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86 | Small Beginnings, Big Dream: Emily Fell's Mission to Create More Housing and Career Training for Autistic Adults

• Ladies First Digital Media Company • Season 5 • Episode 86

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Navigating the complexities of single motherhood takes grit, but when your child is autistic, it's a whole new ball game. Emily Fell joins me today, and her journey is nothing short of extraordinary. As a devoted mother and fierce advocate for the autistic community, Emily reveals her mission to cultivate a future filled with hope and opportunity for autistic adults. She shares the inception of "Amazing Grace," a visionary center named for her daughter, designed to provide both housing and career training. Her powerful narrative not only highlights the unrecognized potential within every autistic individual but also underscores the pressing need for society to foster environments where they can thrive.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to you, betcha, she Did. Today, we're diving into the story of Emily Fell, who's all about shaking things up and building big dreams for autistic adults. You know we often get caught up in the tales of women who've already made it big or halfway there, but what about those starting out? Well, emily's here to show us that journeys, their journeys, the people who are just beginning, are just as vital. Emily is on a mission to open doors for autistic adults, paving the way for more housing and career training opportunities. She is a superhero for inclusivity, taking on the world's norms and fighting for a fair shot for everybody. Emily's story proves that dreams don't have to have an expiration date and that even the smallest voice can make a big impact. Ready to be inspired, let's dive in. Did she really do that, you, betcha? She did.

Speaker 1:

Hello, and welcome back to another episode of you, betcha, she Did, the podcast where women entrepreneurs, changemakers and leaders, especially from the Midwest, share their wit and wisdom. I'm your host, raina McKickey, and today in the studio I have Emily Fell. She is the CEO of Website Designs that Shine, but also she is on a mission to help adults with autism, and that is what we're going to dive into today. Emily, welcome to the show, thank you. So Emily is a fellow Wisconsinite from the Milwaukee area and Emily, let's just dive in with you, sharing your personal journey and experiences you know, as a single mom and autistic daughter, and what led you to this goal of creating careers and affordable housing for autistic individuals.

Speaker 2:

All right. Well, I was a stay-at-home mom slash teacher back in the day. So picture this my first daughter passed away back in 2008 from a fatal birth defect, and then I got pregnant again in 2010. And then that same daughter ends up in the NICU after I find out that she has an adverse reaction to a vaccine. Like I find this out like way later Then at the NICU she got another vaccine, the same one, but another dose of it, because they didn't talk and because it was at a different hospital. So so that's like stressful already, you know. First you know a daughter that passed away, and then a daughter end up in the NICU and so fast forward a little bit. She ends up in birth to three. She has in home therapy, she has. She has schools, like part time school, part time therapy therapy or full time school, but it's at the special autism school that does it like ABA therapy version of it.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, I'm just gonna interrupt for a second. Did you know right away that she was autistic, or that's something you found out after a couple years? She?

Speaker 2:

had some developmental delays and then after she got vaccinated again, she stopped. Her delays kept happening, like she stopped talking, and then she was diagnosed at age two and a half. Okay, so I kind of had some inklings. And then all in this hot mix of autism, stuff Right, figuring everything out, yeah, super hard.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, very hard. And then I got divorced. So, like you know, add that to the craziness. So then I became a single mom. So then I had to work. So trying to be a single mom, working with a kid with a disability, plus another kid, it was tough. It's gotten easier and better, I would have to say that, definitely for sure.

Speaker 2:

But when she got diagnosed at age about two and a half, I was like you know what my mission in life is? To start a center for? At first I thought I was going to do like for kids, but then, as you know, I learn more and find out more that the kids are pretty much well served. We have to think ahead, like as moms, like when I'm gone I'm probably sad, of course, when I'm, you know, old and dead and gone and stuff. But like, but my daughter, you know, to plan for the worst case scenario I'm, I want to make sure that everything is in place for her, so like housing. I mean she can live with me if she wants, but I would like her to have a place to live eventually.

