Wheelchair safety on the road

John Reck.

Individuals riding in a vehicle while seated in wheelchairs are 45 times more likely to be injured in a crash than a typical passenger. That was one of the sobering facts pointed out by John Reck, Matheny’s director of assistive technology, at The Arc of New Jersey’s annual Conference on Medical Care for Persons with Developmental Disabilities held May 31 in Princeton, NJ.

In a session on Wheelchair Transportation Safety, Reck added that many injuries of wheelchair-seated passengers are caused by non-collision events such as abrupt turning maneuvers and hard braking. To prevent such accidents, Reck recommended always securing wheelchairs, using occupant restraints and removing loose accessories from the wheelchair, which might injure an occupant during impact.

The safest option, he said, is to transfer a wheelchair occupant into a manufacturer-installed vehicle seat and use the vehicle’s crash-tested occupant restraint system.

At Matheny, Reck heads the assistive technology program, which strives to meet the needs of each individual by providing the perfect match of assistive technology services and products in order to give each person the highest possible level of health, function and quality of life.

Matt McDermott and Matheny student Nicholas Barros.

Matt McDermott’s gifts of toys and games to Matheny students have become an annual tradition.

This year, the fifth grader at Mount Prospect School in Basking Ridge, NJ,  asked guests coming to his family’s pool party to donate the toys and games, and then he and his mother visited Matheny to present them.

Thanks, Matt!

Matheny student Michael Taurozzi uses a switch to access a computer, assisted by OT Wendell Lumapas.

Occupational therapy helps people regain, develop and build skills that are important for independent living and well-being. OTs often use assistive technology to help people with disabilities with life skills they couldn’t normally perform.

At Matheny, many students and patients are able to access a computer by using a switch. OTs train our children and adults to use any functional part of their body to activate a computer program. This use of assistive technology enables them to participate more fully in school activities, leisure activities and activities of daily living.

Locking hands and arms in aquatic therapy.

The mission of The Matheny School is to provide an integrated educational and therapeutic experience for students with a diverse range of abilities and disabilities. We do that by providing our students with the freedom to explore their own interests within a positive learning environment. We also:

• Enhance the potential of our students through the development of Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) that focus on tailored, attainable goals and objectives.

• Enrich our students’ daily living by increasing their gross motor, fine motor, visual and perceptual skills.

• Provide our students with unlimited opportunities to learn through an interdisciplinary approach combining therapy treatment, social services, psychology and medical care in collaboration with classroom staff members.

Participating in adapted karate.

From left, Marie, Matthew and Donald Detgen.

Twenty-one-year-old Matthew Detgen has cerebral palsy combined with several other medical conditions. When Matthew was three months old, he began receiving services from the early intervention program at Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, NJ. He subsequently attended the Buck County Intermediate Unit in Quakertown, PA, and a Mercer County regional school. By the time Matthew was 17 years old, the Delaware Valley Regional High School in Frenchtown, NJ, recognized the need for placing him into a private special education school. According to his mother Marie, a resident of Milford, NJ, the school district was “impressed with Matheny’s program and saw that it was perfect for Matthew.”

On  June 18, Matthew graduated from The Matheny School, and his mother says he has benefited from the way he has been, “consistently challenged and pushed to reach his full potential. The knowledge, opportunities and technological support that Matheny affords far exceed any class in a public special education program. No public school program could come close to all that Matheny offers.”

As Matthew moves on to Matheny’s Adult Services program, he will benefit from The Matheny School’s transition program, which is designed to increase the independence of its students, both within the school and in the surrounding community. A key element of that program is the Tea Time Café, an in-house school refreshment stand equipped with an adapted cash register. It provides students with an authentic work environment, and Marie Detgen recalls the first time she and her husband Donald saw Matthew at work, “interacting with people. We had heard about it, but actually seeing how he was so excited and happy to be engaging with others made a lasting impression.”

Congressman Leonard Lance, visiting with Arts Access artist Luis Rodriguez.

