About Us

After being overwhelmed on a daily basis by phone calls from parents needing help we could not deny the obvious need to make the wealth of information locked up in Linda's head available on a much broader scale. The question was...how? After identifying the need it wasn.t long before we realized the best way to do this would be through a website where the information would become readily available to the entire public (and Linda could take some time to have the phone surgically removed from her head). It is our sincere hope that the work we have done will be an invaluable resource for those seeking help in navigating the expansive world of special needs.

Linda Jorgensen

Linda has been working with individuals with special needs for over 35 years. At age 14 she began working in a sheltered workshop for the disabled as a work coach, bus aide, and general assistant. Three years later Linda enlisted in the Utah Army National Guard. There she received training in combat medicine, operating room management and operations, surgical technician, central supply, public health implementation and management NCO, and direct patient care. After seven years of Army National Guard service, Linda transferred to the Utah Air National Guard.

She has served as an NCO/NCOIC as designated by command working as an organizational manager, instructor, instructor trainer, program evaluator, clinic coordinator, emergency medical technician (licensed EMT), and as a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) providing direct patient care in multiple treatment settings. Linda studied nursing and graduated from the Military Academy of Health Sciences at Fort Sam Houston, Texas and Utah Technical College in Taylorsville. Linda has maintained a current Utah State LPN license.

While maintaining active National Guard status, Linda worked as a civilian EMT for Salt Lake County, a safety coordinator for an international corporation and as an agency staff relief nurse. Honorably discharged from the National Guard, Linda continues to support her husband, a newly retired Air Force Reservist and base contractor on a nearby military base.

In 25 years of licensure she has done everything from home health to multi-specialty hospital staffing including high acuity rehabilitation services. She is a volunteer parent mentor/navigator assisting new parents in obtaining services and information unique to their specific situations and functions as an independent facilitator/coordinator for families with unusual circumstances needing assistance in gaining services and benefits.

Linda has assisted several public entities in making safe accessibility changes to existing buildings to increase safe access for individuals in the community with special accessibility needs. These include several church buildings in 3 Utah Counties, school facilities in 2 Utah School Districts and a large number of private homes on the Wasatch Front.

Linda recently testified before the Utah state legislature.s Social Services Appropriations Subcommittee regarding social services and accessibility issues used by her family and others, statewide.

In early 2007 Linda wrote several chapters of the current Utah State Self Administered Services (SAS) Parent Guidebook that is distributed for parent use, state wide.

Personally, Linda has a 25-year-old daughter who, for the first 7 years of her life, did not have a firm diagnosis. After calling it "Madison Syndrome" during those early years she was placed under a revised diagnosis for insurance purposes. Madison's diagnosis is now "Cerebral Palsy - secondary to unknown etiology". Linda and Madison, together, have worked with Easter Seals of Utah, University of Utah.s School of Architecture and Design and several other community and military family organizations across the state.

Linda has a son, daughter, two step-daughters, two step-sons-in-law, a daughter-in-law and 4 grandchildren. She currently lives in the Intermountain West with her (long suffering) husband Clark, and daughter Madison.