Erin O'Brien and Christine Sinosic were and are pioneers. They and their peers were among the first children with severe physical and developmental disabilities to attend mainstream classrooms with non-disabled students. But when their school days were over, there was little for them in the community. Employment was not an option. Other community activities don't have essential supports for their significant needs, which require continual supervision and monitoring.
Yet their parents maintained hope for full lives for their adult children and came together to create a special place. Project Hope (Help with Opportunities for Participation and Enrichment) recently opened on York Street in London.
There, the aroma of baking chocolate chip cookies fills the air. Strains of rap music and Mary Had a Little Lamb played on a xylophone can be heard.
Erin and Christine splash and float in a whirlpool tub with the assistance of staff or a mother. A young man dashes to the window, mesmerized by traffic whizzing by.
A physiotherapy room with special equipment is ready for when a physiotherapist joins the team soon. Adaptable lifts mounted to the ceiling help employees transfer participants from wheelchairs to a toilet, bed, change table, whirlpool or shower.
A few years ago, Erin's mother, Judy O'Brien, approached Joan Currie, then a Catholic school board trustee. O'Brien, who earlier resigned her teaching job because of Erin's complex needs, was worried about how her daughter would continue to be integrated in the community after high school.
Currie, who has an older, less severely disabled son, "tried to poke around and find something." She was shocked that "There was absolutely nothing" for young adults whose profound needs include feeding, toileting, changing and other basic personal activities.
Currie and O'Brien set out to change that. They involved MPPs, put together a proposal and ultimately received provincial government funding for Project Hope. Services are operated through Participation House.
"Erin was really the architect . . . and Project Hope is a mother's tribute to a daughter," says Currie.
The downtown location was chosen for its proximity to the Central Library, YMCA, Galleria, Rainbow Cinemas and other facilities and to promote inclusion.
Erin and 12 other participants attend Project Hope Monday to Friday, often while parents work.
In addition to physical and developmental disabilities, many participants are non-verbal. "Each has a different method of communicating," Currie says.
Parents wanted "an atmosphere that is very home-like and non-institutional where all would be dealt with individually."
Currie considers Project Hope a "transition program" to help ease the young adults "from education to life." Eventually, participants may leave their parents' homes and move into community housing through Participation House or another agency.
But "we wanted to protect the integrity of the family as long as possible," says Participation House executive director Brian Dunne.
Christine's mother, Maria Sinosic, left her position as a principal to care for her daughter when Christine finished school in 2001.
"These youngsters have a right to belong to a family just like any other child," Sinosic insists.
Project Hope "gives a purpose to Chrissy's day. There's a focus," says Sinosic. "There's a reason for getting up and getting dressed. It gives some sense of normalcy."
Knowing Christine is connected, active and cared for during the day eases some of the challenges of her care. Plus her parents can more fully enjoy time with Christine and better meet her needs at home.
Currie is delighted at community response. Retired Teachers of Ontario is donating $4,000 toward computers for communication, education and recreation. Thames Valley Children's Centre is helping with set-up. Western Fair contributed $15,000 toward the cost of a van and the City of London $10,000 for transportation.
