by Marguerite Elisofon | Jul 25, 2015 | ACCES-VR, autism, baby boomers, college grads, disabilities, hope, John Milton, Larry David, lawyers, millennials, optimism, OPWDD, Pace University, pessimism, Shawshank Redemption, twins
In one of my all-time favorite movies, Shawshank Redemption, Red reads a letter from his friend Andy, who escaped from prison after years of being punished for a crime he didn’t commit. In the letter Andy says: “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things,...
by Marguerite Elisofon | May 22, 2015 | autistic spectrum, Boko Haram, disabilites, disability housing, employment, gender bias, IAC, ISIS militants, kidnapping, managed care, Never Empty Nest, Nigeria, NYC FAIR, OPWDD, rape
In addition to reporting on the dismal state of young adults like my daughter on the autistic spectrum, trying to find jobs and lead independent lives, I’m painfully aware of how much worse things are for a variety of other empty-nest parents. Just look at the...
by Marguerite Elisofon | Feb 13, 2015 | ACCES-VR, acronyms, autistic spectrum, Board of Education, cerebral palsy, college grads, disabilities, FET, Front Door, Medicaid, OPWDD, Pace University, SKIP
Disservices for the Disabled—Hell to Pay! What’s next for my daughter, a high functioning young woman on the autistic spectrum? I’ve been attempting to answer that question ever since Sarah graduated cum laude from Pace University with the Class of 2014. (See...
Marguerite Elisofon is a New York City writer and the author of My Picture Perfect Family, a memoir about how her family navigated life with a child on the autistic spectrum before the internet and support groups existed. She also blogs about parenting young adults and disability related issues in The Never Empty Nest. Her writing has been featured in a variety of publications, including Time and NY Metro Parents magazine, and her family’s story has been featured by the NY Post, Fox News, The Daily Mail, and on Jenny McCarthy’s Dirty Sexy Funny radio show. A Vassar graduate, Marguerite was born and raised in New York City, where she still lives with her husband, Howard, in their mostly-empty nest. She is available to speak about a wide variety of issues relating to twins, parenting, and autism. 