This holiday season, Innovative Solutions for Disadvantage & Disability is asking people, businesses and organizations to “adopt” a family headed by a grandparent caring for grandchildren. The Atlanta-based nonprofit will match adoptees with a family and provide a list of items to shop for. Or you may make a tax-deductible contribution and volunteers will do the shopping. Contributions may be made online, at www.isdd-home.org, or by check to ISDD, 750 Hammond Drive, Building 1, Suite 100, Atlanta, Georgia, 30329. For more information about adopting a family, contact Laura Wells at 404-303-5123 or lmwells2009@gmail.com.
Raising a child is a big job. Just imagine if you were raising your grandchildren with special needs, says Laura Wells, a social worker and program coordinator for Innovative Solutions for Disadvantage & Disability. The nonprofit was founded a decade ago to help grandparents with limited resources taking care of their grandchildren or other relatives with spina bifida, cerebral palsy, ADHD, dyslexia and other physical and intellectual challenges. The winter months are an especially difficult time for these grandparents financially, Wells explains, which is why the nonprofit is looking for people and businesses to adopt a family this holiday season.
Q: What does your nonprofit do?
A: We promote health equity in children and work to prevent disabilities from happening. There are many children whose health outcomes are poorer than others because of the environments they are raised in and the lack of access to good health care, recreation and nutritious food.
Q: What drew you to this work?
A: When I began my social work career 20 years ago, I could see right away that some families had access to more resources than others. When you have a child with special needs and you don't have a lot of resources, it can be devastating to the family. My 12-year-old son has ADHD, dyslexia and sensory integration issues. He has helped me empathize with the families I work with.
Q: Who are these grandchildren?
A: They run the gamut. There are kids with physical and intellectual disabilities. Many of the children have behavioral issues arising from not being raised by their parents.
Q: How do you help these families?
A: We have a monthly support group for grandparents where we share and bring in speakers on topics such as special education, various therapies and legal aspects of raising grandchildren. We also provide case management and do home visits to identify what the grandparent's and grandchildren's needs are. We teach the grandparents advocacy and empowerment skills so they will know how to handle the next big thing that comes up for their children and themselves.
Q: What about the health of these grandparents?
A: Even though the focus of our program is kids, I spend a lot of time on the health of the grandparents. Many of them have diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis. We repeat over and over again that they have to take care of themselves but that is easier said than done when they are worried about how they are going to get food on the table or pay the rent or get a child to therapy when they don't have a car.
Q: Why are the holidays so stressful for these families?
A: Heating bills are higher. The kids are out of school and eating a lot — we have a lot of families with teenagers. The grandparents feel so ashamed and guilty that they can't afford to give anything to their grandchildren for Christmas.
Q: How does the adopt-a-family effort work?
A: We match families with sponsors who then buy items off the grandparent's wish list. Or someone can make a donation and we will do the shopping. We collect nonperishable food and provide each family with a holiday meal. We are also raising money for our emergency fund to help grandparents facing eviction or losing their heat or electricity.
Q: What kinds of things are on the wish list?
A: You might think iPads or iPhones but most grandparents ask for the basics — winter coats and hats and gloves.
About the Author
