ABCs of Disability Planning

Sarah Semnyetzky is the author of " A Zebra's Guide to Disability Advocacy ". Focusing specifically on the domains of academia, medical care, and interpersonal relationships and support networks, in the book Sarah focuses on helping disabled individuals and their loved ones navigate their own, diverse journeys. She explores these topics using her personal and professional experience,...

Juli and Chris Henderson have lived through one of the toughest times any parent can face, the loss of their son. In this interview, we have a very candid discussion about what they wish they'd known. The catalyst for this discussion was Juli's blog post "How will I know?". Dr. Chris Henderson is a Critical Care Intensivist at CHRISTUS Santa Rosa (CSR) Westover Hills Hospital in...

Jett Foundation empowers people and families impacted by Duchenne muscular dystrophy through the development of transformative programming, educational opportunities, and ongoing support for every stage of a Duchenne journey. Dan & DMD book - ⁠https://amzn.to/3QvfAV8⁠ Transcript to the episode: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uWsfzSjthW_69wVRFUdRCiG_GSz2gqGw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=11771...

BeMe empowers Autistic individuals, their families, and care teams with the tools they need to thrive. BeMe combines medical, behavioral, and environmental factors in an insight-generating app designed specifically to support Autistic children. It was founded by and is comprised of a team very active in Autism care and advocacy.  They are an organization including parents and caregivers, domain ex...

Empowered Together - Connecting families affected by disability to recommended businesses. They envision a world where tools and accommodations are in place for all people to meaningfully access and participate in their communities. While parenting her daughter with a developmental disability, Sarah Spear learned firsthand how isolating that journey can be and that other parents on similar journey...

Videos to teach daily living skills - PICKLE System Pickle System's mission is to improve the lives of individuals with autism and developmental disabilities by providing a personal, accessible, and hands-off resource utilizing video models, image-based content, and evidence-based guidance. Acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of daily living skills may increase independence, quality o...

Meet. Support. Advance. Raising awareness of another Rare Disease - TBRS Community Tatton Brown Rahman Syndrome (TBRS) is a rare genetic disease caused by pathogenic variants (previously called mutations) in the  DNMT3A  gene and for that reason, it is also called DNMT3A Overgrowth Syndrome. Individuals with TBRS have overgrowth—typically, tall stature, increased weight, and large head circumferen...

Reach. Climb. Go. If you're a wheelchair users get your iBot Personal Mobility Device. One device, with 6 modes. Go beyond powered mobility in this revolutionary power wheelchair. The world is not as accessible as it should be. The iBOT® PMD provides a unique multi-modal experience in personal mobility. Custom-fit to each user, with an iBOT® PMD the world opens up. From Mobius Mobility's w...

Hear Your Song empowers children and teens with serious illnesses and complex health needs to make their voices heard through collaborative songwriting. In their kid-driven process, Hear Your Song volunteers help kids write their song lyrics , which are then set to music and recorded, based on the kid’s musical ideas. Hear Your Song provides support and training for undergraduate leaders who facil...

Inclusion Films , started in 2007 by veteran filmmaker Joey Travolta , teaches filmmaking to individuals with developmental disabilities in six dedicated production studios throughout California. Students have an opportunity to test their skills and experience independence when hired to work at Joey’s summer film camps. In addition to their workshops, they travel the country offering short film ca...

Together for Choice's Mission is to unite to protect and advance the rights of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to live, work and thrive in a community or setting of their choice. Ashley Kim Weiss is a social entrepreneur and disability advocate who currently serves as the Executive Director for Together for Choice. She is also the President & CEO of Elev...

More than 90 percent of the Aspiritech team members are on the autism spectrum. TAspiretech hires and trains team members and aims to pair them with a client and project that matches their strengths and passions. The team members of Aspiritech represent a diverse group of individuals who’ve created a strong community and a world-class business model supporting Fortune 500 companies and small busin...

