MN APSE's If You Believe It You Can Achieve It

What happens when someone abandoned as a newborn decides to dedicate his life to helping others succeed? In this episode of the Minnesota APSE Podcast, Chris Davies talks with Mark Braun, who was left behind a trash can in Jamaica as an infant before being found by a police officer and adopted by a family in Minnesota. Today, Mark is an internationally accomplished para-athlete, coach, motivational speaker, and employment professional. Hear his remarkable story of resilience, purpose, and the belief that your beginning doesn't determine your future.

Host Chris Davies has a powerful and heartfelt conversation featuring Claire Braun.Claire and her late husband opened their home to 75 foster children in Ramsey County—adopting 8 along the way. Her story is one of compassion, resilience, and unwavering belief in the potential of every person.

Host Chris Davies is joined by Hannah Furney and her guide doge, Leger. Hannah is a self-advocate who tells her story about growing up DeafBlind, and the barriers she has faced in order to get to where she is.

Host Chris Davies' is joined by Cow Tipping Press' Shaunte Martin and Laron Gatlin-Dean. Shaunte, an Inclusion Associate and Gatlin-Dean, a Teaching Fellow, talk about their work at Cow Tipping Press -- an organization in Minneapolis that teaches inclusive writing classes for people with disabilities.

Host Chris Davies is joined by Keeri Tramm. Keeri is Director of Disability Initiatives at Lifeworks, is an Autistic professional dedicated to fostering equity and empowerment for the disability community. With a career spanning nonprofit and for-profit sectors, she leverages her expertise in business and data analysis to drive impactful outcomes. Keeri holds a degree in Special Education, CPACC certification, and serves on the board of Minnesota NEAT, where she influences disability policy and practice.

Chris Davies is joined by Rahul Gupta. Rahul is a 27-year-old Deaf individual who works as a pharmacy technician at the Mayo Clinic, with two years of hands-on experience supporting in-patient care and pharmacy operations. Rahul, who is fluent in both American Sign Language (ASL) and English, has become a strong self-advocate who is dedicated to empowering Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), Deaf Blind, and other individuals to recognize their potential, build meaningful lives, and set and achieve their personal goals.

Chris Davies is joined by Lis Vukelich. Vukelich, who has a BS in Human Services with an emphasis in Disability Studies, has over 20+ years supporting individuals who have disability barriers. Despite her critical car accident that resulted in a TBI in July 2017, Lis is more passionate about supporting people with disability barriers than ever. She is currently the Referral & Quality Assurance Specialist at Kaposia, Inc. A special thank you to guest co-host Dupree Edwards from the University of Minnesota Institute on Community Integration.

Christ Davies is joined by Sophie Iverson. Sophie currently works as an Options Counselor at the Disability Hub MN and provides information and referrals to callers and families navigating the disability community and state agencies. With over 10 years of disability advocacy and lived experience, Sophie also founded Access 2 Advocacy LLC with a hope to share her passion for empowering others to feel confident advocating for disability policy important to them.

Chris Davies is joined by Aaron Weikum, a Senior Labor Investigator with the Minnesota Department of Labor & Industry. In this episode, Weikum shares his personal journey as an adult living with Autism, shedding light on the myriad challenges he has navigated within the workforce.

Host Chris Davies is joined by The Amazing Jeffo, the second of a two-part MN APSE documentary podcast special. Jeff details how he got started as a magician, the support he has had to build his act to the point where he's done over 4000 shows in nearly 30 years as The Amanzing Jeffo, America’s only multiply-disabled magician who is blind (at least as far as he can see).