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Chester Springs autistic woman gets a house of her own

Philadelphia Inquirer (PA) - 10/23/2014

Oct. 23--Marie Louise Ludwig founded a nonprofit five years ago to buy a house where her autistic daughter could have a fulfilled adult life and live after she and her husband, Andy, died.

"I'm just a mom who had a dream," said Ludwig, 53.

Two weeks ago, Ludwig moved 22-year-old Stephanie Kier into the Chester Springs house the nonprofit, Stephanie's House, bought a year ago.

Gayle Eddy moved in, too, as Kier's caregiver and manager of the house.

"It's just -- it's home," Eddy, 65, said of the two-story blue house at the end of a well-groomed cul-de-sac. "And [Kier] is happy. That's what's important."

Early next year, Kier's mother plans to start using the home as a meeting place for parents of autistic children seeking answers to a worrying question: Where will my child live as an adult?

About 500,000 children with autism in the United States will become adults in the next 10 years, according to advocacy group Autism Speaks. Advocates say there won't be enough housing for them all.

"Now that we have the house established, we want to open it up and help other people," Ludwig said.

She said about 30 parents have asked her for advice on how to do what she has done for her daughter.

In early January, Ludwig also will start looking for two other women with special needs to move into the house.

"I'm very, very proud of her," said Evelyn Dudziec, who mentored Ludwig. "She's a mom who is determined to do the best she can for her daughter, and who's not willing to settle for anything else."

Dudziec founded Katie's House in Newton, N.J., for her own daughter, who moved into her own home in 2007. Dudziec said she is mentoring nine families who are developing similar situations for their children in New Jersey and Illinois.

At Kier's new home, her caregivers try to give her as much autonomy as possible. She chooses her activities. She learns to put dishes away and pack her laundry into drawers.

She learns how to navigate the laundry, the post office, and the grocery with her house manager and two other caregivers, who take rotating shifts.

Kier and her caregivers also take outings at movie theaters, bowling alleys, restaurants, and libraries. She loves to read.

She also enjoys her time at the computer in her room. She has large stickers of Disney princesses all over her pink walls.

The house for Kier has undergone $60,000 in renovations over the last year, including new floors and upgrades to the master bedroom.

Groups donated electrical and paint work and furniture to the house. A local Girl Scout troop wants to plant a garden in the backyard as a service project. The caregivers are paid by the state.

Kier's mother is planning a Halloween-theme fund-raiser and housewarming party on Nov. 1 at Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge. Kier plans to dress as a witch.

Art hangs on walls throughout Kier's new house. The picture of Thomas the Tank Engine she painted is tacked onto the refrigerator in the kitchen.

When her mother asked her whether she likes living in her new house, Kier gave a little smile.

"It's Stephanie's family. Yay!" she said, clapping.

Ludwig smiled back.

"If anything happens to me," she said, "her life will continue with the same level of joy."

mbond@philly.com

610-313-8207 @MichaelleBond

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