Developmental Disabilities and Sexuality. Elevatus helps you have these essential conversations. As national leaders in the field of sexuality and intellectual, developmental disabilities, and autism they offer evidence and trauma-informed curriculum, online training, in-services, and workshops to help professionals, educators, self-advocates, and parents skillfully and confidently navigate the to...

Raising Kellan Started in 2019. Most non-profits about children with a disability begin with a heart-rending story and the endless search on how to fix the disability.  The start of Raising Kellan wasn’t about that. You see, in June 2019, while visiting family in South Africa, Marsh Naidoo was asked to give a speech to health professionals at the Open Air School in Durban, and the feedback she rec...

Parent to Parent's Vision: Parent to Parent USA will support a network of viable, sustainable, fully-functioning, and effective Parent to Parent programs in all 50 states through hands-on support, training and technical assistance, and high-quality tools and resources. Our network’s parent leadership and engaged membership will serve as strong advocates, provide robust mentoring opportunities,...

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on job accommodations and disability employment issues. Serving customers across the United States and around the world for more than 35 years, JAN provides free one-on-one practical guidance and technical assistance on job accommodation solutions, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (AD...

After over 11,000 Lawsuits, the Trend is Going Parabolic. There was a time when it was possible to get away with having a website that didn’t work for people with disabilities. But those days are long gone, and ADA regulations for web accessibility are being enforced in court. Comply with ADA law and conform with WCAG 2.1 guidelines at every step of your web accessibility journey. Protect your web...

In this bonus episode, Eric presents what parents and professionals should think about at various life stages, starting with receiving the diagnosis and ending when the child turns 21. Included are the question and answer sessions. Here are the transition time stamps if you'd prefer to skip to the life stage you're currently in or approaching. Introduction and Overview 3:09 Diagnosis 9:52...

"You were in a wasteland. And not only were you in a wasteland, but the two of them were predatory. I mean it's pretty unbelievable." Link to download the transcript - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_DWFHwg1VYGdXogg_Erp5tZlc5VfDwWg/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=117716030289987185197&rtpof=true&sd=true Jennifer Fraser is the author of " The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars...

After 20 years of frustration, with very limited vacation options, Lorraine Woodward's family of four, three of whom have mobility issues due to muscular dystrophy, took it upon themselves to create their own accessible property. In 2014, Lorraine’s "A Place of No Worries" was realized. Their fully accessible property was not only a way to meet their own family vacation needs, but al...

This is the first episode of a joint venture between Jennifer Fraser and myself. Jennifer Fraser is the author of The Bullied Brain: Heal Your Scars and Restore Your Health. She has a PhD in Comparative Literature and The Bullied Brain is her fourth book. She draws on medical, neuroscientific, and neurobiological research to examine what happens to brains that are bullied and abused. Jennifer'...

Kim Martin is a trusts and estates attorney licensed in Georgia and Illinois whose practice focuses on estate planning for families with a special needs family member. Her areas of expertise also include  guardianship ,  divorce settlement agreements  in cases that involve a special needs child, and tax planning. Kim’s publications include articles in  Trusts and Estates Magazine  and  Family Lawy...

If I Need Help   understands the panic that can overtake a special needs loved one, caretakers, and the community when a loved one with special needs goes missing. Not being able to communicate with others due to a disability or disorder can be frightening and overwhelming. It doesn't have to be, and  If I Need Help  … can help. If I Need Help  reunites those who might become lost, disoriented...

Stefan served as a patrol sergeant in the Chicago (IL) suburbs for ~ 19 years. He started Blue Line Spectrum Safety to provide comprehensive training relating to the unique challenges of those affected by Autism and intellectual disabilities to promote a greater understanding between all. Stefan is an instructor for North East Multi-Regional Training (NEMRT), Tri-River Police Training Region , and...

Social Optics is a web app that delivers direct instruction in a fun, anime environment. Their software collects data on a student's understanding of communication fundamentals, tracks progress, and provides feedback for students, teachers, administrators, and parents on individual dashboards. Social Optics is part of a research study with the  University of Montana MIND Lab . The mission of t...