We recently connected with Chelsea Hillbrand and have shared our conversation below.
Chelsea, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?
Yuki and I had worked together in a school district for many years. We gravitated towards each other because of our common drive and passion for creating spaces for individuals with disabilities to make meaningful behavioral, academic and social progress. Throughout our years together we have had many highs and lows, all of which have made us stronger; in our personal bond and dedication to advocacy. The “Covid Years’ ‘ formulated this desire to support the needs of individuals with disabilities who had become even more socially isolated than just their social limitations due to the impact of their disability. We wanted to create a business aka “social space” that allowed individuals to connect to peers in a meaningful way, build social confidence and practice navigating the social norms that they often struggle to understand. The natural framework to meaningful connections is what every individual deserves and has the right to have relationships that are mutual and impactful. Our ideas repeatedly connected the social, community and vocational skills that we felt needed more creativity and collaboration to implement. The right to have individuals contribute to their own community, while building the confidence to take on tasks and demands and to also live as independently as possible…. We had been certified through a very reputable university and medical facility in the only evidence based social skills program. It was an awesome learning opportunity that sparked our passion even more. The business model snowballed from there- what about the students who didn’t fit the profile of what that program was based on…. What about the students with significant behaviors or limited communication skills? This became the dream for We Are Team Us, Inc.
The name We Are Team Us- comes from our friends’ desire to always make sure everyone was included, belonged and to be the best version of themselves because together we were a Team of unstoppable, joyful and passionate people that allowed everyone to be heard, valued and appreciated. Sandy Casey was the teacher in a classroom of spirited students and adults that led with humor, clear direction and unity. She was a flip flop wearing, country singing, yoga doing girl from Vermont….. She was the sunshine of our day with corny jokes and nicknames for everyone…. She held people accountable and never limited her expectations of what could be achieved by each one of us…. The darkest time in our lives was when she was killed in Route 91. She is the why. Our students are the why. Our Team is the why. The three biggest reasons to continue a legacy of unwavering opportunities for individuals with disabilities to live the lives they deserve, to live the lives every other person would benefit from and to live with the purpose of every day is a gift….
Our programs offer an opportunity for us to connect our why with our passion. We work with adolescent young people with disabilities and their families to model, practice and implement the skills necessary to continue to socially grow in a world that can oftentimes lack understanding. We are committed to working with parents and individuals with disabilities to generalize skills and support one another even after sessions are over. We are invested in the progress of the individuals we work with and our greatest joy is being allowed to be part of this journey with them.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
We Are Team Us supports individuals with disabilities in the areas of Social Skills, Vocational Skills and Community Engagement. We create peer groups that help promote social interactions and improve independent skills. We believe in the importance of inclusion. Our programs are in a small group setting so it allows us to individualize the needs of the adolescents we work with. We provide our teens an opportunity to build meaningful connections and navigate the social norms that can be overwhelming for some.
Can you tell us the story behind how you met your business partner?
I am a Special Education Teacher and Yuki is a BCBA. We have spent several years working in the public school system together. We balance each other very well. We both have strong work ethic, creative minds, empathetic hearts and are passionate for advocacy. We believe in holding ourselves and our clients with high expectations. After covid, we knew we wanted to do something that allowed us to provide meaningful programs to adolescence in the community we live in.
What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?
Referral- colleagues/families we have worked with know and trust what we are doing. We are fortunate enough to have the faith of the most amazing community of people.
online- we have been contacted through our website from people searching for social skills programs in their area
Other companies have used us as a resource option- including the local regional center and reputable programming
Contact Info:
- Website: weareteamus.co
- Instagram: weareteamus.co
- Facebook: We Are Team Us, Inc
- Yelp: We Are Team Us