Author: Joy

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Thank you, Cawaco RC&D Council!

Thanks to *Cawaco RC&D Council, several students at The Red Barn have been learning valuable job skills since last October. A grant from Cawaco enabled The Red Barn to provide 270 program hours to students. That is 270 hours of instruction by instructors and occupational therapy interns preparing the students for work by teaching organization, communication, teamwork, task initiation, appropriate behavior in a professional setting, efficiency, quality control, and problem-solving in a barn environment.

All participants showed improvements in at least one area of measurement! We are so grateful to take part in helping these students learn, achieve, and move closer to long-term employability.

Additionally, this washpad will soon be covered by a safe, solid, rainproof structure, thanks to *Cawaco RC&D and a group of wonderful volunteers! With the washpad covered, students will be able to complete chores, even when it’s sunny and hot or drizzling rain. This is especially important for students with conditions that are exacerbated by heat and sun exposure. We are all so grateful for this support! Thank you, Cawaco!

Funding for this project was supplied (in part) by Cawaco RC&D, Inc. www.cawaco.org

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Your Gift Doubles! Give Before 12/24/21

 

 

Today, we are asking you to give a gift to help a child with a disability from a family that needs financial assistance.

The pandemic has caused unimaginable anxiety and trauma for children and families; read more here.  Families are desperately seeking help for their children.

Let me tell you how your gift will help a child like Tracey.

Tracey has auditory processing disorder, autism, and anxiety disorder. This means she has difficulty understanding verbal information and communicating if she needs something.

Her mom knows that Tracey would benefit from interacting with and riding horses at the barn, but she doesn’t know how she can afford riding lessons.

The challenge has been made even worse due to the pandemic.

A generous donor has stepped up to help children like Tracey, and so can you. The donor recently offered to match your gift dollar-for-dollar, up to $50,000. But you have to make your gift before December 24th to take advantage of the match!

Will you give by December 24th to help a child like Tracey?

Your gift will allow Tracey to ride a horse and work on important skills that she needs to be successful. Skills like improving her core strength, self-esteem, confidence, communication, and interpersonal skills.

Every hour a child like Tracey is on horseback is an hour where tremendous confidence is being built, but that is at risk due to the pandemic and the costs associated with running our programs.

Kids like Tracey can really use your help. And your gift will DOUBLE to make TWICE the impact because of the match.

But it is urgent that you give before December 24th to ensure these children and families receive the essential services they need. 

The pandemic has added additional financial stress on our ability to serve the kids and care for the horses. And for a variety of pandemic-related issues, it costs more per hour for a child to ride a horse.

Your gift will make a life-changing difference to Tracey and others who have a disability and who are from low-income families.

While you are reading this, would you send in a gift? You’ll love knowing you have helped a child with a disability in their time of need.

Please send your gift to help today!

Sincerely,

Joy O’Neal, Executive Director

p.s. To give online, click here! You may also mail a check to The Red Barn at 2722 Bailey Road, Leeds, AL 35094.

 

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Partnering to Improve the Lives of Children with Disabilities and Communication Disorders

Children with communication disorders and other disabilities are often misunderstood by others who come in contact with them. For many children, these misunderstandings can result in undesirable encounters with law enforcement officers, some even resulting in arrest and imprisonment. Very little training is provided for law enforcement officers in how to appropriately communicate with individuals who have communication disorders and/or disabilities. Those who have communication disorders or disabilities often struggle with responding appropriately in stressful situations, understanding and following directions, and complying with direct orders. Children with these kinds of disabilities are not regularly exposed to law enforcement officers and taught how to respond correctly. Minimal training for officers, as well as limited interactions between the two groups, can create a perfect storm of confusion, distrust, and misunderstanding.

What is being done about this issue? I’m glad you asked! The Red Barn has partnered with the JAYC Foundation on an initiative to close the gap between children with disabilities and law enforcement officers. The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation has awarded a grant that will provide the resources to create an educational video for officers, as well as a social story for children. The instructional video will be made available online. The social story will also be available to download, which will explain to children what they should do if approached by a police officer. Additional resources for parents will be provided free of charge on the JAYC website.

Filming the video at The Red Barn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everyone involved in this project hopes that schools (many of which now have a full-time police presence) and police precincts will incorporate these free resources to better prepare for interactions between these two wonderful groups of people.

The Red Barn and other similar agencies around the country will extend opportunities to local law enforcement agencies to have opportunities to interact with horses. What do horses have to do with this? Well, horses cannot speak and tell you what they are thinking. They use non-verbal indicators to communicate with others. While most of their communication is very different from humans, there are similarities. Teaching adults how to read the body language of horses and how to approach them safely helps prepare them for working with individuals with communication disorders.

Our very own founder, Joy O’Neal, has been working diligently on this project with Jaycee Dugard, Rebecca Bailey, Laura Vogtle, Jan Rowe, and Shelley Jones, as well as numerous parents of children with communication disorders. We want to thank all of these organizations and individuals for continually working toward the goal of making our world a more inclusive and understanding place!

Lights, camera, action!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We are so excited about this amazing opportunity to further serve children with disabilities, improving their lives, and teaching others how to communicate effectively with them. The potential exists for amazing progress to be made in this area, so please pray with us for the success of this program!