Meet The Seay Family-James,Lisa,Payton,Taylor,James Jr."JC" and Ethan

By Rae Swift and Maria Smietana Photos by: Matthew Doudt Photography

Noblesville residents James and Lisa Seay and their four children are in most ways a typical family. After a busy week of work and school, “our favorite family tradition is Friday Pizza Night,” said James, who works in Technical Sales. “We rotate who gets to pick the pizza place each and every Friday, and this usually turns into Family Movie Night where we pig out on junk food and watch movies.” Some recent screen favorites have been Disney’s Encanto and Marvel’s Eternals. When everyone is hanging out at home, they also like to read, play videogames, and create Tic Toks.

James was born in Alabama and spent a majority of his childhood in northwest Ohio. Lisa, who grew up in northeast Ohio, met James in Columbus, where their first three children were born. When a job promotion for James resulted in a relocation to Indiana, the family settled in Noblesville, where the school system was a good fit for daughters Payton and Taylor. Now 17 and 15, respectively, the two are students at University High School, where Payton helped lead the girls basketball team to victory in the 2021 IHSAA Class 2a Regional Championship. Youngest son Ethan, the only Seay who’s a native Hoosier, is 12 and having a great experience in middle school.

Life has been more challenging for the Seay’s third child, James Jr., better known as JC. Now 13, he was born with a mild intellectual disability and also diagnosed with ADHD and speech disfluency. His parents say their biggest challenge was finding the right educational fit for him. They wanted a place where he felt included and could achieve his highest potential. At his elementary school, he had a high level of support and wonderful teachers, though were times when he didn’t experience a sense of belonging. “Given his educational and social hurdles, there were concerns regarding JC feeling included and truly seeing his path to graduation,” Lisa said.

When JC was getting ready to make the transition to junior high, his parents were determined to find a school where he could experience a true sense of belonging. They wanted JC to have a normal school experience, whether that meant building meaningful friendships, participating in extracurricular activities, seeing an attainable path to graduation, or not sticking out because of differences, but rather being celebrated for them.

That was when they found Fortune Academy, where James said there is a greater sense of community and a clear path of success for JC, something he had not experienced before. JC is now involved in Anime Club, basketball, and theater. He’s even had a chance to participate in a play. Not to mention, he has made quite a few friends!

JC’s younger brother, Ethan, doesn’t see anything different about JC. “He looks up to him and I love that!” Lisa said. “JC is just like any other teenager to him.”

When Payton and Taylor were younger, they didn’t understand JC’s challenges. “They thought it was just their younger brother being annoying (LOL),” Lisa said. “However, as they began to mature, they better understood that the annoying things JC was doing were not intentional. We had to help them understand that he processes things differently. JC has issues understanding nonverbal cues which leads to him misreading/misunderstanding interactions and situations. They’ve learned to clearly articulate their feelings and needs with him versus expecting him to ‘read the room.’”

It’s also fair to say that the girls have become JC’s biggest protectors and allies. “When it was time to transition JC from elementary to middle school, they were the strongest proponents for alternative education, pushing us to look at [non-traditional] schools,” Lisa said. “Having gone through middle school and understanding the social dynamics, they were concerned how JC would be treated by others.”

Recently, Taylor said she needs to ensure she has a big house when she gets older so JC can have his own space. “It melted my heart to know she’s thinking of his future,” Lisa said. “As parents of a special needs child, that is always in the back of your mind— ’What will happen to my child when I’m not here?’ It gives me a sense of peace to know his siblings will always have his back.”

Lisa adds that JC has given his family so many good memories, and more than a few laughs. “He is a really loving kid, especially when it comes to animals,” she said. “He somehow has been able to catch two birds, a rabbit, and a frog, [in the wild]!”

The Seays are big sports fans, rooting for THE Ohio State University and of course for the University High School Trailblazers. All the kids are seasoned travelers. Their favorite vacation destination is Florida.

James and Lisa describe JC’s current experience at Fortune Academy as a prayer answered. “We had to realize we needed to be patient and have a plan,” James added. He wants parents of special needs children to remember that “you cannot compare your child to others; each of their journeys stands on its own.”

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