Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast

Middle school can be a challenging age regardless of whether our student has special needs and Annette's guest this time knows just how to help those students who are in this age group.   Katy Boucher is the founder of The Accord School based in Norwell Massachusetts. The Accord School as Katy puts it, teaches students critical thinking skills and gets them ready for real life experiences and chal...

We all have "Different Brains" and Annette's guest this time knows that very well. Different Brains founder Harold "Hackie" Reitman, M.D. takes time out of his very busy schedule to have a wide-ranging discussion with Annette about some of the incredible work the organization does.   Different Brains is an organization that has dedicated its resources to advocating and educating about the topic of...

Annette had a great conversation with Austin Carr, a young energetic man who is a true advocate for people with disabilities. Austin is very involved in the disability community both in mentorship programs as well as helping out with resources for those seeking transitions into adult life and he talks with Annette about these important topics.   Austin currently lives in the Boston area with his t...

This week, Annette gets to have a conversation with Mary Susan McConnell, host of the popular Mama Bear Podcast. The Mama Bear Podcast is a place where women who are raising special needs children can come and hear stories and advice from other women in similar situations. Mary Susan says that men are welcome too of course!     Mary Susan talks with Annette about her journey with her husband to ad...

Annette welcomes back Mark Worthington from Special Needs Law Group to discuss the sometimes confusing topic of social security for people with disabilities. There are so many rules and other facts about social security that you need to know about and in particular, those with special needs. Mark and Annette use their years of expertise in the area to clarify some of the mysteries.   Annette begin...

Annette takes time out for a short podcast to chat about something very personal to her: her daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth passed away at the age of 17. Elizabeth had profound disabilities, having mitochondrial disease.   As the holidays approach, Annette takes time to share her experiences as a special needs mother and what the holidays can bring as the result of losing a loved one that you cared...

This week, Annette sits down with Lotte Diomede and Deb Hochhauser of SMILE Mass an organization that provides recreational accessibility and disability friendly vacation experiences.   SMILE Mass was founded in 2009 and stands for Small Miracles In Life Exist. Founder Lotte Diomede started by creating awareness around the building of a playground that would accommodate all in her community of Sud...

On this episode of Parenting Impossible, Annette chats with Blaine Brockman, a passionate advocate for the safety of individuals with special needs as well as the elderly. Blaine and Annette talk about safety in the community as well as the necessary steps for community integration.   Blaine discusses with Annette the concepts of community living, and supportive living where individuals are able t...

This week, Annette continues her conversation with Eric Endlich of Top College Consultants. Dr. Endlich helps many students across the country navigate the college admission system, including those on the autism spectrum and those that have ADHD.   Dr. Endlich and Annette are discussing college transition programs this week and whether a student is college ready or college capable. A student needs...

Like so many people that Annette Hines has met on her special needs journey, Julie Gortze has turned her struggle into her life's work and a mission to help others.  Julie is the president and founder of Rare New England, an organization that provides support and resources for individuals and family members impacted by rare disease.   Julie has personal experience with a complex disease and has le...

In this short episode, Annette gets to answer a common question she gets from listeners of the podcast and readers of her book, Butterflies and Second Chances.   How to move forward after the death of a loved one with special needs.   Annette talks about the need to have a community with you at all times and the need to take a step back and examine your identity. Many people who have lost a loved...

This episode, Annette has a conversation with David Greenwood, author of the book, Overcoming Distractions-Thriving with Adult ADHD. The book profiles many entrepreneurs around the county who have ADHD and have created successful businesses.   Annette and Dave talk about how in some cases, a parent of a child can get frustrated and even lose hope when they have to work around or deal with challeng...

Today, Annette sits down with MacKenzie Mahoney of Special Needs Law Group. Both MacKenzie and Annette talk about their experience in attending and sponsoring the Raise The Bar Conference that promotes employment for individuals with disabilities in Massachusetts.   Annette and MacKenzie talk about current employment stats that apply to people with disabilities and the troubling trends associated...

Annette talks with Dawn Cordeiro this week about advocating for your special needs child. While some parents have very good luck navigating the educational system with their child, others run into many challenges. In short, some school systems "get it" and others require a strong parent to achieve the educational goals they want and need for their special needs loved one.   Dawn Cordeiro has turne...

This week, Annette speaks with Eric Endlich with Top College Consultants which helps a wide range of students navigate the college admission system, including those on the autism spectrum. One of the topics that Eric talks about right in the beginning is his own autism diagnosis later in life. He speaks about what it is like to understand that you have an autism diagnosis and the positive aspect o...

Robyn Powell is a former social worker turned disability rights attorney. She's worked extensively in the fields of disability law and policy and has been published countless times in law journals and reviews. Her most notable publication is Rocking the Cradle which was published by The National Council on Disability.   Annette and Robyn discuss some tough issues including reproductive law as it p...

This week, Annette chats with Cathy Boyle of Autism Housing Pathways based in Massachusetts. The organization was created in 2010 as a way to assist families that needed help navigating the complex world of housing for their special needs family member.   Cathy is an incredible resource when it comes to special needs housing and has enough information to fill many podcasts on the subject. Her and...

This week, Annette chats with Kirsty Russell, author, speaker and a special needs mom. Kirsty writes the very popular blog, Positive Special Needs Parenting and is an advocate for how parents work closely with school systems for the benefit of special needs children. She's had numerous appearances on TV, radio and other media discussing her advocacy around special needs parenting.   Based in Austr...

Annette gives us a short snapshot of Disability Awareness Month which is October and all the conferences and groups that are available to special needs families.   October is host to many awareness themes in the disability community and it's also a time when conferences for special needs families get ramped up. Annette Hines is a regular on the special needs conference scene and talks about in thi...

Annette sits down to chat with Maria Hopfgarten, the author of the blog, Moments with Jacob. Maria lost her son Jacob to mitochondrial disease three years ago. Despite Jacob being very medically complex he lived for ten beautiful years. He fought every day to breathe, live, and spread happiness. He never uttered a word in his life, but he inspired more people than most of us will ever do.   In thi...

Does my child or loved one need a  Special Needs Trust? That's one common question we get and in this episode Annette discusses some of the myths surrounding special needs trusts. Annette Hines and Attorney Mark Worthington of Special Needs Law Group based in Massachusetts sit down and discuss some of the top myths when it comes to this important legal tool for your special needs family. With the...

This episode of Parenting Impossible is once again dedicated to our special needs siblings.   Annette sits down again with Alexandria Nadworny and Hillary Dunn Stanisz for part two of their discussion about special needs siblings and the important issues that they commonly face.   Alexandria Nadworny is a special needs financial planning specialist who has taken her experience as a special needs s...

This episode of Parenting Impossible is dedicated to our special needs siblings.   Annette sits down with two incredible women who have put their heart and soul as well as dedicating their professional lives into making sure the siblings of special needs individuals are heard and valued.   Guests this week are Alexandria Nadworny and Hillary Dunn Stanisz and are both siblings of special needs indi...

In this episode of Parenting Impossible, we chat with the tireless disability advocate, Cheryl Ryan Chan. Cheryl has taken many of her experiences as a special needs mom and has worked vigorously to advocate for others in the state of Massachusetts as well as on the national stage.   First, we discuss her efforts to pass Nicky's Law which proposes to set up a registry in the state of Massachusetts...

Welcome to Parenting Impossible, The Special Needs Survival Podcast. In this first episode, you'll be introduced to your host, Annette Hines, a special needs mom and an attorney specializing in special needs law. While she'll be your host on all the episodes, Attorney Mark Worthington will take this episode to introduce you to Annette.   Annette and Mark discuss why she has launched this podcast f...