The Barrington Hills Observer

When Nancy Binger of Union was pregnant with her third child, she found out he would be born with Down syndrome.  At first, Binger thought her son’s birth would ruin her life.

Now her son, Cody, is just more than a year old, and because of him and the idea from another mother of a child with Down syndrome, Judson University in Elgin is piloting a program for students with intellectual disabilities.

The program – Road to Independent living, Spiritual formation and Employment [RISE] – is geared toward students ages 18 to 25 years old and will provide them with a certificate of completion after two years.

A few years ago, the RISE program started as a concept by Gayle Gianopulos, a Barrington Hills mother of four girls – two of whom have Down syndrome.

Read more here.