DSCC aims to help families strengthen their support to promote young people’s health, safety and wellbeing.

The University of Illinois Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) wants to help Illinois families strengthen their support for LGBTQ+ youth with special healthcare needs and disabilities.

June is Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) Pride Month. There are approximately 5 million LGBTQ+ individuals with disabilities in the United States, according to the nonprofit RespectAbility.

Our DSCC team can provide resources to help our participant families, healthcare providers and community partners understand and support LGBTQ+ youth and their needs.

Research shows that family involvement in an LGBTQ+ youth’s life, particularly in the first two years of coming out, improves their overall safety, health and long-term well-being.

Teaching children about self-awareness and self-care at a young age can lead to better health and safety as a teenager. Helping a child establish boundaries is also linked to better teen health and safety.

Former DSCC Quality Specialist Diane Becker has studied research in these areas. Diane is a nationally certified juvenile treatment specialist and a licensed clinical social worker. She has worked with families and professionals in the social work and counseling fields for 30-plus years.

Diane appeared on the “Just Breathe: Parenting Your LGBTQ Teen” podcast last year to talk about mental health, boundaries and self-care for both LGBTQ+ young adults and parents.

She shared the latest research and discussed the importance of connectedness, family and health and safety.

You can listen to Diane’s two-part interview at the links below –

• What Are These Boundaries You Speak Of? An Interview with Diane Becker Part One
• What Are These Boundaries You Speak Of? An Interview with Diane Becker Part Two

We also encourage Illinois families of LGBTQ+ youth with special healthcare needs to contact us with their questions and concerns. You can call us at (800) 322-3722 or email us at dscc@uic.edu to learn more about available resources and support.

You can also visit our online Resource Directory.

Featured resources that can help support LGBTQ+ youth and their family/caregivers include:

National and Statewide Crisis Hotlines

• Find a Helpline
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Helpline
• Illinois Crisis and Referral Entry Services (CARES) Line
• Illinois Warm Line
• National Runaway Safeline

Connections

• The Trevor Project
• Central Illinois LGBTQ+ Organizations
• Chicago and Illinois Mental Health Agencies and Organizations
• Strong Family Alliance
• PFLAG Parent Support and Resources
• “Expressing, Coping, Reframing: Addressing the Mental Health of ‘Quaranteens’ in the Time of COVID-19”
• It Gets Better Project

Find a Healthcare Provider

• University of Illinois Hospital & Clinics’ Inclusive Healthcare and Policies
• Gender Development Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago
• GLMA
• OutCare Provider Directory

Education

• Illinois State Board of Education LGBTQ Student and Family Resources
• Advocating for LGBTQ Students With Disabilities
• Know Your Rights: Students and LGBTQ Rights at School

Information

• Sexuality Resources for Individuals With Disabilities
• Mental Health Resources for LGBTQI Individuals
• Coming Out: Information for Parents of LGBTQ Teens
• RespectAbility’s Resources for LGBTQ+ Individuals With Disabilities

In-person and virtual activities to help youth with and without disabilities stay engaged and learning this summer

Summer is quickly approaching. And though the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet over, the ease in safety restrictions means more in-person activities will be available for this year’s break from the school year. 

If you’re looking for a way to help your child stay engaged and learning, we’ve compiled a list of both in-person and virtual summer camp activities and enrichment programs for youth of all ages and abilities.  

Our list of inclusive activities includes daily adventures, arts and crafts, sports camps, college preparation opportunities and condition-specific programs. 

Our events calendar shows the activities listed by date. You can also search for programs in your area by clicking on a regional office near you. 

For more virtual learning and educational resources for youth, visit the Childcare, Learning and Education Tools section of our COVID-19 Resource Directory. 

Know of an in-person or virtual summer camp opportunity to add to our list?

Send us the details at dscc@uic.edu. We’ll continue to update our list of camps and activities, so please check back often. 

Marcus Theatres offers special moving showings catered to individuals with special needs and their families on select dates.

Marcus Theatres’ Reel Movies for Real Needs is a specially designed program to serve families with special needs who seldom attend movies.

