Daria's renewed smile reminds her mother that she made the right decision for her daughter.
Every Friday evening, like clockwork, Larisa drives to Junior Blind and picks up her thirteen-year-old daughter, Daria, from the Children's Residential Program. "Dasha," as Larisa lovingly calls Daria, has lived on Junior Blind's campus for two years and also attends Junior Blind's Special Education School.
She was born as part of a set of triplets and was the only one diagnosed with disabilities—10 diagnoses in all. Visually impaired, Daria has autism, intellectual disability (formerly known as mental retardation) and multiple language, motor and social delays.
"I miss Daria during the week, but I know that Junior Blind is where she is supposed to be," says Larisa. "They know how to give children with disabilities like Daria's the specialized care that they need."
Enrolling a child in a residential program is not an easy decision for any parent to make and Larisa was no exception. A single parent caring for three young children and an elderly mother, she did her best to respond to Daria's unique needs for as long as she could. But, as Daria got older, her needs were beyond the scope of what Larisa could provide her.
Junior Blind's Children's Residential Program and Special Education School provide children like Daria, who have multiple disabilities, with a loving environment where they can receive the care and education critical to their development.
From the very beginning, Larisa knew Junior Blind was the right place for Daria.
As a young girl, Daria seemed unresponsive to her surroundings and had problems communicating, walking independently and feeding herself. Though she had been a sweet and calm child, Daria was also beginning to exhibit problematic behaviors such as biting and holding her breath until her lips turned purple.
At Junior Blind, Daria has shown significant progress. She has become more mobile and her troubling behaviors have reduced in frequency. "When Daria learned to use a spoon to feed herself, it was a huge accomplishment," says Larisa. "I was so proud."
Children with multiple disabilities, like Daria, find the specialized care they need at junior Blind.
Today, Daria also demonstrates signs of increased awareness of the world around her. She communicates preferences and dislikes, including becoming visibly elated when she listens to music, plays on the seesaw at Mattel Park or finds that the cartoon, Garfield, is playing on television.
More importantly, it is her response to being picked up on Fridays that warms her mother's heart the most. "When I come, Daria's laughing and clapping," says Larisa. "Her smile lets me know she is in wonderful hands."
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