Meet Angela Stephens | Co-Founder and Executive Director of It’s a Sensory World!

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angela Stephens and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angela, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
After years of working with families and children in their homes, I realized a need within the special needs community was not being met. Families felt isolated and disconnected from the community and struggled to find meaningful activities for their children. While families of neurotypical children had a myriad of recreational opportunities for their children through after-school clubs, sports, playdates, and enrichment activities, the families I served struggled to find these same opportunities for their children in a safe and accepting environment.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Like most recent college graduates, I struggled to find my next steps. My whole identity up until that point had been as a soccer player. What in the world was I going to do now? My first opportunity to work with children with special needs was as a permanent substitute for Arlington Independent School District. I found my passion for working with children of all ages and abilities, a passion that surprised even me. After a year, I applied for multiple jobs as a Speech-Language Pathology Assistant. I landed my first job with a home healthcare company and met my first influential mentor. I worked with children and adults in their homes, daycares, day habilitation centers, and private schools during this time. I gained a wide variety of experience working with the medically fragile, those complex communication disorders, articulation disorders, and auditory processing disorders.

During this time, I learned about sensory integration while co-treating with occupational therapists. Being a former college athlete, I understood the importance of movement and practicing skills; however, I was learning how these movements and practices were integrated into the lives of children with speech and language disorders. I began to notice the positive impact movement had during my sessions with my clients. It was also during this time that I realized my ability to connect with children, no matter their level of communication. I also came to the difficult realization that some children are excluded even within a community that should be accepting of who they are. I began to realize that what would set me apart would be working with children that others dismissed or found too “difficult” or too “challenging” to work with. I strongly believe every child — no matter their disability or challenges — has the desire and ability to connect, build relationships, and learn.

During my last year working in home healthcare, I ran small social/pragmatic groups at a private school in Dallas for children with learning differences, behavioral challenges, and mental health disorders. I felt like I had found my people! In addition to meeting my next mentor, I was surrounded by like-minded professionals who felt passionate about serving the same children as me. When I found out there may be a teaching position open for the coming year, I jumped at the chance to apply. This was the next level of experience I would need for the future. It was one of the best decisions I made for my career. Those years were crucial for me. I learned about classroom management, curriculum development, lesson planning, teamwork, leadership, touring with prospective families, and more! My mentor poured into me and spent countless hours guiding, advising, and mentoring me. I gained a lot of perspective on what it means to own a business, manage people, crisis management and have invaluable time with parents of children with special needs. It was also during this time that I met my co-founder, Rekha. After hearing about our ideas separately, my mentor Rosalind connected Rekha and me on our similar visions. We met in October 2006, and we opened in October of 2007.

This journey has been such a gift, but it has been a lot of hard work! I couldn’t even begin to list all of the lessons we have learned along the way. Rekha and I have been blessed to be constantly surrounded by a team of dedicated professionals, parents, and consultants. One major area we knew we needed to address was funding. Raising a child with special needs is expensive! By the time parents spend their resources on multiple therapies, respite care, and for some private schools, there is very little money to spend on enrichment. Additionally, our families need to save for the future since many of them will care for their children far into adulthood. For this reason, we decided to change our company to a 501c3 nonprofit organization in 2014 so that we could fundraise to subsidize programming costs. This was hands down one of the best decisions we ever made, but this new development provided new challenges. After putting a board of directors in place, we spent years learning how to run a nonprofit organization successfully. One important lesson I learned from Rekha was the value of training. For years my training was related to the educational and therapeutic needs of the children we serve. Still, with Rekha’s encouragement, I enrolled in many courses to help me become a better leader.

After celebrating 15 years, I have come to appreciate and understand our organization’s impact on the community. We serve hundreds of families from 179 zip codes. Families have uprooted their lives and moved to Dallas to attend our small private school program. Families drive an hour each way to enroll their children in our sensory circuits or summer camps. We have become known in the community for providing a safe and accepting space for children and their families. A place where children are not only accepted for who they are but celebrated for their differences. Parents know their children are safe, loved, and happy while they are at It’s a Sensory World! That is, without a doubt, what I am most proud of. All the tears, sleepless nights, and uncertainty are worth it for one family to tell us that their and their child’s lives have been changed for the better. We provide hope when hope is hard to find.

Lastly, I want people to know that nothing will work unless you do. It takes perseverance, humility, self-awareness, grit, sacrifice, and determination to realize a dream. You have to have a strong support system of people who accept your commitment to your cause. You have to be willing to grow, learn and change. You must also learn to work within your talents and not try to be a jack of all trades. That is something that I am still learning today!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love to find unique experiences in Dallas or the surrounding areas, so I would probably look up those experiences if I had a friend in town. Recently we went to Grandscape for “It’s Gonna Be May,” and we had a blast! There is so much to do in that area, from food to shopping and entertainment. We would have to head up to Hugs Cafe in McKinney for a meal and to Howdy Homemade in Dallas for dessert at some point. (I love their work with adults with special needs!) We love a good breakfast at Pancake House or brunch at Snooze Eatery! I’m also a sucker for Mexican food…my favorites are Chuy’s and Uncle Julios! We would probably head to Arbor Hills Nature Preserve or Oak Pointe for some hiking and find a good outdoor spot for some live music. There is so much to do in the Metroplex – but these are some of my favorites.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, I want to acknowledge my co-founder, mentor, and friend, Rekha Suryanarayana. There is no way our shared vision would have come to fruition without the unwavering support of Suri Suryanarayana and the inspiration behind her vision, Rekha’s son, Siddhartha. I’d also like to acknowledge my family for the encouragement, love, and support I have received while on this journey. For years, before opening ISW!, I would share my ideas with my family members — especially my parents — who provided encouragement and insight into the realities of owning your own business. During that time, I also was very open with my mentors [Lynn, Lucel, and Rosalind] about my dream of opening a place like ISW!; without their emboldening endorsements, I wouldn’t have had the necessary belief in my skills and talent to move forward with that dream. Additionally, they provided me with opportunities to grow both professionally and personally, which were important steps toward reaching my goal.

Website: www.itsasensoryworld.org

Instagram: itsasensoryworlddallas

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-stephens-b469b91b2

Facebook: www.facebook.com/itsasensoryworld