disability impasse,  Frances Bell, ABC News online, July 27, 2012 (4.30 pm)


End the deadlock and Make the NDIS Real, Every Australian Counts campaign media release, 27th July 2012

While they bicker about the NDIS, we're left paying, Stella Young, Ramp Up 27th July 2012

Deadlock as leaders play politics with disability scheme, Phillip Coorey, Sydney Morning Herald, 27th July 2012

Julia Gillard rejected states' NDIS offer, Peter Van Onselen and Matthew Franklin, The Australian 27th July, 2012


Council of Australian Governments Meeting – Communiqué, COAG, Canberra, 25 July 2012

We need to talk about reading ...

Rachel Adams, writing for the Huffington Post, says that teaching children with Down syndrome (like her son Henry) to read is still Radical Pedagogy, in a world where low expectations remain all too common.

That most children with Down syndrome can learn to read is not news to many of us here, but to the wider community it is. Even within education circles, we need to highlight from time to time what is a comparatively new phenomenon ... many practising professionals could have trained before realistic expectations of literacy for people with Down syndrome were validated by research and experience, and/or might not have had the occasion to give it much thought.

Angerwise: for people with ID

Assoc Prof Vivienne Riches has let us know that she will schedule an Angerwise workshop specifically designed for people with intellectual disability, if there is sufficient need, in response to the workshop for primarily for carers already scheduled for 28th August. Alternatively, a short course of group sessions can be considered (probably at Ryde). 


Please contact Prof Riches through the Centre for Disability Studies if you, or someone you care for, would be interested:  ph 02 9036 3600, or email vivienne.riches@sydney.edu.au

NDIS and yesterday's COAG meeting

After NSW and Victorian State Governments failed to reach agreement with the Australian Government at yesterday's Council of Australian Governments meeting about launch sites for the National Disability Insurance Scheme, negotiations are continuing with those States, while launch sites have been announced in Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT.  

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell and Julia Gillard talk to reporters at the conclusion of the COAG meeting in Canberra. 

Picture: Gary Ramage Source: The Australian

Here is a selection of media reporting and opinion so far:

Urgent need to finalise NDIS deal
The Every Australian Counts campaign for the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) has welcomed the announcement of three NDIS launch sites in the ACT, South Australia and Tasmania from July 2013 as the start of real reform to Australia’s broken disability system.

However, we urge the remaining states and the federal government to continue discussions to spread the NDIS launch sites to more Australians who urgently need a decent disability support system.

On behalf of hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities, their families and carers, our leaders must compromise and introduce the NDIS as a full, national system of disability support as outlined by the Productivity Commission.

Discussions continue today between the Commonwealth, Victorian and New South Wales – they must reach an outcome as soon as possible to include the Hunter Valley and Geelong, as outlined in their joint NDIS launch submissions. ... read the full media release here on the Every Australian Counts campaign website

Labor States Pick Up NDIS Trials - COAG Meeting, ProBono News, 25th July 2012

Liberal premiers put politics before the disabled, Michelle Grattan, Sydney Morning Herald, 26th July 2012

Julia Gillard fails to win over conservative states on NDIS pilot programs, Ben Packham and Imre Salusinszky, The Australian, July 26, 2012


Australia's top disability advocate calls for political truce, Naomi Woodley, AM, ABC, 26th July 2012


You will find more responses on the Every Australian Counts Facebook page and website.

Supported Living Fund Information Sessions: August dates

Carers NSW is holding information sessions for family members and carers of people with a disability who want to know more about the Supported Living Fund.  (Round 2 applications for a Supported Living Fund package  are now open until 27th September.)


What is the Supported Living Fund?
The Supported Living Fund is a new type of accommodation funding. It enables people with a disability, along with their family and carers to create living arrangements that suit the person’s life and preferences, gives access to paid supports and services, and to plan  for their future. The funding is portable, remains with the individual and is administered by a service provider of the person’s choice.

Come to a free information session to find out:


• Who is eligible for the Supported Living Fund
• How to apply
• What the funding can be used for
• More about supported living

Dates and locations across metropolitan and regional NSW, and details of registration for are available here.

Supported Living Fund – Round 2 now open

The Hon. Andrew Constance, Minister for Ageing and Minister for Disability Services has announced that the second round of 100 packages for the Supported Living Fund will be made available to people with a disability in NSW.

“We are very excited that the first round of individuals have commenced with their Supported Living Fund and are starting to build the lives that they want. This next round of funding will bring that opportunity to more people across NSW”.


The closing  date for Round 2 Proposal Forms is 5pm Friday 7 September 2012 for printed forms (submission by mail), and midnight Friday 7 September 2012 for electronic forms (email submission). Applications will NOTbe accepted by fax.