U.S. Congressman Leonard Lance, whose district includes Peapack-Gladstone, will be the Honorary Chair for Full Circle 2013: Reflections, the 20th anniversary celebration of Matheny’s Arts Access Program, to be held November 2 in the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center. Lance, who visited Matheny this past January, is co-chairman of the Congressional Arts Caucus. He has been a member of the New Jersey Council on the Humanities and a trustee of the Newark Museum and McCarter Theatre in Princeton.

Arts Access enables people with disabilities to create fine art assisted by professional artist-facilitators. Many of the Arts Access artists cannot speak and do not have control of their hands and arms. But their minds are intact, and they use unique methods that allow them to overcome their disabilities and express themselves in multiple artistic disciplines. The program was created in 1993 by the late Robert Schonhorn, former president of Matheny, and Dr. Gabor Barabas, former medical director.

Recently, Arts Access received a $10,000 Challenge America Fast-Track grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support the 20th anniversary Full Circle celebratory event. It will include an exhibition displaying original artwork created by artists with disabilities and will feature guest artists who will help participants with disabilities create a culminating multimedia performance piece.

Graduate Sammy Heisler with Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey Maggie Redden.

The Matheny School’s Principal Sean Murphy congratulated the 10 graduates of the class of 2013 on June 18, pointing out that they “never said ‘I can’t’ or ‘I won’t.’”

And in an understatement, Yasin Reddick, the class valedictorian, said, “It took a lot of work to get to this point.” That work was recognized by those who spoke before diplomas were handed out. The students were congratulated by Steve Proctor, Matheny president; Daniel McLaughlin, chair of the Matheny Board of Trustees; William Horton, mayor of Peapack-Gladstone; and keynote speaker Maggie Redden, Ms. Wheelchair New Jersey 2013. And each speaker was introduced by a non-verbal Matheny graduate, who accomplished the task through switch activation technology.

Proctor paid tribute to Matheny’s founders, Walter and Marguerite Matheny and introduced their son Chuck, who still resides at Matheny. He also singled out some of the students’ accomplishments such as Sammy Heisler’s love of music, Bianca Mathis’ accomplishments with the Girl Scouts and Natalie Tomastyk’s job at a local yoga studio. Redden, who was part of the 2008 Paralympic Track and Field team in Beijing, encouraged the graduates to “persevere” and follow their dreams.

Physical therapist Erin Meineke, left, and teaching assistant Katie Wertheim help Bryan Desatnick 'walk' to receive his diploma from principal Sean Murphy.

Some of The Friends of Matheny officers for 2013-2014 gathered outside the Roxiticus Golf Club after their luncheon. From left, Lisa Novella, a resident of Peapack, corresponding secretary; Nancy Hojnacki, Bernardsville, vp membership; Liz Geraghty, Cranford, president; Karen Thompson, Gladstone, vp membership; and Jean Wadsworth, Basking Ridge, recording secretary.

The Friends of Matheny held its annual end-of-the season luncheon on June 5 at the Roxiticus Golf Club in Mendham, NJ, and Friends president Liz Geraghty handed Matheny president Steve Proctor a check for $60,000.

The Friends is an organization dedicated to providing support to Matheny, and, since its inception in 1983, the group has raised more than $3 million. Proctor thanked members for all they do, singling out such gifts as an adaptive bathtub and a new “Van Go” vehicle, which will help bring Matheny’s unique Arts Access Program to other facilities for people with disabilities.

Gary Eddey, MD, Matheny vice president and chief medical officer, spoke to The Friends about Matheny’s medical mission. “We care for children and adults with multiple chronic illnesses,” he said. “In our system of care, everybody works together, 24-7, 365 days a year, so that our children and adults can live a full rich life to the best of their abilities.”

Max Berg with student India Jones and volunteer assistant David Curcio.

Music therapists at Matheny use various types of music to positively impact students’ and patients’ cognitive, physical, emotional and social skills. The music therapy program also makes it possible for students and patients to hear a variety of music – either at outside concerts or by having performers visit.

Max Berg, a resident of Gladstone, NJ, and a student at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, NJ, brought his guitar to Matheny on a recent Friday afternoon and entertained residents of the children’s wing with a variety of tunes including the Foo Fighters hit, “Big Me” and “Time of My Life”, a song from the soundtrack of the movie Dirty Dancing that was recorded later by the Black-Eyed Peas.

