Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Disabilities

The Safe Harbor podcast is a show for parents of children with disabilities and people who love them. Your host is Theresa Bartolotta. This episode features an interview with Nina and Jake Wachsman, a mother and son team who started Know Rare, a company that supports individuals with rare diseases by helping them find clinical trials.  Know Rare also provides information to support individuals and their families as they navigate the unique world of having a rare disease. Nina and Jake combined their professional talents with a personal mission to help individuals and you will find their story inspiring. The Know Rare website also has a terrific blog with stories about individual families, resources about living with a rare disease, and so much more.  We will feature Lauren Will, an amazing poet, contributor to Know Rare, and mom to a son with a rare disease, in an upcoming episode. It is not to be missed! Here's a link to Know Rare: knowrare.org

Update: Episode 8 featured an interview with Dawn Barclay, author of "Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse", a really helpful book for families planning vacations with their loved ones. The book has been released as of August 15, 2022. You'll find this book to be full of great tips and resources to help your family explore the world. Here's an Amazon associate's link to purchase the book - if you use this link I get a small commission that helps defray the cost of the podcast - https://amzn.to/3R15d93

 You can also find the the link to purchase the book on theresabartolotta.com under Books or Podcast, Episode 8. 

Follow on instagram at theresabartolotta. And send an email to  [email protected] to get on the mailing list.

Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us. Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode Theresa interviews sisters Anna and Ashley Moates, to learn about the amazing achievements of Anna, a young woman with Down Syndrome. Anna Moates is the co-author of Almost Twins, a book she wrote with her friend Anna Penland, about their friendship. In the book they talk about each of their strengths, they celebrate their differences, and they highlight the importance of inclusion for all. Anna is a graduate of the EAGLES Program at Auburn University, lives independently, and is about to start a new job at Bitty & Beau's coffee shop in Auburn AL. This company is known as advocates for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Ashley Moates, Anna's sister, is a speech-language pathologist at Tender Ones Therapy Services in Dacula and Gainesville, GA. Ashley earned both her Bachelor of Science in Communication Disorders and Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology from Auburn University. Ashley was inspired to become a speech-language pathologist by her sister, Anna. Because of her life experience with Anna, she has a passion to help individuals with disabilities find their voice and be a part of providing them the tools they need to be heard.

Anna and Ashley talk about Anna’s great achievements - for example, she was the first ever student with Down Syndrome in the Eagles program at Auburn.  Anna also talks about how she met her best friend at Auburn, and how her book Almost Twins was conceived, written and published

You can find Almost Twins on Amazon. Here's a link that will support the podcast with your purchase at no additional cost to you: https://amzn.to/3QptAgB

Find out about the mission of Bitty & Beau's coffee here: Bitty & Beau's Coffee | It's More Than a Cup of Coffee (bittyandbeauscoffee.com)

Please join our FB group - search Safe Harbor Podcast. Find me on instagram at theresabartolotta. And email me at [email protected] to get on my mailing list.

Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us.

Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode, I speak with Joyce Wright, mother of Conor, a 31-year-old young man with Down syndrome. Their story is one of great joy and achievement! Joyce holds a doctorate in Nursing and is a professor at a NJ University. She’s a volunteer and a good friend and support to many and she shares her experiences today as a mom raising her young adult son. Conor works at No Limits Cafe in Middletown, NJ, an employer of young adults with developmental disabilities. They believe that everyone can be a contributing member of society. For Joyce's dissertation, she studied the experience of mothers learning their children had a disability. You will hear about Conor's experiences in school and the creative strategies Joyce used to teach Conor math.  This is a story of overcoming barriers and finding meaning in life. 

Thanks for your support of the podcast - if you are a new listener, please check out our previous episodes. I do a combo of guest interviews and solo podcasts - I’ve had some great guests talk about such interesting topics - travel with children with disabilities, the special issues around siblings of children with disabilities, raising an adult with autism, and a talented dedicated advocate who has great tips for parents around special education and IEP time.

I also have a new opportunity to share -  I am hosting a workshop for mothers to help them step into abundance called "A New Dream: Realizing the Possibilities". This is a 6-week workshop with live Zoom calls that will empower and energize you! I am also offering a limited opportunity for individual coaching sessions. Email me at [email protected] to get information and all the details!! We will start in August 2022.

 Please join our FB group - search Safe Harbor Podcast. We’ve got a good discussion going on. Find me on instagram at theresabartolotta. And email me at [email protected] Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us.

Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

Welcome to this the Safe Harbor podcast - a show for parents of children with disabilities. In this episode I talk about what I wish knew as a young mom learning that my child had a disability.  The world and the future can look so dark, and the problems seem so big, at the start of this journey. There are many lessons learned over the years. Please give a listen and let me know your thoughts - did this resonate with you? What would you like to tell your younger self to make the journey easier? 

