Members of Proactive Parents of Dayton met recently with representatives from Rural Regional to discuss issues around services and to have questions answered.
Sherri Davis, service coordinator and Tom Brundige, quality assurance, attended the P-PODS monthly meeting to begin a positive dialog.
Rural Regions has three centers throughout Nevada, with several offices in outlying communities. They work with nonprofit organizations to provide services to families of children with disabilities, including adult children.
"Our motto is leadership through partnership and our goal is for those with disabilities to live as rich and as full a life as possible," Brundige said. "Because there's no difference between us. People with disabilities still want the same things we want; to have a good job that means something, to have relationships, to be independent."
Rural Region is funded by the state and from Medicaid and serves 659 clients. Their services continue through a person's entire life.
To receive services through Rural Regional, a person must have a developmental disorder or a related condition and an adaptive skills deficit. Bureaucracy gets in the way at times, Brundige said, but added, "We are trying to do the best with what we have. We're partnering with schools and there is new money in the budget now for autism.
"There are new resources available that didn't used to be there that address daily living," he said. "We also now have an autism coordinator."
Speaking to that issue was Isabel Cool, whose son Dylan, born in 1993 and diagnosed with autism in 1996, has made it her work to advocate for all parents.
"When he was diagnosed, no one knew about autism," she said.
Dylan was placed in a home last October, because he can be prone to violence. Cool described the heartbreak of that decision, saying how difficult it was to reconcile the bright, happy boy, now 14, who attended the meeting with the one who couldn't live at home. Today, her energy is focused on creating change.
"My job was to find services for my kid and the Carson City School District has been very good to me," Cool said. "I want to give back and as (a member) of the Children's Behavioral Health Consortium I am advocating to get money - we now have $5 million for autism. I'm now, with my time, advocating for everybody."
Cool, who has compiled a book of resources available to children with disabilities, explained the layers and loops and in which order parents would have to jump to establish services for their children. As awareness grows, some services have become more mainstream as seen with Carson City Recreation Department which hosts adaptive programs, such as bowling. Respite care is available through Eagle Valley Children's Home and Nevada Pep is one of the many resources out there for parents.
"This went well and there was one-on-one time for parents to have their questions answered and to get to know (Brundige and Davis)," said Glenna Hammond, P-PODS founder. "I am so happy to see so many people here and have a chance to get the word out."
Davis can be reached in Silver Springs at 577-4077; Brundige in Carson City at 687-5162, ext. 240; reach Cool by e-mail at Isabco7@sbcglobal.net, contact Hammond at 246-8028.
P-PODS meets again 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at Bouncerz on Deer Run Road in Carson City. Children are welcome.