Building an Intentional Community for People with IDD with Debbie Bond Dear and Whitney Dear-Reyes

Today, it is my pleasure to speak with Debbie Bond Dear and Whitney Dear-Reyes. Debbie is the Founder & Executive Director of Vanguard Landing, a purpose-planned community designed to offer a safe, intentional, interactive, and inclusive community where persons with intellectual and developmental differences can thrive and achieve their life's full potential. Whitney is Board Chair of Vanguard Landing and serves as the organization's Development and Resource Director. First, Debbie and Whitney orient our listeners to the basics of this very important topic. They define the term "intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD)", describing what conditions fall within this umbrella label, and what are the most common challenges faced by people living with IDD. IDDs most commonly have a very early onset, affecting children from a very young age. Debbie and Whitney talk about the challenges faced by children with IDD and their parents, while also covering some of the opportunities that perhaps today largely remain unrealized. Debbie and Whitney describe the vision and objectives of Vanguard Landing and what they are looking to achieve with this ambitious project and how they plan to realize these goals. They also share their thoughts on how others can get involved with this noble cause – what businesses, families of means, philanthropies, and other organizations need to know or do to help and contribute to the wellbeing of people with IDD. Please take a close listen to this impactful and important conversation with two of the leading innovators and visionaries in the sphere of helping people with IDDs lead a full life.

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