Reviewed by: Sharron Swain
How one Birmingham organization is changing the lives of people with disabilities now
Reading time: 4 minutes
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Easterseals has been impacting the lives of individuals with disabilities and special needs for over 100 years through innovative programs. Find out how one Birmingham family got involved and found great care locally through the life-changing community services.
The mission of Easterseals of the Birmingham Area
Easterseals of the Birmingham Area is changing the way the world defines and views disabilities. The Birmingham organization helps individuals with special needs build skills and access resources needed to live, learn, work and be a part of the community.
Easterseals works to accomplish their mission in ways such as:
- Providing sessions of Feeding, Physical, Speech and Occupational Therapy to children with disabilities
- Offering job readiness training for adults and teens with disabilities
- Training teens with disabilities in a paid summer internship program
- Providing virtual reality training for job development
- Supporting Camp ASCCA
“We want our families to find comfort and great care. We accept Medicaid, work with families who have challenges economically and provide sliding scales. Here at Easterseals, we do everything we can to ensure no child is going to be turned away due to an inability to pay. We now have Spanish speaking employees and we’re very proud of the amount of translation we offer in our clinics.”
Michael Woolley, Executive Director, Easterseals
Explore Easterseals of the Birmingham Area’s programs.
Meet Michael Woolley, Executive Director, + his son Zach
I had the pleasure to sit down with Michael Woolley, the Executive Director for Easterseals of the Birmingham Area, and he passionately shared about his experience advocating for his son Zach.
When Michael’s son was born at Cedars-Sinai in California, he was a little over three months premature. Michael and his family moved back to Alabama, because they knew they would need support.
The week before Zach turned one, he was at an early intervention clinic at Children’s of Alabama where he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Michael recalled the doctor carefully telling him that Zach was the same baby going out the door with this diagnosis as he was coming in.
Since that day, Michael has been an advocate for Zach and people like him through involvement on multiple nonprofit and philanthropic boards including Children’s Parent Patient Advisory Board, Chairman of Very Special Arts, United Cerebral Palsy and now Easterseals.
Easterseals made a personal impact in Zach’s younger life as he spent amazing times at Alabama’s Special Camp for Children and Adults(Camp ASCCA).
His greatest times growing up were at camp because there, he was just a regular kid.
When Michael’s volunteer term drew to a close, he was asked to come on at Easterseals as the Executive Director.
With Michael’s experience in the buisness community and many years as a board member plus being a dad himself, he has been able to make great things happen for the organization.
Get involved with Easterseals of the Birmingham Area today.
Easterseals has a new VR career exploration program
Easterseals runs a virtual reality (VR) training program that helps distinguish career pathways for individuals with disabilities. Easterseals is connected to the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS), which refers teen and adult patients to them.
In an age where everyone lives in their phones and devices, Easterseals works to help people figure out virtually what job really interests them through their VR career exploration program.
“It’s a different way to look at learning. If you want to be a mechanic, let’s put you in that situation. For five minutes, you’re going to be changing the oil on a car and finding up front what students could be really great at.”
“People with disabilities aren’t just filling out papers, making boxes and checks; they are interacting in a wide variety of career pathways.”
Michael Woolley, Executive Director, Easterseals
Learn more about Easterseals of the Birmingham Area’s programs + how YOU can get invloved today.
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