The Easterseals Rehabilitation Center empowers individuals with disabilities to achieve greater independence through physical, occupational, speech & language therapies; inclusive early care and education for children of all abilities; therapeutic preschool; audiology testing & services; aquatic therapy, aquatic fitness & swim lessons for people of all abilities; driver’s assessments & training; assistive technology; augmentative & alternative communication; wheelchairs & mobility devices; home & work site adaptations; psychological services & counseling; mental health community outreach; orthotics; adult day services; group homes; organizational employment; and community employment.
The Easterseals Rehabilitation Center changes lives for people of all ages with all kinds of disabilities, including autism, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, strokes, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, fractures, amputations, epilepsy, spina bifida, accident-related injuries, mental health conditions, and neurological, learning, speech and hearing disorders.
At the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in Evansville, IN, we are working to make profound, positive differences in the lives of local people with disabilities every day, and to change the way our community defines and views disability.
Contact Easterseals for more information 812-479-1411
With your help, the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center provides life-changing programs for more than 5,900 children and adults with disabilities from a 30-county area. Your generosity helps to provide inclusive early education and a wide range of essential therapy services. Thank you for empowering local people to achieve their own dreams of independence.
Life changed for Ethan Hills on April 27, 2024. It was Ethan’s first camping trip with his Scout troop, and he was having a great time. But in the early morning hours, a tree fell on the tent where Ethan was sleeping. Ethan experienced a life-threatening traumatic brain injury and was life-flighted to a Louisville children’s hospital.
Ethan had a difficult fight ahead of him as he battled to regain consciousness, breathe on his own, and regain movement. He spent months in an acute rehab hospital before going home to Newburgh IN. It was just the beginning of Ethan’s recovery. Now Easterseals is a part of his journey!
Ethan began receiving physical therapy at the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center in December, and this determined 12-year-old is already making amazing progress. He has gone from using a rolling walker for most of his mobility to walking unassisted! He’s working on balance and coordination, stepping over objects, standing and walking on uneven surfaces, jumping, and much more.
Through hard work and a positive attitude, Ethan accomplishes new things every week. This Castle North sixth-grader is unstoppable! His mom Ashley said, “The biggest change I have seen in Ethan since we started coming to Easterseals is an increase in his confidence in his own abilities and his willingness to challenge himself.”
Ethan certainly doesn’t shy away from challenges in therapy! He has always loved sports, so his therapist uses baseball and soccer to bring out Ethan’s competitive side, make sessions fun, and keep him motivated. Ethan can now hit a ball off a tee and off of pitches, and he has an even bigger goal in mind: “To learn to run and kick so I can get back on the soccer field and be with the other boys on the team again!”
Ethan is well on his way to reaching his goals! With the community’s support, Easterseals empowers Ethan and thousands of other Tri-State children and adults to achieve their dreams.
Greg Butler has been a part of the local Easterseals family for decades. Greg’s wife Toni spent years as an Easterseals speech therapist, helping kids and adults learn to communicate. Toni and Greg couldn’t have imagined that they would become Easterseals clients themselves! But that’s what happened after Greg was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s is a progressive disorder that affects each person differently. The first sign of Greg’s condition was rigidity in his hands 38 years ago. Since then, other movement-related symptoms have impacted his life. Through it all, services at the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center have helped Greg achieve his primary goal–to stay mobile and continue living at home with Toni.
The most important thing Easterseals does? “They provide tools I need to remain productive and mobile, from a team of professional staff members,” Greg said. Every piece of mobiity equipment Greg has utilized has come from the Easterseals Rehabilitation Center. From a cane and walkers to a custom wheelchair, the devices have enabled Greg to keep moving.
Staff members are also valuable resources for Toni as Greg’s condition changes. They offer creative solutions that enable Toni to safely assist Greg with daily activities at home, such as accessing the shower, transferring in and out of his wheelchair, or getting in and out of bed. Greg’s hard work in Easterseals physical therapy maximizes his strength, balance, and coordination. During each weekly session he makes multiple “laps” around the first floor using a rolling walker. He also enjoys a workout with boxing gloves! Greg is always willing to try new equipment and techniques, like walking across the gym using a harness with a ceiling-mounted power lift system.
Recently Greg was thrilled to discover that he can walk independently in Easterseals’ fully-accessible, warm-water therapeutic pool! The buoyancy of the water allows him to walk with no assistance for the first time in years. That accomplishment provides beneficial exercise and is a great morale booster! Greg plans to become a “regular” at the pool and to keep achieving his goals!