It provides a welcoming and comfortable environment with lower sound and lights up so children who need accommodations and their families can share the experience of seeing family-friendly films at a theater.

Upcoming Reel Movies for Real Needs include:

• Jumanji: The Next Level – Dec. 14
• Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – Dec. 21
• Spies in Disguise – Dec. 28
• My Spy – Jan. 11
• Dolittle – Jan. 18
• Sonic the Hedgehog – Feb. 15

A select first run movie is featured one Saturday each month at 10:30 a.m. Visit the Reel Movies for Real Needs website for location and ticket information.

Reel Movies for Real Needs is available at the following Illinois theaters:

• Addison Cinema
  1555 West Lake Street
  Addison, IL 60101
• Bloomington Cinema + IMAX
  1111 Wylie Drive
  Bloomington, IL 61705
• Orland Park Cinema
  16350 South LaGrange Road
  Orland Park, IL 60467

For questions, please call (800) 274-0099, ext. 1.

Families and professionals from around Illinois attended the annual Stepping Stones of Transition Conference to improve outcomes for transition-age youth with disabilities.

More than 550 families and professionals gathered at the 15th annual Illinois Statewide Transition Conference to gain skills, resources and information to help youth with disabilities prepare for adulthood.

The conference, titled “Stepping Stones of Transition,” took place Oct. 17-18 in Collinsville.

The event targets adolescents, parents, caretakers, vocational professionals, healthcare professionals, educators and others involved with improving outcomes for transition-age youth with special needs. It highlights the opportunities and resources available for youth as they, their families and support teams plan and prepare for the future.

The University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) served on the steering committee to plan this year’s conference.

DSCC also covered the conference-related expenses for 23 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 adult services.

Lily Dining is the mother of 14-year-old Paulina, a participant in DSCC’s program. This year’s conference was their first time attending.

“We have learned so much, to the point where I don’t know what I want to do first. It’s been so informative and we are well taken care of,” Lily said of DSCC paying for their conference fees and hotel stay.

Lily appreciated that DSCC made sure Paulina, who uses a wheelchair, had an accessible hotel room.

“Everything was so smooth and well-organized.,” she said. “I was free to just learn and not have to worry about how I was going to pay for it.”

Nineteen-year-old DSCC participant Joy attended the conference with her aunt Cecilia. They found several breakout sessions helpful as Joy begins to plan to enter the workforce. Cecilia said she’s eager to work with Joy to identify her strengths and pinpoint jobs that would be a good match.

Joy and Cecilia also enjoyed attending a special meet-and-greet for DSCC families and staff who were at this year’s conference.

The conference consisted of informative breakout sessions in the areas of:

• Independent Living
• Education and Training
• Employment
• Community Integration
• Health Care
• Self-Advocacy

DSCC participant Collin Monical, 18, attended the conference with his parents. His father, Greg, said each person in their group had different perspectives about transition and found sessions that addressed each of their interests and concerns.

Greg said most of his selected sessions involved help with government programs.

“I was not only impressed with the educational benefits of governmental programs. The human aspects presented through these talks were most enlightening,” he said.

Greg said he was particularly inspired by keynote speaker LeDerick Horne, who discussed his own experiences growing up with a learning disability. LeDerick is now a disability advocate, motivational speaker and spoken-word poet.

“Hearing these positive stories is just incredible… As parents, we tend to see a lot of the negative about disability. Every once in a while, you have to step back to see how far our children really have come,” Greg said.

“We will dwell on the materials presented from the conference for a long while. I believe that we now know more about what is out there and could perhaps ask more pointed questions in the future. Thank you so very much for the assistance provided to make this into a reality.”

More than 20 DSCC staff members also attended the conference to network, learn from others and strengthen their skillsets and the tools they use to serve our families.

DSCC Family Advisory Council member Joyce Clay, who is a professor of nursing at Richland Community College, presented a breakout session on the “The Joys and Challenges of Medical Transition.” Joyce shared her experiences with her own daughter’s complex medical needs and the strategies she has learned to enhance the transition process as her daughter moved from the pediatric to adult setting.

