This interview will blow your mind. You will have just one thought: "We need a thousand more Mary Ogles!" Mary is a force of nature and CEO of A New Leaf near Tulsa, Oklahoma, which serves 500 clients with I/DD in vocational, transition and residential programs. When Mary sees a need she goes for it and has vastly expanded their operations, including development of a residential village serving adults of all functional levels. She and Jill Escher discuss:—How she entered this field—How the campus-based housing did not get subjected to HCBS "heightened scrutiny"—The vision and mission to serve adults with severe and profound autism—The need for a huge amount of private fundraising to cover actual costs—How they raised millions to build their village—The 2-year Transition Academy serving students with mid-functioning autism and I/DD—The horticulture work the clients do, and their retail operations—Staff development and retentionWe must "open the floodgates" to vastly more services and housing to serve the need. Amen!Link:
https://www.anewleaf.org