Aguanga (a-wan-ga) California USA
This is our home in beautiful sunny southern California in the winter of 2006 in the high chaparral country at 4000 ft
Aguanga means "Land of Water" and was the original home of the Pechanga Indians. Aguanga is located about 75 miles north east of San Diego, in the San Jacinto Mountains. Aquanga is a town of about 2000 people scattered over many, MANY miles. We do not have a formal community, You will find a few of us along the highways, but most of us are hidden down the miles and miles of dirt roads that scatter the country side, among the chaparral and boulders of the high desert. We are not a typical high desert. You will find artesian springs hidden throughout the area that spill their cool water into small creeks and provide a refreshing drink for an abundance of wildlife during the searing heat of summer. Large coveys of quail feed in the dense foliage alongside a bounty of cottontail rabbits. Mountain lions, bobcats and coyotes wander the countryside looking for a meal while the hawks, ravens and even turkey vultures roam the sky. With the occasional fox and roadrunner, we are never alone. In the spring, our ground erupts with a sea of yellow, purple and white as spring announces itself. This is our home that God has blessed us with.
On the right is a picture of Maggie and Ian taken in the summer of 2003. You can visit Maggie's Blog at http://maggiemccormick.com where you can read their story's of Ian and all those crazy things that happen with a Special Needs child, encouragements for moms & dads and things that help Maggie home school a Special Needs child
Dave and Maggie, through much prayer, have felt that God is leading them to help other parents with Special Needs children. There are different levels of learning disabilities, each with their own set of issues.
Children with higher level learning disabilities such as Aspergers, ADHD or ADD, usually have secondary issues that accompany these "labels". These children also get other not so flattering labels such as "stupid", "lazy", "eccentric" and more. These parents are told they are bad parents. Dave and Maggie have been there!! And, at times, still are.
As we share with parents of lower level learning disabilities, we are finding that a lot of these resources work great for them too
Dave and Maggie's goal is to first provide a place where parents can know they are not alone in their struggles and to get support & encouragement.
Their second goal is to start up an online store that would provide resources to help parents teach their Special Needs children. Maggie has found that on a limited budget, it is hard to find any one product that would be the "ultimate" curriculum for Special Needs children. Over time she has taken bits and pieces of curriculum that work best for Ian, and come up with her "custom" resources for him. Since each child is different, each child learns his or her own way. Her goal is to help other parents find that way . . . the way that their child learns.