The Next Step Matters
I used to hate setting goals for Penny. It felt like I was measuring her worth based on how quickly she achieved something I arbitrarily decided for her. I wanted…
Retreating and Reimagining
A few times a year, I spend a few nights away from my family, by myself. This time, while I’m away for the week, I’m working on a NEW project…
Life in the Woods
There was a day when I realized that no doctor would ever emerge to say about Penny having Down syndrome, “It was touch and go for a while there, but…
COGNOSCENTI | The future I imagine for my daughter
The future is uncertain. After high school, should Penny go to a community college? Will she be segregated and only socialize with peers with intellectual disabilities? I experienced a similar…
Dreaming for the Future
When Penny was younger, I resisted setting goals for her. The early years of her life were full of measurements and yardsticks and a sense of "falling short" of developmental…
Penny in Her Own Words: The PATH Process and Planning for the Future
I asked Penny if she would be willing to answer a few questions about her experience with the PATH process. These are her unedited responses:Â How would you explain what…
Privilege and Planning
Today, all three of our children are going to school, in person, for a full day. (Last week, they had a variety of half days and phase-in days, which is…
