This week on Let’s Plant Houses, I had the privilege of interviewing Rachelle Vartanian, the founder of the Living and Learning Center in Northville, Michigan. Rachelle’s journey began with an autism diagnosis for her son. Once she understood the lack of autism resources, she leveraged her expertise as a special education professional and her dedication as a parent to create new opportunities for him and others. What started with social skills sessions at a public library has grown into the Living and Learning Center, a special and unique place that provides therapeutic, social, work-based, and community engagement for people with disabilities. Tune in to hear Rachelle’s inspiring story and her vision for the future.

On this episode of Let’s Plant Houses, I am joined by Janice Fialka, a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and advocate for families and people with disabilities, who tells her family’s origin story. Micah, her son, was born with a cognitive impairment, but that didn’t stop him from sharing and seizing his dreams. Janice recounts Micah’s pioneering path towards complete inclusion, spanning from his early education to college, work, and beyond. His journey and their collective advocacy has had a lasting impact on the entire disabilities community. You can learn more about Janice, Micah, and their work at: https://danceofpartnership.com/.