Meet our participants

Helen H.

Helen is a watercolorist. She has painted for many years. Helen has Cerebral Palsy, which makes it difficult for her to paint. But she hasn't let that slow her down, or hold her back. Helen has produced many beautiful pieces of art through the years. Many of her works have been sold at a yearly art exhibit. Her mother has always supported her work and helped by getting her paintings framed and organizing the art exhibits. Her artwork has also been displayed on bottles of wine from the Talon Winery in Lexington.

Helen attended the first Cerebral Palsy School on Paye Street, then had her grandmother teach her for a few years before returning to the CP School at its current location on Baxter Ave.

Below is a favorite memory of Helen, who used a communication board and spelled out words with a clicker to tell her story in the Mattinlgy Center's Creative Writing Group in October 2006.

Her memory: Princess

I remember Christmas around 1948. My parents and brother, Michael, and I went to my grandparents' (house) for Sunday dinner. After dinner mom and grandmother would go to the kitchen and clean up. Michael would go see some of his friends. Grandfather went to the sitting room to read his Bible.

Dad and I went to the living room. Dad would hold me on his lap and tell me about the beautiful blond-hair Indian Princess doll he had for me for Christmas. I wanted to see her so bad. Dad said, "Then tell your mother you might die before Christmas." I know that mom is a wise lady and she knew I was up to a trick. I called mom and grandmother from the kitchen and told them my story. Mom and grandmother went back to the kitchen and talked. They came back with the most beautiful doll you have ever seen!!!

Have you ever seen a blond-hair Indian????


Eugene F.

Gene likes to eat mashed potatoes and gravy. He likes dessert, especially pudding, ice cream and he bananas too. He likes to go out to eat at Dairy Queen, Baskin-Robbins, McDonald's, KFC and Taco Bell. He also likes to cook and bake. Gene likes to go out into the community to the library, the mall, the grocery store, the zoo, restaurants, movies, the park and to get his haircut. He likes planes and he enjoys traveling. He likes UofL sports teams and he likes soccer, Special Olympics, video games, pool and basketball.

Gene says that he likes Carmel and Debbie and he liked Carlos. He also identifies some of his friends in the program as Mike L, Keith, Tara, Barbie and Marcus.

Below is a favorite memory of Gene, who used sign language and printing to tell his story in the Mattingly Center's Creative Writing Group in October of 2006.

I like airplanes. One year my brother, George, and I took an airplane ride. We were in Colorado. George was retired from the Air Force and he taught at the Air Force Academy. George had a friend named Aaron, who was a pilot. Aaron told me that he would take me and George for a ride.

We flew the plane over Royal Gorge in Denver, Colo. I was 30 years old at the time. Aaron let ME fly the plane! George got scared when he found out I was flying the plane. I pulled too hard on the gears and jerked the plane! That's what scared George! Aaron did NOT let me land the plane.

I really enjoyed that plane ride! I carry the picture with me wherever I go.



Beverly R.

Beverly enjoys music and loves to dance. Beverly is one of the friendliest people you will probably ever meet. "She's a very happy, loving person," Vicki said.

She loves to meet people and always has a big smile for everyone. Beverly lives with her sister Pam and has many siblings and nieces and nephews. Her family is very important to her. She lives with her sister.


Tara B.

Tara was injured in a car accident Feb. 28, 1989. She had a closed head injury as well as several broken bones. She was in a coma for one month after the accident before she was able to return home. At home she remained in a semi-coma for three months. She suffered a collapsed lung during her recovery.

"I have overcome many obstacles and I have made great progress towards goals I have set for myself," said Tara, who used her Dynavox to tell her story. "One of the goals I have set for myself is to become a model."

Tara has one sister and five brothers. Tara likes going out to restaurants like Tumbleweed, Kingfish and Wick's, where she likes to get lasagna, a cheese or turkey sandwich and a Pepsi, Dr. Pepper or root beer. Tara is also in a Creative Writing group this semester at the Mattingly Center and she's writing a segment on what she's doing in her life.

"I like to be successful," she said through her Dynavox.


Carl C.

Carl is at a very important point in his life. He has lived with his mother all of his life, but she is in fragile health and his sister has been taking care of him. Carl and his family are on the waiting list for residential services. He has been so excited about the possibility. Carl is very close to his family, but it seems he is ready for more independent living. Go Carl!!!

"He's a gentleman," said Inez, one of Carl DSP's. "He loves to help put people's coats on; he wants to do so much."

Carl loves B.B. King's music and recently attended his first B.B. King concert.

Paulette

Paulette lives in an apartment. She irons her clothes in the morning and she washes her dishes. Paulette loves to dance. Paulette loves to look nice, she wore a gold dress to her sister's wedding. She goes to church on Sundays with her mother. She reads the Bible at home every night.

