My name is Lynn Black and I am the founder, owner & facilitator at LKQ Creative Connections. I am a married, homeschooling mother to 3 children with exceptional needs & unique support requirements. I have spent the last 18 years navigating through, advocating for and creating my own resources inside & outside of the system designed to support individuals with "special needs". You see, my children, our son, 19, is a Star Wars expert and loves Marvel movies. He is interested in graphic animation, music & the guitar and he is Autistic. Our 17 yr old daughter is an avid artist & amazing photographer with an eye for the details in nature, she loves working with young children, and she has complex medical, physical, developmental and neurological diagnoses. Our 12 yr old daughter wants to be a Paleontologist, she creates worlds in Minecraft, her memory for details and miniscule facts amazes me, every single day and she is Autistic with ADHD & Anxiety.
All 3 have required therapies & supports throughout their lifetimes and while they each have their individual needs & some agencies to support specific aspects of those needs, our family fell through the cracks. You see, as I have navigated the supports, I discovered, that unless a child meets specific criteria, they are not supported by the very agencies that everyone "thinks" are out there to support everyone who has special needs. Only in the recently, after advocating, supporting & researching each aspect of each child's needs & hunting down those supports on my own, did we finally receive an offer to coordinate a plan for our complex family, but honestly, we could have used it 15 years ago, there are services that we've missed out on & delays in applications, time that we won't be able to ever get back, this is something that I hope, in some small way, I can support other families in getting from the beginning.
The system is designed to support the most fragile & most complex of challenges & while I NEVER begrudge those families an ounce of the support they have received, there needs to be something or someone out there, who hears the cries of the parent who has a child/children who need supports, but doesn't know where to find them. To help their child shine in the best possible way, to draw out their child's gifts, talents & interests and formulate a plan to support them in becoming the best version of themselves, as a contributing member of their community, with all the supports they need to make that happen. To navigate the funding maze that is set up, in such a way, that so many families give up.
I have been there, I have done it & I am here to help. I can't wait to meet each individual where they are at, support them in figuring out their personal goals & helping to create a road map on how to get there, as well as supporting each person in navigating the current supports that are available, creating new ones to fill the gaps & assist in navigating funding resources to help turn your possibilities into reality.
As a medical secretary for 17 years, with experience in hospital in-patient, along with emergency medicine, pediatric medical & mental health clinics, I have seen first-hand how the right supports can encourage a child to flourish and alternately how gaps in service can create more challenges than necessary. I have used my medical knowledge to help with doctors' medical letters of support for equipment, therapies and funding.
I look forward to partnering with individuals, families & their current team, to create the best possible solutions, set up step by step plans and support my clients on their path to success.