Recent News

Forensics, Yoga, Public Speaking: Life Options is Expanding Horizons

Over the past few months there have been a lot of exciting things happening in the Life Options program.  As we come to the end of our 3rd year, we continue to grow and expand.  The roster of participants in Life Options has grown to 131 and we still have people on our waiting list!  The participants continue to learn and grow in the program.  Several of them hold Teacher Aide positions in Life Options.  In these positions the participants write lesson plans and assist with teaching classes such as computers, creative writing and poetry.

In addition to the increase in participants, we have added new classes to our program.  Recently, we added a class in Forensic Science/Psychology.  Due to the nature of the information that would be presented the staff were initially hesitant about offering this class.  The participants advocated for themselves and are now learning about how investigators process a crime scene to learn how crimes were committed, how they track down criminals and how the criminal mind works. 

Two of our newest classes are Yoga and Yearbook.  Many of our participants enjoy the Yoga class.  It has been adapted to allow everyone to participate.  The Yoga class teaches relaxation and body awareness.  It is so popular that our staff often join in on their breaks.  The yearbook class has begun to gather information and pictures to record all of the happenings in the program.  We look forward to sharing the first edition with everyone.

Several Life Options members have been participating in the Public Speaking Elective and the Speaker’s Bureau which has helped them feel more comfortable with public speaking.  The teachers and participants joined forces to speak about Disability Awareness at the Nassau County Museum of Art in Roslyn Heights.

Our computer room has been outfitted with several Wii video game systems.  These systems have been used to enhance our PT program.  The Clinical Services Department and Computer Room teacher teamed up to develop programs that will incorporate fine motor skills and exercise programs.  The controllers have been adapted to be used with therapeutic equipment.  These adaptations allow participants with limited movement to participate in the games using the movement they have.  The systems are interactive and allow people to see their movements turn into a strike in bowling or a hole in one in golf.

Recently, the Music Group held a fundraising concert for the Carmen Road School.  The school had a fire in June and is in the process of rebuilding.  Many of our participants graduated from the Carmen Road School and felt they wanted to do something to help their alma mater.  The music group did a wonderful job of getting the entire audience into the music.  Everyone there came together for this worthy cause.

The participants and staff of the Life Options program encourage visitors to come and see the artwork displayed throughout the program and observe our classes in action.

By Maria Maringelli