United Way Helps the Cerebral Palsy League to Improve Quality Life for Individual's

Allemah is a twenty six year old single young woman who has a diagnosis of Larens’ Syndrome and moderate mental retardation. Her disability is paralysis of the lower extremities preventing her from walking and causing her to use a wheelchair for mobility. Allemah’s disability also causes limited gross motor skills and she requires physical therapy to maintain range of motion of her arms and using her hands to manipulate small objects so that she may operate and simple machines. These skills allow Allemah to earn a pay check working in CPLs Vocational Center Bulk Mailing.

When she entered the Vocational Program at the CPL Center on November 28th, 2005 she was living in Plainfield, New Jersey with her mother and four siblings. Due to Allemah’s physical challengers, leaving her home was difficult if not impossible. It seemed like she would face a life of isolation without assistance from several social service agencies. With the assistance of her DDD case manager and the CPL social worker for the Adult Services Program, Allemah moved into a supervised apartment program managed by Community Access Unlimited on August 29th, 2008. She has shown growth and personal development living in her own apartment with a roommate. Her attendance in the program improved 100%. A once shy and introverted young woman, Allemah has become a very happy, articulate individual who is learning to advocate for herself. She has established real friendships at CPL’s Adult Services.

Allemah’s story is a great success story and an excellent example of how the funds from the United Way have helped change the quality of individual’s lives and make a difference.