Easterseals receives grant from Reeve Foundation

NEW CASTLE – Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore recently received a $30,000 Quality of Life grant from The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Easterseals will use the grant to provide virtual tours for consumers with disabilities, including paralysis, and their caregivers. Easterseals was one of only 17 grantees nationwide awarded funds from this foundation this year.

“We are honored and excited to receive this grant from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. The pandemic brought to light the great need to expand our ability to provide virtual tours to help make sure our Resource Center is as accessible and inclusive as possible,” Nancy Ranalli, Easterseals Director of Community Outreach & Assistive Technology, said. “This new equipment will help us reach a greater number of people, especially those with paralysis and their caregivers.”

Assistive technology in this project includes voice-activated home assistants, electronic door openers, light switches, and tablets to control them. The technology can allow a person living with a disability, from paralysis to dementia to brain injury, to be more independent at home or in the community. It can also make caregiving tasks more accessible and safer. The Resource Center is available to the public free of charge. The new camera set-up will allow guests who cannot visit the Resource Center in person to have access to a guided tour and knowledgeable staff.

The Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation focuses on curing spinal cord injury by funding innovative research and improving the quality of life for individuals and families impacted by paralysis. Through a cooperative agreement with the Administration for Community Living, the Reeve Foundation’s National Paralysis Resource Center (NPRC) promotes the health, well-being, and independence of people living with paralysis, providing comprehensive information, resources, and referral services assisting over 100,000 individuals and families since its launch in 2002. For more information, please visit our website at www.ChristopherReeve.org or call 800-225-0292.

Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore provides services for children’s therapies, day programs for adults with physical or intellectual disabilities, supported employment, senior services, recreational camping, respite services, and services for caregivers. To learn more about Easterseals, call 1-800-677-3800 or visit www.de.easterseals.com.