The Safe Harbor Podcast is dedicated to discussing the varied issues we address as parents - focusing on our lives and how we are changed as a result of our children. I believe we are better and stronger and have more insight and more to give the world having experienced our journey. My goal is to help empower parents and help - especially the moms - step into the greatness and possibility that is there for them. This is an abundant life - let’s embrace it and bring change to the world.  The world needs our strength, our resilience, our power! Thanks for your support of the podcast - if you are a new listener, please check out our previous episodes. I do a combo of guest interviews and solo podcasts - I’ve had some great guests talk about such interesting topics - travel with children with disabilities, the special issues around siblings of children with disabilities, raising an adult with autism, and a talented dedicated advocate who has great tips for parents around special education and IEP time.

In this episode I also announce a new opportunity - I am hosting a workshop for mothers to help them step into abundance called "A New Dream: Realizing the Possibilities". This is a 6 week workshop with live Zoom calls that will empower and energize you! I am also offering a limited opportunity for individual coaching sessions. Email me at [email protected] to get information and all the details!! We will start in August 2022.

 Please join our FB group - search Safe Harbor Podcast. We’ve got a good discussion going on. Find me on instagram at theresabartolotta. And email me at [email protected] Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us.

Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode, your host Theresa Bartolotta talks with Dawn Barclay, whose book "Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse" will be released on August 15, 2022. Travel has been a huge challenge for my family in the past as it is for many families. Today you will hear my conversation with Dawn Barclay - author of an upcoming book Traveling Different: Vacation Strategies for Parents of the Anxious, the Inflexible, and the Neurodiverse. Dawn is an award-winning author who has spent a career working in different aspects of the travel industry. She started as an agent with her parents’ firms, Barclay Travel Ltd and Barclay International Group Short-Term Apartment Rentals, and then branched out into travel trade reporting with senior or contributing editor positions at Travel Agent Magazine, Travel Life, Travel Market Report, and most recently, Insider Travel Report. She is a mother of two and resides in New York’s scenic Hudson Valley. This conversation is loaded with tips for families to reduce stress and engage in enjoyable enriching experiences for the whole family. Please look for Dawn’s book wherever you shop for books- you can preorder now. You can find Dawn here:
Dawn M. Barclay - Contributing Editor Insidertravelreport; www.travelingdifferent.com; www.dawnbarclayink.com

Writing fiction as D.M. Barr www.dmbarr.com

Please join our FB group - search Safe Harbor Podcast. We’ve got a good discussion going on. Find me on instagram at theresabartolotta. And email me at [email protected] 
I’ll be reaching out with some exciting offers in the near future, so you’ll want to hear what’s happening!!! Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us. Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode your host Theresa Bartolotta speaks with Christine Reilly, who works to help parents advocate for their children with disabilities in the special education space. Christine Reilly is a mom of 4 girls, a teacher of students with Visual Impairments and Assistive Technology Specialist, and an IEP Coach.   She has been in the Special Education field for over 20 years and is a lifelong learner.  Christine spent time training and volunteering.  at the Federation for Children with Special Needs to increase her knowledge in advocating for students with special needs. When she walks into her own children’s IEP meetings - she brings a treat and a thank you. While she’s ready to work with the educators to determine the goals and benchmarks she knows she is the expert of her children. In her work, Christine is making a change to the IEP and 504 process for parents so they do not have to feel lost or like they need a special education degree.  It is a collaborative approach, where parents understand the resources that are available for their child, they are seen as the expert of their child, and are an equal member at the IEP table.   You can find Christine here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/christine.reilly.397

Instagram:  @christine4tech 

Podcast: SPED Talk: Leveling the Playing Field

Email: [email protected]

 Christine has two free benefits for you - a free IEP Parent Checklist at https://bit.ly/IEP-Checklist and a Free 20-minute Steps to School Success Call https://calendly.com/christine-reilly-ed/20min 

Please join our FB group - search Safe Harbor Podcast. We’ve got a good discussion going on. Find me on instagram at theresabartolotta. And email me at [email protected]
I’ll be reaching out with some exciting offers in the near future, so you’ll want to hear what’s happening!!! Please rate and review the podcast- it helps others find us.

