Toby's Place is a dream that has been 20 years in the making. In 2002 I became Toby's "one on one" buddy at church and was sent to a conference on autism to provide me with the tools and understanding I would need to work with Toby. This experience opened my eyes to the challenges, and the lack of much-needed resources and support systems for families raising children with disabilities. My heart ached and little did I know, that eight years later, I would become the adoptive mother of an autistic child and the parent/legal guardian of five children with a range of disabilities.
These experiences raised many questions in my mind. How do parents get the respite care and support that is so desperately needed? What happens when parents can no longer care for their adult child with disabilities? Most importantly, many individuals with disabilities want and deserve to live as independently as possible with the same opportunities as their peers...how do we make that possible?
Our own kids with disabilities are now ages 18-23. They are longing to live on their own as an adult yet need support to be successful. The dream of an integrated, supported living community and family respite & retreat center was born.
The goal of Toby's Place is to provide an integrated living community that addresses the residential, vocational, educational, social and recreational needs of persons with developmental disabilities.
Suzie Rohnert, Executive Director
These experiences raised many questions in my mind. How do parents get the respite care and support that is so desperately needed? What happens when parents can no longer care for their adult child with disabilities? Most importantly, many individuals with disabilities want and deserve to live as independently as possible with the same opportunities as their peers...how do we make that possible?
Our own kids with disabilities are now ages 18-23. They are longing to live on their own as an adult yet need support to be successful. The dream of an integrated, supported living community and family respite & retreat center was born.
The goal of Toby's Place is to provide an integrated living community that addresses the residential, vocational, educational, social and recreational needs of persons with developmental disabilities.
Suzie Rohnert, Executive Director