Years After High School, It's Prom Night

So proud of our staff in New Jersey and Rockland County for creating a prom for more than 100 of our guys. 

Even without glass slippers and horse-drawn carriages, last week’s first ever Westwood-based prom for the developmentally disabled would have been enough to make Cinderella swoon.

Afrah Nyatome, a NIPD/NJ staff
member, joins Christopher Bovee at
the prom.

"When talking to our clients about past life experiences, quite a few of them expressed sadness at never being able to go to prom when they were in high school," said Afrah Nyatome, an assistant supervisor at the Westwood supervised apartments for NIPD-NJ.

Athletes Head to Special Olympics World Games

SEATTLE- Please forgive John Borgognoni if he and his group don't stay until the end of the Mariners game Friday night.

They've got to hop out of bed at 3 a.m. sharp Saturday to head out on the journey of a lifetime.

Nine Washington state athletes will be on their way to Athens, Greece, to compete as part of Team USA in the 2011 Special Olympics World Games.

The event, for athletes with intellectual disabilities, is expected to draw 7,500 entrants from 185 countries, including more than 400 from the U.S.

Washington's contingent, ranging in age from 20 to 45, includes two bowlers, two power lifters, two cyclists, a golfer, a runner and a swimmer.

Although five have competed in previous World Games, this will be the first time the event has been held in Greece, birthplace of the Olympics.

Md. Employers Look to Hire People with Developmental Disabilities

WESTMINSTER, Md. — Ask Erin Baldwin why she loves her job at Furnace Hills Coffee Co. in Westminster. She'll have a bunch of reasons.

She enjoys working with her parents, she's built a great friendship with a co-worker and she even has her own blend of coffee: Erin's Breakfast Blend.

That's not all.

"I like the smell of the coffee," Erin, 37, said last week, while roasting coffee beans at the business.

Furnace Hills Coffee opened in Westminster last week, and owner Dave Baldwin is hoping to hire a few new employees as business grows. He's hoping some of the applications are submitted by people with developmental disabilities, like his daughter. Erin has Down syndrome.

Horticulture-Based Day Program Provides Opportunity for Adults with Disabilities

FARMERSVILLE, Calif. -- Tammy Beach reaches deep into a lavender bush at Herbs and More in Farmersville. She grabs a handful of fragrant lavender in one hand and cuts the stems 4 inches below the buds with her other hand.
The public is invited to cut their own bunches of the aromatic herb during the second annual you-pick lavender festival Saturday and June 11 at Herbs and More, 226 E. Front St. in Farmersville. Herbs and More grows four varieties of highly aromatic lavender: hidcote, munstead, grosso and provence.
The horticulture-based day program for adults with developmental disabilities focuses on each client's ability to participate, said co-owner Kathy Lewis.