Mokena Regional Office’s Lynda Miller honored for outstanding service to children with special healthcare needs.

Lynda Miller of Lemont is the 2017 recipient of the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) Award of Merit. The award recognizes exceptional employees for outstanding dedication and service to children with special healthcare needs.

DSCC is a statewide program that partners with Illinois families and their local communities to help children with special healthcare needs connect to the services and resources they need to reach their full potential. We serve thousands of families each year in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of nurses, social workers, speech pathologists, audiologists and other team members in 12 regional offices.

Lynda is a Program Coordinator Assistant in DSCC’s Mokena Regional Office, working with Care Coordinators in her office to develop a plan of care for each family that addresses their child’s medical, social, behavioral, educational and financial needs.

“Lynda exemplifies DSCC’s mission to partner, help and connect with families and communities to improve the lives of children with special healthcare needs and put them at the center of a seamless support system,” DSCC Executive Director Thomas Jerkovitz said. “Lynda has touched countless lives during her nearly 30-year career and is an unwavering champion for our organization and the families we serve.”

Colleagues across the state say Lynda’s primary focus and concern is giving DSCC families the best service possible and treating them with kindness and respect. Lynda is also praised as an effective problem-solver who is willing to step outside of her comfort zone to learn something new, hard or time-consuming to get the job done.

Lynda, who was also nominated for the 2016 Award of Merit, said she enjoys all facets of her job. “I love helping whenever and wherever I can,” she said. “I have been lucky to work with a lot of people who have mentored me along my DSCC career.  I wouldn’t have the knowledge and ability to do what I do without their help and assistance along the way.”

DSCC staff nominated five of their colleagues for this year’s Award of Merit. As the winner, Lynda receives an Award of Merit memento, a $2,000 award and recognition from the Executive Director.

The other 2017 nominees are:

• Dawn Brzostek, Customer Service Assistant, Rockford Regional Office
• Cherie Dalbke, Care Coordinator/Speech and Hearing Consultant, Chicago Core Regional Office
• Diana Maldonado, Program Coordinator Assistant, Lombard Regional Office
• Glenda Rahn, Program Coordinator Assistant, Champaign Regional Office

Congratulations, Lynda, and a big thank you to all of our nominees!

500-plus families and professionals attended the 13th annual Stepping Stones of Transition Conference in Springfield

More than 500 families and professionals learned valuable information about helping adolescents with special needs/disabilities prepare for adulthood during the 13th annual Illinois Statewide Transition Conference on Oct. 23-24 in Springfield.

The conference, titled “Stepping Stones of Transition,” is aimed at youth, parents, caretakers, vocational professionals, healthcare professionals, educators and other key stakeholders  Participants were invited to discuss the possibilities for students with disabilities in the areas of independent living, education and training, employment, community integration, health care and self-advocacy. Youth and young adults with special healthcare needs learned how to plan for their future and life after high school, how to sort through the maze of resources and what skills are important to develop to prepare for adulthood and meet their goals.

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) served on the steering committee for this year’s conference and covered the conference-related expenses for 20 of our participant families across the state. Part of DSCC’s mission is to connect adolescents with special healthcare needs and their families to resources that prepare them for the transition to adulthood and the delivery of adult services.

Former DSCC participant Ashley Santiago-Sanchez, 21, attended the conference with her parents and younger brother. Her father, Ivan, said his family wanted to gain as much information and resources as possible to help foster her independence and prepare for adult life in the community.

Saurabh and Mukta Agarwal attended with their teenaged daughter, Radhika, who currently is enrolled with DSCC and requires skilled in-home nursing. Their Care Coordinator made sure that DSCC paid for the family’s registration, hotel, transportation and cost for a daytime nurse for Radhika.

“A lot of times families (like ours) don’t know the options,” Saurabh said of planning for the future with a medically complex child.

Saurabh said he was especially touched by keynote speaker Matt Cohen, who spoke about his experiences with his son and how he learned to determine transition priorities for students and ensure their real-life needs are met. He and Mukta also appreciated the opportunity to make connections with other families and professionals.

“All of the information was very helpful, and now we have to do our homework,” Saurabh said.

Click here to view photos and more information about this year’s conference.

The 2018 Illinois Statewide Transition Conference is scheduled for Oct. 25-26 at the Westin Chicago Northwest Hotel in Itasca.