Who Needs Shoes? Conversations About Autism

"I was literally living minute by minute, trying to survive." What happens when a breast cancer diagnosis and your child's autism diagnosis arrive at the same time — and you're averaging 30 to 40 hours a week between treatment and therapy, just trying to stay alive? For Kay Anderson, it wasn't the end. It was the preparation. In this deeply moving episode of Who Needs Shoes, ho...

There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from having to explain your child to the world before the world will make room for them. This episode is about what happens when someone decides to make the room first. At the Greater Brandywine YMCA in Jennersville, Pennsylvania, Erin Lacotta— a Board Certified Behavior Analyst—and Kristen DeTaeye—a veteran educator with 14 years in the classroo...

What happens when two veteran educators, both parents of neurodiverse children, finally sit down and tell each other the truth they have been carrying for decades? In this deeply personal episode of Who Needs Shoes, I sit down with my mentor and friend of nearly thirty years, Mike Pipa, National Board Certified ELA teacher, building administrator, and now an Instructional Design Coach with the Cap...

"I'm less interested in a diagnosis than in the person sitting in front of me." For nearly 18 years, music therapist Tori Emery has been building spaces where neurodivergent children, their families, and people on the margins of community don't have to change to belong. In this episode of Who Needs Shoes, host Tanya Manning-Yarde, PhD sits down with Tori to explore what it actually...

For decades, the American public school system has operated on a binary: you are either "in" the general classroom or you are "out." But my guest today, Michele Gardner, CEO of All In for Inclusive Education, suggests that physical proximity is often mistaken for actual membership. Michele has spent her career navigating the tension between the legal machinery of special education...

In this episode, Tanya Manning-Yarde interviews Lucy Prawl, a dedicated advocate for disability rights with over three decades of experience. Lucy shares her journey from community advocacy to her current role at the PEAL Center, emphasizing the importance of integrating personal experiences with professional expertise. The conversation explores the challenges and triumphs of advocating for indivi...

In this episode of Who Needs Shoes, host Tanya Manning-Yarde sits down with Sadiq Locus, a Drexel and Villanova-educated Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and the founder of PITT LLC (Preparing Individuals Today for Tomorrow). Sadiq shares his powerful evolution within the field of behavior analysis—moving from an early desire to "cure" autism as an aspiring neurosurgeon to embracing...

What happens when a high-stakes banking executive realizes the world isn't built for her son? She rebuilds the world. In this episode of Who Needs Shoes, host Tanya Manning-Yarde, PhD, sits down with the phenomenal Nadine Wright-Arbubakrr—founder of Nassan’s Place and the New York Giants' 2025 Inspire Change Changemaker. Nadine shares her incredible journey from the financial sector to bec...

"I had to prove to her that I didn't belong there." When Dr. Mary Rice-Boothe was in kindergarten, her teacher placed every Black student in the lowest reading group — without a single test. That moment fueled a 25-year career transforming equity in education, from leading transfer schools in East Harlem to founding a micro-school for neurodivergent learners. In this episode of Who Nee...

What does it mean to be the "Architect of your own Galaxy" when your world is shaped by the needs of others? In this episode of Who Needs Shoes?, Dr. Tanya Manning-Yarde sits down with media creator, autism advocate, and son, Keith Yarde. Keith is an eighth grader with an incredible resume: five years co-hosting the Father. Son. Galaxy. YouTube Channel and Podcast, stop-motion animator, an...

Welcome to the first episode of "Who Needs Shoes," a podcast and YouTube channel dedicated to building community, offering support, and finding joy in the journey of parenting with special needs. Hosts Kerwin Yarde and Dr. Tanya Manning-Yarde share their personal experiences raising their son, Maceo, who is on the autism spectrum. They discuss their journey from the initial diagnosis to th...