Live, Learn, Work & Play

Easterseals offers services and advocacy for local children

By: Anna Hughes | Photos by Victor Hilitski

The walls of Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley are filled with portraits of kids being kids. They’re playing on the playground, digging through the mud, or showcasing their musical skills on tiny guitars and light-up pianos, while flashing their smiles.

The kids featured are a testament to Easterseals and their mission. The organization is dedicated to top-notch services and tireless advocacy so that children with disabilities can live, learn, work, and – of course – play. Although their daily lives are full of extra challenges that might be different from others, at Easterseals, that’s the norm. It’s a community for kids to learn, grow, and just be a kid.

“The therapists, including myself, love what we do, and it shows.”

– Maureen Karwowski

Each hallway at the Rosalie Dold Center for Children in Villa Park is lined with numerous therapy rooms: speech-language pathology, occupational and physical therapy, audiology, nutrition, and mental health support. The rooms are bright, engaging, and welcoming, mirroring the center’s goal of creating a warm environment for children.

Five-year-old Alexandr uses the Walking Track in the Easterseals hallway with his physical therapist Laura Donatello.

Easterseals offers a range of programming for an all-inclusive variety of disabilities. At the helm of this program is Vice President of Clinical Services Maureen Karwowski. It’s her job to ensure that every one of these children receives the highest level of personalized care. Karwowski, a long-time Elmhurst resident, oversees all of the clinical services at their three locations (Villa Park, Naperville, and Elgin), as well as their inclusive daycare. She’s responsible for planning programs that meet the children’s needs using top evidence-based practices for therapy.

“The therapists, including myself, love what we do, and it shows,” Karwowski said. “We pride ourselves on being well educated, curious, holistic, and always putting the child and their family first. ”

Each week, the Easterseals team sees over 1,000 kids in person at their homes, in one of the three centers, or through tele-therapy. This impressive group of leading clinical therapists and health professionals have proven experience that spans decades and diagnoses, which is why Easterseals Dupage & Fox Valley is known to offer the most comprehensive pediatric outpatient rehabilitation services in the Midwest. For Karwowski, the best part of Easterseals is building relationships with the kids and their families.

“They fill the space with joy and energy, “ Karwowski said. “The bonus is [getting] to see therapists and families working together to support a child’s development. We witness children learning to ride bikes in the hallways, sharing stories, lighting up with smiles in their therapy sessions, and that is truly the best part of my day.”

Karwowski is certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment techniques (NDT) and is a trainer in the Developmental Individualized Relationship Based treatment (DIR®) method. She has focused these certifications and her advanced training in sensory and feeding skills to help children with autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders, and feeding challenges.

These skills help her to look at the whole child comprehensively, merging evidence-based therapies with a neurodiversity-affirming approach. Karwowski uses this training not only as an occupational therapist, but also as a teaching opportunity for her colleagues. Karwowski, however, understands that therapy is a process, and she acknowledged that she is always learning.

“The culture here is to always be learning,” Karwowski said. “The therapists are the most curious and well-educated group I have ever encountered. Everyone seeks opportunities for mentoring, advanced trainings, collaboration, and teaching.”

Her goal as a leader is to ensure that the best practices and techniques are used and that the children and families she serves feel supported throughout their time with Easterseals. Whether a family is at Easterseals for six months or years, Karwowski said the end goal is always for the child to reach their greatest potential, and for both the child and their family to feel empowered to achieve that potential.

“We pride ourselves on understanding that a child is a part of an entire family and we support everyone in the best way we can,” Karwowski said. “All of our therapists recently participated in a six-month process that enables them to collaborate and attune to a family’s needs as part of the child’s therapy sessions. This has been transformational for our clinicians.”

Easterseals is not just a place for therapy – it’s a place for community. Growing up with a delay or disability – or having a child who is – can be isolating and frustrating. Here, these children and their families can be part of a larger family: one that sees each other and truly understands. It’s a place where being “labeled” as disabled doesn’t define anyone.

Through simple daily activities like saving reserved parking and seating for those who need it, or offering extra assistance with a smile, everyone can promote Easterseals and actively live out their mission of empowering children with disabilities. By doing so, the world can become a place where a label doesn’t define anyone.

Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley is part of a National organization that has been advocating for people with disabilities for more than 100 years.To support Easterseals by donating time, talent, or financing, visit www.easterseals.com/dfv. ■