Benefits available to Valley’s special needs families

Families with children living with special needs have the hard task of finding assistance to help make ends meet.

Gloria Branbila made the difficult decision of quitting her job of almost two decades to take care of her son who has autism.

” We do have a large family so it was a family decision that had to be made in order to assist our child and to see the fruits, ” said Branbila .

But James Gonzalez of the Autism Support of Imperial County said its thanks to health agencies from San Diego who educate families about the benefits that are out there families are able to find financial assistance.

Gonzalez said, ” Where they normally would have to stay at home and not have an income or have to go and get a second job or get a job, get an income only to simply pay a caretaker to watch their child. ”

Knowing that only she could provide the best care for her child, Branbila doesn’t regret the career change.

Branbila added, ” For your child to have you there full time brings them a sense of relief. It helps them build their confidence. Knowing that their parent is there to look out for their needs. ”

Now agencies like Autism Support of Imperial County make it their priority to inform parents

” Now we’re trying to get that education out to new parents. Even existing parents that didn’t know that these services were out there that they could use, ” said Gonzalez.

For more information on what benefits are available for families with children with disabilities, you can click here.

KYMA 2019