Institute Publications

Gerry and Gwena Herman started the physically challenged sports program at Kennedy Krieger in 1989. The Hermans started with a wheelchair basketball program, but expanded the program so that kids with a wider range of disabilities would be able to compete. Today, kids have the opportunity to take part in sports, such as wheelchair basketball and football, swimming, track, archery, baseball, cycling, sitting volleyball, tennis, and sled hockey.

It's the dead of winter, but college junior Darin Ruark is spending much of his winter break afloat in a sparkling, penthouse-level pool. The air is warm and the sun shines through floor-to-ceiling windows. But while it may sound like a relaxed get-away, Darin isn't enjoying a winter vacation with friends or family.

When Lily Wilkinson was three, her neck was broken in an automobile accident leaving her paralyzed below the waist. A moment of screeching tires and crumpling metal, and her new life appeared etched in stone before she had ever entered kindergarten. After months of intensive care, her parents were told she would never be able to use or feel her legs again.

It was a twisted ankle that finally brought Corinne down. After so many injuries-a broken hip, surgery on her knees and her shoulder-it was one small twist, something anyone would dismiss offhand, and Corinne was flat on her back, in absolutely unimaginable, intolerable pain.

A new baby means new responsibilities: doctors' appointments, menu planning, finding a good child care program. Although for almost any new parent this can be a daunting prospect, for new parents with intellectual disabilities, special support and guidance is critical to providing safe, supportive, and nurturing family environments for their children.

Life has dealt 14-year-old Jeffrey a particularly challenging hand. Jeffrey, who lives with his parents and sibling in a low-income neighborhood in South Baltimore, has bipolar, obsessive-compulsive, anxiety, and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders.

It's a gorgeous day in late summer, and there's a crowd at the local putt-putt golf course. The sounds of waterfalls and laughter float on the breeze. At the sixth hole, a group of kids gather around their friend as he squares up and aims to sink a hole in one. With a sharp tap, the ball sails down the green, around a corner and under a windmill.

2006 Constellation Energy Classic fourth annual event benefits Kennedy Krieger Institute

The 2006 Constellation Energy Classic (CEC) ran from September 11-17 at Hayfields Country Club in Hunt Valley, Md. This year's golf tournament marked the 24th of 29 Charles Schwab Cup events on the Champions Tour. Bob Gilder stunned the crowds as he played his way to his second straight victory at the CEC. However, it was golfing legend Arnold Palmer who stole the show as he competed in stroke play for the first time in 11 months.

It seemed like a perfect opportunity: a work-based internship at a highly regarded children's museum. Chosen students would perform administrative tasks, prepare supplies for crafts projects and, most importantly, help children and families visiting the museum make their way through a variety of exciting exhibits.

There's just something about the solar system that fascinates me. It started when I was about five years old. I couldn't get enough of books and computer programs about planets, moons, and stars. I was even interested in model rockets because, in life-size form, they created a path to the great Milky Way.