Speaker 2:

Career training like my reasoning behind the career training being added to the center that I want is because back in the day. People I won't name any names but people thought that because she's nonverbal, she won't amount to anything, she won't be able to have a career. Options, like you know, typical people like us, you know like. So she's musical, she loves music, so she will be fine. I'm not worried about that part.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, let's circle back to that, because you know you've obviously experienced the system. You know being a mom to a child who has autistic tendencies and what that's like as a parent, and then for your daughter. So then look into the future, like you said, when she's older and could be independent. What specific challenges have you encountered? You know, like what's currently out there, does anything exist for autistic individuals in terms of housing and career paths?

Speaker 2:

So there are places already and some schools, like the school district that she's in now Greendale School District it's really good. They have a great like after 18 kind of transition program that I'm not worried about that, Like she can use if she wants to and then, or if we, you know, if we don't have this in place already. I have a name picked out for my center. It's called Amazing Grace because her name is Grace. So there are places already that exist and are in the works of becoming housing and like career training. I think like there's a couple that are more focused on other things and like they have like housing as the main thing and they're focused on other things.

Speaker 1:

So where do the gaps begin? Like where you're like. This is why I need to fulfill my mission of supplying autistic housing and career paths.

Speaker 2:

So the main reason is there's not enough. Okay, so like even even right now, with the adults that are adults right now with autism or disabilities or neurodivergence, whatever you want to call it, there's not enough for them right now and now, like, in five years there's going to be even more. So there's no way we're going to have enough if people don't start building more. So that's my mission is to make sure there's more. I mean, I don't know if there ever will be enough, but that's my goal is to make enough, especially at least for my daughter in the Milwaukee area or wherever it happens to land. And so that's the main reason. But the more specific reason is we want all kids or adults to have a place to be. There's so many things that go into this right now, there's so many moving parts, but there's not enough. The supply versus demand, and then just making sure kids now and adults later will have a place to be yeah, exactly.

Speaker 1:

And, like you said, also feel valued be part of the community. Yep, exactly, yeah, so kind of going off of that. You know you were talking before about how often people have this stereotype of neurodivergent kids, autistic kids, where it's like, well, they can't do anything, they can't have a career and you're trying to reeducate people right to say that's not true. So what kind of steps do you think need to be put in place to ensure autistic adults feel valued and supported?

Speaker 2:

in careers. I think it starts in schools. I think it starts in the schools, like having the teachers be on board, and it's hard for the typical students to be on board too. But actually there's a nonprofit called Good Friends. I don't know if you've heard of it. I'm actually good friends with the owner of it or the co-founder of it, so I talked to her a couple times and we're just trying to get the schools on board. Like the mindset of people, like, I think, just changing people's perspective and maybe not changing their minds, but at least having them be more aware of it. Yeah, more open.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so it starts at the schools, but also for the employers, like we need to start in the community and try and get them more on board with hiring people. I think that's her next step and I need to talk to her about that more because she'd be a good ally to have to like partner up together. As autism we kind of stick together and we definitely need to do more of that to give the employers the benefit like to see, hey, this kid or this adult will you know if you train them right and we will help you actually to. It's something that will benefit you.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, benefit both parties in the end. So I know you're you're just kind of in the initial stages of building Amazing Grace, this home and center for autistic adults. Talk to us about what you have done so far and then what you're hoping to do next and maybe ways that the public could get involved, and then what you're hoping to do next and maybe ways that the public could get involved, if this is something that lights them up, definitely.

Speaker 2:

We got to get like people like excited about this and I was actually in I don't know if you're familiar with Pat Miller. He does the idea, the small business idea collective. That's a good networking thing, and so he's in Milwaukee, excuse me and so I was just talking to people and I met more people that have kids with autism. Like oh my gosh, I like knew them but I didn't know they had kids with autism. So it's just like open the world. Yeah, the autism rate is like one in 36. So that's a lot.

Speaker 1:

That is a lot yeah.

Speaker 2:

So one in 36 kids people have it. So yeah, If, if you're living, you should have some connection to autism.

Speaker 1:

Autism, basically, yeah, exactly, you probably know someone somewhere through some association. All right, so yeah, what? What have you got done so far? What are we? What's in the works?

Speaker 2:

I have in october.