People who are interested in supported living are now being invited to attend information sessions over the next two months. “This is to make sure they have the right information and that the fund is something that will meet their needs”.


Carers NSW will run a series of information sessions about supported living for people with a disability, their families and carers. They will also be available to assist people with queries about completing an application form.


A further round of funding will be available for 100 Supported Living Fund places in 2013. 

More information about eligibility for the Supported Living Fund and making an application can be found at: www.adhc.nsw.gov.au/individuals/support/somewhere_to_live/slfregistrations.

Autism Discussion Page: information relevant to people with Down syndrome too

Jackie Softly from Down Syndrome Western Australia recommends the Facebook page, Autism Discussion Page, which she often finds relevant and useful for parents and those working to support people with Down syndrome, whether they have also been diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum or not.

From the page description:

This page was developed by Bill Nason, MS, LLP to discuss tools that help children on the spectrum feel safe, accepted and competent. Although each child is different, with their unique strengths and challenges, their are some common strategies that can strengthen the social, emotion, and cognitive security for most children on the spectrum. Come learn, share, and support.


This discussion page will present a tool box of strategies for helping the child feel safe, accepted and competent.


Recent posts from (around 21 - 22 July) are on homework, preference-based learning, and focus on strengths and interests - that all sounds highly relevant!

Media on the needs of people with disabilities ...

... in the run-up to tomorrow's COAG meeting:


Martial arts classes, dancing and drumming lessons are part of the package Karim Bouchafaa has negotiated under a NSW pilot disability program, which demonstrates the potential for the coming national insurance scheme ... a good example of what could be achieved under a National Disability Insurance Scheme is highlighted in this Sue Dunlevy's story in The Australian today. 


Karim's mother was also interviewed on ABC radio this morning, followed by a talk-back session with Linda Mottram; and media in most states have highlighted the NDIS and the role of COAG over the last few days.


And the Sydney Morning Herald focussed on the funding arrangements: Disability scheme in funding deadlock.

NDIS: top of COAG agenda this week

The Council of Australian Governments will meet in Canberra on Wednesday, 25 July 2012.  It is expected that the National Disability Insurance Scheme will be high on the agenda.  


The Every Australian Counts campaign last week collected more than 6000 messages from people with disabilities and their carers about the urgent need for implementation of the NDIS, to lobby COAG. This statement from Every Australian  Counts summarises the progress so far and the next steps urgently needed. John Della Bosca (Director of Every Australian Counts) says:

“These messages are a snapshot of a system in crisis. Stories of eternal waiting, the ‘confusopoly’ of red tape, our older carers anguished about what happens to their loved ones when they can no longer look after them, our children waiting years for basic equipment, young people with disabilities consigned to live in nursing homes and people with disabilities stripped of their basic human rights on a daily basis.”

...  Hundreds of thousands of Australians with serious disabilities, their families and carers are counting on (COAG) to lock in the NDIS for the future.”

Both NSW and Victoria's State Governments have made firm proposals about where launch sites for the NDIS could be located in their States, including about 15,00 people with disabilities in the first round.

Weekend reading and viewing 21st - 22nd July

Living a good life isn't just about a job, Craig Wallace, Ramp Up, 16th July 2012

Asking others to be there ~ creating a place for support and friendship to grow, Margaret Rogers,   Communique, July 2012, pp 21-22, published by Family Advocacy (originally published in Thinking About,  Belonging Matters, Victoria, 2011)


This girl has special needs, and one day dreams of being a mum.  Does anyone have the right to stop her having a baby? Marie Claire magazine June 2012, and Women with Disabilities Australia.


Long Shots, Open Books Open Doors (blog), 16th July 2012. A 21 year old woman with Down syndrome who emerged from school unable to read, begins to learn.

The Doctors' Waiting Room, or, The Value of Our Daughter's Life, Down Side Up blog (UK), 18th July 2012


Tom, Conny Wenk News blog 19th July 2012. A beautiful family photo shoot with Tom (3) and his parents. Conny Wenk often features people with Down syndrome in her Lifestyle Photography.  

Partners in Policymaking: Altogether Better, In Control UK . Overview to PIP suite of leadership training leadership training courses for disabled adults, parents and  carers of disabled children, professionals and other service providers working in education, health and leisure.

Angerwise: Centre for Disability Studies workshop

Do you get angry? Do others get angry at you?

Anger is a powerful human emotion that is often experienced in daily life and it can be very upsetting. Anger can be helpful or harmful. When not resolved well, anger can result in aggressive behaviour, bitterness and resentment, and it can be stored up over time and seriously affect health, relationships and quality of life.

AngerWise: A problem solving approach to handling anger wisely - introduces participants to key information, tools and resources to better understand, control and handle anger wisely.

