IDD Health Matters

In this interview with Amy Fox, a leader in the intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) field, she discusses her work founding Learning Q, an online platform designed to make education more accessible through short, repeatable "microlearning" modules. Drawing on about 15 years of experience, she explains how the platform provides practical, skills-based content—such as independent living,...

In this IDD Perspectives webinar, the discussion focuses on improving support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through "person-centered thinking." Jonathon Crumley explains that current practices are rooted in a historical legacy of institutionalization, where rigid, group-focused care often overlooked individual needs. Although people moved into community settings...

Dr. Paca Lipovac, a longtime leader in the developmental disabilities field, shares how a personal connection—her niece's disability—drew her into a 26‑year career dedicated to improving care for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She describes her work overseeing highly complex, medically fragile populations at Richmond Community Services, emphasizing the importance of...

Neil Romano, a disability advocate and government official, shares how his personal experiences with dyslexia and growing up alongside family members with disabilities shaped his lifelong commitment to advancing opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Despite early discouragement and low expectations from educators, he overcame barriers to achieve academic...

Dr. Matthew Kaufman discusses his journey as an emergency physician who recognized significant gaps in healthcare for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including lack of training, overreliance on emergency departments, and frequent unnecessary testing and hospitalizations. He explains how these challenges led to the creation of StationMD, a telemedicine service providi...

Educator and curriculum designer Kathleen Chauffe specializes in creating training programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She explains how her career evolved from a passion for teaching into developing practical, accessible curricula used in adult day programs, with a focus on employability and life-enrichment skills. Her work emphasizes making lessons easy for...

In this IDD Perspectives webinar the focus is on understanding why individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) may appear to be "not acting right," emphasizing that such behaviors are often signals of underlying issues rather than merely behavioral or psychiatric problems. Guest Dr. Matt Holder and host Craig Escudé highlight the importance of first ruling out medical causes...

This interview features Tanya Richmond, a social worker and consultant specializing in person-centered practices, which focus on understanding individuals—especially those with intellectual, developmental, or age-related vulnerabilities—by balancing what is important to them (their preferences, values, and sense of purpose) with what is important for them (their health and safety). Richmond explai...

Kari (Carrie) Johnston and Jodie Marotz, leaders at New Horizons and the Human Service Agency in Watertown, South Dakota, discuss their careers and the wide range of supports they provide for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including group homes, community living, employment supports, day services, mental health care, substance use services, and crisis stabilization....

Dr. Aws Faidy, a general dentist from northern Iraq, discusses his work providing oral health care and education to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs), refugees, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). Dr. Faidy explains how he conducts community-based dental awareness campaigns, hands-on checkups, and follow-up care—often in refugee camps—while emphasizing patience, t...

Jim Laughman is a behavioral health managed care leader whose work focuses on Medicaid populations, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), serious mental illness, and dual diagnoses. Laughman explains how his organization provides care coordination in states like New Jersey and Pennsylvania and shares that his career is deeply motivated by his personal experience...

Dr. Lauren Clark, a nurse, researcher, and professor at UCLA, discusses her career journey and work in developmental disability and health equity. Dr. Clark explains how her early research with immigrant communities and her personal experience as a parent of two children with developmental disabilities led her to shift her focus toward disability justice and improving health care systems for peopl...

Marion Olivier works with Qlarant to improve the quality of community‑based services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities by partnering with states to conduct quality reviews, interviews, data collection, reporting, training, and ongoing technical assistance. She explains that their work focuses on person‑centered practices, continuous quality improvement, and helping provid...

Sheli Reynolds, a longtime professional and family advocate in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), discusses her work at a University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and the creation of the Charting the LifeCourse Framework. Drawing on both her professional experience and her role as a sibling of a person with a developmental disability, Reynolds exp...

This interview features Dr. Jonathan Smith, who discusses the launch of a new, mission‑driven health center under Mercer University focused on providing comprehensive, integrated care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Georgia. Dr. Smith explains that the center aims to address longstanding health disparities through coordinated, under‑one‑roof services—including...

Brad Turner, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Disabilities and Aging, discusses how his personal experience as a parent of a daughter with cerebral palsy shapes his leadership and commitment to improving supports for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). He highlights Tennessee's innovations, including extending early intervention services to age five, the Medic...

Jacqueline Cuevas shares her journey as a self‑advocate living with Functional Neurological Disorder (previously known as psychogenic non‑epileptic seizures), a condition triggered by trauma and often misunderstood by medical professionals. Beginning with unexplained episodes at age 16, she spent years being dismissed and misdiagnosed, accumulating medical debt and emotional exhaustion before fina...

Associate Director of Public Policy at First Place AZ, Josh Muñoz discusses his work supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) through independent living, tailored supports, and intentional community integration. He shares his journey from studying psychology to working in applied behavior analysis (ABA), supporting individuals with high support needs, and eventually...

In this episode Ley Linder discusses his work supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Linder emphasizes that challenging behaviors are often rooted in medical issues, environmental stressors, lack of choice, or learned patterns—not simply characteristics of disability. He describes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to behavior analysis that considers medical,...

Kathy Parry shares her journey as a mother of four whose youngest daughter, Merritt, was born with a severe mitochondrial disorder and ultimately lived 20 years despite an initial two‑year prognosis. She describes navigating an uncertain medical landscape, advocating persistently for her child, and developing a specialized diet that significantly improved Merritt's quality of life. Kathy reflects...

Dr. Rachael Sweeney and Dr. Amy Curtis from Auburn University's College of Nursing, discuss their work improving health care education for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). They describe the lack of training nurses typically receive in communicating with and caring for individuals with IDD, sharing personal experiences that motivated their advocacy. To address this gap...

Dr. Kristen Sohl, a pediatrician and founder of Echo Autism Communities, discusses Project ECHO—a model that connects specialists with generalists via virtual sessions to improve care for people in rural and underserved areas—and explains how it has expanded in Missouri to support fields like autism, HIV, chronic pain, and developmental disabilities. She describes the structure of an ECHO session,...

In this episode, Danielle Terrell discusses her personal and professional journey working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Danielle describes how her background in psychology, early community experiences, and roles as a direct support professional, ABA therapist, and transition specialist shaped her passion for advocacy and health equity. She highlights the...

This episode features a conversation with David Toback about supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). David describes his journey beginning in 2006 working in mental health and IDD, later contributing heavily to Georgia's transition from institutional care to community‑based services. They discuss the importance of person‑centered thinking—listening, responding, an...

In this episode, care manager Liz Zaso shares how growing up in a family deeply involved in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities shaped her passion for the field. Influenced by her parents' careers, her cousin with cerebral palsy, and early experiences with inclusion, Liz discusses the importance of training direct support professionals, advocating for equitable healt...