After the concert, Berg let the students strum his guitar and promised to be a frequent visitor.

Max Berg with student Katherine Gaudio.

Standing, from left, Matheny principal Sean Murphy, Matheny student Ryan O’Connor, teaching assistant Carlos Nieves, BHS student Isabella St. Onge, BHS student Tatiana Prendella, teaching assistant Chris Filchak, BHS student Pelin Ozel, Matheny teacher Karen Dakak, BHS student Fiona Dunn and BHS teacher LuAnn Faletta. Matheny students in front row, from left, Scott Gordon, Yasin Reddick, Kaila Jones and Patrick Conmy.

Every year students who belong to The Math League at Bernards High School in Bernardsville, NJ, hold a Math-A-Thon to raise money to benefit other students in the Somerset Hills area. This year they raised $695 and decided to donate the money to The Matheny School to support and enhance our mathematics program.

Some of the Math League students and their teacher, LuAnn Faletta, came to Matheny recently to deliver the gift, visit with Matheny students and take a tour of the school. Afterwards, Faletta,  expressing her appreciation for the tour, added: “I have talked to so many of my colleagues about how wonderful your school is and how impressed we were with everyone. The students and teachers are very special.”

Sammy Heisler.

During the first several years of his life, Sammy Heisler lived in a long-term care facility, where most doctors did not expect him to survive his many medical conditions. “How shocked they would all be to see how he has flourished,” says his mother, Doris Burman, a resident of Westfield, NJ. On Tuesday, June 18, Sammy will graduate from The Matheny School.

When Sammy first arrived at Matheny in January 1998, he was completely tube-fed. Since then, according to his mother, “Sammy has learned how to eat, handle a wheelchair and respond to familiar faces. But, by far, the greatest benefit Sammy received from Matheny is his self-confidence. The Matheny staff members have always treated Sammy and all the students with dignity and respect, and I strongly believe these interactions have enabled him to express his personality and develop into the charming young man he is today.”

Sammy initially came to Matheny, Burman recalls, because “he began to physically improve and soon became inquisitive about his environment. The long-term care facility was not geared toward development, and the Westfield School District knew about Matheny and agreed that it was an appropriate school for him.” As Sammy makes the transition into Matheny’s Adult Services Program, Burman says she “will always be grateful to this organization of dedicated, talented people.”

Sammy Heisler in Matheny’s sensory room with physical therapist Glenn Stackhouse.

Sean Murphy reads to Matheny student Ari Golub while Ari’s teacher Stacy Lafargue looks on.

Sean Murphy has two favorite words: “community” and “team.” He uses them frequently to explain the success of The Matheny School and to express his passion about its students, their families and his staff. “Together,” he says, “we tackle every issue. It’s important for teachers to see parents as partners and for the parents to see teachers as partners—everyone pulling together in the same direction for the benefit of the students. To create true opportunities, it takes a community, and it takes a team.”

Murphy, who grew up in Chesterfield, England, started working at Matheny 19 years ago as a personal care assistant and was named principal of The Matheny School in March. A resident of Washington, NJ, he received his BA in special education from New Jersey City University in 2001, became a special education teacher and was named vice principal in 2008. He also has an MA in urban education/administration and supervision from NJCU and is an adjunct professor in the psychology and education program at The College of Saint Elizabeth in Morristown and is on the advisory board of the Education Department at Centenary College in Hackettstown.

Matheny’s students all have multiple disabilities, and many of them are non-verbal. That, in Murphy’s opinion, should not prevent them from reaching their highest level of academic achievement while also obtaining maximum independence. One way the school helps them reach those goals is through technology, but Murphy insists that Matheny “does not have an assistive technology program. Instead, we integrate assistive technology into every single program that we have. If there’s something that someone cannot do without technology, you use technology to even the playing field. Because of technology, our kids can walk using adapted devices; and they can communicate. They can do practically everything; we just have to figure out how.”

“The one thing that sets this school apart is the team-based experience,” Murphy adds.  “It’s not just rhetoric; people are vested to make things happen. The tenacity and innovation here is second to none. I’m just lucky to be able to leverage the skills of people who are already here.”