Navigating Possibilities: A Year of the Raising Kellan Podcast, 2023
The Raising Kellan Podcast has had the opportunity to speak with some great minds in 2023. This year, our conversations have centered around several opportunities and navigating the possibilities for those with disabilities. We have talked about housing options and universal design, education, employment, and financial resources that persons with disabilities and their families can access or potentially access in the future. We have also included 2023 event photos.
Housing Options & Universal Design
Episode 77: Housing Options for the Disability Community
Pete Hixson, Founder and CEO of Beyond Communities, discussed housing options for adults within the disability community. Beyond Communities is a mixed-use development in Woodstock, GA which provides a thought-provoking housing model for young adults with disabilities to live, work, and grow in urban areas. They plan to create residential communities for 15-20 residents in each location and provide appropriate support with staffing, ongoing personal and professional development, and local partnerships (Beyond Communities, 2023). According to Beyond Communities’ website, their ultimate goal is to help residents build meaningful relationships in their community, further their careers, and live as independently as possible.
Tennessee Disability Coalition Community Party, Nashville TN (2/23)
In his discussion with the Raising Kellan Podcast, Hixson explained that he saw that there was a need that needed to be met through his daughter, Hope, who has cerebral palsy. “Unfortunately, and unintentionally, I think society sees them as children and then immediately goes straight to like a senior adult. I know no one says that no one means that, but there is not this span of life that we get as a young professional to pursue a career, to get to kinda live a little bit independently. That's the space we're trying to fill,” Hixson explained. He described the model of Beyond Communities as a safe, walkable community that includes developments such as residential, shops, restaurants, office spaces, and activities, such as concerts and cornhole tournaments. Building a career and strengthening relationships between the residents and merchants who live and work in these communities is another objective of this model as well, and community involvement is key to its success. To learn more or support the mission of Beyond Communities, please visit https://beyondcommunities.org. For those who would like to reach out and connect with Pete Hixson for questions about Beyond Communities, his email address is pete@beyondcommunities.org.
Disability Day on The Hill with Rep Rusty Grills
Episode 85: Home Life Community; Future Housing Needs for Persons with Disabilities
In this conversation, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, founder of Home Life Community, talks about the work that he and his family are doing at Home Life Community and their goal of establishing a forever home for those with disabilities focusing their efforts in NorthWest Tennessee. According to Home Life Community’s website, the supported living model is based on co-housing and offers choices to residents with individual, customized, and flexible programs, supporting life skills training, continuing education, gardening, art/music, exercise, and healthy lifestyles. Their mission is to provide resort-style community homes for those on the autism spectrum and other neurologic and physical disorders as a long-term living solution (Home Life Community, 2023). Home Life Community’s vision is to develop 42 acres of property for 20 homes that will hold four residents, each with full-time staff during the day and night. In addition to housing and kitchen staff, they plan to build a recreational learning center, which will provide an indoor pool, gymnasium, weight room, salon, and classrooms that will potentially offer activities such as arts and crafts, a computer lab, and a home theater. Dr. Kartzinel hopes to have multiple mediums of learning available for the residents so that they can be stimulated and grow mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually. A medical clinic that he plans to head is also in the plans for this community. He explains that their plans for this project are currently in motion, starting with having the approval to develop the 42 acres and raising the necessary funding.
He’s interested in making a model that can be replicated all around the country to show you how to build this and how to finance it without going into debt. During his discussion with the Raising Kellan Podcast, Dr. Kartzinel explains the goal of the Home Life Community, “We're building it where these guys and gals can work four hours a day, come back, do more learning, playing, have a place to play basketball, dance nights, arts and crafts, home theater, but a community. So they're never lonely. And they will find friends in this community that they like to hang with and maybe room with.” To learn more or support the mission of the Home Life Community, please visit https://www.homelifecommunity.org/.