"I love to read," she said. "I love meatloaf."

Paulette likes to eat Corn Flakes. "Ice cream, it's my favorite," she added. She likes rainbow sherbert. She drinks milk every day. She loves Michael Jackson and says that he is her boyfriend.


Barbie

Barbie lives with her mom. She's been coming to the Mattingly Center for about five years.

"She likes to shop with no money," kidded Margaret, one of Barbie's DSP's. When asked who wins when the group goes bowling at Fern Bowl, Barbie responds with a smile: "Me!"

She also likes to go shopping at K-Mart and Wal-Mart and her favorite restaurant is Big Boy.


Emily

"She likes music and shopping," said Margaret, one of Emily's DSP's. "She'll laugh to anything you play."


Marcus

He works at UPS two days a week moving boxes. He also plays softball and loves chocolate pudding.


Robin M.

Robin likes to go bowling, out to eat and enjoy church.

"The POWER for independent mobility (a.k.a. power wheelchairs) is a form of progress that has been seen around the Mattingly Center," physical therapist Christie Howlett said. "There are some folks that have received their first power wheelchairs later on in life and wow, what a change in lifestyle! Robin M. can now operate a power wheelchair and is able to see where he is going versus propelling backward manually with his feet (which is what he used to do)."


Kimberly C.

Kimberly comes from a close family. Her father is a preacher.

"She loves the Mattingly Center because it gives her a chance to meet new people, which she loves to do," said Crystal, one of Kimberly's DSPs.

Kimberly also likes to eat and be helpful. She gives out boxes of raisins to kids at her church and she is a member of a dance group called, "Miracle Dancers," who have performed on the Crusade for Children.

"She's also very giggly and she enjoys giving out backrubs," Crystal added..


Toni

"She loves bracelets and necklaces and getting her hair fixed and she likes makeup, she's real girly," said Michell, one of Toni's DSPs.


Jeffrey

"He's funny, he likes to play jokes on people," said Michelle, one of Jeffrey's DSP's.

Jeffrey enjoys sitting in the recliner at the Mattingly Center. He also likes going to the mall and going to church as well as going out to eat. His favorite choices then are pizza and cheeseburgers.

He also likes to joke around with Michelle.


Kathy D.

"I like to watch movies and I like to eat and I just love to party!" Kathy said. "I like to swim in the summertime, but not in the wintertime because it's too cold in the winter."

Kathy enjoys living nextdoor at DaySpring.


Kim Y.

"Kim likes to go out into the community any time," said Susan, one of Kim's DSP's.

Kim likes to eat ("But she stays skinny," Susan said) and likes to help people by pushing their shopping carts at the store. Kim has her own set of signs that she uses to communicate. She is a former Special Olympian who competed in the tennis ball throw and the fast walk. Kim likes to be around her sister and niece and she especially loves children and babies.


Kathy M.

Kathy likes to pray for people and enjoys going to church. She also enjoys Bible study and singing. She's very close to her mother, whom she talks to every day. She is also close to her friends at the Mattingly Center and at DaySpring. She also enjoys dancing.

"I love to watch TV and I love to go to church," Kathy said.

She also likes jewelry, especially bracelets, and she enjoys the Mattingly Center's Choir and Cooking groups.


Robert

When asked what he likes to do to help Marian, one of his DSPs, Robert thinks for a second then says, "Cooking" with a big smile.

Roberts helps out around Room 101 by filling glasses with ice in the morning, sweeping the floor, wiping the tables and passing out lunches. Elsewhere around the Mattingly Center he also helps the nurses by folding towels ("He folds clothes better than I do," Marian said) and he works in the Mattingly Center Store stocking and counting money.

"He's a gentleman," Marian said. "He's courteous and thoughtful and sweet and shy, he's a great asset to the Mattingly Center."


Lisa B.

"She's an encourager," said Inez, one of Lisa's DSP's in 101. "She encourages each participant in here to work on their goals."

In her spare time Lisa enjoys doing needlework and writing in her journal.

Gail

Her DSPs describe Gail as a very intelligent and head-strong woman.

"When she sets out to do something she does it, completely," said Inez, before jokingly adding. "If she went to pursue a job it would be as a supervisor. She wants to run the room in here, but we have to scale her back a little bit. But nothing gets past her at all."

Added Marian: "She is kind of like the eyes in the back of our head. She's always watching if someone needs a drink...or if someone needs assistance she'll tell us. She's just there for everybody and she really enjoys doing that."

"Gail is always helping people," Lisa B. interjected. "She's especially good at watching out for Joel. If he has a seizure she tells Marian or Inez or Pat."

Gail enjoys talking with her friends Kelly and Heather during lunch.

Heather

"Heather is a very intelligent young woman who has a lot of ambition," Marian said. "She's very observant. She helps by keeping an eye on her peers and she lets us know when they need assistance."

