What gives me the most hope is knowing that tomorrow is a new day and you can try all over again :)

ABA therapy and my providers...they have been angels sent from above for me and my son

As my child is older I'm moving into what happens after I'm gone scenarios. Organizations like Autism Housing Pathways http://autismhousingpathways.net/ and living situations such as The Villages at Noah’s Landing in Florida (article on it at http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2015/03/02/new-h...) give me hope. States that ban or seriously restrict these options because for them it smacks of segregation I feel are short sighted.
I left a post on Noah's Landing today (2015-05-15) that explains my feelings. Please let me know what you think.

The Post:
Segregation…let’s look at synonyms…To be kept separate, to be isolated, to be excluded; to be discriminated (distinguished, differentiated, separated, categorized, classified, victimized); to be ghettoized ; to be set apart.Those are the realities of our children NOW! I am a witness to my child’s steady progression to social exclusion. I am a witness to the depth of her awareness, sadness, puzzlement & finally anger as most people politely yet completely excluded her. Those who talk about these communities as segregation, that they are evil, have not held an inconsolable autistic with tactile defensiveness as they rocked and wailed because they felt so alone! SHAME ON YOU!!!
I am petrified for my child’s future after I am gone! I have already witnessed terrible victimization in the inclusive world! Sheltered protected environments should be a right for our children/adults.
I do recognize there is no way to completely mitigate potential abuse BUT, as the old expression “throwing the baby out with the (dirty) bathwater” or perhaps the Armenian expression “every fruit has a stem” signifies nothing is perfect but when the positives significantly outweigh the negatives for people who find it difficult to just be in the world, never mind have the abilities to recognize risks then effectively self-advocate, please allow them to band together (with caring support people & family) and as a group help themselves live while being safe!!!

Thank you for reminding me do take a moment and do just that.

My Sara can be quite frustrated about where she's at right now but with a little reminding of just how far she's come and none of it easy or automatic...I tell her we are stick shift people in a world filled with automatic transmission cars...tough to learn the ins and outs in the beginning and tedious in day to day commuting BUT oh boy once learned it's really learned and aren't windy interesting roads so much more fun driving a stick shift?

Thinking back and taking notice to all the progress