Creating Home

There have been a lot of surprises in Lisa Morrison’s life, and she has learned to ride out the waves and to appreciate the times of calm. She grew up in Brook Park, as did her husband, Jim Morrison, until he was 12 when his family moved to Columbia Station. Even though they are the same age, they did not meet until they were 25, Lisa said. Well, that is what they thought until Jim’s mother pulled out an old picture. The picture was of Safety Town, a program to teach safety to schoolchildren. She pointed out Jim in the photo, and Lisa was stunned to see herself in the same photo, right in front of Jim.

The first meeting that Lisa and Jim remember is from when they were 25. Jim was a singer and songwriter for the band Jericho Turnpike and one of the venues they played at was Peabody’s Down Under in the Cleveland Flats.

Lisa was a bartender at Peabody’s and she caught on quick that the nights Jericho Turnpike two more children.

“We were this married couple and just kept getting pregnant,” Lisa said, adding they had three children in three years.

In 2004, the Morrisons moved to Medina because they needed a bigger house.

“When I was growing up, Medina was all farm,” Lisa said, noting how much Medina has changed. Having three disabled kids was challenging and performed were sell-out nights, and she could depend on great tips.

One thing led to another, and the two started dating.

At the time, Lisa was living in Tremont and eventually Jim joined her there; they married in 1977.

When they were expecting their first child, they moved to Rocky River and found they were quickly growing their family with the addition of continued from Page 5

Lisa said she was too tired and overwhelmed with childcare to make any more big decisions. She told Jim to just go find a house for them.

She said Jim picked Medina because he knew of it and thought it would be a good place to raise kids.

“He’s my rock, I couldn’t have done all of this without him,” Lisa said.

While Jim is in technology sales, Lisa was a supervisor in a research facility for child and adolescent psychiatry.

At first, she took a leave of absence to have her first child, and then tried to return part time, but as quickly as she got pregnant again, it became too much.

She found work as a medical writer and contacted area colleges to become a teacher at Tri-C, the University of Akron, Lorain County Community College, and North Central State College.

With a background in psychology, her research was focused on children with mental issues. So, while Lisa realized there was something different with her children, she could not quite put her finger on what it was.

The children were finally diagnosed as autistic when they were between 3 and 4 years old. She said that back then the schools were hesitant to offer any diagnoses.

Lisa said that Jim is the perfect dad for autistic kids, he is very patient and understands them very well and also was always great entertainment for them.

“He just always knows what to do with them,” she said, “It was easy for them to be easy with him.”

Lisa served for seven years on the board for the Medina County Board of Developmental Disabilities because her kids were receiving services there and she wanted to give back.

As the years went on, Lisa became increasingly aware of gaps in the services provided for disabled children, such as day programming ending by 3 p.m., making it challenging for working parents to provide care.

She also noticed shortfalls in social outlets as disabled children aged out of the care system and became adults. With her husband’s support, Lisa founded Integrated Community Solutions and started offering social and art programs such as art groups, bingo, yoga, game and movie nights, a 5k running team, hayrides, apple picking, with more activities added as opportunity arises.

For disabled people who are interested, Lisa has volunteer opportunities where participants can learn employable skills.

Access the Arts also has helped with a couple of events, Lisa said.

“Our social program took off with a bang and spoke to a need,” Lisa said.

It was obvious to her that a community built for the needs of disabled individuals also was needed. Not one where they would rent homes, but instead own them and build independence and equity.

She also noticed a gap in educational opportunities for parents and wanted to help provide information on financial planning, Medicare, Social Security benefits, and other aid that is available.

Caregiver support is offered by ICS through various educational seminars.

Lisa said the question that keeps parents of disabled adults awake at night is: What will happen to their child when the parents are no longer able to take care of them?

When envisioning the future she would like for her children, she pictured them in homes where they could age in place, surrounded by family and friends, in a home they owned themselves, would build equity in, and could take pride in.

Through ICS, Lisa is planning to build exactly that. She currently is looking for land to develop a “pocket community” for disabled adults and their caregivers.

When Lisa looked around Ohio and did not find a community like what she envisioned, she looked at other states and found they had models that worked.

She became determined to create the first such model in Ohio.

While they may not yet have land, they do have a name for the proposed community: Autumn Bridge Crossing.

It is a name that Lisa is happy to explain.

The name comes from autumn, because it is a time of year with vibrant colors.

“Our participants are very vibrant and full of beauty, so autumn is a season that makes me think of continued from Page 7 them,” Lisa explains.

“Bridge” represents the supportive structure of a community, and “Crossing” represents crossing into a life of independence, with the goal of each person having as much independence as possible.

“My hope is that once we are up and running, people in other areas of Ohio look to this as a model,” she said.

She said no reservations are being accepted yet, but there already is talk of having more than one pocket community in the area.

Lisa is focusing on the first one for now. The plan is for the homes to be one, two or three bedroom in a condo style. ICS would own the land and exterior and thus be responsible for maintenance. There would be 25 to 35 homes, with the inside walls owned by the residents.

There would be a road that would circle the outside of the community, with a center courtyard area for residents to safely enjoy the outdoors.

Plans include a community enrichment center with an art studio, a tech lab and a kitchen where activities and classes would be held. The space would be open for use to other groups in the area. Communal dining would be offered twice a week, Lisa said.

She added that a meal prep service for residents would be ideal, where they could pick up packages of uncooked food that could be easily prepared.

It would be an integrated community made up of residents of various levels of ability and caregivers and friends. Lisa said she already has been approached by a retired nurse and retired schoolteachers who are interested in living there and helping other residents.

“If you collaborate and pool your resources, you can meet a lot more needs,” Lisa pointed out.

It was her desire to ensure that not only her three now-adult children would have a place to call their own and be independent to the highest degree possible, but also for the same opportunity be available to other disabled individuals in the area.

“This is something we all want for our kids,” Lisa said. “I have no doubt that this is going to happen,”

This year, ICS will be kicking off its capital campaign, and Lisa said she wants to meet with anyone who can help make the dream a reality and add to their base of 10 volunteers.

“I want to be a good partner with the community,” she said.

While the long-term plan is for ICS to have a paid staff, Lisa said it will be all volunteer for several years yet. She plans to serve as the first community director and will do so for as long as she is needed. “As long as I am drawing breath, why not?”

One of the many activities that ICS hosts: Art Group. photos provided

Anyone interested in volunteering, donating funds or supplies, or who would like to participate in ICS programs can contact Lisa Morrison directly at 216-280-7755 or by emailing her at info@ics-oh.org. To learn more about the program, visit https://www. ics-oh.org/ or https://bit.ly/4266Qbn