She makes good use of her Dynavox, Marian said, and Pat calls her "a giggle box."

John

John loves computers and loves to read the newspaper and he is currently writing a book about himself.

"He has a great sense of humor, he tells jokes," Marian said. "He came in the first day (of the semester) and told us he was the king of the room since he was the oldest."

Damon

"He's a very loving, thoughtful man, very sensitive, very courteous, he'd be any woman's dream," said Marian, one of Damon's DSPs. "He can turn anybody's eye with the French he speaks."

"Damon's a lady's man," Inez added.

Damon used to work at Jim Porter's and also at a printing company. He loves to sing and be involved in drama. He also enjoys reading the Bible to his friends - Heather, Lisa and Carl.

The following is Damon's favorite memory, which he wrote about during the Mattingly Center's Creative Writing Group in 2006.

Every Sunday we would ride up and visit Nanny and Papa on the Ohio River in Oldham County (Westport, Ky.) near the public boat dock. Nanny was a great cook! Papa always wrote, "Kilroy was here (his name was Roy)." My mother loved Sundays because she didn't have to cook. We went there after church (you've got to make time for God). Dad's mother's name was Pat. Her family called her "Nanny." We ate sometimes. We all took a ride on Uncle Mike's houseboat to 18 Mile Island.

Joel

"He's a gentleman," Marian said. "He's courteous and thoughtful and sweet and shy, he's a great asset to the Mattingly Center."


Larry

"Larry is very strong and he loves to run and jump and do anything active; he's very good at sports," said Crystal, one of Larry's DSPs. "He's very sweet and he loves to hug and hold hands when he walks."

Larry is currently learning skills like communication and counting, he can go up to 100. He lives with his sister, whom he loves very much. At the Mattingly Center he enjoys spending time with Inez. He also enjoys eating, especially potato chips and french fries. He also enjoys making towers with his cones and counting them too.


Kelly K.

"She is another intelligent, persistent, strong-willed young woman," Marian said. "She's devoted her life to raising donations for the Crusade for Children. After this year I think she's raised somewhere between $25,000 and $30,000."

Kelly is very involved in self-advocacy issues.

"What she does goes toward making a better life for her peers, not only at the Mattingly Center, but for those all over Kentucky," said Marian, who has noticed a great, positive change in Kelly's self-confidence over the years.

Adel F.

Adel loves playing chess. He attends a chess club almost weekly. He enjoys playing a game of chess with anyone he can while he is at the program here at the Mattingly Center. He also enjoys the piano and he really likes science.


Wanda L.

Wanda loves Tennessee Ernie Ford and his music. Just at the mention of him she will break out into a big smile. One of Wanda's favorite foods is White Castle hamburgers.

Mike

Mike likes the ladies, and hard rock. "The stuff that gives you a headache," joked Margaret.


Senid

Years ago Senid would find Dotti, a DSP here, in the morning and have her style his hair for him. Then at the end of the day he'd find her again and have her smooth it back down.

"He loves beautiful women," Dotti said.

On his board on his wheelchair Senid has many, many pictures. Some are of his mom, dad, sister and brother and others are of all his friends at the Mattingly Center, including Chris, Dan, Leigh, Robin, Shane, Sharon, Bev, Joan and Dotti.


Leo

Leo comes from a very large family. He was a student at the old CP school and he came back to join the adult program at the Mattingly Center. Leo's favorite place to be is at his family's lakehouse near Nolin Lake. There his brother puts him on a four-wheeler and tractor and lets him ride around. His family is very active in his life, including his nephew Shane, who works at the Mattingly Center. His nieces and nephews often come by the Mattingly Center and play folk music, often at masses.


Blair

Blair is one of the newer participants at the Mattingly Center. She lives in Pee Wee Valley with her mom and dad. Blair attended Oldham County High School. She loves animals, especially her family's horses, and being outdoors. She also likes good jokes, being dressed up and having her hair done. She also likes stuffed animals a lot.


Angela

Kept things lively in 103 during last program year, now she'll do the same this year in 105.


Leigh

Leigh is very active in the faith club at her church.


Chris

Once Chris went to a church service at St. Agnes with Dotti, one of his DSPs, and he was so moved by a man's singing that Chris, who usually keeps his hands clamped together, opened up his hands and turned his head so that he could hear the singing more clearly.

"It's totally something he never does, but he was so infatuated with that guy," Dotti said.

Chris also has a taste for pizza and burgers.


Nicole

Some call her Princess Nikki.


Sara

"She loves puzzles and she does them really fast," Vicki said.

Her parents are Hank and Harriet. "Hank's her buddy, he takes good care of her," Vicki said.

Sara, who likes to bowl and go out, lives in an apartment at DaySpring.


