Forrest "Gunnar" Adkins credits Special Olympics,  and some caring friends and teachers for ” bringing me out of my shell” and teaching him to reach out to others. He credits self-direction for helping him to pursue a vocation and to continue reaching out.   Gunnar...

Hannah graduated from high school with honors in 2018 with a GPA of 4.6.  She was inducted into the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) and was honored to be amongst the few in ceremony to receive a 2018 Maryland Scholars Certificate. Hannah...

Robbie was born in Southern California, a healthy baby. He contracted encephalitis during infancy which resulted in severe brain damage. He attended multiple therapy and early intervention programs with the hopes of helping him meet his physical and developmental...

 Sunny Cefaratti is co-director of The Musical Autist, an autistic self-advocate, and a mentor to others. The Musical Autist’s mission is “to provide access to the arts and platforms for self-advocacy for musicians of all ages and abilities on the autism spectrum.” It...

  Melanie Cooper, now 35, started Self Direction at 21 and was one of the first Marylanders in the self-directed waiver.  All seemed well at her birth, but at 6 weeks old, Melanie contracted spinal meningitis.  Thus, began her journey of delayed...

John is a non-verbal, autistic young man.  He is also a happy and productive member of his authentic community because his customized self-direction program is tailored to his needs and desires.  John’s early childhood years were marked by problems and by...

Melissa Lopez has two passions: politics and disability rights.  The flexibility of self-direction has enabled  her to pursue them both.    Melissa sustained an incomplete spinal cord injury in 2002 at age 15. Despite severe physical challenges, she...

Melissa Silverman resides in Owings Mills, MD.  She graduated from Franklin High School in 2001 with a full academic diploma from the state of Maryland.  She was awarded the Student Advocate of the Year from the Baltimore County Commission on Disabilities and a merit...

Rob Stone graduated from Walt Whitman High School in 2018. He takes Challenge Classes in music and art at Montgomery College. Rob writes poetry and uses his AAC device to do abstract painting with his eyes; you can see these on his website. He’s read from his work...

Albin "Al" Wopat has severe autism. He is also an emerging self-advocate.  Al transitioned into self-direction from the Tangram school at age 21 in 2016 when the Wopats’ chosen agency provider was unable to admit him. Self-direction was not the first choice for Al...

Patti is the proud mother of three adult children, Emma, Adam, and the late Ethan Saylor. She is the owner of Health Link LLC, a business providing Nursing Consultation and Nursing Case Management and Delegation services both to independent schools and individuals...