YANA Nation - Serving the Special Needs Community

In this episode, we discuss financial security with tax lawyer and financial planner Thomas Foley of the National Disability Institute, who has more than 30 years of experience serving the disability community by working toward greater economic inclusion. As a person who is blind, Mr. Foley has been an advocate and dedicated his career to partnering with other thought leaders to address the complex drivers of economic inequality and create pathways to employment and financial security for the most vulnerable communities. 

A true servant leader in the medical field, Dr. Stephen Shaya discusses building the bridges needed to get people all over the globe access to healthcare. Listen as Rick unearths the efforts Dr. Stephen Shaya has made to walk in the steps of his late father and continue the legacy with which Dr. Fawzi Basheer Shaya graced the world. 

Join us as we chat with Jennifer Puckett, founder of Therabeat, Inc., that provides individual and group Therapy Sessions, Adaptive Lessons, and Harmony Kids classes.

The founder and CEO of One Leg Up Productions, Pauline Victoria was born without arms and legs and has an amazing heart to “engage, encourage and empower” people with and without disabilities.  Her philosophy is “You are not at the mercy of the deck life handed you. Each of us are born to be victorious.”

As a person with a disability and a respected advocate in the disability community, Pauline relates to her audience in a powerfully unique way. 

Pauline founded One Leg Up Productions LLC to focus on engaging, entertaining, and empowering people with disabilities and all abilities to rise above their own circumstances to realize their full potential.

To learn more about Pauline and her inspiring story, visit her website, paulinevictoria.com. 

Clarene Radford discusses the joys of being the mother to Marissa, a wonderful young woman who refuses to let Downs Syndrome get in her way. Hear their inspiring story as Clarene advocates for her daughter and helps others - from the church to doctors - understand special needs. 

Anna has been advocating for families with autism since her daughter, Ava, was diagnosed with autism at the age of two-and-a-half. Anna became a driving force behind “Ava’s Law,” which was passed by the Georgia Legislature in 2015 and requires insurance companies to cover evidence-based treatment for autism. The following year, she partnered with families and Autism Speaks to secure $30 million in the state Medicaid budget for autism services. In 2018, Anna championed the removal of unnecessary age caps for Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) treatment in Georgia. She has also succeeded in earning school district contracts for ABA in underserved areas.

Prior to joining ChanceLight, Anna worked as Director of Family Connections, a statewide network dedicated to empowering communities to provide services for families and children in need. She has served on numerous committees and study groups to develop policies related to services for autism, and in 2015, Anna was awarded the National “Speak Out” award from Bob and Suzanne Wright, founders of Autism Speaks, for her advocacy efforts.

One of the toughest questions parents of children with special needs are faced with is how to balance saving for retirement and passing on assets to their kids without jeopardizing the child's much-needed government benefits. How can a family plan for retirement when money is tight? Will saving and investing cause a family to be ineligible for help? YANA Nation host Rick Knight breaks it all down.