Tribute to Sharyn Scheyd
by Rose Gilbert
On December 10, 2006 Louisiana lost one of the greatest advocates for individuals with disabilities that we will ever know in our lifetime. Sharyn Scheyd epitomized everything we believed in and we will all be forever grateful for her dedication, love and passion.
Like most parents of children with disabilities Sharyn Scheyd sought the solace of other parents who knew what she was going through. She found it in a support group that met at a local church. Parents Reaching Out, a generic support group of parents experiencing similar obstacles, all looking for answers - found each other.
The wheels of progress had been turning long before Ashley, Sharyn’s daughter, was born. Parent to Parent support had been sweeping the nation. National education laws had been passed and funding was trickling down to the states. Louisiana advocates had opted to write for a federal grant and Sharyn was chosen to direct Project PROMPT (Parents Reaching Out – Model for Parent Training), Louisiana’s first parent training and information center grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
Sharyn was there from the beginning of Project PROMPT and Families Helping Families. She attended the DD Council conference where it all began, where families and professionals were challenged “to do something with the words on the paper”. She worked with disability leaders to establish LaCAN, the Family Support Act and the first Medicaid waiver. Sharyn was a member of the network of parents and professionals who worked towards establishing the regional family resource centers we now call Families Helping Families.
She helped establish significant initiatives such as the Inclusive Education Coalition and the Home of My Own Project in Jefferson Parish. Sharyn shared herself and her knowledge through person centered planning for individuals with disabilities and through helping families to learn to dream for their sons and daughters with disabilities.
Sharyn coordinated Partners In Policymaking, Louisiana’s Developmental Disabilities Council’s eight month training program for individuals with disabilities and parents. Partner’s participants had the good fortune to interact on a one-on-one basis with Sharyn and learn from her knowledge and strength.
She challenged us to rethink our values. She encouraged us to laugh – at ourselves and at life.
Sharyn ventured out into the “typical” world – seeking fulfillment in public speaking - outside of the disability arena. In doing so she sought to teach others that disability is a natural part of life. She taught people with no connection to disability, that people with disabilities have unique abilities and if given the chance can teach us things we can never learn from books. Things like patience, compassion, improved listening skills, tolerance for differences and longsuffering.
For all her accomplishments in her professional life, her children were always her focus. So much of what we learned from Sharyn she had learned from them. I believe she would say they were her greatest teachers.
Ashley and Sharyn set the stage in my advocacy life – personal and professional. Sharyn’s memory will live on through those of us whose lives she touched. She challenged us, encouraged us, laughed with us and dared us to dream.
Let us not forget her legacy. May we all dream for independence, believe in others’ abilities, share our knowledge, encourage others to achieve their dreams, laugh at ourselves and never, ever give up!
Sharyn’s memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2007 at 1:30 p.m. at Jefferson Presbyterian Church, 4450 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, LA. Anyone wishing to share in the celebration of her life is welcomed.
