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and myself to transfer her . It certainly would have helped if we knew beforehand what to expect .
I graduated and started my career as a special education teacher while Jessica continued her education toward counseling , ( in hopes of helping others with disabilities
navigate through life and the challenges that come along with it ). Jessica had nearly completed her Master ’ s Degree when she fell ill with what would probably have been a common cold for many , but due to weaker muscles in her chest was unable to cough hard enough to break up the mucus , leading to infection , and eventually to her passing in 2015 .
During my earlier years of college ( before Jessica joined me ), I started working as a Behavioral Aide in the homes of children on the Autism Spectrum . These were children with significant needs at risk of being removed from their family home due to violent behavior toward themselves and others . My role was to create and
implement behavior plans oneon-one to help alleviate the stress on the family ; allowing the Autism Spectrum children to remain in their home . This was the chapter in life that started my interest in working with children on the spectrum ( working toward a special education degree specializing in ASD ).
After college , I immediately started my career as a special education teacher working with students on the Autism Spectrum . For 7 years I worked in the classroom , 1 year as an ASD Teacher Consultant , 2 as an Assistive Technology Coordinator , and 3 as an Assistant Principal . In all of these positions , I talked to parent after parent that struggled to take their children to the doctor , the dentist , the grocery store , and very few ever traveled or went on vacations as a family . One of the common characteristics of children on the Spectrum is a need for routine . Transitions to new , unexpected places or events would often cause significant anxiety leading to potential behaviors that not only could be dangerous but were also embarrassing to parents because people often can ’ t “ tell ” their child has Autism just by looking at them . What if there was some way to help children and families prepare beforehand .
The idea for Able Eyes came to me during my time as a classroom teacher . I was attending a conference in Chicago ( not related to virtual tours ), but it was the first time I had ever seen a virtual tour and I thought “ THIS IS IT ! This is the thing that could help parents , help students , help people like Jessica to “ Know Before You Go ,” creating opportunities for people to try new things , visit new places and live their best life .