Danielle Yafuso was introduced to Easterseals Hawaii when her then 22-month-old son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Now, 12 years later, she’s the chairperson of the non-profit’s board.
Their family’s journey began like many others, being referred to a provider for an assessment and taking it one step at a time, eventually transferring to Easterseals Hawaii.
“We had met with our care team there to try to understand what was happening with my family and how we could help my son,” said Dani, explaining that, up until that point, she didn’t know where to start looking for information or find guidance on this new situation—something that added tremendous stress to their family. “As life went on, I kept thinking about my time with ESH and the kindness and patience they had during such an uncertain and anxious time.”
From conversations with other families, she realized they didn’t all share the kind of warm memories of the therapies she was fortunate to have through ESH. Hearing the differing perspectives resonated with her deeply.
While Dani was serving on a few different boards, all doing important work, they didn’t make her feel like she was giving back in quite the way she had envisioned. She wondered how she could make an impact for other families on their diagnostic journeys and, when a position on the ESH Board came up, she jumped at the opportunity.
“It felt very serendipitous,” Dani said. “I’ve been fortunate to serve alongside very dedicated people. We really try to give back to the organization – one that personally gave me so much support when I needed it.”
With the current rate of children being diagnosed with autism now reaching 1 in 31, Dani remains motivated by her lived experience as a concerned mother who, before ESH, felt very isolated. Serving on the Board, she’s met more families with varying needs beyond the autism spectrum and people well-known in the community who she didn’t know had a connection to the developmental disability community.
“The more these networks grow in size and strength, the more I’m really trying to put support behind enlisting donors and sponsors for events and talking publicly about the whole lifespan of services from birth through adulthood,” Dani said. “I am in this position now of having to consider what my son will need as he gets older.”
During her time on the Board, Dani has felt the difference ESH services make in so many lives. Thinking about the growing number of adult participants in the Employment Services program securing jobs each year, the expansion of the Autism Services program to include diagnostic evaluations, and the innovative new programming for toddlers through Early Intervention, she’s perhaps most excited to see how many families aren’t having to face it alone.
“I meet these families who have such great confidence and are thriving in a non-judgmental space like Easterseals Hawaii,” said Dani. “ESH really is pulling for this community, and I’m so happy that the warmth, kindness and expertise I once needed is being shared with others every single day.”
