Special Needs Family Hour

Our guest this week is Donna Kirk. She is the author of the book “Finding Mathew”. It is a story about “the sorrows, struggles, and challenges, as well as the amazing Presence of love and joy – that come with being the parent of a child with disabilities”. Donna’s son Mathew was born brain-damaged as a result of oxygen deprivation. At the time (1970) Donna and h...

Description: We will be discussing the support group F.R.I.E.N.D.S. (Families, Raising, Inspiring, Educating, Networking for Down Syndrome) with Belinda Romero of the West Florida Association. Their mission is to provide all encompassing educational and support services to families who have been impacted by Down Syndrome; while promoting complete community integration of those impacted by Down Syn...

Our guests are with the University of South Florida's College of Medicine. Dr. Heather Agazzi, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Cristina Ortiz, project coordinator for Helping Our Toddlers, Developing Our Children's Skills (HOT DOCS) and Docs for Success Programs at the University of South Florida. The HOT DOCS/DOCS for Success Programs offer caregivers a problem-solving approach towards unde...

Michele Houston Hicks is our guest and the author of Princess Pie. Michele's message of Holiday Hope is to let you know that all children bring out the best in us. And in her words - "They teach us compassion, understanding, and patience where it may be lacking. They produce an inner strength in all of us where we thought we had none. They give us unconditional love and instill us to love the same...

We discuss CARD’s many projects and accomplishments. These include CARD’s Autism Friendly Business Initiative, Autism Friendly Tampa, the collaboration between CARD and HIPPY.  HIPPY is a free, early intervention, school readiness program for children between 3-5 years old. The HIPPY curriculum helps parents transform their homes into interactive learning environment to stimulate...

Our guests include John Mayo, Deputy Director of Success for Kids Families and  Nanci Nolan, SEDNET Region 6 Project Manager with Success 4 Kids & Families  and Program Coordinator for Successful Students.  Success 4 Kids & Families is a non-profit organization offering in-home treatment services for families in Hillsborough Count...

Description:   Our guest is Kelley Parris, the Executive Director of the Children's Board of Hillsborough County. The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County proudly serves children and families. Created by the voters in 1988, they provide funding for services and supports on behalf of children, with an emphasis on pregnant women and children birth to age eight. In fiscal year 2019, the...

Description: Our guest is Suzin H. Carr, the award winning author of "I Choose", "I Choose Too!", and "Yo Elijo". "I Choose" and the Spanish translation "Yo Elijo", is suitable for every human being on the planet, but especially those age 3-8 and the folks who work with them.    "I Choose Too!" is a thought-provoking, meaningful and interactive book about the choices humans make everyday...

"Millions of parents in the United States have a child that is diagnosed with some form of disability. The presence of a disability changes the course of their lives, hopes, and dreams. They find themselves suddenly surrounded by everyone else living their "normal" lives leaving them to wonder, where do we fit or where will my child fit? They experience a form of grief but are often unprepared bec...

Haley Moss is a South Florida native who was diagnosed with autism at age three. Upon receiving her autism diagnosis, her family was told that she would be fortunate to make a friend, graduate high school, or obtain her driver’s license. Haley has defied the expectations set forth within her initial diagnosis. Today, she is an attorney, author, artist, and autism advocate who writes and spea...

This week our guest is Luis E. Viera, Esq. Luis is a founding member of Lawyer's Autism Awareness Foundation (LAAF). LAAF's Mission is to provide children who have Autism Spectrum Disorders with sensory friendly events, support their families with information on public and private educational resources and fund need-based grants to assist families with approved autism therapies. LAAF is well known...

This week we have representatives from The Business Center for Diversity & Inclusion (BCDI). We will be discussing their new three year Pilot Program to help employers in our community to become more comfortable and confident in hiring and managing individuals with disabilities. The Program covers Hernando, Pinellas, Pasco, and Hillsborough Counties. The focus of this pilot program are individ...

