18 | MARCH 9 • 2023
F
amilies who have a child with spe-
cial needs will gather for a parent
symposium on Sunday, March
12, designed to help them navigate their
young adult/adult children’s transitional
years. The three-hour event, which is
being offered at no cost, will be held at the
Jewish Community Center of Metropolitan
Detroit.
Some 20 area agencies will be on hand
to connect with the more
than 130 attendees who
have already RSVPed from
throughout Metro Detroit.
“I hope that families come
away with their questions
answered,” says Dr. Stephanie
Zoltowski-Siordia, director,
JCC Special Needs. “I hope
they make family connections,
get respite care, social interaction with
like-minded families, and information to
help their transitioning child.”
Caroline Margolis of Bloomfield Hills
has the event marked on her calendar. She’s
eager to gather resources and information
for her 16-year-old son. “I have not been
to other things like it,” she says. “I’m really
looking forward to talking to people to
see what he can do in the future, to learn
about housing and job support. I’m excited
to learn about the different programs
available and hopefully have a takeaway of
a more secure future for my son and me.”
She adds that she’s grateful such an
event is being put on, and excited to talk
with other people at the event. “I don’t
really know much yet,” she explains.
“Community, housing, really everything —
I think it’ll be good just to see what’s out
there.”
Terry Matlen of Birmingham says she’s
also glad to see the symposium taking
place. There were far fewer resources
when her daughter, who is turning 35,
was younger, she explains. “There wasn’t
a whole lot out there. Not only that, but it
was hard to connect with other kids with
special needs,” Matlen says, adding that
even today, families can feel isolated and
disconnected from the community.
The symposium is a way of letting
parents who already have their hands full
find new opportunities and share their
experiences with others.
“I’ve been in this for 35 years now, and
parents are so hungry to connect with
other families who understand them and
get them and don’t stare at their child or
have opinions about their child,” she says.
“Being able to normalize our kids and our
family life by being around other families
at a symposium like this will be a huge
weight off of our shoulders,”
Matlen says.
Kathleen Remski, parent
adviser with Solutions for
Adult Interdependent Living
(SAIL), will address the group.
“I’m going to share with par-
ents the story of launching
my differently abled daughter and soon-
to-be-launched differently abled son, and
how SAIL can assist them in the journey to
find independence for their loved one,” she
explains. “I hope that mine and my hus-
band’s story about launching our daughter
will inspire individuals and let
them know there are resourc-
es to support them along the
way.”
It’s meaningful for families
to get the information they
need now and to build long-
term connections, she says.
“SAIL helps people understand the impor-
tance of community and support them in
their launch for their loved one.”
OUR COMMUNITY
JCC will host a symposium for
parents of kids with special needs.
A Special Event
for Special Families
Dr.
Stephanie
Zoltowski-
Siordia
KAREN SCHWARTZ CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Exercise class
at JCC Day
Camps
Linda
Rosberg
Kathleen
Remski
Join other families of special needs kids at
the March 12 symposium.