AUCD Network Narratives

Stephanie Meredith is a lend faculty and letter case medical outreach director. Her roles include creating and disseminating information about genetic conditions and building relationships between national leaders in the disability and medical communities. 

She is the author of the nationally recommended “Understanding a Down Syndrome Diagnosis”, and co-author of “Diagnosis to: A Pregnant Mother’s Guide to Down Syndrome”, ...

Welcome to another episode of AUCD Network Narratives, the podcast that shares real stories from our members. Home and community-based services(HCBS) are critical for people with disabilities to live the life they choose for themselves.

The HCBS Settings Rule ensures that the services people receive in their home are quality and that people with disabilities can direct their own lives. However, many services available tod...

Linguistically responsive services are incredibly important in the development of children. However, cultural awareness is a crucial piece of providing the best and most supportive services for a diverse group of individuals.

Dr. Debra Vigil is a professor of speech pathology at the University of Nevada, Reno. She is also a "Learn the Signs. Act Early. Ambassador" to Nevada. Her work includes conducting research ...

Today, Jeiri is joined by her colleague and LEND director, Jen Smith. Dr. Smith is a clinical psychologist and board-certified behavior analyst, specializing in treating children and adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, including autism spectrum disorder. 

Dr. Smith oversees the Lend program at Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center in Ohio, and she is also the community outreach coordinator for the ...

Being an advocate in any field comes with a set of challenges. No one knows that better than Ida Winters. Ida Winters is a Black mother of three young men with special healthcare needs, one of whom has autism. She’s also a healthcare advocate who facilitates a support group for the autism society of Southern Wisconsin. 

Ida joins Jeiri for a conversation about how she bridges the gap between families and providers. She shares a behi...

In today’s episode, Jeiri is joined by her colleauge, Sabrina Smith. Sabrina Smith is a senior health project coordinator for the Strong Center for Developmental Disabilities. Together, Jeiri and Sabrina co-lead a diversity, equity, and inclusion forum for the developmental-behavioral pediatrics division.

During their conversation, Jeiri and Sabrina take you behind the scenes of what their work looks like, the obstacles they face, w...

In today’s episode, Jeiri is joined by Shayla Collins and Maureen Johnson. Shayla Collins is a staff member at AUCD and a wife and mother of two. Maureen Johnson is a program specialist at AUCD and provides technical support to university based interdisciplinary training and research programs. 

Furthermore, Maureen works on leadership and professional development activities for early career professionals, family advocates, and self ...

In this episode, we’re joined by none other than Dr. Carol Salas. Dr. Carol Salas is the president of the board of AUCD Puerto Rico. She’s also a doctor in clinical psychology and a graduate of the National Disability Leadership Institute. 

Currently, she’s a faculty of the Graduate School of Public Health at the University of Puerto Rico. Today, she joins us to discuss the barriers that are in place and why we need to pus...

Micah Peace and Beth Grosso are co-researchers at the Center for Start Services at the University of New Hampshire. Micah is also an autistic multiply disabled advocate and community organizer from Louisville Kentucy, and Beth has a background in leadership, training development, qualitative research, and clinical supervision.

In today’s episode, Micah and Beth discuss the Truth and Reconciliation Project and how they’ve navigated s...

What do equity and employment mean in the realms of economic justice? This is the question that Jeiri seeks to answer in today’s episode. Guiding this conversation is Chisa O’Quinn from Wise, a supported employment training and technical assistance center in Washington state.

With over 18 years of experience working with people from diverse communities, Chisa is a supported employment strategist and facilitator who is dedicated to c...

Welcome to season 2 of AUCD Network Narratives - a show that aims to cover a lot of national disability issues while handing the mic over to people to share their stories. Your host, Jeiri Flores, is here to kick off the second season by introducing herself, sharing what her vision for the show is, and sharing her passion for advocacy.

In this short but sweet episode, Jeiri shares her background on how she got into advocacy work. Sh...

Join Jeiri, as she thanks you for tuning in to Season 1 of the AUCD Network Narratives podcast. Jeiri reflects on what the 1st season has had in stores and what's to come in season 2.

AUCD Network has had the pleasure of hearing amazing stories from members and insights on ways we to work together to help advocate and educate the community at large.

View all episodes and transcripts at http://www.aucd.org/pod...

Representation is essential in advocacy work and the push for legislation. When it comes to autism and disability advocacy, listening, engaging, and understanding the experiences of people of color is crucial to changing the narrative. Elizabeth Morgan joins the show to help us understand the importance of connecting with stories of people of color with disabilities and their families.

Elizabeth is an Assistant Professor in Educatio...

If you’re anything like Jeiri, you might not be familiar with the term “cultural broker”. That is why Jeiri is joined by Angela West. Angela is a multicultural specialist who serves families and professionals by educating them of the cultural impact on disability and connecting them to resources.

Today, Angela is introducing you to what being a cultural broker is like. She talks about her experience being an individual with physical...

George Gotto has experienced the network from many phases and positions. Today, he is the UCEDD Director of the University of Missouri Kansas City's Institute for Human Development in Kansas City, Missouri. He is trained as a medical anthropologist with an emphasis on community-based research and cross-cultural perspectives on health and discipline.

For most of George’s career, he has experienced several positions within the ne...

When it comes to creating a  self-advocacy curriculum, teamwork really does make the dream work. It takes a deep and patient understanding of the history and culture of the many walks of life. Jairo Arana joins the AUCD Network Narratives podcast today to share his advice on how we can improve self-advocacy curriculums within our programs.

Jairo’s journey in self-advocacy began after being diagnosed late in life with autism and taki...

Did you know that there isn’t a word for “disability” across indigenous languages? Instead, there are different terminologies used amongst indigenous communities. If you’re wondering what inclusivity and advocacy for disabilities in Indigenous cultures look like, this episode is for you.

Today, Jeiri sits down with Jim Warne, who is the Director of Community Engagement and Diversity at the University of South Dakota’s Center for Dis...

When it comes to creating change within our network and communities, it is important to make sure that our resources are culturally and linguistically appropriate. Maribel Hernandez does just that in her important role at the Mind Institute. She was born in Mexico and moved to the United States 26 years ago. Today, she’s a proud mother of 2 sons ages 19 and 21, who are both autistic young adults.

In this thoughtful conversation, Jei...

One of the most important tools to add to your toolbelt as an advocate or a researcher is the power of storytelling. Sharing stories of lived experiences is a powerful tool that can evoke empathy, compassion, and an understanding of different walks of life.

Today, Jeiri is joined by Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, an educator, writer, public speaker, parent, global advocate, a professional and disabled non-binary woman of color, and daughter ...