Support Aria's Special Needs Education

Hello! This is Aria, a 6-year-old girl from the Lehigh Valley that is disabled and has a variety of special needs. Since infancy, Aria has dealt with hypotonia (low muscle tone), dysphagia (inability to eat solid foods), and epilepsy. As Aria got older, we started seeing missed milestones, lack of eye contact, inability to concentrate, lack of energy, and difficulty with vision. Over the years, Aria has been diagnosed with Autism, Mixed receptive-expressive language disorder, Global developmental delays, Esotropia, and Failure to thrive. Due to these ailments, she is unable to walk, talk, and eat, causing not only physical drawbacks but also emotional.

Unfortunately there is not a suitable IU classroom within a public school that would meet all of Aria’s needs at once (proper education and her individual needs). We have found and toured a special needs private school for ages 4-21 that is catered to the exact needs that Aria has, while also providing a proper education at her level. We haven’t felt so hopeful, and excited about a school for Aria like we have for this one. We believe this school will help Aria not only educationally, but developmentally as well.

Aria will be in a very small classroom with multiple teachers, and will be able to explore her environment in a way that’s inclusive to her. Aria will not be confined to a wheelchair, she will be allowed to crawl around the classroom floor and have her sense of independence. She will be able to go out on the playground twice a day, to help regulate those emotions that she doesn’t fully understand herself yet. She will be able to participate in plays, and dances, and themed events in an inclusive way. She will have music therapy, therapy dogs, inclusive gym time, and access to sensory room. These are things that were not possible for her prior to finding this school. An environment where she is safe, understood, and cared for the way she needs to be.

With every great thing, comes a great cost. The yearly tuition for this school is $29,000. We are grateful to be offered financial aid, but this will not cover the full cost and we will have monthly payment toward her tuition. On top of our tuition payments, we will also be purchasing uniforms and providing her transportation. We are about 50 minutes away from the school, so we are not in the radius for busing. We will be sacrificing hours from our jobs to transport her to and from school.

Please help support Aria’s next endeavors by sharing her story, or donating. We do not want the reality of not being “well off financially” to be what’s standing in the way of our little girl growing into person she’s meant to be. Thank you, and we appreciate everyone who donates, shares, and supports us.