Episode 87: Universal Design
Colleen Starkloff, retired Founder and Board of Directors member at Starkloff Disability Institute talked about about universal design on the podcast. According to the U.S. General Services Administration, Universal Design is the concept in which products and environments are designed to be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaption or specialized design. Starkloff expands on the definition of Universal Design in more detail as whenever something new is thoughtfully designed and created for all to use it, and not just the people who can walk, hear, and see. She describes it as a more thoughtful way of designing spaces so that everyone can use them and are adaptable with the least amount of effort while being functional but also attractive.
Many projects for adaptable living to assist those with disabilities are usually led by parents who are concerned about the future living situation of their child. She explains that she got involved in Universal
Design through seeing what the independent living centers were trying to do to solve the issue of housing to make it more adaptable for people with disabilities. Starkloff was able to meet and have a conversation with the creator of Universal Design, the architect Ron Mace. Mace grew up as a person with a disability and saw that the built environment was hostile, so he grew up to become an architect and the creator of Universal Design along with the accessibility code for the state he grew up in, North Carolina. Mace explained to Starkloff that what's accessible for one, isn't necessarily accessible for all and that they would paint themselves into the corner if housing and all spaces were only just wheelchair accessible. He created Universal Design while thinking more broadly about all disabled people and their needs, at any age. Starkloff explains, “Let's think about all of our needs, whether we have a disability now or not, because if we live long enough, you will, we will.”
Day At The Lake Event Planning Comittee
Day At The Lake: 8/26/23
Kiwanis Talk: 6/28/23
Memphis Disability Network Talk-7/23
Education
Episode 80: Family Engagement in Special Education
For Episode 80, we discussed IEP and 504 plans with Annette Graves and Katrina VanBuren from Family Engagement in Special Education, which works alongside The Arc Tennessee and the Department of Education. Graves explains that they are the bridge that brings the families, community, and state department together with resources and information. To get families in Tennessee more involved with a child’s information, they educate the families and provide parents with resources and information in a way that is easy to understand to make them aware of the educational possibilities for their children.
When discussing IEP and 504 educational plans, VanBuren explains that while both are education plans designed for children who need support services, they have some key differences. An IEP is an individual education plan and a legal document that outlines special education services, supports, or anything that the child may need to thrive in school. The 504 plan is a written plan that outlines appropriate supports that a child may need to have equal access to the education environment. The goal of these plans is to ensure that there is something in place for a child to receive the support that they need. They explain that it is important for parents to advocate for their child in education, but not to argue. They recommend thinking about the issue, talking to the teacher and teaming up to try and resolve the issue. VanBuren explains that she believes that good communication will be developed over time if parents ensure that they are talking to their child’s teacher often, and not just when there’s a problem.
Episode 89: Project SEARCH
In Episode 89, we had a conversation with Erin Riehle, the Founder and Director of Project SEARCH, about education for people with disabilities to develop skills that can carry over to the workplace. Project SEARCH is a national model for transitioning high school students with intellectual and developmental disabilities through internships and training at community businesses. Being in an internship program helps those with developmental disabilities develop everyday skills that can be carried over to many different careers. Project SEARCH also helps them apply to jobs with letters of recommendation, which eventually leads to landing them with a job of their choosing. The internships help the students to build up stamina, how to dress, how to be on time, and how to take feedback, which is important in the workplace no matter what the job is that they ultimately apply for. Project SEARCH provides them with the skills and foundational learning to be successful in a job.
Riehle explains that they use assessments and tools to help young people figure out what their dream is and what they want to do for a career in the future. She says that it is important to make sure that the world, parents, and young people know that there are many possibilities for employment out there and that there are many options for people with disabilities. Project SEARCH focuses on teaching as many skills as they can, so that the student can apply for jobs and get it competitively, just like everybody else. Riehle explains that they have programs available for people with disabilities in hospitals, banks, military bases, manufacturing, pharmaceutical, aviation, etc. She believes that they have many structured programs for people with disabilities that businesses enjoy when they partner with Project SEARCH. To learn more or support the mission of Project SEARCH, please visit https://projectsearch.us.
