In 2020, Vanessa Hayden, a former preschool teacher and registered behavior technician, started
Partly Whimsical. She offers full and partial in-home room designs and customized “autism nest” spaces that cater to the sensory and developmental needs of children on the autism spectrum. Hayden creates safe, sensory-rich spaces that promote well-being, independence, and, yes, even a bit of whimsy.
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Vanessa Hayden, owner of Partly WhimsicalFor Hayden, Partly Whimsical is a unique and fulfilling merger of her career experience with her colorful passion for interior design.
Input Fort Wayne sat down with Vanessa Hayden, owner of Partly Whimsical, to learn more about the business and what it brings to parents and caretakers who have children or family members on the autism spectrum.
Input Fort Wayne: Where are you from and what brought you to the Fort Wayne area?
Vanessa Hayden: I’m originally from New York City, born and raised in the Bronx. I moved here to Fort Wayne many years ago looking for a better life. I had four younger children at the time, and I was looking for a more cost-effective way to raise them because New York City was very expensive.
IFW: How did you become a business owner?
VH: This was my first entrepreneurial venture. I was a preschool teacher for over 20 years and had worked with children on and off of the spectrum. I then became a registered behavior technician where I was a therapist and worked with children on the autism spectrum. When COVID-19 came about, and everything started closing down, we still had children who needed to come to the clinics and did not understand what was going on.
In 2020, I figured this was the best time to jump out and take that leap of faith– to trust God will show me the way I can be of help. I had left my job, but still wanted to work with children and had that love for children on the spectrum. I also love interior design, and I came up with Partly Whimsical.
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A space created by Vanessa Hayden.IFW: Can you walk us through what Partly Whimsical offers and how it’s structured?
VH: My mission is to transform conventional spaces into autism-friendly environments that are thoughtfully tailored to support the unique needs of individuals on the autism spectrum. It’s the creation of spaces that truly understand them.
We envision a world where every child with autism thrives in an environment that celebrates individuality and fosters growth. That’s the main thing— that fosters growth, not just for today, but for days to come, for years to come.
Partly Whimsical is a service. Parents can schedule a free 20-minute initial consultation and we’ll talk on the phone to see if we are a great fit. I will go to their home for a paid assessment where I’ll look through and we’ll talk about what some of the challenges are and what they’d like to see. I’ll talk with them, meet their child, and see their space. They can even come here to see the Autism Nest and see where their child gravitates, which can also give me an idea of what their child needs.
After that, parents can go through and see if they agree with some of the things I come up with. If a parent decides it’s more cost-effective for them to do it, I can give them information and they do the ordering. If they say they want the full service of interior design, then I will go in and do the ordering, working with the contractors and putting things in. They have a guide.
If a parent says they can’t afford this service, then they can schedule a time to come into my office, the Autism Nest, for an hour-and-a-half getaway. It’s just like if you take your child to a library or a park, this is a space where it’s just me, the child and the parent. The child can roam around and be in their element.
IFW: What sort of changes can be made to help kids on the autism spectrum feel comfortable or are important in order to facilitate learning?
VH: I think the first thing would definitely be safety. That’s an issue for many parents that I talk to and work with. The first thing is to make sure the home is safer– that’s my job. One of the parents I worked with had a child who was leaving, so we had to make some adjustments to the doors and windows and put up rails and guards.
The other issue is lighting. A lot of times when individuals who are neurodivergent come in, the world they see is different from the world we see. Lighting can make a difference, so I can change all the lighting in here really easily.
Another thing is noise. A lot of kids have sensitivity to noise. They hear a lot more than what we are able to hear. That’s why I have two headphone sets. Everything has to do with the five senses. I try to look for those things that would help the child, and I also look for triggers in the environment as well.
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Vanessa Hayden's officeIFW: How did you come up with the name Partly Whimsical?
VH: Partly Whimsical came about because when working with children, there are times when you have good days. You have wonderful days and everything can be great, and all of a sudden something — whether it’s a noise they hear or it’s a light flickering or it’s a smell, something triggers them. Then that day changes rapidly, and you can go from having a great day to a very challenging day. I thought about it like ‘partly cloudly’ with those children.
When you think about whimsical, you think about something out of the ordinary, something that doesn’t belong or doesn’t fit. But it actually does fit. I thought about autism like that. Autism is something that people don’t understand, but it’s just a different way of looking at it. When you see it, you might think ‘That’s different.’ That child or individuals still have a lot of life, they are funny, exciting, and they’re very colorful.
IFW: Recently, we’ve seen more spaces embrace sensory kits for visitors, like theaters, museums, zoos, etc. Have those things been going on for a while or is that a relatively newer trend?
VH: It’s been going on for a while, but I think a lot of people are becoming more aware of autism and neurodivergence and now a lot of companies are trying to cater to that, which I think is a good thing. We still have a long way to go for the acceptance of that and making sure we are also accepting that individual for being who they are. They may not do what we do, but that doesn’t mean that what they’re doing is not important or significant, because it is. As a matter of fact, most of the individuals I work with are brilliant. The way they think…they just see the world differently.
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A space created by Vanessa Hayden.IFW: Do you feel there’s a gap in services, programming, or events for adults with autism?
VH: There is, and it’s probably because we’re always learning and science is always evolving. They’re learning more and more about this thing we call autism or neurodivergence. They try to catch kids at an early age, the earlier you can diagnose the child, the better the outcome for the future. But I’ve met parents who have talked to me and said, “I have a 30-year-old, and I wish you guys were around earlier.”
I do believe that the gap needs to narrow, and we do need to focus on those who are already living life but still need some help.
IFW: When people are seeking out your services, there’s no sort of age requirement where folks might age out of services, right?
VH: No, not when it comes to design because I think everyone deserves to have something tailored to them. I know programs where you can age out, but for what I do– no.
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A sensory room designed by Vanessa Hayden of Partly WhimsicalIFW: What are some changes you’d like to see that would signal a move or shift in the right direction when it comes to an inclusive space or society?
VH: Well, that’s a good question because right now, we’re dealing with the ban of inclusivity and diversity. Disability is diversity. I would love to see people, not just homes, but I’d also love to see places like airports where these individuals can go and feel like they belong.
My vision is to make this something that’s so normal that individuals who are on this spectrum or their parents won’t have to feel like this is that special place because they can live with everybody else. That’s what I would hope for is that there will be a lot of different places that can offer this stuff and it becomes the norm, even when it comes down to building.
That’s one of my biggest things, if I can set the path to having builders and different institutions where they can build homes catered to those individuals and not just the traditional home. That’s the reason I do what I do in the little space I have — creating a nontraditional space.
IFW: From your experience with the Fort Wayne community, how friendly or inclusive do you find Fort Wayne is to people who are diagnosed with autism?
VH: The Fort Wayne community and autism community are very close-knit. I think they do a good job as far as providing a lot of different services here in Fort Wayne for that community, but at the same time, it still needs to be even more accepted and talked about.
IFW: Looking ahead, what are some things you hope to accomplish within the Fort Wayne community?
VH: One of the things I would love to do is to enhance as many lives as I can by creating a space that gets them. I’m hoping in the future, I can touch as many people as I can before I leave this earth where they can say, “My life has been better and more rich because of Partly Whimsical.”
Partly Whimsical is located at 7840 N. Southtown Crossing, Suite 105, Fort Wayne, IN 46816.