Annual summit assists military families with special needs Published March 28, 2014 By Mitch Shaw Hilltop Time Staff HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- Moving across the country or across the world can be difficult for any service member, but for military families with special needs, relocating presents an entirely new and unique set of challenges. Last week, Hill Air Force Base hosted its annual Special Needs Summit -- a one-stop shop for active-duty military members and retirees that provides information on a variety of topics and services special-needs families typically must have. "Naturally, just being a military family has its challenges -- moving, having to change schools, doctors, finding a new house to live in," said Tammy Custer, a base support specialist who organizes the summit. "But when you put on top of that the special needs of a child where they may need a special school or teacher or very specific doctors, the house maybe needs to have a setup specifically for their wheelchair -- it obviously makes things that much harder." Custer said Hill Air Force Base has 348 special-needs families -- a number that constantly changes because of the globe-trotting lives of many active-duty military members. Custer said the summit is especially beneficial to those families who have just arrived at the base. "If they are new to the area, if they come to an event like this, they are going to find what they need," she said. "And a lot of times, if they aren't finding specifically what they need, these agencies know about other resources. It's a really good link." Custer, a military spouse for 26 years who had two special-needs children of her own, can personally vouch for the challenges families like hers face in the military. "Every time I would move, I'd have to find all of those resources all over again," she said. "The nice thing about an event like this is, you find those resources so much faster, and it's so much easier to get settled in." Hill Capt. Alejandro Bihar attended the summit, hoping to find resources for his autistic son. "(I'm here) to find out all of those little details and the resources that are available that no one really knows about," he said. "It's not like there is a yellow book for looking up autistic needs. It really is taxing on a parent when you've already got a child you're trying to take care of, to go out and find these services." Scott and Wendy Hein attended the summit to find information for their 8-year-old daughter, who has a condition that keeps her from being able to process certain proteins. "We're just trying to find programs for our daughter to help her be a normal kiddo," Scott Hein said. "It's just phenomenal to have all of these organizations here, instead of driving all up and down the Wasatch Front or even farther to try and find (something) that would be a good fit. We can find out here today if it's going to work. It's kind of unheard of." For more information on Exceptional Family Member Program, please call 801-777-4681.