April 14, 2026
Spotlight: Michelle Haskell
Michelle Haskell, a Care Coordinator based in Rochester, has a passion for art and helping others reach their potential.
**All artwork, photography and designs featured in this spotlight are original creations by Michelle Haskell.**
Part of what I love about being a Care Coordinator is being able to work directly with people and their families. I am a Tier 4 Care Coordinator, so my caseload includes people who may have more medical or behavioral needs, use self-direction, and live in the community, among other things. My caseload is also mostly younger (12 out of 20 people are under 21 years old and still in school). I love being able to work with them and their parents. Many times, these parents feel really alone and overwhelmed. While I am not a parent, I am able to give them someone to talk to about the challenges they are facing and how they are feeling. I then do my best to assist them in getting the necessary services for themselves and/or their children. They need an empathetic person who can truly listen to and hear them, and I enjoy being able to provide that because I know how hard it is to find people like that.
I attended both undergraduate and graduate school for social work, where there is a strong focus on engaging in diversity as well as advancing human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice (two of the core social work competencies). These are values that are very important to me. I enjoy that, in this job, we see a lot of these principles—as well as many other social work focuses—and that they help determine how we deliver effective and ethical services.
You’re an incredible artist. How did your creative journey begin, and how does art fit into your life today?
I started seriously doing art in middle and high school, though I have a family history of artists (my paternal grandmother, paternal aunt, and my sister were/are artists or particularly skilled at art). I taught myself lettering and faux calligraphy, writing quotes and putting them all over my walls and ceiling above my bed for inspiration.
When my sister, who is three years older than me, was in high school, she had a very special art teacher who inspired her. She was able to take AP Art as a junior and senior. Once I got to high school, I also gravitated toward this teacher. She had an incredible ability to bring out the best in everyone. I took AP Art as both a junior and senior and received a 5/5 both years—one for photography and one for drawing.
After high school, I focused more on photography and did not draw much until about eight years ago, when I purchased my first iPad Pro for digital art. I discovered how much I loved it, and the rest is history. I have since upgraded to a newer iPad Pro and continue to draw daily.
Drawing is one of my favorite self-care activities. What used to make me anxious due to perfectionism has become a meditative practice. I love playing a video or movie in the corner of my screen while drawing in Procreate for hours. Over the last few years, as I’ve increased the frequency of my drawing, I’ve seen significant improvement. I enjoy challenging myself—especially figuring out how to draw different textures and details. Drawing helps lower my heart rate when I’m stressed or overwhelmed, which is incredibly important in this job.
You bring a unique perspective to both your work and your creativity. How do you see the world a little differently, and how does that shape what you do?
I am a queer (they/them pronouns), autistic, and disabled person, and these identities shape how I see the world. In my opinion, each of these aspects helps me in both my job and my life. I am often able to empathize with the people we support to a greater extent than I might otherwise. I view the world through a lens of inclusiveness and the importance of belonging, which I believe benefits both the people we support and my coworkers.
Over the past five or so years, I’ve been involved in Inclusion and Belonging efforts at Person Centered Services, including being part of the original Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champions group. I was also one of the primary advocates for launching Team Resource Groups (TRGs), and I now facilitate two of them: the Person Centered Pride TRG (for queer employees and allies) and the Tier 4/Complex Needs TRG (for Tier 4/complex needs care coordinators, supervisors, and directors). I believe both have been crucial for the company and the employees involved. When facilitating TRGs and working with fellow employees, I often have to be creative, improvise during meetings, and think intentionally about employees’ needs.
You’re open about being autistic, and you’re also so much more than any single label. If you’d like, can you share how that part of your identity influences your work or creativity—or what you wish people understood better?
I realized I was autistic and pursued an official diagnosis (after self-diagnosing) at age 26. Learning this about myself clarified so much of my life, and everything began to make sense. However, autism is just one diagnosis on a list that also includes mental/psychiatric and physical/chronic pain disabilities.
Since learning this about myself, I’m in a much better place and have significantly more compassion for my needs. In this job, I’m able to draw from my own experiences to empathize with many people on my caseload—especially since many of them are autistic as well. While I can’t know their exact experiences, it sometimes feels like I have a small window into their perspectives and motivations because I share similar ones. I don’t always disclose that I’m autistic to the families I work with, as it’s not always relevant, but there are times when sharing this can be very helpful for the person supported and/or their family.
Autism is very dynamic. Every day—and even every hour—can be different. I may start the day running meetings and appearing put together, then have such a severe meltdown on the drive home that I need to pull over and call a friend to help calm me down. I wish people understood this better. Having a full-time job and being married doesn’t mean that I “function” all the time. There are periods when I struggle to speak more than a few words, stim frequently (in both subtle and less subtle ways), and experience severe autistic burnout, which is different from work-related burnout.
Being autistic also means that I experience hyperfocus and have long-term special interests. In addition to musical theater, art—photography, lettering, and drawing—is a long-term special interest of mine. I often hyperfocus on drawing for hours without moving from my desk. This has allowed me to invest many, many hours into my artwork and create increasingly detailed pieces. For example, I recently completed a hyper-realistic portrait that took 224 hours to finish—equivalent to 28 workdays.
What helps you feel supported and able to do your best—at work or in life—and what advice would you share with organizations that want to be more inclusive?
I feel most supported when people respect my pronouns and identities. The correct use of pronouns and inclusive language is extremely important to me, and I believe all organizations can continue to place greater emphasis on this to foster inclusivity. This respect allows me to unmask my autism and queerness and be more authentically myself. When talking about myself, I prefer the use of identity-first language (autistic person) rather than the use of person-first language (person with autism). My team and supervisor have been incredibly supportive and have helped make difficult days much more positive.
I would also encourage organizations to listen more closely to their employees. Every employee has experiences and identities that leadership may not be aware of. At Person Centered Services, many employees are disabled, neurodivergent, and/or queer. By valuing employee perspectives and lived experience, organizations can continue moving toward genuine inclusiveness. At times, state-level terminology or policies may lag behind community preferences, and employees within these communities can offer valuable insight into respectful, current language. No one can know everything—we have to rely on one another to grow as individuals and organizations.
You’ve been at the organization from the beginning. What advice would you give to someone looking to join our organization as a Care Coordinator?
Understand that you won’t know everything at the beginning—and that’s okay. There are many people available to support you, including your supervisor, ambassador, team, and Care Coordinators outside your team. Learning how to leave work at work and home at home is also crucial and something I wish I had learned earlier. Once I did, I was better able to focus on organization and my responsibilities. If you’re struggling, ask for help. No one wants to see a colleague struggle—we’ve all been there, and we can help.
At the same time, remember that this is an incredibly important job. You’re here for a reason. What is that reason for you? Why were you drawn to this work? Often, those with a strong “why” become stronger Care Coordinators and stay in the role longer (not always, but often). Believe in yourself, take a deep breath, and jump in.