Jessica Aykroid:

I have worked in almost every program that TERI offers. I have seen adults create masterpieces of art which are sold for hundreds of dollars. When these adults were children, diagnosed with a disorder that was confused to be insanity, they were tossed into institutions and later saved by TERI. I have met an adult who hasn’t lived in a family since he was two years old, since he came to TERI; he always has a family to sit with him at dinner. What all these adults need is a compassionate embrace or a warm handshake, because after years of isolation, all they crave is love. I have seen children go beyond anyones expectations. When my brother first came to TERI ten years ago, he would have a behavior everyday; these behaviors would put my brother, his peers and his staff in physical danger. Now at eighteen years old my brother is described as, "the man who always has a smile on his face." Even my own students go through daily improvements that make them the people that they are today. When I met one of my students two years ago, he was a physical danger to himself and others, he could only walk a few feet at time and was completely nonverbal. Now, only two years later his behaviors have decreased and his independence has increased and he can now walk farther without help from staff. Even though he's still considered non-verbal, this past Saturday he looked me straight in the eye and said "Ica", I know its missing a few syllables but im confident that he was trying to say my name and that’s why I love my job, my life and my family at TERI.