Additionally, DSCC sponsored the conference’s health care track for providers who play a role in the transition from the pediatric to adult healthcare system and those who build youth’s capacity and healthcare skills to prepare for adulthood.

“This year’s conference was a great success helping improve transition outcomes for youth with disabilities/special healthcare needs,” DSCC Statewide Transition Coordinator Darcy Contri said. “I am so happy to have had the opportunity to be involved for the 15 years that DSCC has helped host this conference. It just keeps getting better each year.”

Visit DSCC’s Facebook page to see photos and more information about this year’s conference

Free Santa Experiences welcome children of all ages and abilities!

Autism Speaks is once again partnering with Cherry Hill Programs this holiday season to provide free, sensory-friendly Santa Experiences for families across the country.

All families of children with autism and other special needs can enjoy a visit with Santa in a more subdued and calm environment.

Santa stops in Illinois begin Nov. 24 and are scheduled for communities including:

• Aurora
• Champaign
• Chicago
• Chicago Ridge
• Fairview Heights
• Gurnee
• Joliet
• Lombard
• Moline
• Northbrook
• Oak Brook
• Orland Park
• Schaumburg
• South Barrington
• Springfield
• Rosemont
• Vernon Hills
• West Dundee

You can visit the Autism Speaks website to search for Santa Photo Experiences in your area and reserve your spot.

Sensory-friendly Santa events are free and keepsake photo packages will be available for purchase.

If you have questions or problems registering, email autismspeaksu@autismspeaks.org.

For more Santa visits and other holiday events for children with special healthcare needs in Illinois, be sure to check our Events page.

“Let’s include the kids who often feel as if they are forgotten.”

Andrea Stambaugh’s son, Axel, is 3 years old. He loves to keep up with other kids his age, and trick-or-treating on Halloween is no exception.

This fun tradition, however, leads to disappointment for the young participant in the University of Illinois at Chicago’s Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) program.

Axel is unable to eat candy and other food items typically passed out at Halloween due to his medical needs. The lack of safe treats for Axel and children with food allergies or special needs is what makes the Teal Pumpkin Project so important, Andrea said.

The Teal Pumpkin Project aims to make Halloween safer and more inclusive for all youth by promoting non-food alternatives to the traditional Halloween candy. It encourages households to put a teal pumpkin on their doorstep to show that non-food treats are available, such as small toys or glow sticks.

Over the weekend, Andrea wrote a moving post on Axel’s Facebook page, “Axel’s Journey with CMV”, to explain what the Teal Pumpkin Project means to children like Axel.

We wanted to share her words to highlight the project’s impact on families in our program:

“Why is the #TealPumpkinProject so important?

Let me explain with the one photo below (shown above).

Every year our hometown has a day dedicated to trick or treating around the businesses.

We trick-or-treated today for four hours.

As Halloween tradition goes; once it was over, all the kids go home and beg their parents to sort through their candy bags so they can trade with their friends and eat candy until their stomach hurts.

Well, I shouldn’t say all kids, I should say that’s what MOST kids do.

In some houses when the child gets home from a fun day trick or treating, all they ended up with was a basket full of treats they can’t enjoy and disappointment.

This picture was taken when we got home today. As you can see, the majority of Axel’s teal bucket was full of candy he can not eat and only a few trinkets that he can enjoy.

The owners of the two businesses who participated in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year actually are followers of our blog.

For kids with allergies or g-tubes (gastrostomy tubes) or medical conditions that limit the things they can or cannot eat, this is what a typical Halloween night looks like.

My son so desperately wants to do the things the other kids are doing. So we take him trick-or-treating. As a parent, it breaks my heart knowing that at the end of the night there is nothing in his bucket really for him.

If you don’t know Axel, he can eat nothing by mouth and is completely dependent on his g-tube for nutrition.

Today, as people would place their Halloween bucket in front of him he would look down to see the candy and a disappointed look would come over him. In the beginning, he would pick a piece to satisfy the person with the dish, but toward the end it wasn’t even worth it. He knew none of the candy going into his bucket were really for hIm.

