OUR STORY
Inspired by Carter began with one message: “Me too.”
What is possible when I stop trying to fit Carter into the world exactly as it is, and start building around who he is?
Carter is my son. He is a young adult with significant support needs, is nonverbal, and has complex medical and developmental challenges. His life has never followed a typical path, and neither has ours.
THE HEART OF THE STORY
“Me too.”
Carter may not say it with words, but he has shown me this message again and again.
Me too — I want to go.
Me too — I want to be part of this.
Me too — I want to experience the world.
Me too — I have something to contribute.
That is the heart behind Inspired by Carter: creating and sharing ways for Carter—and others with significant support needs—to be included in the full life happening around them. Travel. Activities. Work. Contribution. Joy. Choice. Belonging.
Me too.
THE WORK THAT PREPARED ME
Two parts of my life were always moving alongside each other.
For more than 20 years, I built technology teams, solved complex problems, and helped organizations grow. I loved that career. It taught me how to see systems, break big challenges into workable steps, and build something from an idea.
Alongside it, I was raising three incredible boys. Motherhood—especially life with Carter—was teaching me a different kind of problem-solving: how to keep looking for possibility when the usual path did not fit.
For years, I did not see those two parts of my life as connected. Now I understand that both were preparing me to build what came next.
LOOKING TOWARD ADULTHOOD
For years, so much of our energy went into care, safety, school, therapies, medical decisions, and daily routines. As Carter approached adulthood, the question followed me into IEP meetings, transition-planning conversations, and late-night thoughts about what would come next.
What does adulthood look like for him?
Not in a vague, someday kind of way. In a real-life, practical, day-to-day way.
Like many families, we talked about employment, day programs, and available services. Those conversations mattered, but I often left believing there had to be room to imagine something different—not a system Carter had to fit, but an opportunity shaped around who he is.
What could meaningful participation look like?
What could contribution look like?
What could work look like if it was built around Carter’s strengths, interests, pace, and support needs?
THE BEGINNING OF CARTER & CREW
A different vision for meaningful work.
The idea for Carter & Crew Creative started after I watched another girl’s summer shirt project come to life.
Her name was Jordyn, and watching her project grow over one summer moved me more than I expected. It made me think about Carter differently. Not because Carter needed to do the same thing, but because it helped me see that meaningful work could be created in a different way.
It did not have to look like a traditional job.
It did not have to look like independence in the way people usually define it.
It could be adapted. It could be supported. It could still be real.
That idea stayed with me.
Then life made room in a way I had not planned. In 2026, after more than 20 years, my full-time career ended unexpectedly. For the first time in years, I had the space to stop carrying this idea only in my head and begin building it.
I did not have every answer or a complete plan. I simply knew I could not let go of the belief that Carter deserved a real opportunity to contribute in a way that respected his strengths, interests, pace, and support needs.
Carter & Crew Creative became our way of exploring that possibility. Through small-batch products like buttons, magnets, keychains, and gifts, Carter participates in real parts of the process. Some steps are independent. Some steps are supported. All of it matters.
Carter & Crew is not a charity project. It is a small creative business built around the belief that contribution can look different and still be deeply valuable.
Made with Joy. Built with Purpose.
THE BEGINNING OF INSPIRED BY CARTER
The other part of this story began with travel.
Years ago, another special-needs parent in my community shared about an RV they purchased so their family of eight could camp and travel together. Three of their six children had the same condition as Carter.
That post opened something in me.
At the time, travel with Carter felt complicated, uncertain, and honestly overwhelming. But seeing another family find a way to make it work made me wonder if I could start small.
Carter is the oldest of my three sons, and travel was never only about giving him new experiences. I wanted all three of my boys to experience the world together.
One of my deepest worries was that if we always said no because traveling with Carter was complicated, his younger brothers might someday resent him for the experiences our family missed. I never wanted Carter to be seen as the reason we stayed home.
The answer was not to choose between Carter’s needs and his brothers’ experiences. It was to find a different way—one that made room for all three of them.
So we did.
We began with local trips. We drove. We kept things simple. We learned what worked, what did not, what Carter enjoyed, and what our family needed in order to keep going.
Over time, the trips grew. The confidence grew. The belief grew.
And in 2021, Carter took his first trip to Hawaii.
That trip changed the way I thought about possibility. It did not mean travel was easy. It did not mean every part was smooth. But it showed me that Carter could experience more of the world than I once imagined, as long as we were willing to plan differently, support differently, and keep trying.
That is the heart of Inspired by Carter.
WHY THIS SPACE EXISTS
Inspired by Carter is where we share the bigger story of meaningful participation.
Inspired by Carter is about meaningful participation—in travel, activities, work, contribution, and everyday life. Carter & Crew Shop is one expression of that mission: a way to build meaningful, supported contribution around Carter’s strengths and participation.
It is a place for families who are asking questions like:
What can adulthood look like for someone with significant support needs?
How do we create meaningful participation when traditional paths do not fit?
How do we travel, work, build routines, and create joy in ways that are realistic for our family?
How do we keep expanding what is possible without pretending it is easy?
This space will include family stories, practical resources, travel experiences, meaningful-work ideas, and behind-the-scenes updates from Carter & Crew Creative.
If sharing what we learn helps another parent leave an IEP meeting with a little more hope, imagine a different path into adulthood, or begin with one small opportunity, then this work is already meaningful.
I am not here with perfect answers. I am learning out loud.
We are building around Carter’s strengths, honoring his needs, and sharing what we discover along the way.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Possibility can be practical, supported, and real.
Meaningful work can be supported and still be real.
Contribution does not have to look conventional to matter.
Families need practical examples, not just encouragement.
Possibility often begins when one family sees another family try.
And we believe Carter’s life continues to teach us to look again, think differently, and make room for more.
THE QUESTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
For years, I asked myself, “What could meaningful work look like for Carter?”
Eventually, I realized the question reached far beyond work.
The deeper question became, “What could a full life look like if we built participation around him?”
Thank you for being here.
Whether you found us through Carter & Crew Shop, a travel story, a resource, or another family’s recommendation, I’m glad you are part of the journey.
Helping families discover what’s possible.
Continue the story with us.
Get new accessible travel guidance, practical resources, trusted recommendations, meaningful-work ideas, and Carter & Crew updates delivered to your inbox.
By subscribing, you agree to receive email updates from Inspired by Carter. You can unsubscribe at any time.