On today’s show, Genia Stephen joins Amanda and Vickie in a conversation about what the coming school year might hold and the reasons that remote schooling might not be working for everyone. 

Genia Stephen helps kids with intellectual disabilities build inclusive lives at home, at school, and in the community. She is the founder and host of the Good Things In Life For Kids With Disabilities Podcast with more than 11,000 downloads and manages a community of parents of children with disabilities. 

Having a younger sister and son with disabilities and medical complexities led her to a lifetime of training in the disability field under premier thought leaders and mentors. Her podcast, courses, and membership now give other parents access to the world-class disability parenting education that she has enjoyed. She is a practicing midwife, medical advocate, and currently completing her MSc. in Evidence-Based Health Care at the University of Oxford. 

Featured in Travel Without Limits Magazine and Community Living Ontario publications, Genia speaks about creating a positive vision for kids with disabilities, getting the good things in life through valued social roles and social capital, and medical safeguarding. 

Show Highlights:

• Even under the best of conditions, sometimes school just isn’t going to be successful for many kids.
• Genia covers a number of reasons why remote education might not work.
• There is an overwhelming amount of pressure on parents to get it all done.
• Some students have never even logged in to Zoom for lessons.
• There needs to be a better level of understanding on all sides.
• Relationships and the social capital that a child has with others can make all the difference in learning.
• Parents must figure out for their own kids what their biggest priorities are.
• Genia’s work focuses on some of the ways that kids can make a difference in the lives of other people.
• Families are better positioned to be working on connectedness in relationships than they are to be working on curriculum, particularly within the context of pandemic restrictions.
• Kids can still serve academic goals, and Genia offers some ideas.
• There are many differently-abled kids who do not have connections outside their family circle, and this pandemic experience presents a unique opportunity to develop connections.

Links/Resources:

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