AUCD Network Narratives

Yetta Myrick is a mother of a teenage son on the autism spectrum. She is the founder and president of DC Autism Parents –a non-profit organization. 

In this episode, Jeiri is joined by Yetta to discuss her role as a mother and advocate, and how she promotes developmental monitoring to get her community the help, they need to access services for their children. 

Together, Jeiri and Yetta talk about how Yetta’s personal life has influenced and motivated the work she’s doing in advocacy. Yetta also reveals her personal fears and concerns as a mom, and why support is crucial to sustaining the work she does as an advocate. 

They discuss the harsh realities of dealing with the public’s perception, specifically how this problem unfairly falls on Black and Brown communities. And finally, they wrap this episode up with Yetta’s advice for dismantling racism within our network. 

Tune in and listen as Yetta promotes resiliency in Black families with young children, especially in the modern climate of the pandemic.

This episode was supported in part by an Association of University Centers on Disabilities/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement (6 NU38OT000280-02-02).

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Stephanie Meredith is a lend faculty and letter case medical outreach director. Her roles include creating and disseminating information about genetic conditions and building relationships between national leaders in the disability and medical communities. 

She is the author of the nationally recommended “Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis”, and co-author of “Diagnosis to: A Pregnant Mother’s Guide to Down Syndrome”, and “Welcoming a Newborn with Down Syndrome: A New Parent’s Guide”. 

She joins the podcast to share why genetics is such a complex issue in the disability field. She also shares how she infuses her work in genetics with her work in advocacy.

Stephanie discusses how she helps clinicians confront ableism and racism in the history of eugenics, why it’s key to having an action plan to bring people together, and what needs to happen to bring together the disability and genetics community. 

Listen in to hear more about her perspectives on ethics, genetics, and eugenics.

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Welcome to another episode of AUCD Network Narratives, the podcast that shares real stories from our members. Home and community-based services(HCBS) are critical for people with disabilities to live the life they choose for themselves.

The HCBS Settings Rule ensures that the services people receive in their home are quality and that people with disabilities can direct their own lives. However, many services available today do not live up to the intent of the settings rule, which leaves many individuals underserved and without control over their lives and services.

These disparities can lead to people with disabilities having their rights to bodily autonomy taken from them. Enter Blake Perry, along-standing advocate with valuable first-hand experience advocating for Home and Community-Based Services, including in his role as a Community Transition Trainer at the Michigan UCEDD. 

Perry understands the impact these services can have on an individual, and how improvements to HCBS can make a huge difference in an individual’s life. On today’s episode, we discuss Perry’s background as an advocate, how his lived experience helped inform his current advocacy, and ways to help address disparities in home-based care.

This was a powerful and illuminating conversation centered on the right to privacy and the many barriers and disparities that exist in the system, especially for people with disabilities from the LGBTQ+ community and people under guardianship. 

It is critically important to address these concerns to truly give disabled persons their right to live the life they want to live. 

Tune in and learn more about HCBS advocacy and how we can help implement quality home and community-based services. Thanks for joining us!

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Linguistically responsive services are incredibly important in the development of children. However, cultural awareness is a crucial piece of providing the best and most supportive services for a diverse group of individuals.

Dr. Debra Vigil is a professor of speech pathology at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is also a "Learn the Signs. Act Early. Ambassador" to Nevada. Her work includes conducting research in the areas of cultural differences in typically developing children in order to help determine a difference or disorder for diagnostic purposes.

She’s also recently published work related to diversity in graduate admission practices in communication disorders. She joins us today to share the way culture impacts service provision and how she prepares speech and language pathologists to practice cultural humility. 

Dr. Vigil dives into her journey as a speech change pathologist, the biggest obstacle in her line of work, and what cultural humility and competency look like. She also discusses why speech therapy involves the whole family and not just the individual child.

Join us for this insightful episode all about cultural humility, impact, and awareness, in the field of linguistically responsive services.

This episode was supported in part by an Association of University Centers on Disabilities/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cooperative agreement (6 NU38OT000280-02-02).

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Today, Jeiri is joined by her colleague and LEND director, Jen Smith. Dr. Smith is a clinical psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst, specializing in treating children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. 

Dr. Smith oversees the Lend program at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center in Ohio, and she is also the community outreach coordinator for the Kelly O’Leary Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders. 

Today, she discusses what the Lend Program Quality Improvement Network is, and how it helps interdisciplinary training and developmental disabilities. She shares the process of writing a paper and the findings that came out of that process. She also discusses the goal of LPQI and the barriers that exist with using it. 

