Dyscalculia With Michelle From Pensylvania

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In this episode of Rare Connection, Joanna sits down with writer, photographer, paraeducator, and disability advocate Michelle Steiner to talk about life with dyscalculia, an often-misunderstood learning disability that affects number sense and math.

Michelle shares her journey from being told she “couldn’t” — couldn’t go to college, couldn’t get a degree, couldn’t get published — to proving every one of those predictions wrong. Today, Michelle is a published author on platforms including The Mighty, Dyscalculia Blog, The Reluctant Spoonie, and the Non-Verbal Learning Project. Her photography has been featured in Word Gathering and Work Ready, and she now works as a paraeducator supporting students with disabilities.

We discuss:
 • What dyscalculia really is
 • Early school struggles and the emotional impact
 • Accommodations that help
 • Advocacy, resilience, and overcoming doubt
 • Michelle’s creative work and her passion for helping others
 • The importance of understanding invisible disabilities

This is an empowering, heartfelt conversation for anyone living with a learning disability, parenting a neurodivergent child, or wanting to better support the disability community.

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please include the Rare Connection Facebook Group and The Adaptive Kitchen my Facebook group for people with multiple diets.

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Buzzsprout Episode Description (Audio Only)

Title (optional if you want one): Living with Dyscalculia: Michelle’s Story of Resilience & Advocacy

Description:
In this episode of Rare Connection, Joanna sits down with Michelle Steiner, a writer, photographer, paraeducator, and disability advocate who has lived her entire life with an invisible disability — dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects math, numbers, and spatial reasoning.

Michelle shares how she was repeatedly told what she couldn’t do:
➤ She’d never go to college.
➤ She’d never earn a degree.
➤ She’d never build the career she wanted.
➤ She’d never become a published writer.

She proved every one of those predictions wrong.

Today, Michelle holds a bachelor’s degree in Community Programming for Americans with Disabilities from Slippery Rock University. Her writing has appeared in The Mighty, Non-Verbal Learning Project, Dyscalculia Blog, The Reluctant Spoonie, Kalopina Collective, Imagine the World as One Magazine, and Word Gathering. Her photography has also been featured in Word Gathering Independent and Work Ready. She now works as a paraeducator supporting students with disabilities — work that allows her to give back and advocate for others facing similar challenges.

In this conversation, Michelle opens up about:
 • What dyscalculia really is (and how misunderstood it often is)
 • How it shaped

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