During the 2025 NFL season, Tiffany Orlovsky packed her four children into the car and took off for a daytrip.
Tiffany, the wife of former NFL quarterback and current ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, led the trek from Connecticut to Philadelphia, where the family went to their first ever All Abilities Clinic, presented by Nouryon, held by the Eagles Autism Foundation at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Orlovsky family had never been to an event like the S.T.E.M. Clinic, put together through a collaborative effort with Bentley Systems, but they wanted to attend so Madden Orlovsky, a teenager who has autism, could have that experience.
It was a special time for the family, who got to see Madden thrive in a stress-free environment, surrounded by a strong support staff.
"We have great friends up here [in Connecticut], and kids are wonderful to him, but he's also at the age where he's more aware of things around him," said Tiffany, who is a life-long Eagles fan. "So, he's always trying to 'fit in' or [asking], 'Am I weird?' and the questions he asks because he sees he's not fully like his siblings and his peers. So that night was about, not just him, but all the kids that were there and that let them just feel comfortable within their skin and be themselves and have fun."
Before the actual Clinic began, the Orlovskys, along with Tiffany's parents who live in the area, had a tour of the practice facility where they saw the new Lombardi Trophy display, took a look at the equipment room, and more. From there, they drove over to the stadium for the main event.
"Coming off last year when we started All Abilities to have a sold-out fall series of All Abilities Clinics, wrapping it up with S.T.E.M. is just incredible to demonstrate the need that's in the community and how it's become a destination," Eagles Autism Foundation Executive Director Ryan Hammond said. "It's not just local families; it's families that are coming into Philadelphia for this because nothing else like this exists where they live. I think that's what's so important, not only are we raising millions of dollars, but our commitment to inclusion is really unmatched."
The S.T.E.M. Clinic had four interactive stations where 75 participants of all ages and their families enjoyed numerous activities. The stations consisted of geospatial technology with Cesium, 3-D printing and avatar creating with Create Access, Ozobots, magnetic race cars with Bentley, coloring, magnatiles, and keychain coding.
Tiffany said that the highlight of Madden's experience was seeing his artwork zoomed in on a big poster board.
"He got very, very excited about that," Tiffany said. "The look on his face was priceless. It was just so well-run because everything was just like 20 minutes and it was all activities that he enjoyed, and he never got bored of it. It was perfect timing of like, OK time to move on. It just ran really well and perfectly."
Madden's connection to the Eagles didn't stop there. Madden went on ESPN for World Autism Acceptance Day last Thursday, and he was gifted a "Swag Bag" from the Eagles Autism Foundation along with a video from DeVonta Smith.
The clinic marked a powerful day for the Orlovsky family with all four kids getting involved. However, the most special part was seeing Madden be unequivocally himself.
"It was special," Tiffany said. "There's not that many opportunities where that happens, to be able to do that and just get to see him enjoy it and be himself and not feel like he has to 'fit in.'" — Written by Matt Ryan
