Delovely Podcast

We talk with Noel about his podcast show called Strivecast, living in Southern Maine and how he has used Strive Services to learn things that he values. Other guests include Strive Director, Pete Brown, show tech support, Ryan Taylor and Olivia Fraioli. Find out about online learning through Strive Worldwide and upcoming fundraising events at our EPISODE PAGE.

We talk with David about his article "Does God Have Enough Hands" that explores the nature of trauma during times of societal crisis, the importance of supporting those who support others and ways of staying healthy. Find out more at the EPISODE PAGE where you can research links to works referenced during the conversation.

Angela Amado has been researching and teaching the value of friendships around the world for many years and has great wisdom to share with us on what we can do during times of isolation. Her books on Friendship for families and agencies are widely read. Join us for a most valuable conversation. Find out more at the episode page HERE.

Janet Sauer and Zach Rossetti are seeking accomplices in their pursuit of creating equitable school cultures of excellence. Through their work as instructor in special education at Lesley University and Boston University's Wheelock College of Education & Human Development they have invited parents of culturally and linguistically diverse students with disabilities into their classroom to help students discovery the strengths and assets that they bring to the relationship. Their intent in writing the book is for readers to acknowledge inequities in the system and turn energy into action. Find out more at our episode page HERE.

In the midst of a world pandemic, some communities are exploring ways to protect the most vulnerable friends, family and neighbors through strength-based approaches that leverage communal connections. The Upper Valley Nursing Project is one. In this special "Here's to Your Health" edition of the podcast, we speak with the co-founders about what they are doing and what they hope to accomplish.

Karyn Harvey has worked as a clinician in the field of intellectual disabilities for over 30 years. She has published articles about therapeutic interventions for people with disabilities and two books. Her first was titled Positive Identity Development and her second was Trauma-Informed Behavioral Interventions.

Jonathan is the Senior Director for Law and Policy at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. His recent book with co-author Peter Blanck is called Supported Decision Making: From Justice for Jenny to Justice for All! shows how you can use Supported Decision Making (SDM) in your life, with family members, or people you support. They give you practical tips and model language to help you request, receive, and use SDM in the programs and life areas people with disabilities use every day, including Special Education, Vocational Rehabilitation, Person Centered Planning, Health Care, Money Management, and others. It's available purchase on Amazon. Jonathan is active in many projects nation-wide in his role as Co-Project Director of the National Resource Center for Supported Decision-Making led by the Quality Trust for Individuals with Disabilities. We were pleased to have his as our guest.

Lawrence Seiler joined us recently to talk about the show that he and his wife Arlene produces called Abled and on Air. They create it in association with ORCA Media. We learn about his journey as a journalist, relocating from Brooklyn NY to Montpelier VT and the help that he received along the way from nonprofits and friends.

Every year holds new opportunities and challenges for a state system that is dedicated to insuring that all people are included in society and Vermont is no different. What is different is the people who hold leadership positions and their unique combination of passion and dedication to the values and beliefs that mak a community-based services tick. Monica Hutt, the person appointed by the Governor to serve as the Commissioner for the Department of Disabilities, Aging and Independent Living, spent some time with us recently to take a look back at 2019 to admire the accomplishments and then contemplate projects that lay ahead in 2020. You'll see some similarities to issues in your own state and be impressed with the sharp focus and determination of this insightful leader. Be sure to check out our podcast page for this episode where you can read and learn more about the intriguing topics that are covered.

The DD Act has had a tremendous impact on the course of civil rights in the United States. Programs authorized through this legislation conduct important research and test innovative new service delivery models, bring the latest knowledge and resources to those who can put it to the best use, and also investigate cases of abuse and advance advocacy. In this episode we explore DD Councils. Find yours at the NACDD website. We were pleased to spend time with Kirsten Murphy from the Vermont DD Council. She educates us on the latest systems changes and how the voice and participation of people with disabilities is supported in those activities. We also talk about the important document "Keeping the Promise". The website for the Vermont DD Council is www.ddc.vermont.gov and you can call the Council at 1-800-828-1310

Liz is Senior Advocacy Specialist with the Association of University Centers on Disability (AUCD) and host of the series "Tuesdays with Liz" where she interviews people involved in policy making and advocacy to educate grassroots leaders about policy issues. She worked with the office of Senator Casey of Pennsylvania on his Aging Committee staff and was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. A nationally respected disability leader, Liz lives and works in Maryland.

We talk with Jen Cook of Workforce Solutions about her success in helping people get jobs or, as she says, “changing communities one workplace at a time”. She uses a number of Person Centered Thinking skills including a One Page Description, Communication Chart and Sorting Important TO and Important FOR to create balance. In a recent publication of the National Core Indicators we discover that only 40% of people served by community agencies that want paid employment even have the goal documented in their service plan. Workforce Solutions contact information is email: j.cookworkforce@gmail.com , phone: 603-660-2655

We speak with Nicole LeBlanc about her work with the National Center on Advancing Person Centered Practices and the State of Maryland. She is also a former SARTAC Fellow. Nicole has created a Toolkit for Employment which is available as a document as well as a comprehensive training that she offers in person. Here focus as a consultant is on research, policy analysis, keynoting, creating booklets and tool kits and making material plain English. She also informs us of current opportunities to advocate with the National Quality Forum. She can be reached at 802-505-0253 or nleblanc677@gmail.com (her rates are $35 - $50 per hour)

Josh believes that an agency's values should be reflected in how it treats employees. We consider a different approach to vacation time, recruitment and training. Direct Support Professionals are clearly near the top of his list in respect and caring.

In this conversation we explore thoughts on what has been the major developments in the effort to advance inclusion of people with all abilities that have served to shape the world that we live in today. Bill shares how having a family member with disabilities changed his views and added to his knowledge of what is important. We also consider trends in the system that are both troubling and promising.

We continue our conversation with Peter Leidy and explore what it means to be a "rule breaker" or an artist when in the role of direct support professional.

We caught up recently with Peter Leidy while he was visiting Vermont and connecting with staff from Senior Solutions and Green Mountain Support Services. Peter shared his experiences in the early years of his career and the important lessons that he's learned about how to provide the best support to others. He has an interest in the power of the direct support role and thinks deeply about ways to help good staff stay.

We continue our conversation with Joe and find out how Upper Valley Services considered ways to support someone through the use of risk profiles and community conversations to foster connection rather than opting for simply staffing for protection purposes.

Joe explores the various ways that we can help others with a disability to be present and participate in community, and most importantly, find connection. In this conversation we discover the dilemma when others view human service agencies as protectors.