HOME RUN HITTERS INTERNATIONAL

Description

Our organization began as a non profit 10 years ago because of the need for activities and programs that would encourage engagement with those individuals who were not able to communicate and interact in conventional ways. Those children who had physical, cognitive, health, emotional, sensory (vision and hearing) limitations or differences. We included children who are dependent for a lifetime requiring total support for all of activities of daily living. They need to be dressed, fed, physically moved in order to turn over from side to side when lying down. If they have an itch, they have no way of letting others know. If they did, they would need someone to scratch for them.

As we thought about quality of life issues, we looked beyond curricular activities in the school setting. We looked at what social communicative opportunities were offered to these children, outside of the classroom. Extra curricular activities, community programs, social engagements in stores, parks, restaurants appeared to be non existent for these children. Programs geared to have individuals partner with these girls and guys often focused on the volunteers and their preferences and not on the children we targeted. We believed that each individual has something to say even if they have no words and cannot sign.