In recognition of autism awareness I want to share this beautiful piece by Keli Bayrouty Rogers. December 19, 2016 may not hold any significance to you, it may have just been a normal day. You may have gone to work, you may have started your day with breakfast and a coffee, or you may have even played hookey that day. To me this day made everything that our little family was going through a reality. You see, on December 19, 2016, my beautiful little girl was given the diagnosis of autism. I want to say that I was in disbelief, that I was taken back by this but the reality is, I already knew. I had known as early as 3 months. A mom just knows. This is not to say that I wasn’t scared or unknowing of what the future would hold for my sweet little girl, it just confirmed what we had known for so long. It confirmed all the doctor appointments, it confirmed her being in Early Intervention since 9 months old because she wasn’t … [Read more...]

Kayla’s Directory started our “Successful Skating” program in the fall of 2016. This program all began because Dan McFall from Full Stride was willing to partner with us to get it off the ground. A visit to the Full Stride office opened my eyes to another wonderful Vermont business. As I entered Full Stride, I was greeted by two friendly Labradors.  But what struck me more than the beautiful dogs were the old printing presses, cardstock, and printed cards that were scattered around.  It was clear that this wasn’t the work of the Full Stride staff (unless they had some creative side business) but the work of Allison Lowry. I had known that Dan’s wife, Allison Lowry, was creative because I’d seen the Full Stride tournament t-shirts (which I love) that she’d designed and the handmade leather bags she’d created, but this old press printing was incredible.  The cards scattered around were simple, elegant, creative, and fun.  Welcome to … [Read more...]

There are many behaviors that Kayla exhibits in public that I have come to ignore or brush off.  Hand flapping, wearing headphones, covering her ears when it is loud, bringing her dolls everywhere, not filtering what she says…. those I can handle with ease.  But there is one behavior that always makes me feel like the “bad parent”— the parent whose kid is appearing to ignore an adult who is talking to them.  For instance, an adult will say “Hello, my name is….”  and Kayla will look at the ground and walk away.  How do you explain that? After all, Kayla is verbal and looks like any other 9 year-old child.  In fact, the only difference you might see is that she wears braces and might have her headphones on.  But wearing headphones is typical these days.  Call it autism, anti-social skills, or anxiety, but Kayla has a lot of difficulty looking at people, saying hi, and sometimes even acknowledging someone’s presence.  It can take Kayla … [Read more...]

It is time to come and celebrate how “Abilities Outweigh Disabilities” at the Kayla’s Directory annual fundraiser. A great evening is planned with speakers and simulation stations presented by Changing Perspectives, a non-profit that teaches adults and children about disabilities. We also will have a wonderful silent auction and end the evening with fabulous music provided by DJ, Craig Mitchell.  Click here for tickets. … [Read more...]

This is Kayla’s third year with the UVM Women’s Hockey program under Team Impact.  Over the years, she has come to know several players, some more than others.  Players graduate and move on, but at UVM there is always someone on the team who steps up and takes over.  That is the beauty of a team: there are always players willing to take over the reins and be the leaders. After watching UVM athletics for over 18 years, I have come to realize that the student athletes who attend UVM are genuine, good individuals.  Years ago, I watched them as competitive athletes competing at a Division I school. I never thought about what got them to UVM, their families, what they wanted to do after college, or their experiences. Over the last three years, I have come to realize that there is a lot more behind these athletes than sports.  The life experiences that some of these athletes have endured are unthinkable.  Whether it be mental health … [Read more...]