The Lucky Few

In this final episode of our “What I Wish I Knew” series, we’re taking a step back to reflect on advocacy—what it’s looked like for us over the years, what’s changed, and what we wish we understood earlier. We talk honestly about the emotional weight of advocating for our kids with Down syndrome, the tension of speaking up in systems that don’t always listen, and the growth that comes from learnin...

In this episode of our “What I Wish I Knew” series, we’re talking about functional medicine—what it is, what’s helped us, and what we wish we understood earlier. We share real experiences navigating diet changes, supplements, specialists, and the cost of it all, while exploring a whole-body approach that looks beyond symptoms. We also talk about how to integrate functional and traditional medicine...

In this episode of The Lucky Few Podcast , we continue our “What I Wish I Knew” series with a real and honest conversation about AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication) - Supporting Communication Without Limiting It Micha shares her journey with her son Ace and how her understanding of AAC has evolved over time—from treating it like a therapy tool to recognizing it as a language and a w...

In this episode, we’re talking about travel and accessibility—what’s actually available, what we’ve learned the hard way (and the helpful way), and the questions that come with it. Fresh off an international trip, Heather shares real-life stories of navigating airports, museums, and public spaces with accessibility services—and realizing oh… this changes everything. Also, turns out you might not n...

Friends, we’re bringing back one of our favorite conversations — our interview with Noah Matthews Matofsky, who starred as Slightly in Disney’s Peter Pan & Wendy . When this film premiered, Noah became the first actor with Down syndrome to have a speaking role in a live-action Disney feature film. And we had the joy of sitting down with him not long after the movie was released. In this episod...

This week we’re revisiting Episode 3 of The Lucky Few Podcast—originally recorded in April 2018 . In one of our very first conversations, Heather, Mercedes, and Micah sit down with Liz Plachta , founder of Ruby’s Rainbow , to talk about what’s possible for individuals with Down syndrome after high school. At the time, this conversation felt hopeful. Now, it also feels proven. What started as one m...

In this episode, we continue our What I Wish I’d Known series in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (3/21) and this year’s theme: Together Against Loneliness . When we first became parents of children with Down syndrome, no one talked to us about loneliness. Not the loneliness that can come in high school. Not when siblings leave. Not when friends start driving. Not when graduation comes — and the p...

Show Notes In this episode of were talking about infantilizing — what it is, how it shows up, and why it matters. To infantilize someone is to treat them as younger or less capable than they are. For people with disabilities, this often shows up in subtle but harmful ways: baby talk, lowered expectations, behavior plans for age-appropriate teen behavior, speaking about someone as if they aren’t in...

In this episode of The Lucky Few Podcast , we continue our What I Wish I’d Known series by talking about inclusion — and being honest about how it actually feels. When we hear the word inclusion , we don’t immediately feel hopeful. We feel heaviness. Process. Fight. Sometimes discouragement. We talk about why inclusion so often becomes a disability service instead of a true community responsibilit...

IEPs can feel overwhelming, emotional, and complicated—and that’s because they are. In this episode of The Lucky Few Podcast , we kick off our new season, What I Wish I’d Known About… , by talking about IEPs—what we wish we understood from the very beginning, and what we’ve learned the hard way. Fresh off a multi-hour meeting, we share honestly about the exhaustion, the tension, and the “us vs. th...

We’re bringing back one of our favorite conversations in honor of an extraordinary athlete, mom, and advocate who continues to redefine what’s possible. Elana Meyers Taylor is a five-time Olympian and one of the most decorated athletes in winter sports history. She has earned one gold, three silver, and two bronze Olympic medals for Team USA, and is a four-time World Champion , with two gold medal...

January felt heavy. So instead of pretending we had it all figured out, we talked honestly about what we wish we’d known earlier. In this kickoff episode of What We Wish We’d Known , Heather, Micah, and Mercedes reflect on lessons that only come with time, experience, and a lot of unlearning. In this episode, we talk about: Letting go of milestone pressure, assuming competence, and unlearning able...