Episode 96: Eagle Access Program; Post-Secondary Education for Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
In Episode 96, we discussed with a panel from Dyersburg State Community College: Nikki Erickson, current Director of the Eagle Access Program, Dr. Brigham Scallion, co-founder of the program and Northwest Representative of the Tennessee Council for Developmental Disabilities, Dr. Jimmy Barham, Dean of Arts, Sciences, and Technology and member of the Planning and Implementation Committee for Eagle Access, and Dr. Amanda Walker, Vice President for Institutional Advancement at the college. We had a conversation about the Eagle Access Program, which is a four-term, two-year post-secondary program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This program is the first intellectual and developmental disability program in Tennessee at a community college.
According to Erickson, it is a work-based skills program for students with disabilities. Students in the program can go to college with their peers and take inclusion classes, daily living skills classes, and learn digital literacy. The students are also taught job skills and job interview skills. Dr. Barham explains, “I think a real key component to our program is the students are fully integrated into our institution. They're taking college classes just like every other student at this institution. They are our students, they're participating in programs and activities.” The vision that DSCC has for this program is to make the program bigger and better so that they can serve more disabled students in the community. After the program is completed at DSCC, they make sure that the students are left in the hands of voc rehab counselors so that the newly graduated students get help with the job search process and being helped with job placements, job training, and job coaching. To learn more about the Eagle Access Program at DSCC, please visit https://www.dscc.edu/eagle-access.
Working on Children’s Book with Dieter Spears of On The Avenue: 10/23
Employment
Episode 101: National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Naveh Eldar, podcast host of The Landscape Podcast, discussed his experience with the Association of People Supporting Employment First and the Project SEARCH program. He explained that APSE, the Association of People Supporting Employment First, supports the belief that any individual has the capacity to work. Employment First believes that if a person tells you that they want to work in any way, they believe that there is a job out there that they can do. He explains that although some people may need support or accommodations for a job if they want to work, then they should be able to work. He also explains Project SEARCH doesn’t allow those with disabilities to be mistreated or paid an unfair wage in a job, instead, the program helps them work towards a competitive job that anyone else could apply for or get.
Eldar explains that diversity and inclusion are very prevalent in companies’ culture now, but many times they don’t think about the disability community, but that is currently changing over time. He expands on how disability inclusion is important in the workplace and that progress has been made in raising awareness and promoting employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities. Eldar encourages advocates to approach others with love and understanding, recognizing that everyone has something to learn and that our job is to educate, guide, and help people who don’t understand to see things from a different perspective. To listen to The Landscape Podcast, please visit https://www.tennesseeworks.org/the-landscape-podcast/.
Finances
Episode 91: True North Disability Planning
Eric Jorgensen, Founder of True North Disability Planning, is the go-to resource for families who have children with intellectual/developmental disabilities and the professionals who serve them. He is the podcast host of the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast which introduces listeners to organizations and resources they may have ever heard of or weren't sure how to use. Jorgensen is also the author of Waypoints, a monthly deep dive into disability planning topics. Through True North Disability Planning, Jorgensen specializes in assisting parents of children with disabilities by navigating the maze of disability benefits, resources, and services as a guide to help them understand what they may be eligible for and how to apply.
His mission is to contribute to helping make a world with equal access to benefits, resources, and services for all, regardless of gender, means, or race and to make disability planning accessible for all (True North Disability Planning, 2023). He discusses SSI and SSDI with the Raising Kellan Podcast, saying that SSI, or supplemental security income, is a social security benefit that is meant to help poor people. Destitute and disabled SSI has an income and asset limit requirement. SSDI, or Social Security disability insurance is a typically earned benefit. Jorgensen explains, “And then where it ties in with our children with disabilities if you have a child whose disability occurred before the age of 22, they may qualify for what's called the disabled adult child benefit. And the disabled adult child benefit means that the child will receive 50% of the parent's social security benefit when the parent files for social security, either social security disability or social security retirement.” He explains that disability planning is an important resource for parents and the future of children with disabilities. To learn more about True North Disability Planning, please visit https://truenorthdisabilityplanning.com. To listen to the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast, visit https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/abcs-of-disability-planning/id1542581132.
Episode 100. Memphis Disability Network