We’re very excited to share the news of our Autism Awareness Month partnership with recording artist and influencer Claire Khodara!

Claire is a singer/songwriter with an international career spanning over 15 years. She has also added entrepreneur and business owner to her resume, but she is first and foremost a mother of three (all under age 5!) and an autism advocate.

Her new album, Modern Lullaby, is an outpouring of Claire’s love as a mother. It features her family’s favorite iconic cover songs from today’s hits, which can be enjoyed at bedtime by children and parents alike.

Claire’s son Winston was diagnosed with Autism at age 2 and ever since she has been a passionate advocate for the autism community. Modern Lullaby is launching this summer for families to enjoy and as a platform for autism advocacy and awareness.

The album’s first single, a cover of Beyonce’s “Halo”, will be released this Friday, April 29 on all major streaming platforms, followed by the full album release on Friday, June 3.

As part of her album launch, she is donating all streaming proceeds to Easterseals Southern California to support the essential services and on-the-ground support we provide for individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities— an honor to her eldest son and a cause that is particularly dear to Claire’s heart.

You can pre-save “Halo” from your preferred streaming service, and learn more about Easterseals Autism Therapy Services.

This April, Easterseals is celebrating Autism Acceptance Month with events, stories and celebrations to increase understanding, acceptance and support for autism and autistic individuals, developing a kinder, more inclusive world of full acceptance.

Partnership with Blippi for Special Episode, Webpage, Watch Party and Panel

Blippi is a live action, educational children’s show for kids ages 2-6 years old. Through singing, dancing, and exploring, Blippi helps children understand the world around them by going on all kinds of learning adventures, from museums to wildlife parks. His contagious curiosity and love of learning through play has taught millions of kids how to count, colors, letters, and much more.

Blippi and Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) partnered to create a special episode, Blippi Meets Hans the Robot, to celebrate how kids learn in different ways. In the episode, Blippi and ESSC’s therapy robot, Hans, explore some of the different ways people can play, eat and dance during a visit to ESSC’s Autism Therapy and Disability Services Center in Irvine. This episode is available on April 2 on  Blippi’s YouTube Channel, which has 15 million subscribers.

ESSC is supplementing the episode with story and coloring booklets that can be downloaded from their website.  In addition, everyone is invited to join a virtual Blippi watch party followed by a panel featuring  ESSC Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Paula Pompa Craven, Therapy Supervisor Michele Dew, VP of Research Dr. Amin Lotfizadeh, a family who participates with ESSC’s services, and Katelynn Heil General Manager from Moonbug Entertainment (the company that owns Blippi) on April 7 at 5:30 pm PST.

Autism Stories of Success

Stories about individuals with autism who experience personal growth and increased confidence and independence will be shared throughout the month. 

Nine-year-old Adan had the story of his journey with our Autism Therapy team presented in the April e-newsletter. His five-year process of development with behavioral interventionists and his family, ultimately resulted in Adan having clearer communication and greater independence.

Easterseals Ambassador Aaron Likens was featured on Fox 11’s morning news program, Good Day LA, for his role as a professional Indycar Flagman, including for the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach April 8-10, 2022, and his work as an autism advocate, speaker and author.

Please keep your eyes out for more Stories of Success and events celebrating Autism Acceptance Month.

March 2022 is the 35th year that the United States has recognized and celebrated National Disabilties Awareness Month.

On February 26, 1987, President Ronald Reagan issued Proclamation 5613, calling upon Americans to provide the “understanding, encouragement and opportunities” necessary for people with developmental disabilities to reach their potential and lead productive and fulfilling lives.

This year, Easterseals Southern California once again joins with our partners; the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), the Association for University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), and the National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN), to encourage and highlight the many ways in which people with and without disabilities can come together to form strong, diverse communities.

The 2022 theme, “Worlds Imagined,” seeks to explore new and ever-changing opportunities for inclusion in the post-pandemic world. It also serves to increase awareness of the need for inclusivity in all areas of community life, and of the barriers that people with developmental disabilities still sometimes face in connecting with their communities.

Support the campaign this March by:

1. Encouraging legislators, employers, friends and allies to declare their commitment to a world of equity and inclusion for people with developmental disabilities via social media with the hashtags #DisabilityTogether and #DDAM2022.
2. Adding your name to the Easterseals #disabilitytogether pledge and sharing it online with the #DisabilityTogether and #DDAM2022 hashtags to help Easterseals change the way the world defines and views disability in order to:
   • Raise awareness and encourage dialogue about what it means to have a disability
   • Dispel stereotypes and help others understand disability
   • Break down barriers and create opportunities for people with disabilities 

You can also join us in sharing artwork that captures the spirit of “worlds imagined” during the month of March, like the artwork created for our national logo imagery by artist Calvin “Sonny” Clarke, and tagging our social media channels. Look out for artwork from our participants at @EastersealsSoCal Facebook and Instagram pages and at @Eastersealsocal on Twitter.

by Beverlyn Mendez, Ed.D

When ESSC honored Black Americans who have advocated for the inclusion of people with disabilities, I immediately thought of one of my heroes I researched for my dissertation, Disability Advocate Lois Curtis. Her actions directly relate to our work here at Easterseals Southern California!

Lois Curtis is best known as the face of Olmstead v. LC, the 1999 landmark Supreme Court decision securing people with disabilities’ right to live in their community rather than in institutions.

As a child, Lois was diagnosed with intellectual and mental health disabilities. At 11-years-old, she was admitted to a psychiatric hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. In her 20’s, Lois wanted to move out, and her treatment team supported her decision to live in the community. However, the State refused to fund the supports she needed, so she remained institutionalized against her will.

Lois advocated for herself by persistently calling the Atlanta Legal Aid Society. Her first message to her attorney was direct and clear, “I want to get out!” Together, they proved the State violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to support her in the community.

Her case made it to the U.S. Supreme Court, which issued a ruling requiring all states to ensure people with disabilities receive services in integrated settings. Listen to the Supreme Court Opinion Announcement read by the honorable late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

All states, including California, were required to develop Olmstead Plans. The plans helped speed the closure of our developmental centers, support people to move to Living Options such as those provided by ESSC and receive community-based services such as our WorkFirst and Adult Day Services. Olmstead plans also laid the groundwork for providing treatment to those at risk of institutionalization with services such as our Severe Behavior Services and Autism Services.

Because of Lois Curtis’s long-standing commitment to freedom for all, people with disabilities can participate fully in community life. Lois and other civil rights icons all have one thing in common: we will feel their impact for generations to come.

Lois still lives in her own home near family and friends in Georgia, where she sings, writes songs, and creates art. In 2011 she presented an original self-portrait to President Barak Obama.

Watch this two-minute video to experience Lois in recent years:  The Art of Being LC.