Dr. Smith discusses how LPQI helps families and self-advocates on their journey, and why programs need the data from LPQI to create stronger, better programs. Tune in to this episode to hear more about LPQI and the benefits of having this data.

This podcast episode is provided in partial fulfillment of tasks outlined in a cooperative agreement (#UA5MC11068) between AUCD and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of MCHB, the Health Resources Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. Government. 

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Being an advocate in any field comes with a set of challenges. No one knows that better than Ida Winters. Ida Winters is a Black mother of three young men with special healthcare needs, one of whom has autism. She’s also a healthcare advocate who facilitates a support group for the autism society of Southern Wisconsin. 

Ida joins Jeiri for a conversation about how she bridges the gap between families and providers. She shares a behind-the-scenes look at her style of advocacy and how she developed it organically through her own experience with her family. Ida also shares her thoughts on why so many people might struggle with trusting professionals in healthcare, along with her biggest barrier when entering the advocacy arena. Then, Ida shares her challenges as a Black family leader at her center. And finally, she wraps up the episode with her advice for Black and Brown families who want to improve their connection to the community.

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

In today’s episode, Jeiri is joined by her colleauge, Sabrina Smith. Sabrina Smith is a senior health project coordinator for the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities. Together, Jeiri and Sabrina co-lead a diversity, equity, and inclusion forum for the developmental-behavioral pediatrics division.

During their conversation, Jeiri and Sabrina take you behind the scenes of what their work looks like, the obstacles they face, where they feel a sense of accomplishment, and what their important work means to their center, community, and city. They share how they keep one another motivated and inspired to keep going in this line of work, what they’ve been able to accomplish, and they celebrate the impact of their work on their community and city. Sabrina also shares the progress she sees from their collective work, as well as advice or other centers that are trying to pave the way forward for DEI work.

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

In today’s episode, Jeiri is joined by Shayla Collins and Maureen Johnson. Shayla Collins is a staff member at AUCD and a wife and mother of two. Maureen Johnson is a program specialist at AUCD and provides technical support to university based interdisciplinary training and research programs. 

Furthermore, Maureen works on leadership and professional development activities for early career professionals, family advocates, and self advocates through the Emerging Leaders community. She was also selected as an Emerging Leader of Color Fellow at the National Academy of State Health Policy in April of 2022. 

Shayla kicks off the episode by sharing her journey at AUCD, and Maureen shares her vision for the emerging leader spot. Maureen also shares her experience in the emerging leader space and what she hopes to leave behind as part of her legacy as Shayla shares why her passion as an emerging leader is what she hopes to leave behind. Jeiri, Shayla, and Maureen have a conversation about both their individual advocacy style, their leadership journey, as well as opportunities for leadership development within AUCD.


This podcast episode is provided in partial fulfillment of tasks outlined in a cooperative agreement (#UA5MC11068) between AUCD and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of MCHB, the Health Resources Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the U.S. Government. 

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

In this episode, we’re joined by none other than Dr. Carol Salas. Dr. Carol Salas is the president of the board of AUCD Puerto Rico. She’s also a doctor in clinical psychology and a graduate of the National Disability Leadership Institute. 

Currently, she’s a faculty of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico. Today, she joins us to discuss the barriers that are in place and why we need to push past them, so everyone has an opportunity to live the life they want to live. 

We also discuss Dr. Carol Salas’ entry into working in equity, and what those barriers that are in place are, and how we can push past them. Join us for this discussion all about fighting for equity, where equity truly comes from, and how we can preserve our lives in order to survive.

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.

Micah Peace and Beth Grosso are co-researchers at the Center for Start Services at the University of New Hampshire. Micah is also an autistic multiply disabled advocate and community organizer from Louisville Kentucy, and Beth has a background in leadership, training development, qualitative research, and clinical supervision.

In today’s episode, Micah and Beth discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Project and how they’ve navigated some of the difficulties of participatory co-researching. They kick off the episode by diving into Micah’s experience participating in the process of research in disability. Beth shares what she has come to learn about research over the years, and what barriers both Micah and Beth face in their line of work. Micah and Beth also share their thoughts and advice on becoming more conscious of your unconscious biases, what their respective motivations are behind their work and research, and what the overarching goal of the Truth and Reconciliation project is.

Episode Resources: 

• Engaging Young Adults with IDD-MH and Researchers in Comparative Effectiveness Research

This episode is funded by the Administration for Community Living through technical assistance contract # HHSP75P00121C00057. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Administration on Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services, or the US Government.

Produced by Adode Media; a full-service podcast production agency.