It’s exciting to see a new innovation that helps someone. Sometimes an invention comes along and I think to myself, “Wow, why didn’t someone think of that sooner?” I remember arriving at our city park one day and seeing a swing for kids in wheelchairs. It was thrilling to see the joy on a child’s face when they got to try it out. I was recently introduced to another one of those …
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NASA Sets a Great Example of Accessibility
Yep, you read that headline correctly. You might expect it to say Cleveland Clinic or Autism Speaks. I sure did. Hopefully, by now you've seen the jaw droppingly gorgeous photos of our galaxy taken from the James Webb Space Telescope. They capture portions of our universe in sparkling detail. For example, here is a picture of the Cartwheel Galaxy. NASA, made sure that their photos weren’t …
CWRU Students Run For Autism
Join Us in Cleveland on September 18th! Last year, a student from Case Western Reserve University here in Cleveland reached out to us and asked if the proceeds from a run they were organizing could go to the Orange Effect Foundation. How can you say no to that? Then I looked at the groups that were sponsoring the event. Naturally, the Autism Acceptance group made sense. But Quidditch? …
Orange Effect Board Member Spotlight: Kristin Erbacher
Today’s spotlight is on Orange Effect Foundation Board Chair Kristin Erbacher. What do you do for your day job? I have been lucky to have an amazing career in the Cleveland insurance industry for the past 30 years. I’ve spent the past nine years as a Commercial Property & Casualty Insurance Broker for Aon, a professional services firm providing risk, health, wealth & investment, …
Coming Soon to a Phone Near You
A new wave of accessibility tools Google and Apple have plans to make phones more accessible to people with disabilities. Tools for the vision impaired. Features for those with hearing loss or impairment. Learn more from this article in The Washington Post. …
Boy Overcomes Challenges of Being Diagnosed With Autism During Pandemic
Reposted with permission from the Cleveland Clinic. Smiling from ear to ear, 4-year-old Carter Smith loves making a grand entrance during his three time weekly visits to the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation. He calls caregivers in the facility’s Center for Autism by name and greets them with a hug. “Carter is so entertaining and has such a joyful …
Doing My Best To Make Fifty Fabulous
I remember in my teens and 20’s how OLD I thought 50 was. I mean, ancient! Now, here I am with the number 5 being the first digit of my age! I’m doing okay with 50 though. I have to admit, 45 was the rough one for me. If you notice how most places list age groups, 45-54 is a pretty common one. So having to move to that checkbox at 45 was killer. Maybe 55 will be my next crisis age! As I was …
Why I Golf For Speech Therapy
We are so fortunate to be hosting our SIXTEENTH annual golf outing. Wow. We would have never guessed we would be doing this for so many years. We have so many people to thank, like our ongoing sponsors, but also the many, many participants and volunteers who join us each year to make the day a memorable one. We asked some of them a few questions about why they return to the event each year. Here …
Orange Effect Board Member Spotlight: Cathy McPhillips
What do you do for your day job? After an amazing run working with Orange Effect Foundation founders Joe and Pam Pulizzi at the Content Marketing Institute, I am now working with OEF supporter and friend Paul Roetzer at the Marketing Artificial Intelligence Institute. Our mission is to make smarter technology—AI-powered—more understandable and accessible to marketers. Right now we’re …
The Orange Effect Foundation Awards Speech Grants, Goes Green With Digital Application Process
CLEVELAND - June 21, 2022 - PRLog -- The Orange Effect Foundation recently awarded $20,000 to nine children across the United States with speech disorders. This quarter's grants were awarded after a thorough review process by dedicated members of the Orange Effect Board of Directors. Although the application process has been a paper-driven process to date, the Orange …
Here’s How You Can Help My Son
He needs more than 'awareness' about autism. This article appeared in The Washington Post on April 7, 2022. Jackie Spinner is an associate professor at Columbia College Chicago and a former staff writer for The Post. At dinner last week, I told my 10-year-old son that his school would celebrate World Autism Awareness Day. My son was excited, mostly because he loves a party, …
How Sensory Friendly Movies Practically Saved My Life
I recently got an email from Playhouse Square, our local theatre here in Cleveland, announcing that they are doing a sensory friendly production of the play Frozen. If you aren’t familiar with sensory friendly productions, they are a dream come true for parents of kids with special needs. Sensory friendly movies, plays, areas of amusement parks etc., exist for kids who are easily overstimulated …
