What Makes You Tick | Heroes with Mental and Developmental Disabilities

Today Devon talks to special guest Bryony Moss, a 25 year old who lives in the UK and deals with cerebral palsy of right hemiplegia, learning disabilities, and she’s also neurodivergent. She’s an actress, model, and advocate for disability and mental health. Growing up, Bryony realized there seemed to be no actresses out there like her, so she wanted to get into the industry herself and help others like her see and understand that anyone can do it. She has started her own bedtime story reading YouTube channel and has found that you can help people anywhere in the world in various ways. About cerebral palsy 2:00Adapting to her struggles 4:00Getting to a happy place in life 9:50Bryony Goes Bananas with Bedtime Stories 12:20Inspirational people for her 16:30Motivation and making necessary changes in herself 22:10Feeling bad about having a disability 26:25What Bryony is working on right now 35:10“Don’t be scared to try new things, even in school settings when you try and fit in. I’d say one of my greatest accomplishments was actually just staying true to myself. Not everyone’s gonna like it, but just stay true to yourself because you are enough and you are worthy, and you can achieve and will do amazing things even though you don’t even know it yet because there are crazy amounts of opportunities that come your way when you just be you.” 11:21@defeatingdisabilityIf you'd like to donate to the Abby Lou Foundation to help continue to enrich the lives of the intellectually disabled, follow this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/aoZ_jg?vid=v60hbThank you for listening!

Today we interview Olivier and Hilda Bernier who share with us some wonderful stories about their experience navigating the world of special education services for their son, Emilio. Olivier is a filmmaker from New York and his wife gave birth to their son 6 years ago, who has Down Syndrome and he set them on this journey of making a film called “Forget Me Not,” which they hope many will get a chance to see. Before having Emilio, Hilda was a special education and bilingual education teacher in Brooklyn, which has given her a lot of insight into all the processes that children with disabilities go through to get the services they need. After having Emilio, they have gained a much better understanding of how the process is for families and want to give their perspective through their documentary.Did Olivier have experience with Down Syndrome? 3:25The circumstances that led to them creating this documentary 7:05What response are you getting from this project? 16:45What you ought to know going into this 20:40Help is necessary 28:00“For us our goal was and is to have Emilio in an inclusive setting, so once we determined that that was our goal, we were able to work around it, see how we could work with the district, and the teachers, and providers to make it happen. All families and circumstances are different, so it’s very important to have a clear vision of what you want for your child and then you will find a way to get to it.” 24:17forgetmenotdocumentary.com@forgetmenotdocumentary

In this episode Devon wanted to talk about something that’s really important to him here in Utah. There is a bill being proposed in the House, Bill HB0178, and the main gist of this bill is that it would essentially make it illegal for a disability care agency or contracted company to have as a part of their employment agreements non-compete, non solicitation agreements, and this may seem like something trivial or not important, but there is a reason this could be an important issue for Utahns to pay attention to and Devon explains that today. Why this matters 2:12Persons who work with a host home 4:48Trying to prevent moral complication 8:28The only way that less of those bad things happen 11:34Our obligation to reduce the capacity for harm 14:05“Because all of the money for this industry are your private funds, but committed to public purposes, public initiatives, then we have zero reason to restrict the capacity, or the quality, or the ability for those funds to impact positive change. I’d be in support of any initiative that reduces the limits on our collective innovative capacity to prove the quality of services.” 10:57

Today Devin had the opportunity to speak with Matthew Schwab, who is a 25 year old North Carolina native that has Down Syndrome. What makes Matthew tick is advocacy in general because everyone needs it, but those who really need it are individuals with disabilities. He is just one voice, but wants to help change the perception of how people view these individuals and their lives. A perception that is prevalent in the professional world is that people with disabilities aren’t very capable, but Matthew is on a mission to change that perception and show that people with disabilities often can do a lot more than what they get credit for. What perception Matthew’s trying to change 1:00The new narrative 2:31Some of his hacks and tips for finding success with Down Syndrome 3:34Have you ever been jealous or wish you didn’t have Down Syndrome? 8:00Stereotypes that aren’t reality 10:39What Matthew has done to develop emotional awareness 13:47The TED organization 16:41Public speaking engagements 20:56Gigi’s Playhouse 29:27“I want this narrative to be completely different. More accepting, more welcoming, while individuals with disabilities are ready for the world, but it proves that the world is not ready for us. And that’s what I want to do. I want it to be an equal balance between us being ready for the world and the world being ready for us.” 2:32

Today we have Carissa Carroll who is the Founder of Jack’s Basket, a nonprofit organization with a mission to celebrate babies with Down syndrome that strives to ensure that every new and expectant parent is provided resources and avenues of support within the community. Carissa talks about how after her son was born and diagnosed with Down Syndrome, she was surprised to learn that families were not given any information about what Down Syndrome was. She was also heartbroken to hear how families weren’t treated as if this was any other baby. So the purpose and heart behind Jack’s Basket is that every baby deserves to be celebrated and that every person is worthy of respect. About Jack’s Basket 1:28Changing the tone when delivering the news 6:02Being exposed to Down Syndrome 10:05Skills to develop for Jack’s Basket 17:18More meaning with Down Syndrome 23:34There is deep value in this group 29:51“The world, or how may be giving this news in kind of a sad, kind of assumptive, but negative tone, why is that not the case from people that are actually living their lives with Down Syndrome? Or families that have a family member with Down Syndrome? That also was a reality to me that I was like, that’s not OK. We shouldn’t be talking about Down Syndrome as if it is the most devastating news because we can hear from those that has that reality that life is good.” 6:30www.jacksbasket.org

