Beth Shalosky was born and raised in Lancaster, but during her interview, she joked that
she doesn’t know her way around and to not ask her for directions. Beth and her family
have been connected with Fairfield DD about 13 years ago. Her oldest child was connected
as a teenager before the family moved to Licking County.
Due to personal circumstances, the family returned to Fairfield County, and this time Beth had four other children with her. She admitted that at first she was reluctant to come back.
“I was very hesitant about coming back because when I was here prior, it was not a good
situation,” she explained. “After being in Licking County and having good SSAs, I was really
hesitant when they split up the boys and girls.”
Beth raved about her children’s team in Licking County. Because of that positive
experience, it was hard to come to terms with the transition to two new Individual Support
Coordinators here. However, her opinion changed after meeting Shannon and Allena.
“Shannon and Allena have been great and have been doing everything I need them to do,”
she said. “They are going above and beyond by finding places for the kids to go and
exploring alternative avenues.”
Beth expressed her gratitude for the efforts of Shannon with one of her children.
“Shannon has been amazing and has done a great job of weeding out who would be good
or not so good,” she smiled. “She is really good about putting in the effort to find the right
fit.”
Since returning to Fairfield DD, Beth has noticed a big difference between her children’s
ISCs. She expressed that it feels now that the ISCs truly care for her children.
“Shannon comes to the house and doesn’t just do business. She also engages with the
children and plays around with them, whether she has time or not,” she shared. “I know
that she has a lot to do too, but she took the time, and that means so much to us.”
Beth also described how it’s not just Fairfield DD who has changed in a positive light, but
also the community.
“The community seems now that they are willing to accept more adults and kids with
developmental disabilities,” she said. “Coming from a county that was desolate with
resources when we were looking when I didn’t have resources at all. Fairfield County is
trying to incorporate ways for these kids and adults to succeed and give them
opportunities.”
One resource that Beth is excited about is getting involved with the YMCA here in
Lancaster.
“We hope to get involved with that and build confidence and do extra classes like dance
and gymnastics so the kids can be secure in who they are and what they want to become,”
she expressed again, just how different the resource availability is since returning. “You
guys have a lot of opportunities for them to continue to grow and get older, to find other
resources to find jobs, or even to be artsy and crafty. The things we have all talked about
have been very hopeful that we can find those things out in the community.”
She also praised the local school districts and how it has helped her children thrive.
“The kids have just blossomed between where we came from, a not very friendly kid home,
and we had to leave the family home,” she shared. “Now we are in a very loving,
rambunctious environment. They can be themselves, and school has been great, and
inclusive, and more on their level.”
Beth even asked one of her sons how he felt about summer starting and gave him the
option of going to a different school. She laughed and said he declared he likes his school
and has no interest in going anywhere else!
“They are very much loving it down here,” she laughed. “It goes to show if you show them
compassion and talk to them, show that you are and try to help them, then you play a more
important role in their lives.”
Her family dealt with difficult changes as she battled a brain tumor and other health
complications. The family also faced personal relationship changes, and Beth had no idea
how those would affect her children.
“Those kids had no idea where I was or what was going on, and there was no one there to
tell them I was going to be okay,” she said.
Beth talked about relying on her faith to help her through the tough time, but also stressed
the importance of reaching out to others for help. Her advice to other parents going through
something similar was this,
“If you’ve got friends that you really trust, and now I lean on Shannon and Allena. I also
have taken care of myself and signed up for counseling,” she said. “I can put things in a
different perspective and say these are my feelings and this is what I am going to do. This is
how I am going to take care of my kids.”
But she could not finish the interview without talking about the resilience of her children
and how much they have grown.
“I have amazing kids. Through all the transitions and ups and downs, I am in awe of how
much my kids actually love me. I really thought my divorce was my fault,” she shared. “The
divorce was hard on them, and they didn’t hold it against me. They are so resilient, and I am
in awe of that.”
“It is so amazing to me that they all have special niches, and it’s amazing that they are
awesome little people,” she laughed.
At the end of the interview, we asked Beth if there was anything else she wanted to share
about her children or any advice she had for other families going through something similar.
“I hope they can find what they need. Whether it’s just the faith to keep pushing on or
someone they can reach out to. I just hope it brightens someone’s day.”