History of Yes I Can
The U.S. Census Bureau (2000) stated that in Baltimore, Maryland over 15% of the population has some type of physical, mental or sensory disability. The professionals at Yes I Can International (YIC) are a resource for places of worship and the families of children /adults with special needs.
The vision for YIC started in the fall of 2001 during a time of reflection. It began as a disability ministry at First Apostolic Faith Church under the pastorate and vision of Apostle Cornelius Showell. Under Kingdom Life Ministries, Yes I Can started training places of worship to include people with disabilities in church services. A variety of therapists, doctors, advocates and educators donated their time to personally train church leaders on a range of disability-centered issues. These professionals are members of the YIC training team and continue to serve families today. Many churches soon discovered that free disability ministry training was being provided on basic inclusion techniques, advocacy, disability awareness and many other issues. In response to the requests for trainings, the ministry contacted Christ Church Foundation for the Handicapped and Friendship Ministries to get materials and information. Each of these organizations provided essential information and materials that are still used today.
Each training is individualized for the specific needs of the consulting place of worship. The full training begins with disability awareness/advocacy topics and information on “How to start a disability ministry in your church”. Follow up topics include “How to start a sign language ministry in your church” and “Appropriate inclusion techniques for people with special needs”. Finally, YIC has partnered with some of the best professionals in the areas of physical/occupational therapy, speech therapy and nutrition to provide informal training in each of these areas. In the past six years, YIC has trained and distributed information to over 800 people on the East Coast.
As time went on, parents came forward with various requests for more services. They were looking for adult reading programs and transportation that was dependable for their family members with special needs. Many parents expressed a need for short term, easy to access respite care. YIC has responded to the needs of the community and their places of worship. YIC Reads began in the summer of 2004 to help adults with special needs learn to read. This program is being reformatted and corporations are being solicited for book donations. It is scheduled to begin again in the fall of 2010. The first YIC respite day was held in March of 2005. It allowed parents a full day to relax and have free quality child care for their children with disabilities. Our transportation program is under construction and will be formatted by fall 2012. In 2004 the YIC Help Line was the answer to the large amount of phone calls we received from parents needing assistance. Many of these parents were unaware of the resources that are available to them in the state of Maryland. YIC helped these parents take advantage of these resources. The initial YIC training team participates in each of these programs and plans to continue as YIC grows and expands.
