Mary Doten: Five decades worth of life's greatest experiences

Mary Doten, with her husband Stan, has
been involved with Abilities United since 1970.

I became involved with children with special needs in high school back in the late 1960's, when my mother offered my “sitting services” to a friend of hers. I would look after Jimmy, who was four years old, and the youngest of three boys. His parents had a difficult time coming to grips with the fact that Jimmy had been diagnosed as “un-trainable”. He was attending a specialized pre-school, but the family needed help after hours and some respite time.

During the summer Jimmy attended a morning program and I participated as his caregiver. Every afternoon and on weekends I was also with him.

Looking back, I was taking quite a risk for a 16 year old, and I learned that more than compassion was needed. Considerable patience, perseverance, creativity, common sense and caring were also required. 

My experience with Jimmy led me to the Betty Wright Swim Center in early 1970, and to what is now Abilities United. I volunteered for two years and was trained to assist the instructors who taught swim techniques to the children with disabilities. Since I worked closely with the staff at Abilities United, I learned how devoted they were to all of the children. The children benefited immensely. They not only had fun, but had a chance to enjoy a new experience, and learned that they could do an athletic activity which was also great physical therapy. They left with happy smiles on their faces.


I married during that volunteer time and though my husband and I have been in and out of the Bay Area since 1972, there has always been something at Abilities United that has drawn me back into their fold. I was active on the Authors Luncheon (fundraiser) planning committee in the early 1990’s until 2007 and co-chair of the Authors Luncheon in 2001 and 2003.

Through the many moves I have had, I have never found an organization to match the quality of the services and employees at Abilities United. Abilities United is a very special place, and it was a wonderfully rewarding place to have volunteered! 


My volunteer experiences and years with Abilities United have been many and varied, all because of a little boy named Jimmy. In honor of my childhood friend, my husband and I placed a special brick in honor of Jimmy in the Abilities United Heritage Garden. Knowing Jimmy and everything I experienced because of him helped form the rest of my life and proved to be one of my greatest satisfactions in life.


Written and submitted by Mary Doten. Edited by Bob Thomas and Wendy Kuehnl.

Priya Sadrozinski: An indelible human spirit; loved by all

Priya Sadrozinski was a participant at
Abilities United for 20 years and shared her
love of life with everyone.

Priya Sadrozinski provides an inspirational reminder of the indelible human spirit, and the boundless, unconditional love of a father for his daughter.

Priya was an Abilities United participant for twenty years. She had septo-optic dysplasia, a rare condition that resulted in a myriad of medical issues and disabilities that included developmental delay, epilepsy, visual problems, and other issues. However, despite the frequent surgeries, seizures, and hospitalizations, Priya rarely complained and was an inspiration and joy to her family and friends.

Priya started coming to physical rehabilitation at Abilities United Aquatic Services, located in the Betty Wright Swim Center, when she was just three years old. She would continue to come to the pool for the next twenty years. The pool was a great place for Priya to not only develop physical skills, but also to meet other people and socialize. “Priya was very outgoing,” says her father, Hartmut. “She made many friends at the pool; it was just ideal for her.”

Priya was able to read and write at roughly a third-grade level, but she greatly enjoyed creating rhymes. “It takes time to make a rhyme” was one of some 1,200 rhymes that she wrote and transcribed onto a long scroll. Shortly before she died, some of her favorite rhymes were published in two books: Priya Said See Ya, accompanied by her own drawings, and Priya's Animal ABC Rhymes, illustrated rhymes about animals from A to Z.  Both books are being sold as fundraisers for Abilities United.

In recent years she also participated in the Adult Day Activities at Abilities United. “Priya was always talking about all her friends from Abilities United, both the participants and the staff,” says Hartmut. “The staff is extremely dedicated to the care and progress of the participants. It’s really very special.”

As part of the Abilities United Community Connections, Priya and other participants did volunteer work at local organizations, including maintenance at Mitchell Park and preparing food or flowers for those in a retirement home. “Getting out into the community was so important for Priya. Being out in the community benefits the participants tremendously, and also makes the community aware of those with disabilities.“

The Abilities United community was devastated to get the news in 2011 that Priya had died at age 24. “She was always very happy here,” says Hartmut, who brushes away a tear as he talks about the daughter that was so special to him. “When she died we asked our friends to contribute to the Abilities United Priya Memorial Fund that we created for her, specifically to benefit the wonderful staff of the Adult Day Activities program. Abilities United is a very special place.”

Priya is deeply missed, and Abilities United is proud to have had the privilege of working with such a wonderful young lady.  

Based on an interview with Hartmut Sadrozinski in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Hartmut Sadrozinski and Wendy Kuehnl.

Heloise & Howard Stewart: Family commitment, community involvement, individual vision made dreams come true

Heloise and Howard Stewart and their family
have been impacted by and have impacted
Abilities United since 1963.

Heloise and Howard Stewart met Betty Wright in 1963 during their search for swim lessons for their daughter Mimi, who had cerebral palsy. Her physical therapist recommended the therapeutic support provided by aquatic therapy.

