Remembering Mitchell Landsman (1982 - 2024)

As 2024 comes to a close, PHLP wishes to honor the memory of Mitchell Landsman, who passed away on October 20, 2024 at the age of 41. Mitchell is the son of Ruth Landsman (a longtime PHLP board member) and her husband, David Landsman.

The Landsmans are lifelong advocates; from the time Mitchell was born with cerebral palsy and other health conditions, they were committed to ensuring that he had the supports he needed to thrive. As Mitchell transitioned to adulthood, his parents empowered him on his journey to  live the life he wanted to live.  Ruth and David not only fought for Mitchell - they advocated tirelessly to improve systems that people with disabilities and their families rely on. Mitchell and his parents inspired people to become advocates themselves. Ruth and David continue to be advocates today, as they honor Mitchell’s memory and legacy.  

PHLP is incredibly humbled by the generous suggestion from the Landsmans that friends and family make donations to PHLP to honor Mitchell’s legacy. And, we are so grateful to those who made gifts in Mitchell’s memory.  We will work with Ruth and David as we plan for the use of these donations to support PHLP’s work with and on behalf of people with disabilities. May Mitchell’s memory be a blessing, and may his life serve as an inspiration to continue fighting for inclusion and advocating for improved programs that support people with disabilities, enabling them to live as independently as possible in the community with their family and friends.

It feels most appropriate to share the heartfelt words written by Ruth and David several years ago, when they shared Mitchell’s story and advocacy journey in a newsletter article for the PA Family Network. We encourage you to read the full story below, including a more recent update from the Landsmans following Mitchell’s passing.

Mitchell was born prematurely on a December afternoon in 1982. He spent his first three weeks in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and his first several years visiting doctors, taking medication, receiving early intervention and therapies and lots of love. When he was ready to start school, we moved to the suburbs. Because of Mitchell’s physical disabilities we needed to move from our house anyway and decided his long-term school possibilities might be improved in the school system we chose.

As he was about to begin school as a youngster with cerebral palsy caused by a brain malformation, visual impairment and mental retardation, we chose a house near the program he would attend. It was a segregated program because he needed a controlled (and small) learning environment due, primarily, to his immature neurological system.

Because he startled so easily, and rose quickly to hysteria when startled, we decided a multi-handicapped support (MHS) class in a segregated setting would be best for him. Also due to his extensive needs for therapies and supports, we felt the Intermediate Unit (IU) program would offer the best option at that time. The focus of his class was language/communication. His teachers and therapists were excellent. He enjoyed going to school and made good progress. As he made progress and his needs changed, he also was gaining some maturity in his neurological system so that noises and crowds were becoming more tolerable. Our time spent at the mall and in arcades probably did not hurt this effort either. He started talking in this setting, although none of his classmates did. Although he had the same teacher for several years and the staff at the IU would ‘kibbitz’ with him, he needed more…much more.

We asked for a re-evaluation that was then performed by the psychologist from the IU. She recommended a placement where he and peers could interact more fully. Due to his physical support needs, there was great pressure to keep him in his current placement or a similar placement for their convenience. Their convenience was not our concern! We fought for 4 months to get a split placement which included two days in a life skills support (LSS) class, run by the IU in a district many miles from our home. The other three days, he remained in his current placement. It was a very long 4 months and we thought about stopping our fight several times but plodded along until we prevailed. We were fortunate to have the support and assistance of many expert advocates in our area during this time and we knew deep down it was the right thing to do.

After a year of this split programming, his teacher in the MHS class left to have a baby. Although the classroom assistant, also a certified teacher, was still the same, Mitchell decided he did not want to be there. He shut down completely in the MHS class while thriving in the LSS class. Even his bus driver commented on how different he was in the two settings. We took steps to get him reevaluated and moved full-time into the life skills class. It was at this time that we also began looking at including Mitchell with typical students at school and in the community. We really used this experience as the jumping off point for our long-term planning and vision building for Mitchell. He had shown what he would do if he did not like his surroundings, was not challenged, or was not happy. It was a scary lesson that we vowed never to forget!

At that point Mitchell was eight years old and we began including him in a typical 3rd grade class where his IU program located. We began speaking to the district about returning him to a fully inclusive program at that point in his own school district. This was essential for his future development and potential opportunities in his community. We wanted to plan as independent as possible a living arrangement where he would receive the support of an assistant who could be his roommate. We wanted to give him opportunities to learn about potential jobs he might be interested in doing where he could earn some money and feel a sense of achievement and belonging. We wanted to provide recreational opportunities from which he could choose to spend leisure time as he matured. We knew this was consistent with Mitchell’s wants and needs.

When Mitchell returned to his district, he was welcomed by school staff and students. He was well supported and began to experience activities in the community during school hours as well as during his free time. He spent a lot of time at the mall so that an employment opportunity might present itself when the time came. We built an apartment onto our house where the assistants, whom we needed to help with Mitchell’s care, could live and eventually he, too, would reside. We made modifications to our vehicle and later purchased a van with a lift as Mitchell grew so that he had a way to get places without us. We also registered him for Para transit so that he had alternate ways to travel in his community. We shared our vision with the school and others who might help as he matured.

Mitchell attended and participated in after school activities and dances, concerts, trips and had many friendships develop with typical peers. Five years after graduation many of those relationships continue. I will never forget the view of Mitchell being wheeled (in his wheelchair) down the street by a friend on roller skates at the first birthday party he attended after returning to the district. We cherish the photo of him grinning from ear to ear as he danced with a friend and showed that he had all of the same interest in girls as any other teenage boy. He was hand scheduled into classes that could enhance his relationships and address his very basic life skills needs. We built on his strong social skills and desire to foster many relationships within the curricular areas offered in school and opportunities available in our community.

When the time came, our district contracted with an outside agency to handle job development and placement as well as developing a strictly community based program which Mitchell followed from the time he participated in graduation ceremonies with the class of 2002, with whom he had been included, until the end of his school entitlement several years later.

Mitchell now lives in the apartment we have built onto our home with supports provided through the Consolidated Waiver. He works at our local Target store, a job which he has held for over six years. Mitchell swims at the Community Center several times per week. He goes to the movies and bowling and out to dinner with friends and frequents the mall quite often and has, during seasonal opportunities, been employed there. Mitchell enjoys trips to the zoo, local museums, amusement parks, and more. He helps with his cooking and cleaning and laundry and grocery shopping. He plans his menus and activity schedule. Between his earnings and Social Security benefits and the Consolidated Waiver, all of his needs are being met. Mitchell lives the life we envisioned all those years ago he has embraced and participated in developing.

Ruth and David shared the following update to Mitchell’s story in October 2024:  

As an update, Mitchell's hours increased at Target, and he was also working at GIANT Supermarket. He enjoyed living in his own apartment and being out and about. Rarely could he go anywhere that he wasn't greeted by name. He added car shows, swimming, and concerts to his favorite activities but was up for any adventure. As we notified people [about Mitchell’s passing] yesterday, the comment that everyone made was, ‘What a good life he had.’ We did our best!