ABOUT
About
Donald Bailey
Everything here grew out of one family’s love - and one question every parent like me eventually faces.
What happens to
my child when I’m gone?
It’s the question that wakes parents of children with intellectual disabilities at three in the morning. I know, because I’ve asked it about my own son, Alston - the young man in that photo. Loving him, and wanting to be sure he’s cared for and thriving long after I can’t be the one doing the caring, is the reason this whole effort exists.
We adopted Alston at birth. His behavior began to change when he was about three. Testing and more testing revealed a diagnosis of PDDNOS. Education was an uphill battle. We finally sent him to boarding school. When I asked him if he’d like to stay in high school until he was 21 he said: ”Why would I want to do that? I want to go to college like everyone else!” That began my journey with starting the post secondary programs in SC.
​
What I found, over years of figuring it out for our family, is that the information families need is scattered everywhere and gathered nowhere. The systems are a maze. The stakes feel enormous. And most families, understandably overwhelmed, put off planning until a crisis forces their hand - when the calmest, most loving decisions are hardest to make.
​
I decided to change that. I wrote the books. I founded the LIFE programs so young adults with intellectual disabilities could keep learning and growing toward independent, connected lives.
I started the podcast so families could hear, in plain language, that a good future is possible and that they aren’t navigating it alone. Your Legacy of Care brings all of it into one place.
MORE ABOUT DONALD:
Founder:
Father
To Alson. The heart of all of it.
What Your Legacy of Care Is
It’s a guide for the journey - a clear, step-by-step roadmap, plain-language resources, real family stories, and a community of parents walking the same road.
The goal is simple: to help you turn the fear of “what happens next” into a calm, written plan, so that the care you give every day becomes a legacy that lasts.
What I Believe
Plan with your child, not just for them
Every person deserves a future built around their own goals and voice.
No family should do this alone
The path is hard enough; you deserve a guide and a community.
Hope belongs in this conversation
Planning isn’t only about guarding against the worst - it’s about building a life worth living.
Care can outlast us
With the right plan, the love you give now keeps going for the whole of your child’s life.