About Us
Josh’s Village was created to be a therapeutic day program and advocacy center for adults with special needs . While that vision still remains, right now this website is dedicated to advocacy for Josh and to raising awareness about the medical neglect adults with disabilities face. Once Josh gets the help he needs, Josh’s Village will return to its original mission- but today, it is here to shine a light on what is happening to him and so many others.
The introduction for Josh and Michelle is the original drive behind Josh’s Village
Meet Josh and Michelle
Josh is the inspiration behind Josh’s Village. He has a rare chromosomal deletion called 1p36 deletion syndrome, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy. He also has the best laugh, kindest heart, most sarcastic sense of humor, and is an all-around amazing human.
It has always been a struggle to find the best care and services for him, but since aging out of the pediatric programs it has been close to impossible. Josh turned 18 in 2020 and that led to even more chaos. His doctors started to age him out of services early, because of the long pediatric waitlists due to the pandemic. The problem was the adult specialists were not interested in accepting him into their practices. He wasn’t eligible for day programs, because his disability was “too severe”, extremely long waitlists, or the environment was unsafe.
On January 1, 2020, Josh broke his femur bone during a grand mal seizure and the doctors set the break incorrectly, they could see it in x-rays, but ignored it. He lost the ability to weight bear. Over the next three years Josh was turned away by more than 30 physical therapy centers. It was then Michelle realized there needed to be a change.
Josh and others in similar situations deserve so much more. Michelle created Josh's Village, a therapeutic day program for adults with special needs, because she didn't want to wait for the world to change.
Michelle Finn is Josh’s mom. She has dedicated most of her adult life to serving the special needs community. One of the most famous quotes she tries to emulate is “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mahatma Gandhi
Michelle started her special needs journey by teaching other moms how to advocate for their child. Her purpose became much larger after getting very sick. She became so consumed with being Josh’s mom that she lost herself. The stress and anxiety started to cause autoimmune issues and she realized that she had to relearn how to make herself a priority, again.
She became a registered yoga teacher and would lead yoga workshops for special needs moms. Michelle later became a Special Needs Parent and Empowerment Coach (certified in Life, Health, and Transformational coaching). She co-hosts a popular special needs parenting podcast and is occasionally an event speaker for organizations and mom groups.
After watching her son become more and more isolated from the community, she decided to create Josh’s Village. A therapeutic day program for adults with special needs, advocacy, and respite center.
Coming Soon
Josh’s Village has heart. Our belief is everyone deserves a community they are able to thrive in. We don’t all have the same needs or fit into the same mold. Josh’s Village will be a therapeutic day program, respite, and advocacy center for adults with profount to severe intellectual and physical disabilities. A place where every individual will be treated with kindness and respect. Our goal is to meet the needs of our community members to help them reach their fullest potential with joy.