Anyone who has spent time with UCP participant Logan W. knows that music is his passion. Whether he’s singing, creating a playlist, or conducting a sound-check; if it involves music and electronics in any way, he’s all about it. Logan comes by his passion honestly; his mother Ann worked in video production for years. She used to take Logan to work with her evenings and weekends while she performed video and audio editing. Ann soon realized that her son had an affinity for electronics, so over the years, she bought him musical instruments and equipment rather than toys.

Today, Logan possesses an elaborate set-up of turntables, speakers, mixing boards, microphones, and more. Opportunities to DJ at local events have dwindled since the pandemic but Logan continues to “get the party started” at UCP’s Summer Carnival and Fall Festival as well as Vibrant Church’s annual Tim Tebow “Night to Shine.”

At birth Logan was diagnosed with Apert Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder characterized by skeletal irregularities. In Logan’s case, it also resulted in webbed fingers and toes, and developmental delays. At just nine months Logan had his first surgery (72 since then). At 16 months he began receiving Early Intervention therapies through UCP and was one of the first participants in UCP’s inclusive classroom. Now 33 years old, Logan has been living and working independently for the past 8 years with the support of UCP’s Home and Community Services.

Over the years, UCP staff and services have been constants in Logan’s life. He has benefitted from adaptive technology in addition to the supports he receives at home and in the community (shopping, meal planning, food prep, volunteering, and socializing) to name a few. The pot of chili he recently made for a potluck at work allows him to show off his love of cooking.

Thanks to his maternal grandfather, “Paps,” Logan is also a bit of a handyman. They would often listen to music (mostly Country) as they would tinker around at home. To this day, it is still Logan’s favorite genre of music.

The D-I-Y skills he learned from his Paps serve him well now that he lives in his own apartment. Most recently, Logan and UCP Habilitation Specialist Sheri made a trip to Home Depot to pick up a replacement filter for his furnace. Logan said he doesn’t bother the landlord with that kind of thing; he just takes care of it himself. The fact that Logan is also legally blind and hearing impaired makes his everyday achievements even more remarkable.

When working at Weis Markets, Logan’s primary responsibility is to make sure there’s always a sufficient supply of clean carts for the customers. Logan takes his job seriously and doesn’t let inclement weather keep him from gathering both the carts from the stalls as well as the ones abandoned throughout the parking lot. Logan shared what a challenge it is when customers leave the motorized carts out in the parking lot and the batteries die. The cart has to be manually carried back to the store by… you guessed it… Logan (and a coworker).

To learn more about UCP’s Home and Community Services, contact:
Samantha Lepri, Manager
Samantha.lepri@ucpcentralpa.org
717.737.3477, x131