Jill Bonn nervously helped her only child box up her belongings late last week as the young woman prepared to move from the family’s Longwood home into her own one-bedroom apartment in Orlando.
“I’ve been having anxiety since before Christmas,” Bonn said. “And now that we’re packing, it’s like, ‘Oh, God — this is happening.’ I’ll call her, but she probably won’t answer me. She might answer a text if I’m lucky.”
ORLANDO, Fla. – A new community center has been built in Orlando to meet a growing demand for adults with developmental disabilities.
Quest Village is a 5-acre, $12 million village set between two houses of worship along Woodbury Road.
Quest village allows adults with developmental disabilities to live mostly on their own with some safeguards and support services ranging from housekeeping to assistance with meals or heading out to run errands.
Erica Bonn, 27, walked through her new neighborhood with her watering can in hand.
“The hard part is trying out a new plant,” Bonn told News 6 Anchor Kirstin O’Connor.
Her mother Jill said Bonn was diagnosed with autism at the age of 9.
“It’s just difficult, when your child leaves for the first time, especially when they have a disability,” said Jill Bonn.
But her daughter has always exceeded expectations, and this big move is no exception.
“So far I’m doing pretty good for myself,” said Erica Bonn.
People with developmental disabilities are living decades longer than they used to. Studies show this is the first generation of its kind expected to outlive their parents.
Quest Village new facility for adults w/ developmental disabilities. Ribbon cutting ceremony on Feb. 8
Only 4 other similar facilities in Florida. A new facility called Quest Village in Orlando is now meeting the growing demand for people with disabilities to live independently.
Kyle Dempsey is 32 years old now, but for his mother Cindy Dempsey, he will always be her baby.
“He always had that smile at 6 months old. He was just this happy, happy baby,” she explained.
In response, a college in Kissimmee is offering a new class: a culinary arts program, all in Spanish.
Michael Roman Cancel left his life behind and came here from Puerto Rico soon after Hurricane Maria hit. He moved to Kissimmee with his mother and quickly enrolled in Florida Technical College, to try and make a future for himself.
DetailsFrom big restaurant chains and hotels, to mom-and-pop establishments, Spanish is commonly spoken in Florida’s commercial kitchens. Seizing on the strength that this cultural diversity lends to the state’s culinary scene, Florida Technical College welcomes the language of Cervantes to its classrooms with a Culinary Arts Diploma Program taught fully in Spanish.
DetailsThe nominations are for “The Dream Catcher”, a short original film about a stuffed bear that will stop at nothing to protect his child owner from what lurks in the dark at bedtime. Orlando, Fla. – “The Dream Catcher”, The Digital Animation & Visual Effects (DAVE) School’s original short film, has been nominated for…
DetailsThe restaurant chain joined forces with iHeart Radio’s Activados por Puerto Rico and CASA of Central Florida to collect, transport and distribute approximately 200,000 pounds of emergency supplies for hurricane Maria victims. ORLANDO, Fla. (October 17, 2017)– Cities and towns spanning the entire island of Puerto Rico were shred to pieces by Hurricane Maria just weeks…
DetailsEl cantante puertorriqueño Vico C, pionero del género reguetón, es uno de los miles de damnificados que dejó el paso del huracán María por la isla y aprovechó el estreno de su película para ayudar a miles que como él, lo perdieron todo y a su vez critica el actuar del presidente Trump con respecto a la crisis humanitaria que atraviesa el lugar que lo vio nacer.
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