Amy Chally
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Seeing the good

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in the trials of life.

Social Worker Author and Motivational Speaker Chally Guest on WSPY Fox Valley Today

10/19/2016

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I was a guest on WSPY TV 30's Fox Valley Today with Anne Vickery. October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This year's theme was inclusion. It's hard to feel included in the workforce when I've been unemployed longer than I've been working. That's why WSPY and Anne thought it was important for their listeners and viewers to hear my story. The first half of this segment discusses my educational and work history,
As you'll hear, I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from Aurora University in 2006 (graduating summa cum laude).  I am a Licensed Social Worker with my Type 73 in School Social Work and I've got valuable skills worth mentioning. 
​First, for clients on the autism spectrum, I have knowledge and experience writing social stories. I also have first-hand knowledge and experience linking clients who have special needs with information and resources with regard to transportation, adaptive equipment, home health equipment or other community resources available in the area that they may need.  In addition to working in the schools, I have experience in the mental health field. In these environments, I gained knowledge and experience in facilitating different treatment groups, working as a member of a larger treatment team, as well as providing case management and individual counseling.  
Yes it's true that I don't have a driver's license, but I am confident that this will not prevent me from performing the essential functions of a position with or without an accommodation, should I be given the opportunity. My personal and professional experience working with individuals diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorders makes me a uniquely qualified candidate for employment.
In second half of the segment we discuss what my book is about and also the important work of Canine Companions for Independence. In addition to trying to find a job as a social worker and writing my book, I also do motivational speaking. Therefore, I'm interested in sharing my story with local libraries, schools, boy scouts, girl scouts, women's groups, churches etc. in Kendall, Kane and DuPage Co. If you'd like me to speak at a location near you, please e-mail me. Thanks!



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My Name In Lights

10/8/2016

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I never thought I'd see my name in lights, but there's a first time for everything, and today was it! I had my first author talk, and this video a is a recreation of what I shared. I also talked about why I decided to write and shared a little about Portland too, but not too much, since I'll write his story soon. He was in heaven, because after we finished, I put him on release and he got some love!  
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5th Annual Oswego Literary Festival

10/1/2016

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Felt blessed to share our story, Making Independence Happen, with local patrons on National Black Dog Day! Despite the rain, I still managed to sell half my inventory, making my second author fair a success!
I also got to see Adrienne Giordano again, a nice surprise! She's a fellow author and a friend to Kelsey Browning, who has Pharoah, my current service dog's (Portland) brother.
Your next opportunity to hear me share our story, will be on October 8th at 11 am, when I give an author talk at the Sugar Grove Public Library, Youth Lounge. ​
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Visit to Covenant Christian School

9/13/2016

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This morning I spoke to the students of Covenant Christian School. I shared a little about me in a modified game of "Cross the Line." But mostly, I share and show how God has used both of my Canine Companions for Independence Service Dogs to bless my life. My book delves deeper into how with courage, faith, the love of my family, and the help of Yazzen, my first service dog, I overcome obstacles I face. As you watch part I of my presentation, you'll see that I haven't let my difference stop me from living a life without limits and as you'll see in part II, my Successor Service Dog Portland's a BIG reason for that!
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Catch a Bunch of Authors a Success!

9/11/2016

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My first book fair was a success! By the time the event ended, I only had five books left on my table. I am so thankful to  the people I met and those I already knew  who came out to support me and Canine Companions. I'd also like to thank fellow (young adult) authors Susan Miura and Amy Alessio, for their willingness to share some of their experience and knowledge about indie writing and publishing with me. They are great  and I encourage you to explore their work..
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Susan Miura, Author of "Show Me a Sign" me, & Portland
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To say or not to say, to do or not to do, that is the question.

7/9/2016

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This afternoon I had the pleasure of sharing my story with members of the Fox Valley Therapy Dog Club and give them some food for thought regarding interacting with and understanding persons with disabilities. For some, it may be difficult to know what to say or even do when they encounter someone with a disability. As I learned earlier this week, those of us within the disabled community may have different viewpoints about words (i.e. handicapped, crippled,etc.) some able-bodied individuals use when talking about persons with disabilities. If you hire me to speak on the topic of disability etiquette and education, you'll see that I approach this topic with humor and honesty. For me, this topic is more about the "golden rule" and less about political correctness.
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Aurora woman with cerebral palsy lives 'to help people'

