"An Asian family may be more interested in an online support group because it is anonymous." -Sister Swenson

From previous semesters in college, I have learned a little bit about working with families in our community by writing IFSP plans. As an ECSE major, I am interested in becoming a Developmental Specialist and want to learn more about how to find resources available in our community to help enrich the lives of families with people who have disabilities. Because of this interest, I shadowed a DS who works here in Rexburg to get a feel for how she responds to the needs of her families. I was impressed by her nonjudgmental approach as she walked into environments that were less than ideal. She spoke to the mothers of these children with compassion and understanding and never belittled their efforts to help their children. From this experience, I have learned the importance of parents in the lives of these children.

I really don't have a wide understanding of families and communities and hope to gain a lot of knowledge from this class. As this semester progresses, I hope to be able to learn about a variety of resources that I can offer to families. When I think about what programs are available, my list of ideas is short. I think it is great to know where to find resources, but I need to first know what resources could appeal to families depending on their religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds.