LOUISVILLE, Ky. — March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month, which raises awareness about inclusion and resources available to people across the U.S.
Here in Kentucky, Green Hill Therapy is instrumental in helping kids thrive.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 6 children in the United States is diagnosed with developmental disabilities or another form of delays.
Developmental Disabilities Month dates back to 1987 when former president Ronald Reagan established the public proclamation. Louisville’s Green Hill Therapy is entering its 23rd year of providing patients the only year-round facility offering hippotherapy and aquatherapy.
Each week, Dain Morgan wears his helmet—a helmet for his weekly hippotherapy session with his therapist Natalie Goodrich at Green Hill Therapy.
And with every step, he’s guided to a horse. “That was easy,” Dain Morgan said.
It hasn’t always been this easy for the 5-year-old. That’s because Morgan was born with muscular dystrophy. Each week he goes through therapy that uses the movement of the horse to encourage motor, sensory and speech improvement.
Green Hill workers say this is the only facility in Louisville that offers year-round hippotherapy and aquatherapy, helping 350 families a year.
Morgan points to shapes, colors and items around the ring, with his mom right by his side.
“That one! That?” said Dain Morgan.
“He has muscular dystrophy. It’s great to get the word out there about how hard it can be. Having support is a great thing,” said Waiola Morgan.
Within 8 months of moving to Kentucky, the Morgans connected with executive director Sarah Halfacre, who’s undoubtedly become one of Dain’s biggest cheerleaders. She’s witnessed children say their first words, tie their shoes and ride bikes as their therapy progresses.
“One thing we hear very often from parents and families, and even patients themselves, is that their whole lives they’ve been told what they can’t do, what they shouldn’t do, what they’ll never can do. And those words don’t ever enter our vocabulary here,” Halfacre said. “When you help support and nurture, listen, connect—the growth and potential is astronomical.”
It’s not long before Dain is upstairs playing and assembling toys, all helping him with his mobility.
“Dain has come so far because he is so motivated, and he’s engaged. And you can see Natalie, our therapist, just equally engaged and they have a connection. And that’s what makes our outcomes so amazing. They are life-changing outcomes,” said Halfacre.
Although Dain’s success is just one of these outcomes, he’s changing what it means to be living with a disability with the right resources.
Green Hill Therapy serves 11 counties across the state in 45 zip codes. And in the last two years, they’ve been able to double their staff and families they serve. Currently, they need more volunteers and financial support to expand.