The Post Secondary Transition Conversation

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss the Sunflower Bakery program with Beth Brady, their director of admissions and student services. Established in 2009, the bakery serves young adults with disabilities through culinary arts, pastry arts, and hospitality programs. With a background in behavioral intervention, Beth walks through the program's structure including the imporata...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) are joined by special needs financial planner Betsy Larson for a discussion on financial and estate planning for families of individuals with disabilities. Betsy explains the importance of planning for a "three-person" retirement, using tax-efficient strategies, trusts, ABLE accounts, and her "bucket plan" to provide long-term fina...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) continue their discussion with special needs financial planner Betsy Larson. This weeks discussion focuses on views on guardianship and emphasizing the need for individualized approaches. Betsy stresses the importance of the letter of intent, which includes financial, medical, and personal details, to ease transitions. Betsy also highlights the role o...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) are joined by Betsy Larson, a financial planner for families with special needs. Betsy emphasizes the importance of planning for a "three-person" retirement, considering the needs of both parents and their child with disabilities. Betsy talks about her "bucket plan," (categorizing funds into now, soon, and later) to manage finances...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss Endorsements (new in the state of Maryland) for students who are presently on the certificate track. The duo talk about how endorsements include community and citizenship, career and work readiness, post-secondary education and how competencies can be documented through various sources like IEPs, classroom assessments, and work evaluations. Me...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) revisit earlier discussions and chart the transition planning process across all four years of high school, highlighting how supports, planning, and responsibilities evolve for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and their families. Beginning with freshman year, they discuss understanding the IEP process, learning transition-related...

This week, Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) are in "teacher-mode," putting the finishing touches to their quarterly progress notes. So this week, their posting a "throwback" discussion (from 2023 with some updated audio). They sat down with Liz Burley, a transition consultant and retired teacher/transition coordinator with 40 years of experience, to explore her path int...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) have a discussion with Travis Anderson, an electrician with 20+ years of experience and currently an adjunct professor at a local college. Travis emphasizes the importance of high expectations for students with disabilities and the need to dispel the stigma around trades jobs. Travis highlights the significant earning potential in trades, and also dis...

For this weeks conversation, Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss special needs planning. They emphasize the importance of updating wills, highlight the complexities of Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). They also cover some of the basic differences between special needs trusts and ABLE accounts, stressing that both are essential f...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) are joined by Support Broker Jamie Brodnax to examine the far-reaching impact of proposed Medicaid budget cuts on self-directed services. The discussion explores potential policy changes, including potential caps on Person-Centered Plan funding, significant wage reductions, elimination of wage exceptions, and shifts that may minimize key roles like th...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) continue to discuss the impact of proposed budget cuts on self-direction services with friend-of-the-pod and Support Broker Jamie Brodnax. The trio cover how the Day-to-Day Administrator role may be minimized due to unexpected service growth and funding shortfalls. The conversation highlights the challenges families face in understanding and adapting...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) are joined by friend-of-the-pod and Support Broker Jamie Brodnax. Together, they discuss the potential impact of Medicaid budget cuts on self-directed services. Jamie explains the possible reduction for the coming fiscal year, which could limit services and wages. Jamie talks about some proposed changes that include a cap on Person Centered Plan-appro...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) revisit a Season 2 parent interview with Jane Plapinger, improving the audio and combining the two parts into one conversation. Jane shares her experiences supporting her son David, who has autism, as he transitions into adulthood. The conversation covers helpful resources, challenges the family faced, and the small victories along the way. Jane also...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss the complexities of guardianship; they highlight the importance of understanding legal capacity and exploring alternatives like supported decision-making. They note that voting rights exist under guardianship and also cover reasonable accommodations, such as having a support person in court, and the role of Medicaid-authorized representatives....

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) take a few minutes to reflect on their journey, now in the fourth season, and the diverse topics they've covered, including interviews, info sessions, and timelines. They celebrate reaching 94 episodes and 5,000 downloads (noting that most podcasts don't even go past 7 episodes). They express gratitude for their global audience, mentioning d...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss summer opportunities for students with disabilities, emphasizing the importance of considering alternatives to Extended School Year (ESY) programs. They highlight the benefits of work and volunteer experiences, mentioning resources like DORS and local workforce development programs; they even discuss sleep-away camps as a way to foster indepen...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) speak with Kelly Nelson about ABLE accounts, highlighting how they allow individuals with disabilities to save money without affecting SSI, Social Security, or Medicaid eligibility. The conversation covers key features such as tax advantages, online setup, gifting options, prepaid cards, and financial literacy tools, as well as the importance of openi...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) continue their conversation with Kelly Nelson about ABLE accounts, exploring the many benefits and features these accounts offer. The discussion highlights flexibility, tax advantages, and built-in financial literacy tools, including the online gifting page that allows friends and family to contribute, as well as the prepaid card option that helps acc...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss ABLE accounts with Kelly Nelson. They talk about how ABLE accounts are a financial tool allowing families to save money for individuals with disabilities without affecting their eligibility for other benefits like Social Security, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and/or Medicaid. They also cover how accounts can be opened online, the criter...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) sit down with advocate Martha Goodman, creator of the MEIRA (Maryland Education Information Resources and Advocacy) Planning Tool, to discuss how her work supports families navigating the complexities of the transition process. Martha shares her background, her dedication to education advocacy, and how her experience as a mother of a child with down s...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) continue their discussion with Martha Goodman, an advocate who has created the MEIRA (Maryland Education Information Resources And Advocacy) Planning Tool. This part of the conversation highlights the uncertainty caused by funding gaps, and the impact that can have on families. Martha also shares her daughter's transition journey, including volun...

This week, hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) have a conversation with Martha Goodman, an advocate who has created the MEIRA (Maryland Education Information Resources And Advocacy) Planning Tool. This tool aims to assist families in navigating the complexities of the transition process. Martha shares her background, her dedication to education advocacy, and how her personal experience...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss the process of applying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) online, emphasizing the shift from in-person to electronic applications (post-COVID). They highlight the importance of distinguishing SSI from SSDI and provide step-by-step instructions for applying on the Social Security Administration's website. Join the conversation! Episod...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) discuss the National Disability Employment Awareness Month and share about their experiences with a recent local event they attended. They talk about the events' featured presentations, breakout sessions, and activities that included free professional headshots and VR work simulations. They highlighted the importance of their school systems 40+ p...

Hosts Meghan (Smallwood) and Patrick (Cadigan) had a BUSY few weeks planning for their local Transition Fair (and other stuff) 😏. In the meantime, Ms. Elizabeth Larson from Special Needs Advanced Planning graciously gave permission to share out one of her quick informational sessions.  Ms. Larson talks about the core elements needed when considering financial planning. You can find the original v...