As a retired special education teacher of over thirty years and the mother of two adults with intellectual disabilities, I have had the opportunity to observe many day programs, group homes, and resources in the community. As parents, my husband and I have always strived to find more opportunities that would allow them to be successful and thrive even after we are no longer here. We attended every new meeting, went to various training sessions, visited a variety of living environments and were always searching for programs for both children who have considerable differences in support needs. During these searches, we found Vanguard Landing. From the beginning, we realized Vanguard Landing had so much to offer to all individuals with varying abilities with programs provided to meet individual needs. The community provided residential living, daily activities with choice, and employment opportunities all in one place. For individuals who prefer or need opportunities close to home, having those choices—and opportunities for the wider community to come to them—can expand their world. For those that could work in the community, they could also be transported to those jobs. They had programs focusing on fitness, the arts, and community engagement. The working and social gathering spaces were like no other place we ever observed.

Vanguard Landing provides a community that meets the needs of both of my adult children and provides them with the opportunity to become more independent, increase social opportunities, make individual choices, and have a sense of belonging to a community. Living at Vanguard Landing does not seclude them or have their opportunities reduced but rather offers opportunities in abundance that they cannot receive in their home environment. They can continue to attend programs and social activities that they currently are participating in with old friends yet benefit from living in an intentional community of homes in a cottage with new friends.

My daughter was never one to want to talk about moving away from the home she grew up in until she visited Vanguard Landing and saw a room in the cottage. She became so excited and now that’s all she can talk about. She shares her love of Vanguard Landing with anyone that will listen including her physicians, waitresses, pharmacy staff, and people in stores we are shopping in. She only wants to wear her Vanguard Landing shirts now, whether she is at home or out in the community. She begins each day asking if she gets to move today and it’s the last thing she talks about before going to bed. She has her heart set on living in her cottage, meeting new friends, and working at Van Dough’s Bakery and wearing her chef’s hat and apron. She loves to cook and can’t wait to share her skills with her cottage roommates when she cooks in their kitchen. She has selected her furniture, decorations, and personal items for her room. For her birthday this year, she requested we celebrate at Vanguard Landing even though she does not live there yet. That was significant to me as her mother, knowing how much her birthday means to her. The staff was amazing and she was not her quiet, shy self. She thanked me repeatedly for bringing her to celebrate her birthday at Vanguard Landing. The team was amazing at providing individual attention and making the environment so welcoming.

I have also chosen Vanguard Landing as the place where I want to spend my retirement. I am looking forward to this next part of my life, too.

I want to volunteer and stay involved, and I am already on the birthday committee. The garden is right next to my townhouse, and I am looking forward to spending time gardening. There are beautiful streets where I can walk or ride my adult tricycle. I can choose to eat in the café, and I am looking forward to the barn animals behind my townhouse. Our dog and cat will be coming with us, too.

My children can visit me when they would like to while leading their own independent lives. I will have my own home, interests, and activities, and they will have theirs. Being nearby gives us the opportunity to enjoy time together while each having a life of our own.

Vanguard Landing offers the retirement environment I want: opportunities to be active, volunteer, spend time with others with differing abilities, and contribute to the community where I live. I am choosing it for myself as well as supporting my children’s choices.

Please approve Medicaid waiver-funded services at Vanguard Landing so my adult children and others who choose to live there can receive the support they need. Their need for support should not prevent them from having homes and lives of their own.