Tic With It	July 1, 1999
Tourette Syndrome Association, Inc.		Archives
Detroit-East Michigan Chapter

The President's Page
Art Abbott

Year End Report From Your President
The Tourette Syndrome Association has marked a banner year in its activities this past 12 months. Great strides have been made in our goals and service areas of support and education and the beginning of a planned concerted effort in public awareness on a state-wide or at least East Michigan basis.

SUPPORT: Attendance at support group meetings is an indication that we are reaching families who have received TS diagnoses at an ever increasing rate. The months of March (80) and April (65) at the Oakland County meeting were probably all -time highs and tested our facilities and staff. Support on a "road-show" concept offered two meetings at St. Mary's Hospital in Saginaw by Tim Hill and the Genessee County volunteers, and more area contacts in Eastern Michigan facilitated information to TS families in out-laying areas. Support for parents at IEPs, whether counseling prior to or attendance at the MET, are also higher than ever.

EDUCATION: The number of in-services (TS orientations for teachers and special education staff) at TSA members' schools has also been high, and our telephone counseling requests to families in communities all over East Michigan have driven the Chapter phone bills through the roof. But it is the number of face-to-face presentations to groups of professionals in need of hard information and understanding of the TS condition, that is this year's major accomplishment. The Medical Symposium offered last September at William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, to general practice physicians and pediatricians was one of our finest moments.

Standing room only workshops at the Council for Exceptional Children state conference in March in Grand Rapids and at Madonna University Special Education teacher groups presentations also carried the message to individuals who directly impact our children with TS.

But organizations don't educate people. People educate people and none of these wonderful strides could have been made by our Association without the caring, dedicated volunteers who are our meeting facilitators, elected officers, project chairs and committee members. These few are the Tourette Syndrome Association in East Michigan. I've avoided mentioning names here because the article A Grateful Organization Says Thank You does that.