For most of us, family is the center of our lives. They’re the people who care about us and know us best. Ryan is a teenager who lost both his parents in less than two years. Ryan also has Down syndrome. This kind of loss is devastating, of course. Ryan’s relatives were not able to…
Your kindness made a tremendous difference to a little boy named Daniel!* Daniel lives with his foster parents and 8 other children, many of them also foster kids. His foster parents will tell you that he’s a very sweet kid. Daniel doesn’t speak, can’t see and uses a wheelchair. He was isolated at his last…
Jordan, age 13, and Danielle, age 14, ride the school bus together to Wayfinder’s Special Education School. The school enrolls children ages 5 to 22 who have profound special needs. Jordan is a happy, cheerful teenager with autism spectrum disorder, an intellectual disability, and difficulty speaking. Danielle, who delights school staff and students with her…
“School today?” 13-year-old Jordan hopefully asked his mother, Jerilynn, every summer day. Jordan was very eager to start eighth grade in Wayfinder’s Special Education School. He loves everything about the school—riding the bus, his teachers, arts and crafts—and especially learning. Staff at our Special Education School were happy to welcome back Jordan and all their…
Enthusiastic students are returning to Wayfinder’s Special Education School! Among the happy students is Danielle, age 13, who is excited to return for her second year. Danielle is blind and has developmental delays. Her mother, Corinna, transferred Danielle to Wayfinder’s school because she needs more specialized services for visual impairment than she was receiving in…
Representatives from the California Department of Education and Los Angeles Unified School District said they were “blown away” by the quality of distance education that Wayfinder is providing to students in its Special Education School during the pandemic. Our school enrolls children and youth, ages 5 to 22, who are visually impaired or have moderate-to-severe…
Porch Drops When California instituted a stay-at-home order in response to the pandemic, Wayfinder staff knew that many of our families would struggle to secure the necessities. Our early intervention specialists and foster care workers contacted families to learn their needs. Staff prepared customized packages using items donated by our in-kind partners. We called the…
Our hearts go out to you and all members of the Wayfinder family in these challenging times. We hope you are faring well. The COVID-19 pandemic is difficult for everyone, but especially for our most vulnerable clients. Ten-year-old Thomas has nowhere else to go. Born with intellectual disabilities, he lives in a Wayfinder group home…
#WayfinderClassroom tip from our Special Education Principal: “We know that it can be challenging for families to prompt their children through a whole day of functional school activities, but just look for learning moments throughout the day: For example at meal time, use directional words and prepositions: “Put the straw in the cup” or “the cup…
Our Special Education School is physically closed due to the COVID-19 crisis but learning hasn’t stopped! Our amazing school staff immediately sprang into action to deploy a distance learning plan even before the closure! Check out this schedule of activities they put together and share with other families who may need activity ideas. (Special thanks to the Behavioral Interventions…
