Practical guidance for the decisions that matter most
Special needs planning can feel overwhelming because so many important questions are connected.
These resources are designed to help you understand the bigger picture, think through the decisions ahead, and take your next step with greater clarity.
A few of our most useful places to begin
Whether you’re thinking about future support, trying to understand how the pieces of your plan fit together, or simply looking for a better way to approach planning, these resources are a good place to start.
Who Will Carry What?
Build a Future Support Team without asking one person to do everything.
One of the hardest questions parents ask is: Who will care for my loved one when I’m gone?
The answer may not be one person.
Who Will Carry What? is a practical workbook designed to help you think through the different roles your loved one may need, who could carry each responsibility, where professionals may fit, and what conversations your family should begin having now.
Download Who Will Carry What?
A Conversation with Josh & Heather Avis
What changes when a family finally has a coordinated plan?
Josh and Heather Avis, founders of The Lucky Few, sat down with Phil to talk about their own family’s planning experience.
They share what it was like to move from carrying the uncertainty themselves to having a clear plan, a support team, and people they trust to help hold the pieces together over time.
Watch the conversation →
Future Planning for the WHOLE Family
Special needs planning shouldn’t happen in isolation.
In this episode of The Lucky Few Podcast, Phil talks with the Avis family about planning for the entire family — not only the loved one with special needs.
The conversation covers questions parents often wrestle with, including special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, siblings, financial planning, and when families should begin planning.
Listen to the episode →Go deeper into the conversations families are already having
Our videos, podcast conversations, and webinars explore the real questions that come up in special needs planning — from defining the life you’re planning for to making sure the pieces you already have actually work together.
Tell Me About Your Son. Tell Me About Your Daughter.
Before asking what trust, account, benefit, or legal strategy a family needs, Phil believes there’s a more important question: Who are we planning for?
This short video explains why good planning should begin with the person — their relationships, interests, goals, and life — before moving into strategies.
Watch on YouTube →
You’ve Taken Important Steps. So Why Do You Still Feel Uneasy?
You may already have a will, a financial advisor, insurance, government benefits, or a special needs trust — and still wonder whether your plan will actually work when your family needs it.
Phil explains the difference between having important pieces of a plan and having those pieces truly coordinated.
Watch on YouTube →Planning for the Future: Involving Siblings in the Decision-Making Process
Phil returns to The Lucky Few Podcast for a conversation about siblings, guardianship, supported decision making, and how families can have more honest conversations about future responsibilities.
The episode also explores why loving a sibling deeply doesn’t automatically mean that person should carry every legal, financial, or caregiving role.
Listen to the episode →More practical planning conversations on YouTube
We’re continuing to build a growing library of practical videos about coordinated special needs planning, future support, family decision-making, and the questions we hear from families every day.
Visit the ENABLE YouTube channel →Perspective, planning, and the bigger picture
Some of the most important conversations in special needs planning aren’t technical.
They’re about how we see the people we love, what we want for their lives, and what thoughtful planning can make possible.
I’m Not Sorry My Sister Has Down Syndrome
Phil shares the story of a conversation that reminded him how differently people can view disability — and why Sarah has shaped both his life and the work he does today.
The piece reflects a belief that sits at the heart of ENABLE: people with disabilities have value, purpose, and the ability to make a meaningful impact.
Read on The Mighty →Planning for the Future of a Loved One With Down Syndrome
A practical look at the planning decisions families may need to consider as they prepare for the future of a loved one with Down syndrome.
Read on The Mighty →Aretha Franklin’s Handwritten Will Shows Concern Over Her Son With Disabilities’ Future
In this article from The Mighty, Phil was interviewed as a special needs planning expert about the challenges families face when planning for loved ones with disabilities.
The piece discusses the importance of vision, documentation, future resources, financial planning, and legal planning — and why families benefit from thinking proactively rather than waiting for a crisis.
Read on The Mighty →Sharing a more coordinated approach to special needs planning
Phil has been invited to educate families and professionals at national and statewide conferences, summits, podcasts, webinars, and special needs organizations across the country.
He has also appeared on podcasts, webinars, and media platforms focused on Down syndrome, autism, disability, family planning, and the future of people with special needs.
Planning should begin with the life you want to build — and every financial, legal, and future-support decision should help move that life forward.
Who will carry what in the future?
Parents often assume one person will eventually have to step in and take over everything they do today.
But a sustainable future plan usually looks more like a team.
Who Will Carry What? helps you begin separating the roles, responsibilities, people, and professionals that may one day make up your loved one’s Future Support Team.
Use it to think through:
- the responsibilities you’re carrying today
- the different roles your loved one may need in the future
- which responsibilities may fit family members, friends, or professionals
- where backups may be needed
- the conversations your family should begin having now
Want to hear Phil walk through the concept first?
Watch his deeper conversation about why your family doesn’t need to find “another you” — and how to begin building a realistic Future Support Team instead.
Watch: Who Will Care for My Child When I’m Gone? →Resources can help you learn. A coordinated plan helps you act.
You can read, listen, and learn a tremendous amount about special needs planning.
But eventually, the most important questions become personal:
What does your family already have in place? What may still be missing? And do all the pieces actually work together?
The ENABLE Snapshot gives you a clear place to begin.
Take the ENABLE Snapshot