When I picked through his bucket and gave him the seven things he could enjoy, he was happy with that. He is easy to please. But, I just wish I had a whole bucket of things to give him.

I’m not writing this for sympathy.

I’m writing this as a mom. A mom whose only goal in life is to make sure her son is always included.

I’m writing as a plea to those who are reading.

I’m begging you to participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project this year and offer non-food items to those who need them.

Let’s include the kids who often feel as if they are forgotten.

If you need to know what the Teal Pumpkin Project is or would like to register your house on the map of those participating, you can find additional information here ——> https://www.foodallergy.org/education-awareness/teal-pumpkin-project.”

Day and overnight summer camp opportunities for all ages and abilities throughout Illinois.

Summer is fast-approaching, along with a long break from school. We’re here to help you find the right activities and programs to keep children and young adults engaged and learning.

Our Care Coordinators and support staff have compiled a list of day and overnight summer camp opportunities across the state. These camps are designed for a variety of special needs and abilities, including many of our program’s eligible medical conditions.

Whether your child wants to make new friends, develop new skills, meet others with their condition or foster their independence, our 2019 summer camp list provides a variety of options.

Our events calendar shows the summer camps listed by date. You may also search for events in your area by clicking on a regional office near you.

Free Easter Bunny visits for people of all ages and abilities.

Individuals with special needs and their families are invited to sensory-friendly Easter Bunny photo sessions scheduled throughout Illinois.

Autism Speaks is partnering with Cherry Hill Programs this spring to provide the special events.

The Bunny will welcome people of all ages and abilities at several locations across Illinois. The visits will take place in a more subdued and calm environment with extra effort to support visitors’ sensory, physical and developmental needs.

The Bunny Experiences are free, and photos will be available for purchase at each event.

The Illinois Bunny visits are scheduled for the following cities and dates:

• Aurora, April 7
• Bourbonnais, April 7
• Calumet City, April 14
• Chicago Ridge, April 7
• Fairview Heights, April 7
• Gurnee, April 7
• Joliet, April 7
• Lincolnwood, April 7
• Lombard, April 7
• Orland Park, April 7
• Peoria, April 7
• Schaumburg, March 31 and April 7
• Springfield, April 7
• West Dundee, April 7

Reservations are limited. Visit the Autism Speaks website for the full list and to reserve your spot.

For more family-friendly spring activities for children with special healthcare needs, be sure to check out our Events page.

Marcus Theatres’ offers sensory-friendly showings for families with special needs.

Marcus Theatres Reel Movies for Real Needs is a specially designed program to serve families with special needs who seldom attend movies. It provides a welcoming and comfortable environment with lower sound and lights up so special needs families can share the experience of seeing family-friendly films at a theater.

Upcoming Reel Movies for Real Needs include:

• Spider-Man: into the Spiderverse – Dec. 15
• Aquaman – Dec. 22
• Mary Poppins Returns – Dec. 29
• Bumblebee – Jan. 5
• A Dog’s Way Home – Jan. 12
• The Kid Who Would be King – Jan. 26

A select first run movie is featured one Saturday each month at 10:30 a.m. Visit the Reel Movies for Real Needs website for location and ticket information.

Reel Movies for Real Needs is available at the following Illinois theaters:

• Addison Cinema
  1555 West Lake Street
  Addison, IL 60101
• Bloomington Cinema + IMAX
  1111 Wylie Drive
  Bloomington, IL 61705
• Orland Park Cinema
  16350 South LaGrange Road
  Orland Park, IL 60467

For questions, please call (800) 274-0099, ext. 1.

A variety of overnight and day camps are available throughout Illinois.

Are you looking for fun and engaging activities to help your child make new friends, develop new skills and foster their independence?

Our Care Coordinators and support staff have helped compile a list of day and overnight summer camp opportunities across the state that are designed for a variety of special needs and abilities, including many of our program’s eligible medical conditions.

The list of 2018 summer camp activities is available on our events calendar, where you can see opportunities listed for each month.

You may also search for events in your area by clicking on a regional office near you.