Soon Mimi was a new student at Betty Wright’s pool, originally located in her Barron Park backyard in Palo Alto. Mimi did so well under the loving but disciplined instruction of Betty Wright that Mimi’s sister, Sue (at age 13), became a teacher after earning her Junior Life Saving Certificate.
Both Sue and Heloise, now a spry 92-year-old, reminisce warmly about how the pool created a unique spirit of community involvement. “Patients and families were involved; we all felt like family. That kind of community spirit was priceless.”

Heloise describes Betty Wright as a Palo Alto legend. “She taught thousands of local children how to swim. She loved working with all children, welcoming disabled children, including Mimi, into the existing swim groups. She instilled confidence and responsibility in both her swim students and volunteer staff. She matched the teachers to the needs of each child, expecting the teachers to maintain careful records on their students’ progress.”

As the classes grew in size, a larger pool was needed and, in 1966, plans were developed for a new public pool that eventually became the Abilities United Betty Wright Swim Center. “Betty needed help raising funds for the new pool,” says Heloise, “so we decided to sign a promissory note for the $5,000 to launch the fundraising campaign to get it built.”

To raise funds, Howard recruited the Key and “S” Clubs at Cubberley and Palo Alto High Schools to create a three-year paper drive. Every Saturday, 15-30 students worked on paper routes. Howard provided route leadership. Heloise was the organizer and provided Saturday lunches for the students.
After three years, the Stewarts and students together raised $15,000. The state provided a matching grant while the Wedde Guild, a local philanthropic group, provided the first matching gift. The pool opened in 1969.  Heloise recalls that accomplishment,  “What our community did to build Abilities United, our society needs now. What the young students accomplished would not directly benefit them. These young volunteers had responsibility for the wellbeing of others and made a great difference. They created change.”

Remembering their deeply satisfying experiences with Betty Wright and Abilities United, Heloise and Howard Stewart left a gift to Abilities United in their estate plan. Heloise recalls, “The pool and C.A.R. (now Abilities United) were at the center of our family life for eight years. We all believed in Betty and helped to make her dream come true.”

Thank you Heloise and your family for believing in the abilities of all individuals and for your help to make the dreams of future participants of Abilities United come true.

Based on an interview with Sue and Heloise Stewart in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Sue and Heloise Stewart and Wendy Kuehnl.

Karen Denny: 26 Years with Abilities United: Families, Lives, Society Transformed

Karen Denny, Children's Development Services staff
member and a 26 year employee of Abilities United. 

In 1986, Karen Denny began an impressive 26-year teaching career with Abilities United that has enabled her to help some 500 families with children who have disabilities.

Karen speaks humbly and factually about successes at Abilities United that, to the rest of us, are nothing short of miracles. “We’ve had children who were told they would never walk; but then they do. We’ve had children who were expected to never talk; but then they’ve learned to speak. That’s what we do.”

Focused on children from birth until age three, Karen tells the amazing story of two year old Taylor, who came to Abilities United as an infant. “Taylor wanted to be in close physical contact with her mom anytime she was here, such that she couldn't participate in physical therapy, speech therapy or her classroom activities." said Karen. “Separating from their parents is often a hard thing to do for many children with special needs, as so often in their young lives whenever they’ve been taken away from their parents it’s to go into surgery or something equally unpleasant. However, this was an extreme case, and unless things changed drastically, Taylor wouldn't be able to go to preschool. Several of us worked together on a Separation Behavior Plan; like everything at Abilities United it was a team effort. Today, just six months later, this beautiful little girl cruises down the hall with her walker, smiling from ear to ear, singing, and greeting people she doesn’t even know. The transformation is incredible.” Karen pauses for a moment. “The things our kids can do never cease to amaze us.”

Karen has seen some very positive changes for children with developmental delays in the past 25 years. “There’s been an explosion of research, that we at Abilities United are turning into good practice. For kids with autism, and for their parents, services have generally become much better in recent years.”

Looking forward, Karen hopes to see continued improvement in acceptance and integration, and at Abilities United both the Milestones Preschool and the Independent Living Skills programs are working towards that goal. “It was wonderful to see the TV show Glee have two kids with developmental delays in the show,” she says. “It’s a great example, and an inspiration for so many of our parents, to see a couple of teens with special needs being accepted as equal members of the group.” That’s the future that Karen and so many others at Abilities United are working for.

Based on an interview with Karen Denny in 2012. Written by Bob Thomas. Edited by Karen Denny and Wendy Kuehnl.

Swim Teachers and Children with Disabilities Together Learn How Swim Lessons Build “Skills for the Future”

Abilities United Betty Wright Swim Center launches  program to train swim instructors how to teach children with disabilities swimming and water safety skills

During the second week of January, one of the coldest in California’s history, aquatics professionals and children with disabilities immersed themselves in the warm waters of the indoor Abilities United Betty Wright Swim Center pool for a pilot course in adapted aquatics to teach children with disabilities swimming and water safety skills. This course is part of a series that the Betty Wright Swim Center has launched last year, to train aquatic professionals how to cater to populations of different abilities.