The workshop is open to carers, service providers and people with intellectual disabilities.

Presenter: Assoc Prof Vivenne Riches

Tuesday 28th August 2012
9.30 am - 4 pm
Cost: $200 + GST

Centre for Disability Studies, University of Sydney
Medical Foundation Building 
92-94 Parramatta Road |
Camperdown 


Enquiries and registration form: CDS ph 02 9036 3600 email: margaret.carrick@sydney.edu.au

Take a picture ...

Great tip from a US sheriff's office, sensible with all children, but particularly with those inclined to wander ... some of you might already do this:

Before leaving home with children and/or grandchildren for a large event, take out your mobile phone and take a photo of each child individually. That way, if the unthinkable happens and a child gets lost, you have picture with you of how they are dressed and how they look that day.

Sydney Catholic Schools: Assistive & Inclusive Technology Information Line

Sydney Catholic Schools are offering a new support service to its students with diverse learning needs, particularly those with disabilities and learning difficulties, as well as their parents and teachers.


The Assistive & Inclusive Technology Infoline is operated by allied health professionals and specialist teachers.


This new service is available during School Terms on Tuesdays, Wednesday & Thursdays from 3.30 pm - 7.00 pm on 02 9569 9155

A message from the NSW Minister for Disability Services

New on the ADHC website: 

Watch a video message from the Minister for Ageing and Minister for Disability Services Andrew Constance. Mr Constance welcomes ADHC's new Chief Executive (Jim Longley), farewells Deputy-Director General  Ethel McAlpine, and discusses disability and ageing reforms in NSW. A transcript is provided.

New research report on the effects of memantine on cognition

The New York Times magazine today revisits and updates its report on Dr Alberto Costa's research on the effects of the drug memantine on cognition in people with Down syndrome, with the publication of his clinical study on a group of 40 young adults with Down syndrome.   Can a Pill Make People With Down Syndrome Smarter? follows a NYT interview with Dr Costa, published just on a year ago, about his work in the field over 15 years. The new study does not provide definitive evidence of cognitive improvement, but does encourage researchers in the pursuit of further research into memantine.

Original article citation: 

Translational Psychiatry (2012) 2, e141; doi:10.1038/tp.2012.66

Published online 17 July 2012

Antagonism of NMDA receptors as a potential treatment for Down syndrome: a pilot randomized controlled trial, R Boada, C Hutaff-Lee, A Schrader, D Weitzenkamp, T A Benke, E J Goldson and A C S Costa

Delineate arts grant applications open

Accessible Arts, in partnership with Ageing, Disability and Home Care (ADHC), is inviting applications for Delineate 2012 to boost and foster arts and disability practice within NSW.

This year, Delineate will award six successful recipients $3500 each to support an arts project to be developed throughout the Don't DIS my ABILITY campaign.

In 2012 applicants can apply from anywhere in the ADHC regions and Local Planning Areas.

Delineate is open to

• Disability services coordinating quality arts programs
• Service providers working with people with disability in the arts
• Individual artists with disability

and Applicants must be a NSW resident

The Delineate program also offers a one-day, professional development forum led by Accessible Arts at Walsh Bay.

Applications opened yesterday and will close on 27th August 2012

Further information from Accessible Arts here.

Research opportunity: asthma and intellectual disability

The University of Sydney  (Pharmacy Faculty) is conducting research into the use of inhalers by people with an intellectual disability. 


Australian data show that 15% of people with intellectual disability have asthma, and our recent study showed that inhalers are being prescribed. In both residential care settings and the family home, assistance is often provided to people with intellectual disability to take medication.

We are seeking to interview family caregivers and disability support workers who have recently cared for a person with intellectual disabilities who has asthma or uses inhalers. We hope to gain an understanding of carers’ knowledge and training with regard to respiratory medications, as well as any challenges involved.

Please contact Sharon Davis (Ph D candidate, Faculty of Pharmacy) on 02 9114 5119 or 0411 817 299 for more information.

It Takes Two To Talk: expressions of interest, Central Coast

Expressions of interest are sought for  an ‘It Takes Two To Talk’ program in 2012 – 2013.

Corinna Hassett, a Hanen certified speech pathologist registered with Better Start FaHCSIA funding and parent of a teenager with Down syndrome, is looking to run a Hanen Parent Training Course using the ‘It Takes Two to Talk’ program in the Central Coast area.

The cost for attending 8 group parent training sessions plus 3-4 video feedback sessions is $1500. Will consider individual families if the need arises. Will look at venues on the Peninsula, at Niagara Park and Wyong areas depending on demand.

If you are interested please contact Corina Hassett on 0409 923 814 or email hassett5@optusnet.com.au 

Source: Down Syndrome NSW eUpdate July 2012

Softball NSW competition 2012

For registration form or more information, 

email Cathy Kerr: genmanager@softball.net.au

or phone 02 9677 4000 during business hours.