Today we’re diving deep into the way our children communicate! We’re asking some difficult but important questions about how we support their speech and language. How do our kids feel when people cannot understand their speech? How do they feel when we, as their parents, cannot understand their speech? How are we supposed to implement all the speech therapy tools? When is it time to just focus on...

Jennifer Gray is a certified speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with the Down syndrome community. Today we’re asking her all the questions we’ve forgotten to ask our children’s own speech therapists. When should speech therapy start for individuals with Down syndrome? (Hint: Jennifer says research shows it can be helpful before age 1) What makes speech more challe...

Last week we sat down for an interview with trauma expert Dr. Karyn Harvey and today the three of us are unpacking all of our feelings about it. We’re asking ourselves some pretty heavy questions about trauma and intellectual disability. Do our kids really encounter trauma every time they step out the front door? Are we holding our children to unrealistic standards and expectations for behavior? D...

Dr. Karyn Harvey is a psychologist, author, trainer, speaker, and EXPERT in the field of psychology, intellectual disability, and trauma. Have you ever thought of the trauma that individuals with intellectual disabilities face each day? The examples are endless.. a negative diagnosis experience, being excluded, or even being placed in an institution. Today Dr. Karyn Harvey is on the show to teach...

Last week we had an important conversation with Dr. Michael Rafii all about the link between DS and Alzheimer’s disease. If you’re still processing everything you learned from that interview, that’s okay. Sit down with the three of us + our good friend Kandi Pickard (CEO of the National DS Society) and we’ll talk through it together! How do we confront medical discrimination? Where can we get invo...

As we continue this season on brain health, its time to dive deep into the link between Alzheimer’s disease and Down syndrome. It’s not an easy topic.. and that’s why we are so grateful to have Dr. Michael Rafii with us. He’s a physician-scientist whose research focuses on developing treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, including a genetic form that occurs in people with Down syndrome. Dr. Rafii is...

Last week, we heard from motor planning expert, Brooke Poston, so today the three of us are diving deep into our experiences of apraxia with our own children! Here’s what we’re chatting about: When are children aren’t cooperating, is it actually a behavior problem or an apraxia challenge? Do they need ABA therapy or motor coaching? How can we implement these motor planning techniques all day every...

Have you ever found yourself asking your child to do the same thing over and over again? Why won’t they just stand up and put their shoes on? Why do they hit so often for what seems like no reason? Today is your crash course in motor planning and apraxia, where we’re diving deep into how the brain + body connection impacts behavior. We have Brooke Poston (Clinic Director and Spellers Method Practi...

Ellie Goldstein is the first person with Down syndrome to ever be on the cover of British Vogue. She’s also the first person with DS to ever be on the show, “Strictly Come Dancing” — basically UK’s equivalent of “Dancing With The Stars!” Naturally, the internet has A LOT of opinions about it. Today we’re diving into a Facebook post full of ableist comments disguised as empathy. And we’re wondering...

Welcome to a new season of the podcast and happy Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Or should we say DS Acceptance Month?! The advocacy language has definitely changed over the years. Lets talk about it. Here’s what you can expect this week: How did DSAM become a thing? (Huge shout out to all the advocates who blazed a trail back in the 80s!) What are we doing to celebrate this month? (Hint: not much!...

Today we’re talking about the people and places where we can keep our shoulders down and know that our children with Down syndrome will be accepted no matter what. Join us as we chat about: Our stories of how we first connected with the DS community Online connections vs in-person connections (Why does this one feel so much harder sometimes?) Why is it important to build relationships with other f...

Having a child with Down syndrome means you’re always learning about something new! And today’s topic is: oral facial myofunctional therapy.. a technique used to improve the way our mouth and face muscles work! We have Irene Iskander (dental hygienist + lucky mama) on the show today to answer all of our questions: Why is mouth breathing so common amongst individuals with DS? What are the long term...

Friends! Have you listened to The Telepathy Tapes Podcast? In this show, creator and host Ky Dickens explores the “profound abilities of non-speakers with autism - individuals who have long been misunderstood and underestimated.” Let’s talk about it: Have we experienced a shared consciousness with our own children? Is telepathy possible? Why are people having such a hard time believing the stories...