Description: Our guests are Dr. Jeff Skowronek, the Executive Director of the Pepin Academies Tampa and Riverview Campuses and Janae Kaptan, the Transition Coordinator of the Pepin Academies. The Pepin Transition Program offers vocationally based training in conjunction with life and job readiness classes designed for individuals from age 18 to 22 with identified learning or learning-related disab...

The Special Needs Family Hour Presents: Pepin Academies' Transition Job Training Program!!     This week our show features the Pepin Academies' Transition Job Training Program with Dr. Jeff Skowronek, the Executive Director of the Pepin Academies and Janae Kaptan, the Transition Coordinator of the Pepin Academies, a tuition free public charter school dedicated to students with learning d...

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Patti Rendon of Rendon Support Services . Patti explains how the Florida Med-Waiver program works once an individual has qualified. Patti has been a Med-Waiver Support Coordinator for over twenty years and runs a support coordination agency. Patti is familiar with all aspects of the Florida Med-Waiver Program. She serves individuals in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte, L...

We discuss various topics related to  Autism including the biggest factors in changing the outcome for individuals with Autism; typical misconceptions of those with Autism, and things parents should do to support their child with Autism. Vicky Westra shares insights gained from having a child with Autism and working with individuals who have autism. Autism Shifts and Artis...

Buddy Baseball < http://buddybaseball.org/ >  is a non-competitive recreational league for boys and girls with special needs serving the Tampa Bay community. Each player is paired with a buddy to assist the player as needed on the field and in the dugout. The league fosters friendships and breaks down barriers. Not only do the players experience the thrill of participating in a sport, t...

Our guests are Liz Montefu, the founder of Montefu Consulting, and Patti Rendon of Rendon Support Services. Liz has been guiding individuals through the rough waters of Social Security for over thirty years. She is experienced in benefit coordination and can help – whether you are filing for benefits for the first time or you are preparing to go before an Administrative Law Judge at a hearin...

Prevail Celebrate the Journey After being diagnosed with a rare, usually fatal cancer, Alder Allensworth made a miraculous recovery and took on a sailing journey most would only dream of. Having lost one eye to cancer, Alder dedicated herself to this 1,200-mile trip to raise money and awareness for sailors with disabilities, and quickly realized that sailing the 12-foot Prevail from Florida to Mai...

This week's show will feature Loretta Gallo-Lopez, a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. We discuss Healthy Sexuality for Adolescents and Young Adults with Developmental Disabilities. Loretta has over 25 years of experience working with adolescents and their parents. She is a Registered Drama Therapist, Registered Play Therapist, and the Clinical Director & a Founding Board Member of the Focus A...

Description: We welcome  Rori Becker ,   Bright Feats Directory ,  and  Phyllis Guthman ,   Disability Resource Hub Guide .  Having children with special needs and as a result of navigating through the complex maze of the healthcare and educational systems, they recognize the support families require in identifying helpful and necessary resources for their children.&n...

Our guests are Tosha Littles, Director of the Parent Support Network, and Misti Pollaro, Parent Training Coordinator for the Parent Support Network. The Family Network on Disabilities < https://fndusa.org/ >  is an organization that offers free help and information to families of students with disabilities, self-advocates, and professionals that serve them. Their focus is on the educati...

Our guest is Renee Warmack, the Producer, Director, and Writer of the documentary Because of Sam. She has several friends with her including the star of the documentary, Sam Piazza; his mother, Ruth Piazza; and Jeffrey Kamis, the Vice President of Media & Public Relations for PDQ Restaurants, where Sam works.   Sam Piazza is a Tampa Hero. Sam has broken barriers and proven that people wit...

Liz has been guiding individuals through the rough waters of Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income claims for over 30 years. She is experienced in benefit coordination and can help – whether you are filing for benefits for the first time or you are preparing to go before an Administrative Law Judge at a hearing.  Visit Montefu Consulting at https://www.montefuconsu...