On March 13, 2020, Raising Special Kids released our organization’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Raising Special Kids Board of Directors and staff have responded swiftly and decisively to minimize any significant impact on the provision of vital services to the families we serve.
In summary the following actions were communicated and realized:
- All programs and services have been delivered via phone, email, mail, online, virtual and other distance platforms
- Physical offices have been closed to the general public
- Raising Special Kids has made the necessary adjustments to support staff to work from home
The organization continues to monitor our current situation and guidance issued from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Arizona Department of Health Services (ADHS), and other sources of reliable and credible information. Governor Ducey’s stay-at-home order has been lifted and Arizona State Government has begun allowing a re-opening of businesses with direction to establish and implement safety protocols and best practices, such as using face coverings, frequent hand-washing, social distancing, appointment-only services and other methods to protect the public while easing restrictions.
Raising Special Kids is an organization of Families Helping Families with the primary purpose of providing information training and support to individuals who have disabilities and special health care needs and their families. We believe that to be effective in our work peer-to-peer support, or Parent to Parent support, is essential to help move families beyond isolation and grief into a broader network of families with a shared lived experience, and therefore nearly all Raising Special Kids staff are, themselves, parents or family members of children who have disabilities and special health care needs.
Though generally speaking disability alone may not be related to higher risk for contracting COVID-19, individuals with chronic health conditions, according to the Centers for Disease Control, seem to be at higher risk for severe illness from the virus, should they be exposed to it. Raising Special Kids serves, and employs, a significant percentage of people who have children with chronic health conditions that may put them at higher risk of severe illness.
Raising Special Kids will continue to serve Arizona’s families of children who have disabilities and special health care needs with the full range of family support services through phone, email, mail, online, virtual and other distance platforms through June 30, 2020.
We will continue to monitor information and guidance from reliable and credible sources through June 30, 2020 when we plan to re-assess our organization’s response to the current situation.
Christopher Tiffany
Executive Director
Raising Special Kids