About Us / Meet The Team
Peggy Crane
Director
My passion for working with individuals with disabilities in Employment Supports through the Ministry of Community and Social Services has provided me with a fulfilling career and what I believe to be my unique calling for over 18 years. While working in this capacity, it became repeatedly evident that Youth with Intellectual Disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder were lacking support following secondary school for continued development of social skills required to participate in recreation, community and employment. An innovative program has been designed to meet the unique needs of this group and fill the gap with the services our community needs. I am blessed to have been a part of this fabulous development and launch Checkered Door Inc.
Gemma Servidio
SERVICES COORDINATOR
I am very honored and blessed to be a part of the Checkered Door team. The opening of Checkered Door sparks my passion and I look forward to using my acquired skills and knowledge to serve this special population. I have over 15 years experience working with diversified individuals in a variety of settings which includes my home as I am a parent of a child with an intellectual disability. I meet every family with compassion as I have a true understanding of what it takes to prepare for and overcome day to day challenges. It is with pleasure that I serve my community in my role as Services Coordinator, assisting families to connect with programs now available that fill the gap in assisting Youth with Intellectual Disabilities to transition to adulthood.
Genevieve Buss
CURRICULUM DEVELOPER
As an experienced Special Education Specialist in Ontario, qualified Career Counsellor and trained Social Thinker, I am well suited to the role of Program Developer at Checkered Door. My teaching career began in 2000 as a Special Education Teacher and includes professional experience in all divisions including Post-Secondary students with diverse learning needs in both Canada and United States. One of my most rewarding teaching roles was in Seattle Washington, where our team developed OLS@BellevueCollege, an innovative Associates Degree program designed for students with cognitive disabilities. It was during this tenure that I became keenly interested in Michelle Garcia Winner’s work on social cognition and received a Social Thinking® Clinical Training Level 1 Certificate of Attendance in San Jose, California. Now that we are back in Ontario, I am grateful for these opportunities and will continue my professional mission to create engaging, inclusive curriculum for our unique participants at the Checkered Door.