By June Matthews
Sometimes a journey of hope is a 3-year-old boy with Down syndrome walking with the aid of a gait trainer to his new preschool class. A friendly group of grown-ups – later identified as teachers – are standing at the door, cheering him on.
“Welcome, David!” they cry out.
A journey of hope is also his mommy walking alongside him with tears in her eyes because she knows her son will be accepted here for who he is – knows this is where he can get the help he needs; this is where he can thrive.
“Being part of United Ability has changed our lives,” said Camilla Moss of Mountain Brook. “The love and care that the teachers and staff feel for their children is incredible. I cannot say enough wonderful things about them and what they did for David in a short period of time.”
When he started United Ability’s Hand In Hand program in October 2020, David was on a gait trainer, said his mom. But within six months, he was walking without assistance.
“We’re very thankful for the therapy team,” Moss said. “They’re just fantastic in every way.”
David recently graduated from the Hand In Hand pre-K program and will soon begin a year of pre-K at a public school before going on to kindergarten. But his mom is still committed to supporting United Ability. One way she plans to do that is through Journey of Hope, a fundraising event set for Aug. 19 at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center.
“It’s important to bring awareness to the services United Ability provides to the community, and Journey of Hope does that,” she said. “It also raises money needed to expand those services and to continue providing services to families who need them. I will do anything I can to support United Ability because what they do is phenomenal.”