Today is a very special episode with the founders of the Abby Lou Foundation, Mr. Jeremy Creager and his lovely wife, Lisa. They have a daughter who was born with Down’s Syndrome and they realized that as she got older, the quality and availability of services available to her as an adult was kind of a bleak picture. It was a little bit frustrating and depressive that the quality of experiences outside of their home that were available to their daughter was lacking, so initially that was the goal, to create a foundation that would advocate and educate our friends with disabilities to let them know that they have the power and ability to shop around and that they deserve high quality products. Tune in with us today to hear about their story and how the Abby Lou Foundation helps to change the lives of many others like their daughter. What the Abby Lou Foundation is and why it exists 1:06Does the public know about these resources? 7:19What parents can do to take control 11:39Clarifying some basic options for living and medicaid waiver services 13:55Being able to make informed choices 20:10Presenting new desserts and giving more options 24:34Blessed to help these amazing individuals 30:34“Regardless of what anybody tells you, there’s no limitations to the number of programs you can try. As long as there’s a program out there willing to give you a try, you have the opportunity and if you already have the money for this program assigned to you, then you have the opportunity to try as many cookies, or brownies, or muffins, or any number of desserts out there until you find the one that’s just right for you.” 26:42

Today I have my good friend here with me, Dylan Mathews. He is someone who experiences the world differently, but despite that he has successfully navigated the dating landscape, found a partner and is married, and now has a kid as well. He has taught special education courses, developed multiple applications and programs through contracting and independent consulting work, and he scored a 1200 on the SAT at 12 years old. Dylan manages his well-being by judging himself internally rather than comparing himself to the world, or to those around him. Why he can relate to those who experience the world differently 1:40The beauty and usefulness of math 7:52Pursuing independence, which can be scary 11:41Carl Rogers - On Becoming a Person 18:41Coping in an environment of normal people 27:42Seeking therapy 36:15“ I run into people that get into this sort of get into this A-social mindset. Heck I’ll strike up conversations with strangers. If you’re nervous about talking to women, talk to an old lady first, things like that.” 12:27If you'd like to donate to the Abby Lou foundation to help continue to enrich the lives of the intellectually disabled, follow this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/aoZ_jg?vid=v60hb Thank you for listening!

We’re grateful to have a couple of the executives from Enabled Intelligence. We have Peter Kant who is the CEO, and Lauren Bacon who is the Chief People Officer with us today. These are people who are looking for, hiring, and paving the way for people with intellectual disabilities to work within a tech space. Peter and Lauren talk about how they are able to work with neurodiverse individuals and what they do to find those people that will be able to thrive in their business. What Enabled Intelligence is all about 0:53Hyper focus and attention to detail 5:40Finding people with the right skillset 9:02The interview process 17:35Using artificial intelligence 21:45What inspired Lauren to work with this group 27:05The importance of acceptance and diversity 33:24“We’re a small company so it really feels like a family and everyone is different, but everyone gets along really well and we do a lot of social things. So it’s a really great place for people to build some friendships and have some social outlets as well.” 11:45enabledintelligence.netIf you'd like to donate to the Abby Lou Foundation to help continue to enrich the lives of the intellectually disabled, follow this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/aoZ_jg?vid=v60hb Thank you for listening!

parents, the public, and it doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of information or media directed exactly to the person with the disability. So my goal with this podcast is to make a podcast that talks specifically to those who have intellectual, developmental disabilities, such as Down's syndrome, autism, and anything that could cause an individual to struggle or cause someone to tick differently. I want to help them feel like they’re not alone and that there are people out there doing and achieving great things in their life so that they can take and learn from that example. That’s why I’ve brought on Mikayla Holmgren to introduce you to her and share with you what great things she has going on in her life, including . Being interested in fashion from a young age 2:14Some inspiration that influences Mikayla 4:07Something Mikayla has had to learn 8:48Miss USA in Minnesota 9:53The supporters in her life 11:41Advice she has held onto 14:33What she’s working on right now 17:43Being a good self advocate 19:10“I’m the first woman [with Down’s syndrome] to do [a pageant], and I just want to do it because I love the stage, number one, and all that confidence is on that stage. I love to perform, so when I did Miss Amazing, I was the age of 20… I love doing pageants.” 10:11https://www.mikaylaholmgren.com/@mikholmgren_inspiring_others"If you'd like to donate to the Abby Lou Foundation to help continue to enrich the lives of the intellectually disabled, follow this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/aoZ_jg?vid=v60hb Thank you for listening!

"In this episode my guest is Stephen Clark who tells me all about the benefits of Haven Camps, which is a camp in Upstate New York that is seeking to improve the physical, social, mental, and spiritual lives of persons with intellectual disabilities. This camp is open to anyone across the nation that has an intellectual disability who desires to improve themselves and have great experiences with their peers. What is Haven Camps? 0:37The most rewarding part of this program 5:53Building good relationships 10:24Who can attend 15:14How individuals can be successful at a camp 18:02Finding more happiness when we take the right steps 25:39Some final advice 29:23“Our joy was being able to be that place that allowed them to experience it and to be in a position for them to be with us, and kind of for us to hold their hand through it. It’s really the joy of being in the job that I am and having that opportunity to put on programs that we do.” 9:45"If you'd like to donate to the Abby Lou Foundation to help continue to enrich the lives of the intellectually disabled, follow this link: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/aoZ_jg?vid=v60hb Thank you for listening!