Stay well and thanks for listening - I know your time is precious so I send my gratitude to you!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

Theresa is back after a brief break with a solo episode.  She talks about the three phases of life once you have a child with a disability: the time before the diagnosis, the present time, and the future. We were different people before the diagnosis, with dreams and visions. Then the diagnosis comes, and we are forever changed. In the present, we are here, and we are stronger and better than before! But often we are so busy caring for others, under tons of stress, and our current ability to function is compromised. We need to care for ourselves for now and for the future.  How can we add in time to do what's good for us (e.g., meditation, exercise)? And how can we plan for the future and realize our goals and bring brilliance and abundance to the world. Theresa's put together a worksheet to write down our former goals, consider our current actions, and what we can do now to plan an amazing future. Join the Safe Harbor Podcast group to get a copy. Or email Theresa at [email protected] to get on the mailing list and get a copy!! Thanks for listening!!!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode Theresa talks with Sue Levine, Social Worker, and Co-Founder of Family Resource Associates in Red Bank, New Jersey. FRA is  a not for profit agency that  provides services to people with disabilities across the lifespan, helping them realize their great potential. Sue has spent her entire professional career working with children with disabilities and their families. She has conducted support programs for parents and siblings of children with differing abilities since 1979. Among those programs, Susan has coordinated support groups specifically for parents of children with Down syndrome. She has presented on the needs of siblings at national and regional conferences on Down syndrome, spina bifida, and Rett syndrome, as well as for New Jersey school system parent groups. This episode is packed with information about the special needs of siblings of children with disabilities. Sue emphasizes that siblings need three things: 1) information about their sibling's disability; 2) to be able to express a range of emotions safely; and 3) strategies to solve the problems they are experiencing. Sue offers great tips and provides lots of resources for families. Here are links to the resources discussed in the episode:

You can find Family Resource Associates at: Family Resource Associates

Sue has co-authored “Fasten Your Seatbelt: A Crash Course on Down Syndrome for Brothers and Sisters” with Dr. Brian Skotko. This book, along with other specialty books related to children with special needs, is currently available at www.Woodbinehouse.com. FYI, this publisher may be going out of business later in 2022.

 The Sibling Leadership Network | Siblings of people with disabilities is the national sibling network for adult siblings

 Levine and Skotko also have develop a sibling program which is available here: Down Syndrome Workshops for Siblings (siblingslearnaboutdownsyndrome.com) . As Sue discusses in the webinar, this is not just applicable to siblings of individuals with Down syndrome but can be adapted to any group. 

 Don Meyer, author of the book "Sibshops", has a  website www.siblingsupport.org that may be of interest. 

Please join us over in the Safe Harbor Podcast group on Facebook, and email Theresa at [email protected] to get on the mailing list and learn about upcoming projects. Also rate and review the podcast to help others find it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Thanks for listening!!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

In this episode Theresa talks about the different types of fear we feel. The first is the type of fear we experience when we or a loved one are in danger. Parents living with children with special needs can experience fear a lot, due to medical, emotional or educational issues that lead to stress and worry. This constant state of fear can be harmful so Theresa talks about some strategies to help mitigate those fears. The second type of fear is the fear we feel when we experience something overwhelming and big, like a new job or a new opportunity. This fear can make us hesitant to step into the greatness and possibility in front of us. Theresa talks about how to recognize those fears that show up and hold us back from moving into our callings and realizing what we are meant to do. Finally, there's a review of Pearl S. Buck's book, The Child Who Never Grew, an autobiography of the famed writer's daughter who lived with developmental disabilities in the early-to-mid 20th century. A beautifully written story, we are reminded of how far we've come in providing services to people with disabilities and helping them realize their great potential. Please join us over in the Safe Harbor Podcast group on Facebook, and email Theresa at [email protected] to get on the mailing list and learn about upcoming projects. Also rate and review the podcast to help others find it. Be sure to subscribe so you don't miss an episode. Thanks for listening!!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.

Safe Harbor is a podcast for parents of children with special needs and anyone who loves someone who is a parent of a special child.  In this episode, host Theresa Bartolotta talks with Patty Shannon, mom to a terrific young man, Tom, who has autism. In this wide-ranging conversation, Patty talks about how her son was able to go off to college, live on his own, and how she, her husband, and Tom all transitioned to another state as part of the family's long-term plan. Topics like maintaining a career, funding services, finances, guardianship and trying to plan for the future are discussed. Patty also reflects on the struggles she had as a young mother and what she would tell herself now, from the lens of living well with her child with autism for over 3 decades.  Patty has so much experience to share - please enjoy the episode and share with anyone who might need to hear this content! Please join us over in the Safe Harbor Podcast group on Facebook to continue the discussion,  and email Theresa at [email protected] to get on the mailing list for new projects, updates, etc. Please subscribe to this podcast so you are notified when a new episode drops!

Come share your thoughts in the Safe Harbor Facebook group. And find me on:

Instagram: @theresabartolotta
Facebook: Safe Harbor: A Podcast for Parents of Children with Special Needs
Website: https://www.theresabartolotta.com/

Please rate and review - it helps others find us. And thank you for listening! I know your time is precious and I send my gratitude to you.