The objective of the four-day course, “Skills for the Future: Using the Pool as a Classroom”, was to train swim teachers how to deliver effective swim instruction to children with disabilities, while also augmenting opportunities for the children’s development of skills that will benefit them throughout their lifetime. “As a society we have a collective responsibility to grant individuals of all abilities opportunities for learning and developing to their fullest potential. Water exercise can be ideal for children with several forms and degrees of disability to have fun, feel good, and acquire confidence along with life-saving skills”, says Rho Henry Olaisen, Abilities United Aquatics Director.

Experts in pediatrics, adapted aquatics – techniques that emphasize swimming skills modified or adapted to accommodate individual abilities– special education, and swimming instruction led classroom lectures and in-water practical sessions tailored to meet the needs of children who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention around 1 in 88 American children are diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum, 1 in 303 as having cerebral palsy, and 1 of every 691 babies as being born with Down syndrome.

Trainees learned how to apply the most appropriate education methods for teaching water safety and swim skills to children with disabilities and how to modulate their approach and techniques to respond to each child’s individual needs. “I currently run the aquatics programs at the Highlands Recreation District, [in San Mateo]” – said Bryce Zuzack– “After attending this training I am excited to expand our programs and offer more adapted aquatic programs. We also plan on implementing new training techniques, learned in “Skills for the Future”, to better prepare our staff to effectively work with people within our adapted aquatic programs. “

The intensive training experience culminated in a splashing success: by Thursday, children who were hesitant to even get their feet wet on Monday were playing in the water with ease, comfortably socializing with the teachers, and one even said “I like swimming!” One family commented: “My wife and I have brought our kids to well known traditional swim centers in the Bay Area in the past that did not produce favorable results in the ability for our children to become self-sufficient swimmers. Our son learned more in four days here than over the past five years of swim lessons. I witnessed the instructors using specific techniques that he responded to immediately. The Betty Wright Swim Center has restored my hope and dream that our kids have a place where they can become self-sufficient in swimming!”

In the classroom, Kathryn Azevedo, Ph.D., with SNAP (Special Needs Aquatic Program) in Palo Alto, discussed the principles of hydrology and the role adapted aquatics plays in the continuum of care.  Janel Astor, M.A. Ed., with the Center for Developing Minds in Los Gatos, raised students’ awareness for the different needs of children with high- versus low-muscle tone (muscles that are either very stiff or very relaxed, thus impairing motion and posture control), varying energy levels and cognitive abilities, and underlined the crucial importance of visual instruments for communicating with children who have a diagnosis of autism. Allyson Hughes, M.A. ECSE and Manager of Milestones Preschool in the Abilities United Children’s Development Services, focused on “People-First Language”, which places “the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is”2, and education models.

As they set to work with children in the water, trainees identified SMART goals for each child, tailored to his or her specific needs and based on parents’ input as well as the evidence-based best practices learned from the course instructors. Each child made progress in the SMART goals while having fun in a supportive yet motivating atmosphere. Kids advanced to a higher level of comfort in the water, learned to perform new drills – such as crossing a section of the pool autonomously – and improved their kicking or breathing control, while also practicing socialization and communication skills.

In the pool, Dori Maxon, PT, MEd, and founder of SNAP in Berkeley, led in-water practical instruction showing swim instructor trainees how to prepare the body to learn, achieve focus, use their imagination to design functional activities, and utilize teaching protocols and equipment to give kids optimal learning tools.  Jennifer Winter-Hatch, Recreation Program Manager of the Betty Wright Swim Center, guided trainees and children through group games, which were welcomed by everyone at the end of a demanding week.

Joanna Marsheck, MPT, and clinical supervisor at the Betty Wright Swim Center, facilitated group discussions at the end of each day. Trainees posed questions and exchanged ideas about their learning objectives, accomplishments, and new opportunities to optimize children’s time in the water.

At the end of the course, a panel moderated by Rho Henry Olaisen and composed of parents, community advocates, volunteers, and representatives of California Regional Centers (which provide specialized services for people with developmental disabilities), and top-tier swim schools offered their perspective on pressing issues such as the challenges families of children with disabilities sometimes face daily, the cost of healthcare, the general lack of accessibility, and the need for more programs that are truly inclusive. “Skills for the Future” contributed to raising awareness and building consensus toward developing and strengthening such programs.

The Abilities United Betty Wright Swim Center – which operates under a strategic plan whose goal is to become a national aquatic health and wellness leader by 2014 – recognizes the support it received from community partners in making this pilot training course a reality and extends special thanks to Parents Helping Parents, Hydro Institute, California Children’s Services, Special Needs Aquatic Program (SNAP), Human Kinetics, and CM Capital Foundation.

For more information on “Skills for the Future: Using the Pool as a Classroom”, see our pre-event press release and follow our Twitter feed #BWSC2013.

[1] Source: National Center on Health, Physical Activity, and Disability http://www.ncpad.org/223/1454/Aquatic~Therapy

[2] Source: Kathie Snow http://sda.doe.louisiana.gov/ResourceFiles/Resources/PFL10.pdf