Jul 30, 2010 Posted by Jolene

The Longevity of Grief

Talking to parents who have lost a child isn’t easy. It’s about the hardest thing about working with families of children with special needs. Because many of those children are medically fragile. Many of them will die young, too young. The Unknowing Friend’s Take Those of us who have never lost a child share some misconceptions about grieving the loss of a child: We think it’s... read more

Jul 28, 2010 Posted by Jolene

How To Start a Special Needs Ministry: Part 2

As I mentioned in the previous post in this series, God has been nudging me about beginning a special needs ministry at my local church. After all, the new building is completely handicapped accessible, so we will soon have the facilities for such a ministry. Our town is full of families who could benefit from it. All that’s missing is someone to spearhead the efforts, kinda get things... read more

Jul 26, 2010 Posted by Jolene

How to Start a Special Needs Ministry: Part 1

After almost 10 years of meeting in a high school for Sunday morning worship my church family, Grace Community Church, will soon move into a new building. We’re excited about how God will use us and the new building to reach out to people in our small town. Uneasy and Uncomfortable Lately, God has been nudging me about starting a special needs ministry at our church. So I wrote a column about the... read more

Jul 23, 2010 Posted by Jolene

How to Find Resources for Kids with Disabilities

In my last post, I was tickled pink to share a searchable list of children’s hospitals. Today, I’m tickled yellow to share another great resource for parents of kids with special needs. Wrightslaw Yellow Pages for Kids with Disabilities Wrightslaw is best known for their educational and advocacy work in the field of special education law. They travel around the country educating parents... read more

Jul 21, 2010 Posted by Jolene

How to Find a Children’s Hospital

Not too long ago I stumbled upon a resource created  by the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI). Their association has compiled a list of children’s hospitals around the world. If you’re the parent of a child with a chronic or critical medical conditions, this could be a great help for you. Search the List at the NACHRI Website You’ll... read more