5/22/2016

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Amy Chally, a social worker with cerebral palsy, and her service dog Portland have been working with children at Geneva Middle School North. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News)
By Denise Crosby
Amy Chally just wants to be normal. Still.
"Normal," as we all know, is a subjective word. In her case, it means being a productive member of society — going to a job she enjoys, working hard, helping others. Yes, even having that husband, kids and white picket fence, although the latter is optional.
Of course, Chally, born with spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy, knows her body is not like most people's.
With muscles that are constantly tight and contracted, she struggles to move or control the movements in her arms and legs. In addition to using a wheelchair, she deals with a speech impediment and body twitches because — as she describes it — those muscles "don't always do what I want them to do."
Which is why she's had to strive that much harder for normalcy all her life.
"Amy was always independent, always determined," said her mother, Vicki, who's justifiably proud of the fact her daughter was toilet-trained at age 2, despite her disability.
"But that's just the way we decided we were going to raise her because I did not want to be changing her diapers the rest of my life."
This candidness and easy humor — not to mention strong will — in both Chally women is probably another reason Amy Chally, who will turn 35 in June, has managed to attain so many of a young woman's so-called normal goals.
We first wrote about Chally — who lives with her parents on the far West Side of Aurora — in May 1999 when she was a 17-year-old Plano High School student attending her first prom.
Vicki Chally and her husband, Darrell, fought for years with the school district to include their daughter, who was the first student at Plano to be mainstreamed back when the battle for inclusion was still raging, The Beacon-News reported.
For Amy Chally, it was a godsend, as the school in Joliet she attended prior to being mainstreamed meant a 55-minute bus ride each way and a classroom where only a handful of students could even talk.
And Chally is verbal, to say the least. She's also bright. The brain bleed that likely led to her disability at birth or soon after did not affect her IQ. Not only was she inducted into the National Honor Society as a Plano senior, she graduated summa cum laude from Aurora University, eventually earning a master's degree in social work in 2006.
In 1999, Elliott Lenoff, director of the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative, described Chally as the most successful inclusion student he could remember in his 20 years with the county.
But excelling in the workforce has presented its share of frustrations. Chally, who even in high school dreamed of working with disabled children, has been laid off from jobs because of budget cuts, including with, ironically enough, the Kendall County Special Education Cooperative in 2010, and AIM Center for Independent Living in June 2015.
Chally also believes she gets passed over for positions because the job description requires a driver's license for home visits and, in many schools, training in crisis prevention intervention, which she is unable to obtain due to limited use of her limbs.
While there are vehicles available with adaptive equipment, it's her startle reflex and eye tracking that keep her from obtaining a driver's license, she noted.
Chally also gets frustrated because, despite progress made in laws that mandate equality for people with disabilities, she still runs into prejudices. Even adults, she said, "see the chair instead of the person."
"Just because I can't walk doesn't mean I can't see or talk," she added.
Since April, Chally has been substituting for the social worker on maternity leave at Geneva Middle School North, but that job will come to an end this week. And that's when the tough-as-nails Chally becomes wrought with emotion.
"I love working with these kids so much, and it's such a great staff," she said, tears welling in her large, expressive eyes. "I'm so thankful to be there, and it just breaks my heart I'm going to be leaving soon."
Ashley Weltler, dean of students at the middle school, says the feeling is mutual
"Amy jumped right in and did not skip a beat," she said of the temporary position. "The way she connected with students is phenomenal. She has such insight, and she's bound and determined to make a difference."
You can't help kids, Chally insisted, when you are sitting at home.
That's why, when she was out of work from June until she began working at Geneva Middle School North in April, she wrote a book, "Making Independence Happen, One Paw At a Time," about her disability and her relationship with her beloved service dog Yazzen, who died in 2014 from cancer. Her current dog, Portland, Weltler told me, is "a big asset" in working with the kids.
The book, an easy read at only 36 pages and available on Amazon.com, is filled with the candor, humor and determination that has always defined Chally's refusal to let anything stand in the way of her goals.
"God has me in this position for a reason," she said of her disability. "I'm supposed to help people. … So OK, God, let me get on with doing just that."
Because she's been in the shoes of children with disabilities, Chally is convinced she can show them by example that it is indeed possible to find success and in doing so to attain normalcy.
All her life, said Vicki Chally, her daughter has "had to work harder to prove herself."
"Am I really good enough?" Amy Chally said. "That is the question I'm always asking."
For Weltler, who has gotten to know that can-do spirit well these last weeks of the school year, a four-word answer is all that is needed.
"Look at her now," she said.
dcrosby@tribpub.com
Copyright © 2016, Aurora Beacon-News
Amy Chally, a social worker with cerebral palsy, and her service dog Portland have been working with children at Geneva Middle School North. (Denise Crosby / The Beacon-News)
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My Story's Coming To Fruition...

3/4/2016

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Tonight, I submitted my FINAL manuscript and cover to my self-publisher!  Now they're reviewing said manuscript, and will create a new master version that we will use for the interior of the book. Once the interior's complete, they'll review it and make sure it's ready for manufacturing and cataloging. When the review process is complete, I’ll select the final distributors for my book, provide them with a description (most of which, I’ve already done) and then they'll set the price. From there it'll be all about sales and Marketing!  

A release date for the paperback and Kindle versions of Making Independence Happen, One Paw at a Time© may still be a few months away, but it's coming, promise. Stay tuned! 

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Defying Disability, Delighting in Diversity

2/17/2016

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Today, I spoke to a small diversity group consisting  of  students with disabilities and their parents about  how I have chosen to defy disability and delight in diversity.. I talked about the importance of self-acceptance, perseverance, independence and advocacy. I also shared some important information about the programs and services available to people with disabilities.  If you hire me to speak at one of your functions, this is some of what your attendees may hear:
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However, I will vary my speech, based on the target audience and topic.
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