An Amazing Support Network! WORDS: Mary J Smith, FND Executive Director Families of children with disabilities have the same hopes and dreams as other families. They want a safe environment for their child to grow up in, a good education, opportunities for social experiences, friends, community involvement, job or work related opportunities, and a chance to be as independent as possible. What is different is that parents of children with disabilities usually must work harder and approach these goals in a variety of different ways to achieve them. Raising a child with a disability can be a daunting and sometimes exhausting task. There are many appointments to keep, ��nding and funding the needed services for your child, coping with the daily stress of seeing their child struggle, and then dealing with a range of emotions. Parents can feel grief, resentment, disappointment, frustration, joy, excitement, and a great sense of accomplishment, throughout the lifetime of their child with a disability. I should know because all three of our children have a disability. Our oldest daughter has Down syndrome, our son has Autism, and our youngest daughter has learning disabilities. My husband and I have experienced, at some point in time whilst raising our children, all the emotions, hopes, and dreams described above. When we moved to Manatee County for a job transfer we had no family, friends, or support here.Then I found Family Network on Disabilities and it opened a whole new world for me and my family. Not only did my family bene��t from the services that we received, but I found an avenue to become involved and empowered by helping to make a difference for other families just like mine. Family Network on Disabilities of Manatee/ Sarasota, Inc. has been providing support services to families of children with disabilities in our community for more than 25 years. Starting out as a Supporting families through education, advocacy, and caregiver support small parent to parent support group where mothers would come together to share their hopes, dreams, concerns, and needs, to being an agency that provides multiple support programs and services to both families and the community that assists them. Our mission is to empower families to reach their maximum potential through 46
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