Kari Stordahl and her husband live in Fridley and are raising two young boys. One son has been diagnosed with a stress and deprivation disorder from infancy/early childhood, attention deficit hyperactive disorder [also known as ADHD], and severe anxiety. She is involved with Parent-Child Interactive Therapy at the school and is interested in other services.
Before attending Partners, her son was kicked out of pre-kindergarten when four years old, and she was told no school settings could handle him. Stordahl now realizes that Partners’ information on effective communication and negotiation with elected officials and policyholders and a support group like the Partners class would have given her more confidence in handling that situation. She eventually found the perfect match in a neighboring school. The class showed her the importance of knowing her rights and speaking up for inclusion in the classroom. She recommends this class for those ready to soak up 128 hours of knowledge that will help you advocate for your child or others in the disability community. She values her role in being her son’s advocate and joined Partners to learn more to guide him to a successful life.
Kari was on KFAI Disability and Progress program in May 2021 and talked about the importance of the Partners Program for parents who are often confused and speechless in getting support from the school district for education for their child with disabilities.
Dupree Edwards grew up as a teen in Minneapolis. When he needed careful mentoring in high school, he was transferred from Roosevelt High School to get an early entry into Transition Plus, an adult vocational training for individuals with disabilities. He was in the program from age 16 to 21 and received one-to-one mentoring. Within one year, he organized the school talent show, which was followed a year later by hosting a radio program. His goal was to motivate individuals with disabilities and educate the community about them. Later he found a mental health mentor who worked with him over four years to research and understand a range of disabilities, including his own disabilities of attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), Bipolar Disorder, and intellectual disabilities.
In 2019, Edwards attended Partners in Policymaking at the urging of his self-advocacy support group, Self-Advocates Learning Together (SALT). Although many have requested that he take on another weekly radio program, he is very busy with his work at Byerly’s through PAI. He has a job coach and his position as a teaching artist with Upstream Arts he has been employed for three years. With his comfort in public speaking, he has been asked to be a spokesperson on behalf of the Partners in Policymaking to emphasize that people with disabilities live in every community.
He reflects on his Partner’s experience that “Partners amplified by voice. It was important to know my rights and to ask for help and make informed decisions.” His one focus for legislative action is to speak up for an increase in the hourly pay rate for personal care attendants (PCA).
Now he continues to use his voice to create rap music recording as a HipHop Gospel Artist. Edwards feels that “The Lord called me to do his will” and considers himself a minister with this spiritual outlet.
Edwards is currently promoting the new self-advocacy program with Upstream Arts, Voice, and Choice, a class for which waiver funds cover the cost of tuition. He would also like to see more individuals in minority groups who have disabilities come forward to show that the disability community is a diverse group.
Edwards lives at Health Point in Crystal, where the staff emphasizes person-centered planning that respects the individual’s goals and multiple interests.
---
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hood-wave/support
