Joseph Scheets is calling bingo for six residents at St. Margaret Hall, a Catholic nursing home in Evanston, when a man in the back of the room complains that he isn't speaking clearly enough. Unfazed, Scheets perfectly enunciates "O-63," and asks politely: "Is that better?" It's one small sign of the remarkable progress made by Scheets, 25, who is in his third year at Starfire U, a four-year, year-round educational program for young adults with developmental disabilities. Locally, and perhaps even nationally, there's no other program like it. The program was started in 2008 by Madisonville-based Starfire, a nonprofit that has served people with disabilities for 17 years. The organization will have a fund raiser, Starfire ArtAbility, on Dec. 3 at Country Club Art Gallery in Oakley. Scheets this year began a volunteer internship through Starfire U at St. Margaret Hall, where he sometimes tosses balloons with residents, helps them back to their rooms after Mass, or hands out snacks. But more than that, he's become a valued member of a community. "He does very well here," says activities director Maria Ceddia. "The residents enjoy having him around." Indeed, between bingo games, he's chatting up 82-year-old Ruth Fanning, asking about her grandchildren. "I like him," Fanning says. "He's a sweet fellow." That's a sharp contrast to his life a few years ago, when the teachers, intervention specialists, and job development people on Scheets' high school transition team told him he would never successfully be integrated into the community, says Krista Clinebell, Starfire U's program coordinator. Scheets, whose disability has not been diagnosed, was loud, obnoxious, and prone to repeating himself, which often got him into trouble. Starfire U employees are careful to note that they didn't "fix" him. As Clinebell told him the other day, "You weren't broken. But we kind of polished you up a little and taught you some great life lessons about how to treat other people with respect, and people in turn treat you with respect." Those lessons come via a curriculum that includes topics such as safety, transportation, life skills, health, citizenship and technology. And thanks to about 100 community partners - including businesses, colleges and nonprofits - what's learned in the classroom can be practiced in a variety of real-life settings.
Read More: http://news.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20101121/NEWS01/11220311/Starfire-makes-difference-for-disabled Last changed: Nov 22 2010 at 10:29 AM BackComments
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