The End of SPARC (as we know it)

Most have probably noticed that the website, podcast, and Community have been somewhat dormant for the past 10-12 months. While there are both personal and professional reasons why, offline I have continued to offer services to the nonprofits who request my trainings, tools, and assistance.

This is all changing.

In April of 2026, Florida governor Ron DeSantis signed into law what I consider to be the final nail in the coffin for SPARC Guidance here in Florida. You can read about the law here, but I will summarize its impact on SPARC and businesses like mine below.

Essentially, any organization that receives money/funding from the city, county, state, or federal level is forbidden to use funding for ANY DEI initatives, events, or trainings. Since disability is considered part of DEI, my business is included in this "banned" list. This means that every organization that I've worked with can no longer contract with me, or they risk losing funding. This law goes into effect in January 2027, but remember, most nonprofits work on a fiscal year that starts in the fall. Their budget for 2026-2027 is being written now. Translation: none of them can contract with me from the summer onward.

Being fully transparent, I honestly don't think there is a place for SPARC in Florida anymore. While I could possibly create online versions of the trainings (something I've long thought of doing), it could still be a potential land mine for nonprofits to allow their employees to take the online trainings. The law is relatively vague and open to interpretation, which can lead to accidental violations.

With all of this in mind, I have decided to keep SPARC Guidance "open" for anyone who wishes to work with me until September of this year. I do not plan to renew my business tax receipts, and will most likely remove the business from Sunbiz. Once I move, I will probably register it in the new state and setup the online trainings. The in-person trainings here in Florida are finished. The business email will remain active, so anyone who wishes to contact me is free to do so. The website and Community will likely stay up. The podcast is on hiatus indefinitely, but the previous episodes remain available on all podcast platforms.

I want to sincerely thank every nonprofit, company, center, and organization who worked with me for the past 7 years. We created amazing trainings together, taught a lot of providers, and helped so many people better understand autism and other conditions related to it. The social services community of Palm Beach County is an unbelievably warm, supportive, and hard working group of people. Special thanks goes to BRIDGES of Riveria Beach, BeWell PBC, Early Learning Coalition of Palm Beach County, and the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County. These were the first organziations to give SPARC a chance, and I am forever thankful that we crossed paths.

I hope that all of you continue your work helping neurodiverse children with understanding in your mind, acceptance in your heart, and advocacy in your voice. Remember the A's: Awareness, Acceptance, Affirmation, and Advocacy.

Sincerely,

Angel Wilson

Owner, SPARC Guidance