Meet the Team
– The team was established in 1995 –
The Mom – Stephanie
Stephanie Coleman is a passionate advocate and voice in Kansas for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A single mother, her son Matthew was diagnosed with Autism in 2009 at the relatively late age of 13. Since then, Stephanie has worked tirelessly to learn all she could about Autism and the state and federal laws that provide for and protect individuals with disabilities. She currently serves as the Vice Chair of the board for Skills to Succeed, an agency that provides services for individuals on the Autism Spectrum along with other developmental disabilities. Stephanie currently Vice Chairs the board of Families Together, Inc. the Parent Training Information center for the state of Kansas, non-profit organization that provides support and information for families of children, from birth to age 26, with disabilities and/or special health care needs.
Recently, Stephanie was a Family Leadership Trainee with the nationally recognized LEND (Leadership Education in Neuro-developmental Disabilities) program at the University of Kansas Medical Center, where she was able to further develop her leadership skills while working with an inter-disciplinary team. In 2015 the governor of Kansas appointed Stephanie to serve on the board of the Kansas Council on Developmental Disabilities. In this position, she advocated for improvements to the Kansas support system that serves people with developmental disabilities and their caregivers.
Stephanie has also volunteered her time to support other causes. She currently serves as the president of the board for East Central Kansas Economic Opportunity Corporation. ECKAN is a community action agency that provides under-served people in several Kansas counties with access to affordable housing, family self-sufficiency, job placement and other critical services. Stephanie has past served on the board of Women of Spirit at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Overland Park.
Previously, Stephanie was an experienced human resources recruiter. She enjoys helping others find their passion, gaining new employment and, sometimes, just getting back on their feet. In her free time, Stephanie enjoys watching her Matthew John play many different sports with Blue Valley Special Olympics, rooting on the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Royals, road trips to visit her many friends and family, and at times just sitting in silence.
The Son – Matthew John
Matthew John is currently attending school at the University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, AR. He is working towards a bachelors degree in Communications with a focus on Radio, Television and Video (RTV). Matthew has participated in several sports such as basketball, softball, and soccer with Blue Valley Special Olympics. A few of his hobbies are attending musicals, rooting on the Kansas City Royals, Yu-gi-oh, watching movies, and hanging out with his friends.
