According to Johnston (2005) a great obstacle to teens with disabilities is overcoming isolation. Helping a teen with a disability get out of their shell can be a challenge! The first concern of course is safety. Any activity a teen with disabilities is involved in must have an adult who is prepared for possible emergencies in attendance. That alone is a big hurtle to overcome. MassGeneral Hospital for Children (2010) states

All youth with disabilities, as their counterparts without disabilities need to move through the following developmental tasks to reach adulthood:

*Develop a personal identity with an acceptable self-image

*Establish intimate relationships outside the family including some expression of sexuality

*Move toward a level of independence

*Define a role in the community by undertaking a vocation

The teen years are hard enough for anyone, and teens with disabilities have extra challenges to overcome, which means they need extra support!

Johnston, S. (2005). Getting around:do-it program helps disabled teens overcome isolation. Retrieved from http://www.washington.edu/doit/Press/09.06.00.stimes.html

MassGeneral Hospital for Children. (2010). Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.mgh.harvard.edu/children/adolescenthealth/articles/aa_disabilities.aspx