Sabah’s Story

The story of Tavon Learning Center began 38 years ago when our daughter Sabah was born with a significant disability. We certainly weren’t expecting to have to learn to parent a child with a disability. As Sabah got older, we dared to have the same hopes and dreams that every parent has for their child – good health, happiness, friends, and community.

As time went on, we found that we had a few more challenges than most families in helping Sabah realize her dreams.  When Sabah was ready to leave high school, we realized she was losing a big part of her community. She was not heading off to college or into a vocation yet we knew she needed a place where she could continue to work on new skills and remain engaged with the community.

We reached out to friends and family to help us create Tavon Learning Center a place where Sabah could have friends, find happiness, and continue to develop life skills that would make her as independent as possible. The Tavon Learning Center program is now over nine years old. In this time, we have gone from serving three members to serving 80, and the need continues to grow.

As I walked in the garden, I saw Sabah working with the staff and her friends, and I knew that the program at Tavon works – Sabah has friends, community and a sense of purpose. This realization fills me with hope and optimism for my daughter’s future.

-Therese Vafaeezadeh