Uncategorized – Page 3 – Let's Plant Houses

LPHS01E14: Joel and Debbie, creators of the Dani Plan, are simplifying caregiving and future planning

By Randy Walker | June 12, 2024

Joel and Debbie are the visionary creators of the Dani Plan, an innovative tool inspired by their eldest daughter, Dani, who has autism. The Dani Plan serves as a secure, centralized hub that organizes and consolidates all essential information needed to care for an individual with special needs. This makes caregiving more manageable and helps families plan for the future. Tune into this episode to hear about their family’s journey and their mission to simplify caregiving and future planning for families with loved ones who have special needs.

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LPHS01E13: Rachelle is a visionary committed to unyielding inclusion

By Wendy Ernzen | May 29, 2024

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.

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LPHS01E12: Janice and her son Micah, trailblazers who are changing the world for disabilities

By Wendy Ernzen | May 8, 2024

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/.

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LPHS01E11: Benji and Sarah, inspired by Ellah, are shining a light on CSS and ACC

By Wendy Ernzen | April 24, 2024

Join me on Let’s Plant Houses for a heartfelt conversation with Benji and Sarah as they reflect on their family’s extraordinary journey with their daughter, Ellah. Born with Coffin-Siris Syndrome (CSS) as well as a rare defect, Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum (ACC), Ellah faces unique health and developmental hurdles. Yet her resilience and push to be understood has created remarkable communication breakthroughs. Benji and Sarah delve into this story and more as well as their own incredible advocacy that has brought awareness of this rare condition to our local communities and beyond.

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LPHS01E10: What’s available in our local community? A resource roundup with Wendy Ernzen

By Wendy Ernzen | April 11, 2024

We covered a lot of ground with the first nine episodes of Let’s Plant Houses. On this 10th episode, I am a sharing a Top 10 List of resources mentioned in our stories in just 15 minutes. This episode is perfect for parents, caregivers, and professionals who are looking to learn about what’s available in our local area and why they might want to reach out to learn more.

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LPHS01E09: Tracie’s story about autism, innovation, and soap

By Wendy Ernzen | March 27, 2024

Join us on Let’s Plant Houses when I sit down with Tracie, a savvy and resourceful mother and entrepreneur. Tracie discusses pivotal moments including her son’s diagnosis of autism to the creation of his thriving business Expedition Soaps, the completion of his college degree, his well traveled passport, and his future just beginning. In turn, Tracie has used her own lived experience to launch the IEP Advantage, a groundbreaking resource that equips parents with the knowledge and confidence to advocate effectively for their children.

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LPHS01E08: Rhonda shares her family’s story of resilience and entrepreneurship

By Wendy Ernzen | March 13, 2024

Join us on this episode of Let’s Plant Houses when we sit down with Rhonda, who shares her family’s story of resilience and entrepreneurship. When her son with autism finished high school and a trade program, Tyler could not find a job even with his advanced degree. Rather than remaining unemployed, Rhonda helped Tyler transform his household chore of returning bottles into a thriving business, Tyler’s Bottle Service. Stay tuned as we learn about the challenges they faced, their successes, and the lessons learned along the way.

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LPHS01E07: Lisa’s story about her daughter’s extraordinary life and legacy

By Wendy Ernzen | February 28, 2024

Join us on this episode of Let’s Plant Houses when we sit down with Lisa. Lisa talks about Shay, her daughter with complex special needs who passed away and the amazing legacy she has left. Come learn about Shay’s extraordinary life, the remarkable imprint she left on others, and the inspiring work Lisa is now doing in our communities.

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LPHS01E06: Julie’s journey navigating special needs in higher education

By Wendy Ernzen | February 14, 2024

Join us on this episode of Let’s Plant Houses as we sit down with Julie, a remarkable parent who shares her family’s journey of navigating a special needs diagnosis during her son’s pursuit of higher education at a university. Through heartfelt storytelling, she shares the challenges faced, the pivotal moments of growth, and the unwavering commitment to creating an inclusive and successful college experience.

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LPHS01E05: Kelly’s journey from advocacy to an inclusive coffee shop

By Wendy Ernzen | January 24, 2024

Join us on this episode of Let’s Plant Houses when we sit down with Kelly, a passionate parent who courageously embraced inclusion by establishing a coffee shop dedicated to employing individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Kelly’s advocacy, initially inspired by her remarkable daughter with Down syndrome, has blossomed into a transformative social enterprise.

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