My Journey

Heather Burdeaux

  • In childhood, I joined my parents in volunteering at Hope Village group living facility where they taught a bible class and hosted holiday parties. I was able to have friendships with people with disabilities of all ages.
  • In high school, as part of my HOSA classes (Health Occupation Students of America), I volunteered at the City of Pasadena Verne Cox Center, an adaptive recreation center. I was able to see how much fun differently-abled individuals can have and the role of government in supporting community.
  • In college at Texas A&M University, I was introduced to student who had Cerebral Palsy and managed a team of paid attendants to live independently in a dorm. I joined her team and learned about the patience and tenacity she had developed to manage a staff of peers who she depended on to get her daily needs met.
  • In college, I volunteered at Camp Barnabas special needs overnight camp, providing support with activities of daily living to campers with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I learned how ABLED they all were in different ways and the amazing acceptance they offered to others.
  • I returned to Camp Barnabas for 2 more summers as a cabin counselor and then womens’ director. During those summers, I found a level of self love among the campers that was in stark contrast to self loathing among my peers. I asked God if He could send me a daughter like the sweet girls with Down syndrome I enjoyed both summers.
  • My first child, Arabella, was born on 9/11/2001. She was diagnosed with Down syndrome, which was joyous news to me. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this came with a broken heart. I spent her first year learning to navigate failure-to-thrive and open heart surgery, as well as learning about resources like Medicaid and ECI.
  • When Arabella was a year old, she was off to the Rise School of Houston, and I joined the team at Bay Area Rehab Center (BARC) in the Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) program as an Early Intervention Specialist (EIS).
  • When Arabella was 2, our 2nd child, Holden, was born. Two years later, our 3rd child came to use through adoption. Darin was a 33 week premie with Down syndrome. I learned about new resources as part of a special needs adoption and respiratory health struggles.
  • When Darin was 6 months old, I joined the team at Vitaliving as a CLASS Case Manager, This role has provided an opportunity to learn about so many resources my clients have accessed during different transitions of life – transitioning into adulthood at 18, out of school at 22, away from family due to death or divorce, to independence in marriage.
  • In 2008, I started documenting what I learned on a website called Texas Medicaid Waivers Explained. I have learned that some people can learn from the web, but many need info to be personalized and explained in a conversation. I have also done presentations over the years to small local groups,
  • In 2010, I learned about using a business model called a Microboard to bring together relational and government resources. I worked as the Houston Regional Director for the Texas Microboard Collaboration (a project of the ARC of Texas), and I was trained to facilitate a personal-centered planning tool called a PATH.
  • We formed the Burdeaux Microboard and completed both getting a Home Health license and the CLASS Direct Service Agency contract through Texas Health and Human Service Commission. Through this, I learned about the requirements a CLASS DSA has to follow.
  • In 2011, Darin received a STAP voucher for a speech-generating device. When I was unable to find a registered STAP vendor who provided this item, I started Texas Adaptive Communication Devices and became a register STAP vendor.
  • When I returned from a year out of state and resumed my CLASS Case management, I created a digital newsletter subscription to insure all my new clients were familiar with my favorite resources from my first 8 years.
  • In 2020, as the pandemic stopped my visit to the homes of my CLASS clients, I created a CLASS Participant Guide as a digital resource to supplement discussions we had by phone.
  • As Arabella finished high school during the pandemic, I began the process of accessing the Texas Workforce Commission Vocational Rehab services for funding for college. I have learned about their service array and options to request by reading the handbooks that guide the Voc Rehab counselors.
  • In 2022, I was discouraged by a client’s life being left in limbo when his mother passed away without a will, leaving him vulnerable without housing and with her estate jeopardizing his government supports. I hosted the Caregivers Workspace to facilitate creating a Legacy Plan for a parent of special needs offspring & a Life Plan for the individual with special needs. I learned how difficult it is to work through hard things in a group with so many different priorities.