Easter Seals Disability Services

Helping Grandparents who are Raising Grandchildren

Easter Seals North Texas hopes to make life easier for grandparents who are raising grandchildren and also living with disabilities.

As a result of a recent grant award from Dallas County Area Agency on Aging, Easter Seals North Texas (ESNT) is excited to implement a new project in Dallas County to help a special population of grandparents who have taken on the tremendous task of raising their grandchildren.  The goal of Project GREAT (Grandparents Raising Exceptional and Terrific Grandchildren) is to assist grandparents who are raising grandchildren with disabilities, or who have disabilities of their own, in succeeding to the best of their abilities. 

“The stress of raising a grandchild can be overwhelming.  If the grandparent or the grandchild happens to also have a disability, day-to-day living can become even more complex,” says Mike Shillings, Vice President of Programs for ESNT.  “Our goal with Project GREAT is to ensure that grandparents in these situations have access to the information and tools necessary to meet their own needs, as well as the needs of the family.”

Among a number of benefits, Project GREAT will provide grandparents with individualized information about local resources, offer education on utilizing proven strategies to meet goals, and provide purposeful opportunities for grandparents and their grandchildren to interact with others in similar situations to assist in building an ongoing system of support.

For more information about Project GREAT, contact Mike Shillings, Vice President of Programs, at 817-759-7930 or via email at mshillings@ntx.easterseals.com.