Jen and Lindsey talk with Jenetta Thomas about her nonprofit "Hearts in the Park". Jenetta is a nurse and a mom to two children, one with Down syndrome. Jenetta started this organization to offer community celebrations for families with children with developmental disabilities. The 3rd annual community celebration is June 7th 12-3 PM. Find out more on www.heartsinthepark.org

Jen and Lindsey have a return guest! Alaina Bowers with the Stable Account Program at the Ohio Treasurer's Office is back to give us some updates on this great resource for families. We talk about new contribution limits, financial literacy tools, possibly budget changes to these accounts and more. Check out www.stableaccount.com or email [email protected] to learn more.

Jen chats with Chloe Rothschild about all things self-advocacy, communication, work accommodations and mentorship. Chloe sits on the Arc of U.S. Board of Directors and works several jobs as an autism consultant. She is a wealth of priceless information- don't miss this episode!

Jen and Lindsey talked to Leann Magre, Executive Director of Children's System of Care at Ohio Rise. Leann provided our audience with some great information about what Ohio Rise is, how it can help our families and new supports coming down the pike. We talked about behavioral health respite, flex funds, mobile and home-based treatment and how to distinguish these services from our county boards of DD and the DD waivers.

Jen speaks with the one the only Amanda Tipkemper. Amanda is an independent consultant with 20 years of experience in special education best practices, program design, non-profit management and strategic development. Known for her (com)passionate approach and innovative solutions, Amanda has dedicated her career to empowering individuals and organizations to reach their full potential. The discuss everything from consent to sex education in school and what parents need to know. Check out her services at https://amandatipkemperllc.com/

Today on the Arc of Ohio Podcast, Jen spoke with her friend, Ashley Barlow. Ashley is a special education attorney and runs the very popular, "The Collaborative IEP" business helping families find solutions in their special education meetings and beyond. Check out her podcast by the same name- The Collaborative IEP. Jen and Ashley discuss the threats to public education, including the executive order and proposed legislation to shut down the Department of Education. 

Alicia Hopkins returns to the Podcast to talk about her new book, Audacity To Speak, an autobiographical work that shares stories of Alicia growing up and learning to use here voice to speak up about people with disabilities.

Jen and Lindsey spoke with Nicole Jorwic, the Chief of Advocacy and Campaigns at Caring Across Generations. Nicole is doing groundbreaking work with her boss, Ai-Jen Poo in the #CareCan'tWait movement. We had a great conversation with Nicole on Federal policy and how we can get better care policy here in Ohio.

We had the pleasure of interviewing Professor Pepper Stetler. Prof Stetler has written a new book called, "A Measure of Intelligence: One Mother's Reckoning with the IQ Test". This book is a must read for professionals and parents alike in understanding the history of the IQ test and how it has informed society and how we educate children with disabilities.

We were joined by Tim Vogt and Ashley Hart. Tim has written a new book called "Who's In Your Life" about his experience leading the change at one of Cincinnati's best nonprofits for people with disabilities and their families, Starfire. Ashley and Tim talk about their work at Starfire driving neighborhood inclusion projects.