The Owner and Our Philosophy
Shelly Lemman MEd, COMS, Owner
Shelly obtained her Bachelor's of Science in Human Development and Family Studies from Texas Tech University. Life happened and the next thing she knew, she was 10 years into being a stay at home mom helping make ends meet by teaching preschool when the itch to further her education hit. She went back to her alma mater, Texas Tech with the support of her loving husband and young family and completed her Master's Degree in Special Education with a specialization in Orientation and Mobility.
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In 2011, She brought her newly acquired education to Easter Seals and entered the realm of disabilities support as an Employment Consultant. As her passion for what she did grew over the years, she decided to branch out on her own and in 2019 started her own company, Innovative Ways. In this capacity, she is now a licensed vendor in the state of Texas working with the Texas Workforce Commission serving the community by matching individuals with disabilities to jobs in which they can be successful.
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From 2013 until the Spring of 2022, she had also taken on the role of an instructor in the STEPS (formerly Pathways) program at Tarrant County Community College. She left her position prior to the Spring 2022 semester with the goal of starting a private school specialized in teaching Independent Living Skills. This, based on her experiences over the years, is a much needed resource in the community. After two successful yet brief semesters, due to circumstances outside the control of Innovative Ways, the classes have been temporarily postponed, but plans for a new location are underway and she hopes to reopen to students in the Fall of 2024.
Our Approach
Learn, Prepare, Work
All students have specific needs, characteristics and learning styles; all people have the ability to learn, regardless of their particular disability. We believe that the incorporation of best practices such as authentic learning, multi-level instruction and multiple intelligences is beneficial to all students but particularly helpful to those who struggle in the traditional, factory-system school.
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By implementing these strategies in the ILS+ workshops we want to focus on what happens next...people need to be able to care for themselves to whatever extent their abilities allow and to become as independent as possible. We want the workshops to be a place where the students can get ideas on how and where to access resources that will benefit them, teach them how to budget and learn simple math skills, show them how to communicate effectively, and make cooking and preparing meals a fun way to gain more independence and establish proper cleaning techniques.
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Finally, for those individuals who find themselves ready to take the next step and seek employment we will be able to assist them with that with the resources available to us through Innovative Ways.
