Our History

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Chrysalis Spectrum Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the lives of youth and adults with disabilities, their families, and their caregivers. We create jobs and training and find opportunities to encourage community inclusion while promoting self-advocacy.

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In late 2019, Chrysalis Spectrum Foundation was created as a resource to help individuals with disabilities. The development for the foundation transformed when COVID-19 catapulted all of us into going virtual. We adjusted and regrouped like most and figured out how CSF could best benefit those individuals who were at home and needed engagement.

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Our team developed one-on-one coaching to engage with people who are high functioning, driven to learn new skills, and are interested in working. The best part is that they can earn money while learning! The first contract job involved training for social media scheduling. In June, we contracted with Andrew Hoang, a self-advocate for Autism, who has graduated from several college-level programs, works, travels and is a big fan of The Walking Dead. Andrew learned quickly how to create social media posts, find topics that are valuable to the community, and creates weekly "news worth sharing" email blasts. Andrew is a great worker who manages Chrysalis Spectrum’s 3 social media pages (Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter) by providing information Monday - Friday covering an array of topics about the aging and disability community.

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In August, CSF contracted with Douglas Winkler, a self-advocate for Cerebral Palsy, who has a career in data entry, enjoys traveling, playing games, and the outdoors. Douglas authors articles about everyday life and his articles range from communicative devices, working, traveling with a disability, extracurricular activities, dating, and relaxing. Since working with Chrysalis Spectrum Foundation, Douglas has submitted many of CSF posted articles helping to increase our library.

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Our third member to join the team is Sigrid Herman, a bilingual self-advocate for genetic disabilities. Sigrid Herman is a college student at LoneStar Life Path Program, and she previously worked for Best Buy for 3 years prior to COVID-19. Sigrid enjoys reading and furbabies. She is passionate about books, dogs, and is great at couponing.

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In September we added an internship program where, Kyra Reed, a senior in high school, holds a part-time job and dedicates her time helping to create automation videos for the pilot project, Spectrum of Self-Advocacy (SOS). Kyra’s dedication, research, and leadership on the project are truly remarkable. She recently completed the automation for the History of Disability Rights Movement. 

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