Tales of the Dragonfly: A New Beginning Revised and Updated-March 2010

As an introduction to her "Tales of the Dragonfly" novels, the author discusses her attempts to find meaning and self-worth as a caregiver for her severely autistic and mentally-impaired son; due to the lack of vocational programming available because of the Illinois budgetary crisis.  The state of Illinois now ranks in the top three worst states financially with a more than $13 billion budget deficit. With over 11,000 individuals on the PUNS waiting list in the spring of 2009, and no new statistics available, she expresses her doubts about the state's capability to realistically service their disabled.