Parent Stories...

Roger R. is 27 years old. He is a developmentally disabled adult that has been dealing with seizures since he was 6 months old.
When he was a child, his parents ran a carnival with about 20 rides. He has always been fascinated with the carnival rides, their operation, and their construction. He remembers intricate details of every ride, and adds these details to the rides he builds with K’NEX. The detailing of the rides that Roger builds with KNEX is something that would rival the complexity of contest entries. The rides spin and move, and are often interconnected in their function and operation. He has been building with K’NEX since they came out in 1992. He found they offered him better flexibility and greater complexity than tinker toys or erector sets. He makes and spends his own money on K’NEX and wants to save up for a KNEX motor that he can use to power his Scrambler.

Roger works in the “Living Without Boundaries” program administered by A.L.S.O. (Adult Learning Systems of Oregon) that gives adults with developmental disabilities opportunities to work and learn in their communities. Roger helps in the secure document shredding program. LWB has a dog biscuit manufacturing, making all-natural bog biscuits and Roger helps bagging those up when the opportunity is available. In his own words, Roger says some of the things that make him the happiest are spending time with family, and building with KNEX. He has many rides he would like to build, but it just takes time to get the resources so that he has enough KNEX to work with. Roger is very personable and has a dry sense of humor. He likes to offer help when he sees that people need it. He is actually very independent in many of the things he does in his daily living. He can draw and sketch at a very complex level. One of his future goals is to learn how to read and write. Another long term goals is to design and build full size carnival rides that people can ride on and enjoy.

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