Elephants For Autism

09/06/2026

Colin Farrell spent years protecting his son James’s privacy. But when James turned 21, Farrell began speaking publicly about a challenge many families face: support for people with intellectual disabilities can become much harder to access once they reach adulthood.

James has Angelman syndrome and is nonverbal, and Farrell acknowledged the difficult decision involved in sharing such a personal part of his son’s life. He ultimately chose to speak out because he wanted to advocate not only for James, but for other adults with intellectual disabilities and the families trying to support them.

That advocacy led to the creation of the Colin Farrell Foundation, focused on improving opportunities, resources, and long-term support for adults with intellectual disabilities.

“I want the world to be kind to James,” Farrell said. “I want the world to treat him with kindness and respect.”

It’s a simple hope, but one that points to a much bigger issue. Turning 21 shouldn’t mean suddenly losing the support, opportunities, and protections that helped someone throughout childhood.

Farrell is using his platform to bring attention to that gap—and to help build a future where people like James can continue to be supported, respected, and included throughout their adult lives.

09/04/2026

😡

Lacey Township School District in Ocean County has been ordered to stop the early dismissal of students with disabilities, a practice found to violate state law. An investigation revealed that these students were being dismissed more than 10 minutes earlier than their nondisabled peers, leading to significant loss of instructional time. The issue emerged after numerous complaints from parents, emphasizing the disproportionate impact on education quality for these students.

Parents like Ashley Meyer and Deirdre Bahooshian have highlighted the serious implications of this practice, noting that students often miss critical end-of-day information, resulting in educational gaps. A report from the state Office of Special Education corroborated these claims, documenting multiple violations and calling for a review of dismissal policies. This situation underlines a larger concern regarding how educational policies affect students with disabilities across districts.

The state's corrective action plan mandates Lacey District to engage with affected families and reassess their policies to ensure compliance with educational laws. This case sheds light on the ongoing challenge of providing equitable education for all students and the systemic issues that can arise in school operations. For more information on this crucial issue, click to learn more.

08/12/2026

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Fifteen years ago today, Sue Adams and Rindy Faust brought their vision of creating something close to their hearts to life ~ a place where they could share their experience and knowledge to make a difference in the lives of others through their shared passion for horses and therapeutic riding.

On this day, we celebrate the founding of Hearts Therapeutic Riding Center! We are proud to have spent 15 years providing a service that has transformed the lives of many individuals, some of whom never thought that riding a horse could have such a profound impact.

This milestone represents 15 years of hard work, dedication, and joyful moments, along with setting goals and achieving significant milestones.

We are grateful for our devoted volunteers, committed staff and instructors, and the kind horses that help keep this dream alive. As well as our generous donors and sponsors.

Thank you to our riders and their families for being an integral part of our program. Everything we do, we do for all of you ❤.

08/12/2026

Remove Confusion With Solutions That Work

07/19/2026

Lock him up for life

🔗: https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/gjpd60fw

A 10-year-old girl with autism fatally shot herself, and her father has been charged in connection with her death.