Stories

Cheryl Mayfield is one of the founding Board Members of Avenues SLS (since 1997), and lives in an accessible mobile home she purchased with the assistance of some housing grants.  Cheryl studied for her AA degree at LA Valley College & Mission College, wrote a...

One of our Avenues Mother's shared a compelling story a few weeks back about the impact of having a child with Autism. Back in the 70s, there were no resources or effective treatments to help a family cope with this lifelong journey. The doctor, back then, told these...

Ronda Michaelson was born in the late 1930s to a loving family, which soon included a younger brother.  She attended special schools in the L.A. area while growing up, and in 1961, her parents were one of several families who helped to start LARC Ranch in Santa...

    Lori Shepard was raised with an inclusive mindset.  The concept of segregation (for any reason) has never been a consideration. She attended public schools and saw peers separated from the mainstream, but, even at a young age, did not see the value in that...

Dr. Temple Grandin was born on August 29, 1947, in Boston, Massachusetts.  Dr. Grandin is a designer of livestock handling facilities and a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. Facilities she has designed are located in the United States, Canada,...

Mary A. Falvey, Ph.D. Dr. Mary Falvey is an Emerita Professor from the Division of Special Education and Counseling at California State University, Los Angeles. She has advocated for hundreds of thousands of students with disabilities to be educated alongside their...

Monica Sagen, Lori Shepard's Mother, was born prematurely in 1936 and immediately diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. Well before words such as "inclusion and Supported Employment" existed, doctors told Monica's mom she would not live an hour, a day, a month, a year, five...

June E. Downing, Ph.D., was a national leader in the field of special education who focused her expertise, time, and energy researching best practices and advocating for individuals with severe and multiple disabilities, all the while making the case for inclusion,...

Carol Jean Shepard was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in 1932 to Wright and Elsie Shepard.  Shortly after Carol was born, her parents took her to see a doctor in the "big city" of Chicago, as they did not know what Down Syndrome was.  They were told that Carol had an...

March is Women's History Month! During March, AvenuesSLS.org will be spotlighting pioneers who work(ed) for the inclusion of ALL people throughout their lifespan. Historically, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities have been marginalized, and history...