Meet Elizabeth Lyles | Chair, Advocate, LPN

We had the good fortune of connecting with Elizabeth Lyles and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Elizabeth, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
In 2017 our daughter was diagnosed with a very rare genetic disorder. To date there are only 26 children with her disorder world wide. When it came time to enroll her into preschool our local schools wait listed her despite her disability and the fact that she was on an IEP. My husband and I are nurses by trade and knew that her rights were being ignored but not to what extent. Mark (my husband) attended a PEP conference and through connections he made there got me in touch with an advocate. We quickly realized that there was not a community or support system here in Trinidad for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. In our quest to make a difference we founded ABC Disability Support Group.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
We are a small non-profit organization that provides supports and advocacy to families in our area. As parents and providers of children with disabilities we had a vast understanding of what was needed in our area as far as support, information, and advocacy. Since we have begun operations we have strived to create a social emotional support system for our children and a desire to continue to bridge the gap to bring the intellectually and developmentally disabled community together with the neuro-typical children in our community. To date we have assisted more than 40 families. We attend IEPs, hold social emotional events and advocate to city leaders for accessibility.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If you are an individual with a disability I recommend getting a cup of coffee from Mutiny Information Cafe. Attend a movie at the Tripeak Theaters. Go for a open mic night, or music and a drink at The Well Hotel and Tap Room. Take a stroll at Fisher’s Peak State Park, where they are working on getting tracked wheel chairs. Look at fine art at the Corazon de Trinidad Creative District.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The first thing that comes to mind is Welcome to Holland by Emily Kingsley. This poem was written in 1987 and parallels the emotions and struggles that a family goes through when their loved one is diagnosed with a developmental or intellectual disability.

The Arc of Colorado was also a real inspiration to us on how we developed our organization and in how we formed our Bylaws.

Website: https://abcdisabilitysupportgroup.godaddysites.com/

Instagram: https://instagram.com/abcdisability.group?igshid=ZDdkNTZiNTM=

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ABCDISABILITYSUPPORTGROUP?mibextid=ZbWKwL