It’s a time for moving at the Koupal house.
Matt and JoAnne Koupal recently moved to a new home. They now live in the extension they built in their own backyard.
Their son Luke, who has a developmental disability, moved an even shorter distance – just down the hall.
And three other boys with disabilities have joined him – giving them the chance to be more independent, without being completely cutoff from Matt and JoAnne’s supervision.
“He’s really enjoyed it. He’s adapted extremely well,” said Matt about his son. “We kind of spy on him from our addition – we can see his interactions going on and it almost makes us want to cry because this is what we worked for 27 years to get him to do and now it’s coming to fruition.”
Early Success
And all reports are that the arrangement is going well.
“It’s awesome,” said Shawn Fusco, one of the new roommates.
“I love it to death. It’s awesome-sauce. It’s got everything a disabled person needs,” added Anthony Baldwin, another new roommate.
Help from Ray Graham
The boys share their space with 24-hour support from nurses at the Ray Graham Association, which has been instrumental in making the setup successful.
“I think it speaks to everything we do at Ray Graham,” said Mark Langan, the organization’s chief development officer. “We have a person-centered approach to what we do. So each individual that’s a part of our organization, a part of our care, we sit down and put together a plan for each of them to figure out how they can live their best life.”
“I’m so happy I don’t know what to do or say right now,” exclaimed Anthony.
“Our time is more special”
It’s also strengthening Luke’s relationship with his parents.
“Because I don’t see Luke everyday now, intentionally, the times that I do see him, our time is more special,” said Matt. “He’s ready for me, I’m ready for him. And we can have that special time together.”
A truly moving experience for all.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.