Patricia

As you can tell by her shirt, she likes Winnie the Pooh.


Tim

"He's a very sentimental guy," Inez said.

"He's very observant too," Pat added. "He loves to spend money to buy his sister or his dad something."

Tim loves baseball and horse-racing.


Evelyn

Evelyn, who lives with her sister, enjoys magazines and coffee.

Here is a story about her from Pat Vernon.

"I was working the floor one morning, signing in participants and answering the phone at the same time. Evelyn was sitting right beside the table where the phone was. It rang and before I could get to it Evelyn picked it up and said, "Hello, Hello..." Well when I finally got the receiver away from her and said hello myself I found out it was Barbara on the other end. She was laughing and wanted to know who had answered. It made my day. You have to understand that at this point and time it was very rare for Evelyn to say anything. When I answer a phone it is rarely without the thought of Evelyn going through my mind."

Kristy

Keith

He loves to laugh, and at the Mattingly Center he enjoys spending time with Margaret and dancing with Inez.

David

David has a good sense of humor that he likes to try out on everyone he meets.

Ralph

Ralph is a very nice guy. He has two dogs, Buster and Barbie. He loves car racing and he and his dad go to the races on Saturday nights. He also enjoys going to his sister's house on the weekend and going to the pool. He likes to eat, go out to eat and he likes to paint.

Stephen

Stephen loves music and he loves to play the piano. Stephen often goes to music productions and he participates in music performances. He's also made his own CD. Stephen lives with his sister.

Melissa B.

Melissa recently made her confirmation and made a donation to the Mattingly Center.

Melissa is in the process of getting a new job. She likes to paint. "She does beautiful work," Vicki said.

She likes to bowl and go out on trips and she likes all kinds of movies. She goes swimming on Saturdays.

"Melissa communicates well with her board," Vicki said.


Julie J.

She likes Kathy M., the two are good friends. She also likes to get out of her wheelchair and sit on the couch. She likes to spend time with her mom and sister. She likes to go out into the community.


Mike M.

Mike is a very spiritual person. He really enjoys Bible Study group and he also enjoys his Plants & Animals and Reading groups. He loves all that's Christmas, especially the music.

"Any music that's sentimental to him big tears come down his cheeks," said Susan, one of Mike's DSPs.

Mike used to swim in the Special Olympics, but he can't anymore. He lives with Robin M. at DaySpring.


Missy N.

Once she and Debbie Meador went to see Billy Ray Cyrus in Frankfort and had a great time meeting him in his dressing room.

Missy likes to walk in her gate trainer. She recently got a new communication board and she's learning to spell with it in her Communication Group. She's also learning how to form sentences and she's preparing her board with phrases she'll use out in the community. She always has a few in place. They say: "My favorite TV show is Full House," and "I like to watching wrestling with my brother on Friday nights."

She's in several groups at the Mattingly Center, including Art & Design, Decision-Making and Communciation.

One of Missy's goals right now is, with assistance from staff, to learn more about health and wellness.


Jeremy R.

"He loves football and playing catch," said Crystal, one of Jeremy's DSPs. Jeremy was a member of the football team at Jeffersontown High School. He also enjoys painting and art as well as running errands. Currently Jeremy is working on saying multi-syllable words.

"He loves movies," Crystal added. "He loves to sit in the recliner and watch movies, even though all he can hear is sounds."


Jude

Jude is a fairly new participant at the Mattingly Center. She lives with her family.

"She's been adapting really well here," said Susan, one of Jude's DSPs. "She's formed some friendships."

She's working on communicating with signs and symbols and she's working on a communication book that she can use out in the community.


Dana

He loves country music.

"If there's a commercial on the radio he starts yelling," Christine said.

Dana is a triplet. He has two sisters, who are both in college. "They spoil him rotten," Vicki said.

Dana likes to eat.


Dan

Dan is the man.

Dan likes going to Florida. Dan has many girlfriends. Dan loves to talk and he enjoys baseball and all kinds of sports. He likes the State Fair. He enjoys the music of the Rascal Flatts and Garth Brooks. His favorite movie is Shrek.


Mike

He likes to swim. He goes to Mary T. Meagher a couple of times a week.


Jeremy

Jeremy loves to eat. He loves to drink ice water. Jeremy loves fingers foods, he eats Fritos. He likes to walk whenever he has a chance. He likes music and loves the outdoors. Christine took Jeremy and Ralph to Tyler Park for a cookout last fall. "He had a great time watching the leaves change colors and fall from the trees, and watching the dogs," she said.

His grandmother often visits him at the Mattingly Center.


Chrissy

She communicates with 'Yes' or 'No' through signing. She likes to be out of her wheelchair and she likes to lay down on the couch or get down on the floor.


Danny

He likes music and he loves being outside and going on trips.

"He smiles great big when he's happy," Vicki said.