With obstacles and surprises thrown in along the way, the Boyce family story spans 2 continents and 4 nations. Jim Boyce and his wife Denny met and married in the Dominican Republic, moved to Qatar, and then moved to Abu Dhabi, where their twins, Robert and Aisha, were born. Jim retired when the twins were two and the family moved back to the Dominican Republic, where Denny was born. Initially, they had planned to raise their children there, but soon after they settled in and bought a house, Robert was diagnosed with moderate autism. The Boyces quickly realized that Robert would not be able to get high-quality care in the Dominican Republic, and made plans to immigrate to the United States, where Jim and the twins are citizens. But Denny is not a citizen, and efforts to get her a green card took more than a year, with Jim having to call senators and congressional representatives about his wife’s case.
As Jim has family in Washington State, the Boyces knew that they were going to settle there. So one day Jim went online and came across the Washington Autism Alliance. Jim said, “I’m not really a religious person, but it was a godsend.” Leah Winter, the WAA Family Services Navigator, was essential in helping the Boyces find autism medical providers. She also helped the family to understand what services Medicaid would cover, educated them about ABLE accounts, SSI, and other disability benefits, and in general provided support and a sounding board whenever the Boyces encountered obstacles to setting up services for their son. Kathy Sheppard, WAA’s Senior Legal Assistant, explained the process of getting an IEP and their son’s legal rights to a public education that accommodates his disability.
The Boyces finally moved to Washington State in March 2022 after dealing with immigration issues for more than a year. Robert is an active little boy of 4 who loves kites. He is now already enrolled in a special education preschool and ABA therapy, where he is progressing rapidly. He and his sister Aisha are adjusting well to life here.
Without the Washington Autism Alliance, Jim Boyce says that he would have been unable to get high-quality services for his son and to plan for his future for much longer, losing precious time when Robert is at such an important developmental stage. The process of finding autism service providers, special education services, and disability benefits can be confusing and exhausting at the best of times, much less when you have an immigration case, sell your house, and relocate to another country. Today, with the help of WAA, his son’s future looks brighter and he now has the support that he needs.