Vicki's Perspective
It was 2006 and the season of aging out of the school system was quickly approaching for our 2nd adult child with special needs, as our 1st adult child with special needs worked a very part time job at Publix. As most parents of someone with special needs knows, the heartbreak of watching them leave the school system and lose consistent friendships, lose their mentoring teacher and have increased downtime is painful to experience. My husband and I were already experiencing the lack of positive stimulation and social opportunities available to our first.
As we all know, advocating for your child is hard enough while they are in school. But things really do change when school ends. We were constantly worried about how to best support our 2 young adults as they journeyed through adulthood.
At some point we realized that for them, our goals were pretty simple. Being happy and content were the most important. But this new season of life was not set up to support this desire. During the growing up years we saw that neurotypical children in the neighborhood were truly their friends and made a positive difference in their lives. But the middle and teen years begins that painful separation. It is just a natural process. But relating to their peers within special school classrooms and special activities, seemed to be comfortable and natural to mine as they continued to grow into adulthood. And there’s something about hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles that helps you know these relationships are valuable.
Recognizing that we certainly were not the only ones trying to find our way through the transitional years, my family and I decided we would do something way beyond our comfort zone. Encouraged and assisted by their brother, we decided that doing something to enhance our children’s adult journey was better than just doing nothing.
I’m not sure why we thought we should jump “to the rescue”. Somehow, I felt we were being called to try to make a difference. I had no special skills, nor my husband, that would be an obvious fit. But we were in a position in many ways to make an effort on behalf of this special community of adults. We were grateful to have the opportunity.
We would address the issues that often arise when aged out of school—the loneliness, boredom and possible regression—with a program that answered the question “What happens when the school bus stops coming?” We would create The Next Stop Foundation, Inc. On September 5, 2007, the doors opened to 10 members and a few volunteers.
As we moved forward, our goals expanded. Basically, we wanted to provide a program that enhanced the lives of adults with special needs with social, recreational and learning opportunities and experiences. With respect for their adulthood, we wanted to have an environment that supported personal growth or at least maintenance of already learned skills. As we continued the development of The Next Stop, we learned more about the need for belonging, the empowerment of success, how increased confidence supports maturity, and most importantly, that positive stimulation through activities and connections reduces the risk of social and cognitive decline.
Remember, WE are YOU
We’ve always said that we serve not only our members, but their families. Because we are parents in the same boat as others, we were/are easily able to share frustrations, concerns and triumphs with our families. We often say “remember, WE are YOU”. Because their feelings are very familiar to us. This kind of understanding helped our communications immensely and set the stage for us all working together to support their adult children. And we have continued this for 16 years. It has been our joy and purpose to mentor our children and other adults with special needs through The Next Stop.
The Next Stop is not a day program. We often refer to it as a social enrichment club. Our team is a devoted, supportive group led by our occupational therapist who serves as the Program Director. We meet Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:00—5:00 with our members attending once, twice or maybe three times a week. As years went by, The Next Stop flourished but stayed small by design.
The Next Stop neighborhood online
Then it was March, 2020. With all of us sequestered at home, those awful issues of loneliness, boredom and possible regression were staring us in the face again. We worked furiously to figure out how to connect us all and were up and running in less than 2 weeks. The Next Stop spent 14 months meeting online with a re-invented programming plan. We were able to address the loneliness by meeting together 3 afternoons a week. We were able to attend to the boredom and possible regression with fun and stimulating activities such as cooking, yoga, games, crafts and music. We were encouraged that our members and their families were able to manage and enjoy this kind of engagement.
Of course, nothing beats in-person connections. We finally returned to our normal onsite meetings in the spring of 2021. Being back together was wonderful, but the success of our online effort was still on our mind.
As we continued to consider what we had successfully accomplished, we wondered if we could offer the same for adults with special needs everywhere. With the extensive programming that The Next Stop had developed through the years and now the virtual connection knowledge we possessed, our leadership team began to believe we could support adults with special needs beyond our onsite program!
We know – and you know – the special needs adult population is an underserved one. There are those who cannot or just don’t attend a regular day program for a variety of reasons. Even if a program is attended, the amount of leisure time one has is often filled with TV watching or other passive activities that aren’t meaningful or productive. The same negative issues The Next Stop has always sought to tackle are often the result. We became convinced that loneliness, boredom and possible regression could be addressed in fun ways - virtually!
After 2 years in development, The Next Stop Neighborhood was launched in November, 2023. This website offers stimulating daily activities and engaging events, and provides a platform for connection and interaction through fun weekly Zoom activities. Because activities open daily, there are already over a year’s worth of content available to subscribers. And, all the content is created by learning specialists and licensed therapists.
It’s possible of course that the issues The Next Stop (TNS) Neighborhood is working to remedy has not been your experience with your adult child. Or maybe you haven’t gotten there yet. I can only speak from what I’ve faced within my family and the plethora of conversations I’ve had with other families through all these years. I hope that even if TNS Neighborhood doesn’t appear to fit your family’s needs, you will share with others who you think might benefit.
Serving adults with special needs in our own community is a privilege that I will always cherish. And now along with a team of remarkable people, being able to expand the reach of The Next Stop’s vision to others everywhere is simply amazing.
* Photos provided by Vicki LaRoche
