Empowerment. At AbleLight, we define empowerment as providing the means and encouragement for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to live a life beyond what they have imagined for themselves. Offering answers, help and an ear for parents, guardians and others providing support and love on a daily basis.
There are distinct times in one’s life when uncertainty reigns. Think about young adulthood. So many choices, so many opportunities, so many things undefined. Now add on the challenges and complexities of life for people with disabilities and their families. In those instances, empowerment is exactly what’s needed to move forward.
With all this in mind, we launched the AbleLight Empowerment Blog, an online community of information, encouragement, and yes – empowerment. Together, we’ll share what we know about crucial times in a person’s life, challenges they face and how they can be overcome, by people who have been there. We’ll learn from parents, employers and others about what has worked for them. We’ll all grow together … and live better.
One of the reasons we created this blog was that we couldn’t find a lot of information online or elsewhere to answer key questions. For example, how can a person with a disability best pursue getting a driver’s license? What are some common issues with diet and exercise once they’re on their own? What kinds of government resources are available to help ease the transition from childhood to adulthood?
This blog taps subject matter experts – people who have been in the field for years and personally know many people with disabilities who have succeeded and learned lessons. And we want to hear from you. What do you want to know about? What would you like to share with people just like you?
And even better yet, tell someone about the blog who can benefit from it. Together, we can build a community that’s empowered, and embracing the future. Thanks for reading.