37yrs

female

Speaks English

My older brother, contracted meningitis when he was 9 weeks old and, as a result, experienced brain damage that resulted in severe and profound mental and physical disabilities (the terminology used in Illinois, where I'm from). Having grown up with him, I've learned a lot about what it means to care for and be cared about by someone with disabilities. As a babysitter, you can expect me to be responsible and deeply respectful of your child (whether your child is a baby or an adult). Because of my family and because I'm from Illinois, a state with one of the worst records in terms of care for people (especially adults) with disabilities, I was brought up to be somewhat of a disability rights advocate/activist in addition to being a caretaker. I have plenty of experience with seizures and other medical issues, and I have some (three summers worth) of experience working as a teachers' aide in a preschool classroom for children with severe and profound disabilities. In college, I worked for two years as a personal attendant to college students with physical disabilities. In my day job, I am a middle school English and Social Studies teacher at a public school, so I am also comfortable with and excited about working with children and adults with learning disabilities, and other more high incidence disabilities. I'm listing my "years of experience" as my years of teaching experience, but the above should give you a better idea of where I'm at.