For Immediate Release

Contact:
Kristen Barnfield
Easter Seals headquarters
312.551.7147
www.easterseals.com/media

Easter Seals Hawaii Awarded $40,000 Grant

To Support Special Communication Devices for Young Children

(Washington, October 17, 2005) -- Today, Easter Seals Hawaii --one of only three non-profit programs across the country -- was awarded a $40,000 grant to establish a workshop for promoting use among children, ages 3 to 8, of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. Johnson & Johnson awarded the grant during a ceremony at Easter Seals national convention, currently being held in Washington, D.C.

Through funding by the Pathways to Independence Program, Easter Seals Hawaii’s Keiki (Child) Assistive Technology Club will offer monthly workshops for children and their families to explore various assistive technology options, provide consultation, training, and technical assistance in the use of AAC systems, and facilitate opportunities where children can use their AAC devices for general use in their homes, schools and communities.

Filling a Unique Need
Technology makes it possible for children with disabilities to do more. A child who cannot use his or her hands can operate a computer with a switch on an on-screen keyboard, or a child with speech problems can communicate using a portable electronic device that "speaks." While each situation is different, a wide variety of equipment options are available today.

 “Assistive technology is redefining what is possible for children and adults with a wide range of disabilities, giving individuals with disabilities the opportunity to be more independent, self-confident, productive, and better integrated in daily life,” says John F. Howell, president and CEO, Easter Seals Hawaii. “Through the support of the Pathways to Independence Program, we can help children with disabilities find their voice. Quite an amazing gift.” 

Pathways to Independence
Through the Pathways to Independence Program, Easter Seals affiliates have received $100,000 in funding from Johnson & Johnson for the last five years to expand viable medical rehabilitation programs and services that significantly improve consumer access to care. All funded programs propose a new or expanded service to an existing medical rehabilitation program and convincingly demonstrate the capacity to leverage other sources of funding and/or be fully self-funded on an operational level.

“Easter Seals is providing a much needed service to a truly underserved population,” Sandy Denarski, General Manager, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, during the award ceremony. “The Pathways to Independence Program is making a difference for people with disabilities.”

Beyond Easter Seals Hawaii, additional recipients for this year’s award include:

• Easter Seals Southwestern Indiana, $30,000 grant to promote an existing driver’s rehabilitation training program for individuals with significant disabilities
• Easter Seals Peoria-Bloomington, Illinois, $30,000 grant for the P.L.A.Y. Project, a new approach for children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

About Easter Seals Hawaii
Easter Seals Hawaii is a leading provider of services to children and adults with disabilities, including individuals with muscular dystrophy, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, speech and developmental delays, Down syndrome, and sensory impairments. The disabilities of the individuals served may come at birth, through accidents, disease, injury or from aging. Services are provided on all four major islands with facilities located on Kaua’i, O’ahu, and The Big Island of Hawaii. To learn more, visit http://www.eastersealshawaii.org/.

About Easter Seals
For 85 years, Easter Seals has been providing services that help children and adults with disabilities gain greater independence. Our primary services -- medical rehabilitation, job training and employment, child care, adult day services, and camping and recreation -- benefit more than 1 million individuals with disabilities and their families each year through more than 550 centers nationwide. See great things at www.easterseals.com.