Snow!

Dominic is just back from a skiing holiday at Perisher. He had lessons through Disabled Winter Sport Australia, where you pay a membership fee and then receive discounts for all your lesson -  good value as it is a private lesson and even with your membership cost included, it costs less than getting a standard private lesson. 

Bill Saugez (of Jindabyne and California), Dominic's instructor, had him being 007 and going on missions to encourage him and it worked well. Bill has enormous amounts of patience and empathy and enjoyed
Dominic's company so it was very successful. 

Dominic and his mother were both very impressed with Disabled Winter Sports, and with his instructor.


Click here to learn more about Disabled Winter Sport Australia, and the Adaptive Snowsports Festival – August 2012 (registrations now open).


What have you been up to this winter holidays?

Weekend reading and viewing 14th - 15th July 2012

Oscar Pistorius and South Africa's giant strides, Simon Barnes, The Australian 7th July, 2012 (originally published in The Times)

New forms of disability activism: who on earth are the Bolshy Divas? Karen Soldatic and Terence Love, on Ramp Up, 11th July 2012  (The Boshy Divas are anonymous, but one we know that at least one Diva is the mother of a young person with Down syndrome).

Redefining Synonyms: Submit and Comply, Joan Medlen, Practical Wisdom blog, 2nd July 2012

Don't look past my disabled body - love it, Stella Young, Sydney Morning Herald, 13th Juy 2012

Video of interview with Grabovac family - shown at Richard Wilkins gala on 16th June. Richard Wilkins interviews Mandy and Ante Grabovac, parents of eight year old triplets, including Adam, who has Down syndrome.

In case you missed it earlier in the week, you can watch Let the Journey Begin for free online here (45 minutes).

Photos from Penny Green's Olympic Torch run on Monday 9th July, in Dunstable, Beds, UK, raising awareness about people with Down syndrome are here.

Creating a Home and Life where I can Thrive: Michael Kendrick for Family Advocacy

Newcastle – Ryde – Hurstville – Wollongong

August 21 – August 22 – August 23 – August 24

Creating a Home and Life where I can Thrive is a one day workshop for families and for people who provide support for a person with disability in the context of their home and community life.

Michael will draw on his many years experience consulting and advising families, advocates, governments and community groups who are pursuing a full and meaningful life for people with disability within their communities.

The registration form is part of the flier.

Enquiries:  Family Advocacy 02 9869 0866 or 1800 620 588 (NSW non metro callers) or by email at workshops@family-advocacy.com

Library Thursday: DSEI e-books

Down Syndrome Education International has just released 12 titles from its highly regarded classic series Down Syndrome: Issues and Information as e-books, through its education store, making them easier to access, on more devices. More are to come.

Titles now available include the series introduction, Living with Down syndrome, and titles on speech and language development, memory development, reading and writing and number skills development for various age groups.


Click here to see the titles now available, and to order and download.

Drama: performance (Wagga Wagga) and classes (Rozelle)

Performance: “Off with Their Heads: Alice and the Queen of Hearts” 

25 and 26 Jul 2012 

All Abilities Theatre Company, Civic Theatre, Wagga Wagga  


Details and contacts


* * * * * * * * * * 

Classes: Rozelle Neighbourhood Centre

19 July to 6 September  

Weekly drama sessions for children with disability, led by tutors from Drama Scene Players and assisted by an Ever After Theatre ensemble member.

Details and contacts

Down Syndrome NSW: new website

Over many months, the Down Syndrome NSW website has been revised, refined, updated and improved, and it has been relaunched today.

The new web address is www.downsyndromensw.org.au, but the old address will redirect you there too.

Please have a look around the new site, to see what is new, and where things are located - we hope you like it.

Staff email addresses will remain the same (and they are, of course, listed on the new site).

Our thanks to all who have contributed to this major task, and to the developers, Fat Beehive, who specialise in web services for not-for-profit organisations.

Let the journey begin: video online

At Parliament House in Sydney on July 3, 2012 the Minister Andrew Constance formally launched the documentary Let the Journey Begin. The film explores the lives of three individuals and their families as they progress through the Independent Living Support Initiative (ILSI) program over the course of nine months. 

ILSI is an innovative program designed and developed by Down Syndrome NSW, in conjunction with service providers and NSW Ageing Disability and Home Care, to help people living with a disability live a more independent life. Throughout the documentary we watch Sophie, Jane and Leigh gain valuable living skills, set goals, dream big and gain more confidence.


The documentary is designed to show facilitators and potential participants and their families what to expect if they choose to enter into a transitional program such as the ILSI.

Watch Let the Journey Begin for free online here.