Today looked great: The “Other Mother” and I went to look at an apartment in the desired location, a nearby town with excellent services and a wonderful adult special needs community. We had visited an affordable housing site a week earlier in a less desirable town.

The apartment we visited today was perfect.

Three hours and many phone calls later, we thought it safe to sign an offer…to be followed up by a visit to the unit by our case manager and the person in charge of residential for the agency who would service our daughters. Any housing has to meet required safety and other standards in addition to funding ceilings.

We were super excited but it wasn’t meant to be. Small glitch, unbeknown to the real estate agent, the unit had rented two days prior. Crestfallen.

On another note, an article of interest appeared in the New York Times today: Zach Anner, a twenty-six year old comedic talent with cerebral palsy, won a competition to have a show on the Oprah network. Zach’s challenges center on issues of mobility. He lives life in a wheel chair. But whether physically or intellectually challenged, the rules are the same.

In Zach’s wise words:

“My best advice to anybody who has a child with a disability is to really find the tools for that person to thrive and find what their true passions are, because the rest will follow.”

©Jill Edelman, M.S.W., L.C.S.W. 2011