Easter Seals child care center helped alumnus
Sam Williams says he's determined. Some might consider that an understatement.
Williams, 26, who has a severe form of cerebral palsy, drives into a room with his power chair, with his service dog, Zoe, on leash.
Unable to talk understandably, he communicates with a DynaVox speech synthesizer, using a head attachment to tap out answers on a computer keyboard that are then turned into the spoken word.
His schedule is busy. A college graduate now working on his master's degree, he's the married father of two young children and a Paralympic-level boccia ballplayer.
The Elmhurst native credits Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region with helping give him a foundation for achievement. He'll be one of the alumni of Easter Seals' Lily Garden Child Care Center in Villa Park to read stories and play games with the kids at a celebration of center's 25th anniversary on Tuesday, Feb. 2.
The event - which will include an appearance by the Chicago Wolves mascot, Skates, as well as a book raffle and crafts - is open to the community.
Williams, along with his two older siblings, attended the center from ages 2 to 6.
"The biggest advantage for me, aside from learning my ABCs, was having the chance to develop appropriate social skills for school and life," he said. "Not all kids with disabilities have that opportunity."
The unique child-care center mixes kids with disabilities and normally developing children in four classrooms for infants, toddlers, preschool and prekindergarten. Of the roughly 70 children currently attending, about 35 percent have disabilities, said Cassandra Pieler, volunteer coordinator for the Easter Seals site. The rest are children from surrounding communities, children of staff and siblings of children with special needs.
Fees are comparable or even a little lower than those of other area day-care facilities, said Kelly Lopresti, the center's director for the past 10 years.
The classrooms and two outdoor playgrounds contain adaptive toys and equipment for kids with disabilities.
Therapists on site work with children with special needs. The kids themselves often don't notice the difference between themselves and their peers, Lopresti said.
"Their peers become their friends," Lopresti said. "They're invited to birthday parties."
A child is more likely to notice a peer wearing glasses than one using a walker, Lopresti said. She recalled that soon after she started work at the center, a 5-year-old girl walked up to her in a classroom and told her that the girl's friend was having a seizure. Lopresti looked and saw the other girl was indeed having a mild seizure.
"I was so amazed that she was so in tune with her friend and knew her so well," she said.
Those who helpMany of the center's alumni like Williams, who still receives therapy at Easter Seals, come back for visits, Lopresti said.Williams' own children, Patrick, almost 2, and Caroline, just turned 1, go to the center. Both he and his wife, Maureen, go to school and she also works. His mom and sister work at Easter Seals.He credits his mother, Sammy Williams, a pediatric therapist, with instilling determination in him. She said the child care center - with its diversity of kids - was a huge help."I just think it was a great beginning for him to be there," she said. "I would like to give a lot of credit to the day care."Sammy Williams said she and her husband had expectations for Sam just as they did for his older brother and sister. The fact that Sam had older siblings to look up to helped too, she said."He's always been very motivated. That makes parenting a lot easier," she said.Sam's sister, Cecelia Dietzen of Lombard, is an occupational therapist at Easter Seals. Therapists at Easter Seals, along with other caring men and women, such as the aide who assisted her brother through 12 years in Elmhurst public schools, helped him find his independence, she said."You have to be surrounded by people who are going to help you," she said.Dealing with itWilliams said acceptance, humility, discipline and determination are needed for a person with a disability to succeed. "First, you have to accept your reality," he said. "You have a disability. Don't lament on it and don't glorify it. You are not a cripple. You are not special. Deal with it." Reaching goals requires getting advice, perseverance and foresight, he said."If you want something, plan, plan, plan," he said.That outlook took Williams through his undergraduate years at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He earned a bachelor's degree in public health and met his wife, Maureen, who was a personal assistant in his dorm for students with disabilities.Williams is now enrolled in the University of Illinois at Chicago, working on a master's in public health. He takes a Metra train and the el to get to classes in downtown Chicago. His goal is to manage a community-based program for people with disabilities, particularly children and teens.Another goal is to play boccia ball in the 2012 Summer Paralympics Games in London. He started playing at age 9 with a local special recreation association and got good enough at it to participate in 2004 Paralympics in Athens, Greece. He smiles at the memory."To see the fruits of one's labor is good," he says. <p class="factboxtext12col"><b>If you go</b></p><p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What:</b> 25th Birthday Party and Family Reading Night</p><p class="factboxtext12col"><b>When:</b> 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2</p><p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Where:</b> Lily Garden Child Care Center at Easter Seals DuPage and the Fox Valley Region, 830 S. Addison Ave., Villa Park</p><p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Cost:</b> Free, but attendees are asked to consider bringing a financial gift in honor of a special child in their life</p><p class="factboxtext12col">Info: (630) 261-6283 or <a href="http://eastersealslilygarden.org" target="new">eastersealslilygarden.org</a></p>