Speaker 2:

Back in october I went to a housing um conference in milwaukee at the italian community center and they they discussed like the state of housing in Wisconsin and the USA in general for people with um autism, but also like other like intellectual disabilities as well, Um, and then I got a lot of information, a good like starting point, Cause I didn't know where to start.

Speaker 2:

So that that was my starting point to figure out where I wanted to start or how to start. And so then I got some great foundation of how to start. And I met other parents as well and so they had some good focus and some good input and actually their kids slash adults are older than mine. So I kind of got a head start. So I was very excited for that and so because then hopefully by the time like she's 18, I can have like at least a, at least like a blueprint and like it was like a location for it and hopefully break ground, and so the housing conference was first back in october and then I also went to yesterday I went to a, the founders day in milwaukee at in ward four, um I went to just to like meet other founders and then mentors to founders because it's like being a solopreneur, being the CEO of your own business. It's like a lot of work but like you wear all the hats on top of each other.

Speaker 2:

It's stressful and but it's also like so meaningful. But you like you need to bounce off, you know, ideas off of other people, and so that's what that was, and people that had been through it before and like way ahead of you, and so like just learning so much, yeah, Like almost having a yeah Mentor right To kind of guide you and give advice.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, it was. It was amazing, my like. The next step, the next right step for me, is to find my people, and I'm already doing that. I, this morning I found more people, and so it's just amazing Like everything is happening the way it's supposed to.

Speaker 1:

Good, so with all those people? Um, how are you keeping everyone connected? Do you want to do like a newsletter or a website or a Facebook group?

Speaker 2:

Good question. That's like my brain has been trying to figure that out and you just kind of like reminded me hey, I have to keep all these people together. Thank you, I needed that. I needed that, that bringing me back into, like, what I needed to do. So, thank you. Um, so yeah, I'm thinking, oh, maybe like uh, because I wanted to maybe use like social media, maybe like a Patreon group or like a. I mean, facebook is okay, I guess there's more people on Facebook, but I don't know. I'll have to think about that. I got to ruminate on that one a little bit. So, yeah, probably like a newsletter, for sure, email like on a regular basis. And then another like networking opportunity or like community building opportunity kind of thing, because I think it's not necessarily networking but community building, I think. So, yeah, that's my next endeavor on that list too.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, building like a cohort of supporters. And then from there you guys can you know? Really start digging into like, okay, let's find a location for this housing, let's find an architect, let's work on funding, Exactly.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, there's so many moving parts to it. Oh, I wish there was like a book on this.

Speaker 1:

Maybe I'll have to write one. Emily, I think you're definitely highlighting the viewers, the listeners. It's like when you have a passion for an idea and you're so excited about it. But there are a lot of moving pieces and there's a lot of things that have to happen in order to get the ball rolling. But it is important to take that first step, to start doing your research, to start finding your people and then from there you can you can start building the dream that you want to build. How can, from, how can people get in touch with you if they're interested in joining you with this project?

Speaker 2:

I'm on LinkedIn. I'm on Facebook. My business is Website Design that Shines.

Speaker 1:

I was going to say in the show notes, I can link your LinkedIn and your Facebook and your business website. So, yeah, if you want to get in touch with Emily, just check the show notes. You'll find that link directly and you can help her get the ball rolling on this. As always, if you like what you're hearing on you, betcha, she Did don't forget to share the show with a friend, a neighbor, a colleague. Like Emily was saying one in 36 people has autism, so I bet there is someone who definitely needs to hear this episode. Make sure you share it, you don't hold it to yourself.

Speaker 1:

Before we say goodbye, I've got an exciting announcement for you. Next week, we are delving into the world of social media engagement and the power of a small but mighty audience. And guess what? I will be sharing some insider tips from none other than my monetizing tiny audience coach, ina Kovany. I have been working with her for the past month and a half and she is a dream. She has tons of tips and great tidbits that I am thrilled to share with you guys. So, whether you're looking to boost your online presence or maximize your impact with a smaller following, you won't want to miss next week's episode. Tune in, take notes and get ready to level up your social media game. See you next week. Bye.