Today we’d like to introduce you to Ami Taubenfeld.
Hi Ami, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Annie Jill, our third child, and only daughter was born in 1990. It became clear to us quite early on that Annie was very different from our older two boys and other children her age. She was self-focused, not interested in others, not picking up basic babbling, or communicating in any way. But every doctor we saw told me she was just a late bloomer with two older brothers and that everything was fine. But we knew better.
My husband, Mark, and I searched for answers, remember there was no internet in 1990, so we were visiting all sorts of therapists and speech pathologists, checked out numerous articles in the library, and looked into experimental treatments and options. We felt frustrated, upset, and very isolated knowing that there was something going on. This went on for a long time: And then she turned five. That’s when we finally got the answer we were searching for, Annie was autistic.
I was working in our family’s catering business when I had to put on the brakes. Annie and our boys became our focus. I loved that business but knew where I needed to be. So, with my best friend, Jill, we opened a flexible mail order artsy catalog business where I could be available for my family after school and on weekends. This was not possible in the catering business.
Things began to settle as in we moved from school to school, looking for the best placements and services and Annie was progressing well with all of the strategies we had in place. I went back into a division of our family business when our catalog business closed. When she was about 14, we went back to see our psychologist, Elaine Williams. She had become a dear friend over the years and she asked me if I would like to join a group that was getting ready to review and look at adult services in the state of Maryland. She shared the huge gaps in services for autistic adults, as all of the supports they knew in school would come to an abrupt ending as they exited the school system. In the autism world, this was known as “falling off the cliff”.
So, nine of us joined a research group that reviewed all of the different programs for autistic adults around Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and Virginia. We kept finding a very consistent pattern over and over again, that took me back to when Annie was getting diagnosed. The services for autistic adults were woefully inadequate for the increasing and alarming numbers of new babies being diagnosed each year. These programs did not have the expertise or training required to support autistic adults and many programs shared that they were overwhelmed and understaff to support the needs of these adults.
After months and months of visits, we did find several autism-specific programs in Maryland and in other states that seem to have the right idea. They supported only autistic adults and learned all of the best practices and provided the best training to create an environment where their clients were thriving! Once we reviewed all of the materials from all of our visits, the question that I believe is responsible for Itineris came up. “What will happen to my child when I am gone?”
So fast forward to 2010, Itineris opened its doors with our first client. Shortly afterward, I joined our first employee, Carrie Pineau (who is now our Associate Director) as the Executive Director of Itineris. I have found my home and purpose with Itineris and the wonderful clients, families, and staff that have been a huge part of our lives for the past 10 years. Itineris provides customized employment through relationship building with employment partners, pre-vocational training, social skills, virtual classes, adult independent living skills, behavior supports, personal supports and just opened our brand-new Community Living and Supported Living programs. We know there needs to be more done to help the autistic adults who are unemployed, underemployed, and unsupported.
We recently celebrated our 10th Anniversary last November, which was so challenging during the pandemic. Itineris quickly grew from our first client in a donated church, The Trinity Church in Towson, to our second location with 50 clients at the historic Rockland Grist Mill to 107 clients at our forever home, The Pointe at Rockrose in Woodberry. Our growth happened so fast. But it showed how badly the community needed it. Autism is now diagnosed in one in 54 births. We still receive about 50 new applications each year and can only take about 10, although due to COVID we are pausing admissions right now for this year.
Autism has provided so many gifts for Annie and it is important to always know that anything is possible! Annie is a beautiful human, who is full of love, kindness, creativity, and energy. She is an entrepreneur like her mom, with her own line of greeting cards, Anniegrams, which she sells at the Mount Washington Whole Foods, and has a meaningful job at Texas Roadhouse in Hunt Valley.
She may be one of nine reasons for Itineris, but we are so grateful that others are on this journey with us.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Licensing at first was our biggest challenge. None of us really understood the DDA system or what was really needed to open up an agency. We were able to add a Board member who understood this process and that helped tremendously. It took us close to three years to get that license, but needless to say, it was worth it. Over the years a variety of challenges have come up. The biggest are the numbers of people who really need our services. We receive about 150 inquiries annually for our services, which may turn into 50 applications. In order to maintain integrity, we limited our admissions pool to around 10 annually. So, we know each year, we are disappointing a lot of families.
Staffing is also an industry-wide challenge. Especially since the pandemic, we are struggling like many employers to hire Direct Support Professionals. Staffing is critical to maintaining our low client-to-staff ratios.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As the Executive Director of Itineris, I oversee the operations of the organization. I work closely with all of our directors to ensure that each Department is supported. I love to mentor and share my experience with others, but also love to look at challenges and barriers to help figure out solutions. I really enjoy all aspects of running a business from developing budgets, to fundraising and donor stewardship, marketing and consulting, and supporting the daily needs of the operations. I am definitely most proud of our team of leaders, who are the most collaborative, passionate, and professional group I have ever had the privilege to work with. Our entire staff is comprised of kindred spirits who truly believe in changing the world one person at a time. We have worked very hard to build a model that supports individuality, acceptance, flexibility, and professionalism using evidence-based best practices that guide our daily strategies. We are not afraid to say something isn’t working and then problem solve its solution. I think my diverse employment background has allowed me to use all of my previous job experiences to this position, from paralegal, sales, marketing, management, and leadership, it makes me feel more well-rounded.
What were you like growing up?
I am a native Baltimorean who attended all Baltimore County Public Schools and then the University of Maryland. I was always a friendly, bubbly young kid who grew up in a neighborhood with a lot of families. The kids all played together outdoors until we were called home for dinner. It was an amazing neighborhood to grow up in. I was interested in sports and played two high school sports. My interests, like most young girls, was in hanging out with my friends (most who are still the closest people in my life now) and my high school boyfriend (who is now my husband). I always wanted to work, so I started my first job at McDonald’s when I was 15. Work made me feel independent. I really looked forward to learning and growing in my jobs. I came from a family where my mom was a working woman, which was unusual at that time and she was an amazing role model. I also worked all through college and volunteered at a foster home, which I really enjoyed and piqued my interest in helping others.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.itinerisbaltimore.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itinerisbaltimore/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ItinerisBaltimore
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-ngz7NMAfxPj3t5SLe-9yA
