Mikelle Learned

Mikelle is in her wheelchair smiling with three of her favorite girlfriends surrounding her with love.

A Tale of Two Celebrations: Mikelle’s Memorable Birthday Bash

A Home of My Own, Daily Life, Family, Friends, Self-Determination, Special Needs Parenting /

Celebrating Mikelle’s Birthday in the Shadows of Her Grandma’s Home This summer, Mikelle celebrated her birthday at the home of her brother Kasey and his wife Allison, once her beloved Grandma’s house for sixty-two years. Although it marked the second birthday without her Grandma, gathering friends in the revitalized backyard breathed new life into the celebration. […]

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brown and white photo with people gathered around the kitchen table talking. Featured hands and coffee cups.

Conversations Over Coffee: Navigating a Chaotic World

21st Century Rehabiliation Solutions, A Home of My Own, Community, Daily Life, Self-Determination, Special Needs Parenting, Uncategorized /

The kitchen table in Mikelle’s cozy condo hosts countless conversations. It’s where the Shining Beautiful team gathers, supporting each other through the chaos and adventures of everyday life. Each day, the table—and sometimes the coffee table—is laden with coffee mugs, a fresh breakfast or a plate of freshly baked chocolate croissants, and the weight of

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Our Everything, Everywhere All At Once!

21st Century Rehabiliation Solutions, A Home of My Own, Daily Life, Self-Determination, Special Needs Parenting /

Routine Life Most families have a routine. We have a daily set of rituals and activities that help us wake up, move around the house and help us run around our communities, and chat with each other over coffee. Yet, we all know that when the dishwasher does work, or the car won’t start, it

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Are We Doomed?

Uncategorized /

Part Two   Exhaustion Sets In In last month’s blog post, Mikelle and I lamented that we are still in the middle of a staffing crisis ourselves. Since then, I have met with other parents experiencing some version of this crisis in their own families. Compounding our situation are life challenges like parental surgeries and

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Adding Voice to Advocacy

21st Century Rehabiliation Solutions, Community, Self-Determination /

Advocacy is a Latin term made up of two words “Ad” and “Voca” which means “amplify” and “Voice” thus advocacy is the process of amplifying the voices of the voiceless. “Advocacy” is often defined by agencies and individuals as a “Systematic and serious process of amplifying the voices of the voiceless”. ~ The World Blind Union Cavepeople

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