Category: General

December 11, 2024

Sensational Socks and Stories that Sweep the Nation

I’ve known about John’s Crazy Socks for some years now. Every time we (HCQU team) opened an order to add socks to a conference raffle basket or a Direct Support Professional appreciation bundle, it felt like Christmas. The large variety of cute, funny, quirky socks to tickle your toes has impressed me. With thousands of designs, John’s Crazy Socks is...

Categories General

December 4, 2024

Don’t Be Left Out In The Cold… Practice Winter Safety!

With the vibrant fall season changing into a beautiful array of colors and the wonderful aroma of pumpkin everything, it leads us to prepare for the crisp coldness and glistening beauty of winter. Winter weather can be beautiful, but we need to take some precautions too.  These risks are particularly acute for seniors and people with disabilities. However, there are...

Categories General

November 27, 2024

Keeping The Holidays Bright for Everyone: Support Through the Season

As the holiday season quickly approaches, we may feel excited, nostalgic, and ready to celebrate. As you prepare to gather with family and friends, put up your Christmas decorations, light your menorah, or celebrate a holiday that is meaningful to you, it is important remember that the holidays can also bring challenges and stress to some of the individuals that...

Categories General

November 20, 2024

Change: Inclusive Cafe Has So Much to Give in Accessibility

Accessibility and inclusion. These two words are major hot button topics. On one hand we talk about it all day everyday that it seems like as a field and culture that we must have made great strides towards accessibility and inclusion. We have enjoyed some major wins over the last few decades. Think about parking spaces, larger bathrooms, more places...

Categories Employment/General

November 13, 2024

Cooking Together with Thyme in Your Kitchen

Cooking can be such a cherished art that brings people together. Thyme In Your Kitchen cooking class did exactly that! Thyme in Your Kitchen is located in the beautiful Sharon, PA area and offers a variety of cooking classes. Chef Garron hosts the events and makes sure everyone feels right at home. A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure...

Categories General

November 1, 2024

That Time of Year! Holiday Shopping Guide is Here!

Milestone HCQU West is excited to present our second annual Holiday Shopping Guide. This digital publication features small businesses owned and operated and products created by people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and Autism. We haven’t found them all but we happily share what we found across the map. Notice that the companies listed link to their respective websites. You can click...

Categories General

October 23, 2024

The Importance of Cybersecurity for Nonprofit Organizations

Why Cybersecurity is a Priority It seems like every time I scroll through my news feed, there are multiple articles about cybersecurity. But when you consider that data breaches exposed 7 billion records in the first half of 2024 (source: IT Governance), it’s understandable that cybersecurity is such a hot topic right now. Cybersecurity is the practice of protecting systems,...

Categories General/Resources/Technology

October 16, 2024

Do Good and Positively Impact Your Bottom Line!

October is Disability Employment Awareness Month Employment offers many benefits beyond financial compensation. It keeps us busy, challenges us, and adds value and structure to our lives. It gives us a sense of pride, purpose, and personal achievement. This is equally important for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD) and/or autism. We have witnessed the positive impact of employment on many...

Categories Community/Employment/Everyday Life/General

October 9, 2024

Trauma and Direct Care Professionals: The Forgotten Sacrifice

Modified from August 2019. Having worked in our system for a number of years now, I have heard many horrible stories of what people have had to endure in their lifetime. We truly work with some of the strongest survivors I have had the privilege of knowing. According to a report completed by NPR in 2018, people with intellectual disabilities...

Categories Everyday Life/General

October 2, 2024

Demystify Sugars: Gain an Understanding of Sugars in Your Diet

Understanding sugars in your diet is beneficial.  Especially if you are looking to lose weight, have diabetes, or are just concerned about what type of sugars you put in your body. This article will discuss the different types of sugars and how they are digested within the body. These are the types of sugars that will be discussed: Understanding Sugars...

Categories Everyday Life/General