I consider my background to be unique, because of my day-to-day personal and professional involvement with special needs children and adults as well as with teachers and parents of children and adults with special needs. continuously take advantage of professional development opportunities as I attend workshops and trainings to familiarize and educate myself with skills designed to support my self-direction clients. In Staten Island, I educated business owners and established job site opportunities as I created SEMP, Community Pre-Voc, as well as volunteer opportunities for my clients. I also helped create highly demanded after school respite programs that are affiliated with non-for profit agencies. Recently, I created a relationship with a local builder who is interested in modifying some of his apartments to accommodate wheelchair individuals. Foremost, as a mother of two children with special needs I can be proactive and a great asset to a circle of support team in helping with diverse person centered self-direction planning.