MACEDONIA — Sarah Kovit Hanna started The Positivity Spectrum in 2024 when her son, Jacob, expressed interest in attending summer camp with his friends at the local YMCA in Akron.
Jacob, who’s 7, was diagnosed with autism and ADHD when he was four and a half.
“Autistic children have social and emotional deficiencies that they need to work on, and in order to work on them, they need to be around other children,” Kovit Hanna said.
She said Jacob would need an aide, like he has during the school year, to accompany him at the camp.
Kovit Hanna said while the YMCA was more than happy to have Jacob and stressed that inclusion is one of their key principles, she would have to provide the aide.
“So, it was really through that process of figuring out what it would look like for my son to have an aide that The Positivity Spectrum came to be,” Kovit Hanna said.
“We piloted the camp program for 10 weeks, and it went so well… this summer we've got five kids at two Akron YMCA locations with aides paid for and provided by The Positivity Spectrum at no cost to families.”
Programming expanding
Now, the nonprofit, known for hosting sensory-friendly events and autism education in schools, is launching a free legal clinic for families with children on the autism spectrum on August 1.
It will be open to all income levels.
“I grew up with a special needs brother. I have a special needs son, and I know that there's a need,” said Ashleigh Holmes, one of The Positivity Spectrum’s board members.
Holmes' son, Will, is six years old. She said he was diagnosed with autism shortly after he turned two years old and regularly attends programming offered by The Positivity Spectrum.
Help with educational support
Renee Stromski, a special education attorney with Abdnour Weiker LLP, is another board member.
She’s part of a team of lawyers, law students, and other experts who will volunteer their services at the legal clinic.
“There are students with disabilities across our state that are being restrained, that are being excluded, and that are being denied their basic educational rights,” Stromski said.
She added that many families need help understanding Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans.
IEPs are “a document that provides a student with a disability with specialized instruction and services,” Stromski said.
For example, therapies like speech and occupational therapy.
“Whereas a Section 504 plan is only really limited to just providing them with accommodations,” Stromski said.
Carolyn Hollenbaugh is already using the legal aid service during its soft launch.
Her son, Ian, was diagnosed with autism when he was two and a half. He’s about to enter the second grade.
“There's a lot of different educational jargon that's used, and sometimes parents don't understand,” Hollenbaugh said. “Trying to figure out if you're receiving appropriate services or even just going to the IEP meetings by yourself can be extremely intimidating. Having somebody there with you to kind of walk you through that and make sure that you're supported is really important."
Stromski said another trend she’s seeing is more school districts reducing or removing students from IEPs due to budget constraints.
She wanted parents to feel empowered.
"I get to tell them, ‘No, you're not asking for too much. You're just asking for what's required by law,’” Stromski said.
How the legal aid will work
The legal clinic will be virtually based, with an intake form online. Cases will be screened, and if The Positivity Spectrum can help, a professional lawyer paired with a law student will be assigned to the family.
"It might be as simple as answering a question,” Kovit Hanna said. “It might involve us having to go to an IEP meeting."
Families can also receive help setting up special needs trusts and third-party beneficiary trusts to help protect beneficiaries’ eligibility for benefits like Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income.
Hollenbaugh said The Positivity Spectrum has provided a level of comfort that was hard to find.
This summer, her son is attending summer camp at the YMCA in Akron, thanks to the nonprofit providing an aide.
“Joy comes in community and having events that are accessible for our kids,” Hollenbaugh said.
She hopes the legal clinic will fill in the gaps for many families so her son and others get the services they need and deserve.
Kovit Hanna couldn't agree more.
“That's what gives me the energy to keep going,” she said.
