I have been blessed
(and challenged) to live my life among many strong, independent women. At my current
church in Gahanna, OH (CenterPoint Church Gahanna) I have come to know the
encouraging dynamo known as Mrs. Gracie White.
I wanted to share
with all of you a letter I helped her write in pursuit of a graduate degree.
She is an amazing woman that has inspired and encouraged more people than she
could ever realize. Here are her achievements in her own words (with a little help
from me).
I am the most unique licensed public social worker in the central Ohio
community you will ever know. I have over thirty years experience in the field
of social work. My variety of knowledge has equipped me for a graduate degree
in social work. I am often unaware of who
I have had a positive effect on. (Do you realize all the lives you have
touched?)
Working in an all-autism spectrum disorder (ASD) school as a social
worker for various families provided me with the ability to coordinate needed
services; assess both child (and family) needs; and be a team member to aid
teachers with the behavior plans that would ensure implementation with all parties
concerned.
I also develop and teach community skill groups for children in the ASD
spectrum (as well other disabilities).
I am an advocate for families to attend Individualized Education Programs
(IEPs) as well as provide the needed follow-up to all parties concerned. I have
also coordinated life and transition skills, summer enrichment camp, and
assisted other individuals with needed job coaching opportunities. I continued
to be in compliance with all identified government parties.
I gave support to the medically fragile (and the developmentally
delayed) in the Help Me Grow program
for five years with the Columbus Public Health Department.
Home visits in this program were made to family members involved. It is
crucial to cultivate relationships with parents (or guardians). Help Me Grow eventually concluded as the
grants for the program were not renewed.
As an Intake Investigator for the Franklin County Juvenile Court, I
conduct examinations for allegations of abuse or neglect. In addition to this
responsibility, I filed necessary paperwork in the court system, and made
complete assessments of the current family situation. I worked closely with the
child welfare agency, deputy sheriff, or the police department to determine an
accurate action plan.
In my position, children were often removed from their existing home to
ensure they were placed in the most safe (and least restrictive environment)
possible. I made visits to various hospitals to determine the best medical plan
for the recipients. I worked with a variety of team members (judge, magistrate,
social worker, other investigators and social workers, school representative,
guardian or parent) to ensure those involved are identified and coordinated
with appropriately as per the court.
I coordinated my services with the A2z Home Health Care to supervise the
needed services for special-need clients are within the allocated budget for
items such as rent, meal planning, shopping, recreational activities, over-all
care, meeting with staff, preparing necessary paper work, and working within
agency requirements.
I coupled with a Continuing Education Unit (CEU) to stay within
conformity in my many different employment roles as I worked within my
neighborhood to build a helpful connection.
I was an independent contractor for over seven years with the Franklin County Board of Developmental Disabilities
(FCBDD) for clients who were developmentally delayed, or young adults in the
area of transition skills.
This service involved safety in the community by actual experiences and
role playing. These experiences involved riding the Central Ohio Transit
Authority (COTA) bus system: getting reading material from one of the branches
of the Columbus Metropolitan Library (CML); or shopping in a central Ohio
grocery store. Clients have the chance to write a grocery list, wash laundry,
or even begin to manage) a bank account (checking or savings).
Another role I played was as an Adult Probation Officer for the Franklin
County Municipal Court. I served adults in this program to make sure their
probation qualifications were met. I would refer the client to employment
opportunities, or drug (or alcohol) rehabilitation for successful completion.
It was then that they were able to return to job training.
Job training involved visiting various places of employment. When I made home visits with this job,
verification was made of the correct address that had been given to the court. When
I monitored the conditions of probation, supervised restitution payments were
made by the probationer to the victim.
In the event that did not happen, I prepared a Statement of Violation
and attended court hearings to give the report recommendations to the judge.
I find the field of ASD of special interest because of
my ASD son, Austin. He is my passion behind all I do for ASD. This
is a complex developmental disability. Signs of it typically appear during
early childhood, and affect a person’s ability to communicate, and interact
with others.
The
characteristic behaviors of ASD may be apparent in infancy (18 to 24 months),
but it can usually become clearer during early childhood (24 months to 6
years). It is defined by a certain set of behaviors, and affects individuals
differently and to varying degrees.
There
is no known cause of ASD. Increased awareness and early intervention, and
access to appropriate services results in improved outcomes.
Some
of the behaviors associated with ASD include delayed learning of language;
difficulty making eye contact (or holding a conversation); difficulty with reasoning
and planning; poor motor and sensitivities skills. A person with ASD might
follow many of these behaviors, or just a few.
My twenty-three year-old son, Austin, was diagnosed at
the age of four. He could not speak understandable sentences until the age of
five. Austin was aggressive, non-verbal,
a flight risk, and was unable to function with (or without) intervention.
After receiving intensive speech therapy three times a
week for seven years, Austin’s aggression eventually declined. His
communication abilities returned with the use of a Ear, Nose, and Throat
Specialist (ENT), and tubes placed in his ears. Scar tissue in Austin’s ears
had muffled sound for him. This was the reason for his aggression, and
inability to hear.
My faith in God has been of utmost importance to me as
well as the others and agencies that aided me in this journey of a
lifetime. Austin can speak now. In fact,
he graduated in 2013 from high school. In 2015, Austin graduated with an associate’s
degree in Drafting and Design. He is currently employed part time with the
State of Ohio in Network Securities.
As the mother of an ASD son, I have worked hard to
guide him in achieving his goals. In 2012, I founded the Gracie V. White
Foundation for Autism. Its mission is “to deliver research-based information
(and programs) to improve the ability of high functioning young adults with ASD
(and other high functioning disabilities).
The Gracie V. White Foundation for Autism wants to
successfully transition our clients from high school to post secondary
opportunities, which includes education, training (or career options), and to
provide their families with resources to ensure their productive participation.”
It provides
support to young adults from age fifteen to thirty years of age, who are high performance
ASD and other high operation disabilities. They will have the opportunity to
learn effective socialization skills before they are transitioned into the community
workforce.
This organization attempts to serve all those involved, who need supportive
services at any time. Our services have a time limit of four years. After that,
we will continue to coordinate services with the family to ensure they have
obtained their goals while working with the Gracie V. White Foundation for Autism.
The Simmons School of Social Work has been around since
1904. The on-line graduate Social Work program seems to be a great fit for the
woman of deep convictions that I have become at this stage in my life. The
Simmons School of Social Work seeks to have a personal relationship with each
one of its students, which is paramount in social work.
Here are the statistics for ASD. I want to make life better for all individuals
affected by these numbers:
·
About 1 percent of the world
population has autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It is the fastest-growing
developmental disability.
·
The prevalence of ASD in the
United States children increased by 119.4 percent from 2000 (1 in 150) to 2010
(1 in 68). More than three and a half million Americans live with ASD.
·
ASD services cost United States citizens
$236-262 billion annually. A majority of
costs are in adult services ($175-196 billion) compared to children ($61-66
billion).
·
35 percent of young adults (ages
19-23) with ASD have not had a job (or received postgraduate education after
leaving high school). It costs more than $8,600 extra per year to educate a
student with ASD. [i]
“You can tell who the strong women are. They’re
the ones building other women up instead of tearing them down.” (www.bmabh.com)
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| Gracie V. White |
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