August 21, 2025 By CDHD The positive family impacts of community-based programs One of our goals at the Idaho CDHD is to provide community-based services for local disability communities. This often takes the shape of programs that provide recreational and social outlets for people with disabilities, offering the opportunity to gather with peers, make new friends and try new things. In other words, to live, learn, work and play in their communities. One of the most unique things about this programing is that it allows us and participants to make lasting connections within the community. For example, Margaret Hanley’s daughter Mary has long been a participant in many CDHD programs. We recently spoke to Margaret about the positive impact the CDHD and community-based programming has had on Mary and the family over the years. Hello, Margaret. Let me just start out by saying that we are very grateful for your time. We appreciate you taking the time to answer some of our questions. When did you first hear about the Idaho CDHD? Margaret: I first heard about it years ago when my Mary was a kiddo. I didn’t have much to do with it back then, because she had other interests and just grew into it over the years. And what services or programs have you and Mary used that got you move involved in the CDHD? Margaret: We have gone to SAM (Self Advocacy Movement of Moscow) meetings for several years, starting back when it was SALN. I served a short stint as one of the directors of it along with Bethany Howell. But it runs SO MUCH better when the CDHD runs it, because you have the man (woman) power and I’m just a busy mom trying to keep my adult child busy. SAM is such a great group. Why did you initially seek out these types of CDHD programs? Margaret: They seemed directed toward young adults with disabilities. And so as Mary aged out of the public school system, she needed to stay involved with people who live with similar disabilities. They are her friends and support group and that’s extremely important. That’s when we started to seriously get involved in SALN. How often do you continue to use or attend our programs? Margaret: They are in the background of her life continuously. She has attended Adaptive Movement [Movement in the Park] classes. She always attends the artAbility sessions. The artAbility Showcase is a big event in her life, and extremely professionally done. She just completed a seven-session cooking class and learned a great deal. We have been in the process of improving Mary’s health for years now, and this added some understanding and positive encouragement for the journey she continues to be on. She loved it! CDHD offers a Friday morning walk at different locations around town and I’d love for her to attend those too, but she’s got something else going on Friday mornings. That’s so great! It’s always wonderful to see Mary and to learn that her experiences have been so rewarding. If you had to rate the quality of these programs on a scale of one to 10, what would you say? Margaret: Definitely a 10. CDHD has the resources to provide the direction and the bodies to make any event a fun thing. The University of Idaho students [CDHD student trainees] we have met in these past few years have been so amazing, and we continue to be impressed with the caliber of the programs offered and the students (and faculty) involved in them. While we can’t attend everything (imagine, a town where there are more events for your adult child then they can attend!), CDHD is a valuable resource in this community. The organization makes it just a little easier to be responsible 24/7 for the care and support of a young adult with a disability. How have these programs affected Mary’s life? Margaret: Mary has thrived with the services offered by CDHD. The life of a young person with a disability can take a nosedive when they get out of the K12 school system; in Mary’s case, the 18-21 program. Suddenly, there is not much to do. Their social network is gone. If they had a job through the 18-21 program, that is gone. There is just not a lot to do. Since Mary has been out of the school system, CDHD has been steadily growing. It’s a good time for a young person with a disability to live in Moscow. Because it’s like there’s a whole group of other young people who are invested in the lives of the disability community. That’s so great! And how has it impacted your life? Margaret: For one thing, they make it a little easier. Now that Mary is out of school, we are in charge of her social schedule. That means grocery shopping, general shopping, exercising by walking the University of Idaho Arboretum and going to NIAC to work out, going to plays and movies. We do it all, so it’s really nice every now and then to just be able to drop Mary off for a couple of hours and know that she is in a safe space surrounded by safe people. It means a lot. What do you find the most valuable about these programs? Margaret: Mary is a social creature, and so one valuable thing about them is she gets to be around her friends. But just as significant is that she has gained some independence. And it means everything when she says she doesn’t want mom and dad to come to the SAM meeting or to the cooking class with her. She wasn’t saying this when she was 21. Gaining more confidence and independence must be a rewarding experience for both you and Mary. That’s wonderful. Do you have a favorite memory from attending any of our programs over the years? Margaret: I remember being absolutely gob smacked the first time I attended an artAbility Showcase. Mary had never wanted to do artAbility, but we finally got her involved a few years back. The first Showcase we went to was at the Latah County fairgrounds, in the event center. It was amazing what a class act they did with that room. The artwork was displayed on the tables which were covered in black cloth. I remember thinking, “This CDHD group really knows how to do an event”. And every Showcase since then proves me even more correct; always a class act and well-coordinated. This means a lot to the artists and their families. We love the artAbility Showcase! It’s a great way to celebrate the artists and show off their work for their families and the community. It’s always such a great time. Do you think events like these and the community-based programming have helped you and Mary connect with others in the local community? Margaret: For the past few years, we have been throwing Mary an annual bowling birthday party at Zeppoz. If it weren’t for CDHD and all the programs they offer, I don’t know who we would invite. But for her most recent party, we were able to fill four lanes with 18 bowlers. They weren’t all young adults with disabilities, but many of them were. It’s hard for anyone to make new friends after they leave school, but it’s especially difficult for kids with disabilities. People aren’t hunting them down to be friends. It can conceivably be a pretty lonely experience, and we push back against that by keeping Mary as busy as possible. She’s lucky. A lot of kids aren’t. These programs and services help make that so. Four lanes! I bet Mary is a great bowler. Ha ha! It’s wonderful that she’s been able to make those connections. Outside of the CDHD, do you have access to other resources that provide accessible and inclusive physical and or social activities? Margaret: Not really. The CDHD has kind of pulled all that’s out there in the community and added a few things of its own to make an inclusive environment for these kiddos. There are things out there, like if you get a swimming pass, you can get a free caregiver pass, or bowling at Zeppoz is always discounted for the disability community. Or our church community and ladies group are always very welcoming to Mary. But these are mostly incidentals, and one-on-one types of things that don’t necessarily pull these kids together. What benefits do you think the CDHD brings to the local community and to the state? Margaret: How many other cities are you aware of that have an entire program dedicated to bringing young adults with disabilities together? And doing fun stuff just for and with them? I’m not aware of any other places that put this type of emphasis on the disabled community. That should be promoted to the rooftops, because it’s a very wonderful thing to tout within our state. What does the CDHD mean to you? Margaret: I may never get the correct acronym, but that’s irrelevant. CDHD means a group of people who care about my family member. It means a safe place she can be and learn fun and interesting stuff that is relevant to her life. When I think of the CDHD, I think of a group of people with generous and kind spirits, and a welcoming environment. You have to decide to choose if you’re going to work with the disabled. It’s not something that just occurs to everyone. So when someone does choose that path, it’s very encouraging and it makes our lives just a little easier and a little bit better. Thank You!