Raising Kellan

Emily Ladau is a passionate disability rights activist, writer, storyteller, and digital communications consultant whose career began at the age of 10, when she appeared on several episodes of Sesame Street to educate children about her life with a physical disability. Her writing has been published in outlets including The New York Times, SELF, Salon, Vice, and HuffPost. Her first book, Demystify...

Ashley Barlow graduated Magna Cum Laude from Miami University with a BS in German Education (K-12) and received her JD from Salmon P. Chase College of Law in 2006. In a former life, she was a German teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools and Cincinnati Public Schools, having taught nearly every grade from K to 12.  She also taught Real Estate and Business Law at Miami University. Her area...

In this episode, we chat with Tom Woodard who together with his brothers Matt and John have created a unique workplace in Nashville TN that specifically employs persons with disabilities.   On the Avenue is located in the Gulch. It is part distribution center that provides drug testing kits to the State of Tennessee and part advertising studio where the participants known as "citizens" &...

In this episode, we chat with Ali Manning: food scientist, food educator, author, and founder of Umami Food Consulting. With over ten years in the food industry, she utilizes her passion for food, science, and community to help food entrepreneurs tackle issues  beyond the kitchen. Ali is the Program Consultant for Project Green Fork and the creator of Food Science 4 Kids, a program that teach...

Sergio Calderon is the founder of Valiant Fitness . He provides an all-inclusive functional training program for individuals of all abilities. His program was created after awareness that community-based fitness programs were not available to serve individuals with IDD and Mental Health needs. Sergio lives in Murfreesboro, TN but grew up in a small town named Fillmore in Southern California. ...

Colleen and Max Starkloff founded the Starkloff Disability Institute in STL, MO.  Do yourself a favor and check out the work being done here to empower students and young adults with disabilities to think creatively and proactively about their future.  Colleen chats with us on a wide range of topics including the Disability Rights Movement and History, ADA, Universal Design as well as th...

BIO: Dr. Alyssa Walz, PT, DPT is a pediatric PT born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She is the Professional Development Director at Tender Ones Therapy Services where she has worked for the last 7.5 years. Dr. Steve Doran and Dr. Alyssa started the Stand Up Paddle Boarding Aquatic Therapy program in 2015, and co-founded the Paddle Boarding PT/OT Camp with OT Nilka Clayton. Alyssa works PRN at Chi...

As the mother and primary caregiver of a special needs child, Carla Christensen has spent over 20 years navigating the world of special education and medical advocacy. She's brought that hands-on experience to her role as Marketing Director for MAX-Ability , where she relishes the opportunity to work with groups like Changing Spaces, Universal Changing Places, Love Hope & Autism, The On-Air Ad...

Hillary Sussman has been a physical therapist for 24 years, she is a mother of three, and a dog mom to Roxy; the inspiration for her new inclusive children's book series- The Adventures of Roxy 1:00  Hillary Sussman, PT and the Adventures of Roxy 2:30 April is Limb Loss and Limb Difference Awareness Month 3:20 Theme of the Amputee Coalition : "Your Ordinary is Extraordinary" 6:15 The Adventur...

Cynthia Slomowitz is an experienced Pediatric Physical Therapist and an expert in the treatment of autism including generalizing skills during gross motor play. She graduated from Temple University with Doctorate in Physical Therapy and is presently a Ph. D. student working with mentors Dr. Briano Di Rezze & Dr. Melissa Tovin on an independent study on ASD. Cyndi is also a mom to 5 wonderful a...

In this episode, we chat with Julie Jones. Julie is mom to Braeden, a 26-year-old young man who lives with cerebral palsy and is a wheelchair user. Julie loves sharing her family's travels with Braeden on her blog Have Wheelchair Will Travel and is the co-founder of the world's first disability-specific travel magazine, Travel Without Limits. To find out more about Julie and her family you can als...

In today's episode, I chat with Cathlyn Smith and Emma Shouse of the Tennessee Council on Developmental Disability about the work done at the Council as well as the free upcoming leadership program " Partners in Policymaking ".  The deadline for the application to join the program is March 31 and the goal of the program is to educate and empower persons with disabilities and their families on...

