TULSA, Okla. — A Green Country nonprofit is making sure its clients with disabilities enjoy a snow day instead of fearing it.
“I don’t like to get out in it because I’m afraid I might fall,” said A New Leaf client Katy Lew.
A New Leaf provides job training, life skills and more for some people with developmental disabilities. Lew lives in Owasso in a home made just for her thanks to A New Leaf. She said its staff is there for whatever she needs.
“They help me make sure that I don’t slip and fall, you know. If they say there’s patchy ice, be careful,” Lew said.
In addition to making sure Lew doesn’t get hurt on icy roads or sidewalks, they also help her get to work.
“It’s very important because if we don’t work, we don’t get paid and this weather really impacts us,” she said.
At A New Leaf, staff said this help means its clients can live independently, especially during winter weather when everything is made so much harder.
“It’s really important that individuals with disabilities have that same level of support,” said Chief Development Officer Maranda Figueroa.
Figueroa said the support clients get isn’t just a ride to work, help taking a walk, or a grocery run. She said it’s about just being there, especially when weather events last several days.
“It absolutely can be isolating so having someone there to support them and talk to and just have that company with them is really life-changing,” said Figueroa.
Lew is just one of the thousands of disabled Oklahomans A New Leaf helps. Lew said without A New Leaf, her life would be much different, but because she has the support, everyday life isn’t so hard, even during winter weather like this.
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