I chat with Carol Westlake and Jeff Strand of the Tennessee Disability Coalition . TDC is a group of 40+ organizations that come together to support the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in all aspects of life. The 4 domains that make up TDC are public policy, brain links, family voices, and small grants.  Bio of Carol Westlake: "I am the founding director of the Tenne...

"Ten years ago, I established Therapeutic Focus (TF). TF is my heart: a passionate, outpatient pediatric therapy clinic located in West Memphis, Arkansas. TF provides occupational, physical, and speech therapy services to predominantly impoverished children with disabilities while focusing on improving their overall functional performance in the areas of fine and gross motor skills and speech" - L...

The podcast focus for 2022 will be TECHNOLOGY . This episode with Bradley Metrock, CEO of Project Voice highlights how we can utilize voice to access technology. Metrock heads Project Voice and his mission is to accelerate the growth of voice tech across all domains. An unbelievable conversation that leads me to think: The Future is NOW!  1:30 What is Project Voice? 3:00 Application of Voice...

Briefing: Knowledge has power and controls access to opportunity and advancement . During this time, Liz Persaud will explore and share the collective role each of us plays in promoting successful independent living beyond the everyday “typical” environments for individuals with disabilities by recognizing and adapting to diversity, inclusion, awareness, and the powerful role of Assistive Technolo...

Commissioner Brad Turner is head of the Department of Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities (DIDD ) and part of the executive branch of government that oversees the administration, operation, and policy in the State of Tennessee. In today's episode, I chat with Commissioner Turner and Cara Kumari, Communications Director at DIDD. 0:46 What is DIDD? 2:29 What is the passion that drives you to...

Dr. Karen Bowyer is indeed a Legend! She will retire on December 31, 2021, after 50 years of devoted service to Leadership in Education. She holds many honors including:   The first female and third President of Dyersburg State Community College serving 37 years.  The longest-serving Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) President. TBR is a collective of 40 community and technical colleg...

In this episode, we chat with Steven Komarnitsky, gym owner of We Rock The Spectrum Gym that is slated to open in Franklin, Tennessee in 2022. 02:30  An Introduction of the concept behind "We Rock The Spectrum". 06:18  Steven's Story. 10:00 Timeline for the Gym to Open 10:47  Layout of the Gym 11:09  Staffing at the Gym 15:00  Accessibility !6:31  Continuum of Care/Se...

Emily Bruce is the CEO and Founder of Determinism, LLC, the developer of the platform PeerKnect . She is a Board Certified and licensed Behavior Analyst (BCBA, LBA) in the State of Tennessee with an M.S., in Psychology. She joins us today to talk about PeerKnect, an app that builds friendships and connections for children with special needs by bridging the gap between parents, caretakers, and ther...

Penny Johnson is the Program Director at the Tennessee Center for Decision-Making Support . This virtual resource center is a collaboration between the Arc Tennessee, Tennessee’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, and Disability Rights Tennessee and its function is to provide decision-making tools and resources. Penny and I chat about:  2:00 What does the program provide? 5:45  What...

This was one of the most interesting conversations on the podcast as Dara and I talked about: What is The Arc? (2:00min) Dara's story that shaped her decision to join the organization (4:00min) What does it mean to advocate and how do we advocate? (7:00min) How does The Arc "keep an eye" on what's happening as far as policy affecting the disability community? (12:00min) Programs sponsored by The A...

Joshua Smith, Executive Director of Green Mountain Support Services based in Vermont, chats to us about the upcoming virtual cerebral palsy conference. The 6th Annual New England Cerebral Palsy Conference will be held on October 1 and 2, 2021 , and is free to attend. Its primary focus is to provide a networking opportunity for individuals with cerebral palsy and the family/ health professionals wh...

Healing Horses is, once again, excited to host the 5th Annual Farm2Table Dinner . Even more exciting is this year’s event will take place at the Main Street Dyersburg Farmers Market on Thursday, September 23rd beginning at 6:30 p.m. As is tradition, guests will enjoy a multi-course meal consisting of ingredients sourced from local growers while local talent provides music and entertainment for the...

Linda Frease is a creative and experienced occupational therapist from St Petersburg, Florida(USA). She is a member of the American Hippotherapy Association and provides us with some clarification between hippotherapy vs adaptive/therapeutic riding and the benefits of equine assisted therapy... Get your cuppa and sit down to enjoy this informative conversation including: 02:14 What put you on the...