Summary of HPOE 43:

• Introduction and Terminology (0:00 ): Ariel, Stef, and Maria introduce Episode 43 and define the key terms of ableism, DEIB, and dynamic disabilities to prepare listeners for the discussion.





• Meet the Hosts & Guest (1:26 ): Ariel, Stef, and Maria introduce themselves and discuss their professional backgrounds.





• Maria’s Inspiration and Conference Challenges (2:53 ): Maria shares her inspiration for choosing Disneyland as the venue for her play therapy conference. She discusses the unique challenges and rewards of planning an event in a magical setting.





• Ask Culture vs. Guess Culture (10:01 )” The conversation shifts to the importance of asking questions in personal and professional contexts. The trio explores the concepts of ask culture and guess culture and their impacts on event planning.





• Dynamic Disabilities and Accommodations (16:58 ): Maria explains the concept of dynamic disabilities and their fluctuating nature. The group discusses the importance of accommodations and the evolving policies of Disney’s Disability Access Service (DAS).





• Disney’s DAS Program and Challenges (21:21 ): The discussion delves into recent changes to Disney’s DAS program, including the new pre-registration process and the impact of these changes on visitors with disabilities.





• Play-Based Interventions (41:03 ): The hosts discuss play-based interventions for individuals with disabilities, highlighting the importance of creating inclusive play environments catering to children and adults.





• Hosting at Disneyland: Tips and Reflections (47:49 ): Maria shares practical advice on hosting events at Disneyland, emphasizing early planning and clear communication. She reflects on the success of her play therapy conference and announces details for the next event.





• Closing Thoughts and Future Plans (51:59 ): The episode concludes with reflections on the discussed topics, the importance of continuing advocacy for disability rights, and excitement for future events and conferences.

00:00 – 00:02
Is episode 43 of happiest pot on earth.

00:02 – 00:09
On this episode, we are going to be using some, very specific terminology that we would like to define for you ahead of time

00:09 – 00:13
so when you listen you can feel more prepared. The first term is ableism.

00:13 – 00:22
Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior.

00:23 – 00:29
At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require fixing and defines people by their disability.

00:30 – 00:38
The second term is diversity. Diversity simply means the differences between people, and equity is about securing everyone’s

00:38 – 00:40
access to the same opportunities and resources.

00:41 – 00:47
Inclusion, which is another term that we use, creates a welcoming and respectful environment, and belonging is the feeling

00:47 – 00:50
of being accepted and part of a community.

00:50 – 00:58
Another term is dynamic disability. A dynamic disability is a condition or impairment that can change in severity and impact over time.

00:59 – 01:05
This can include periods of remission or exasperation or symptoms that fluctuate throughout the day.

01:05 – 01:12
People with dynamic disabilities may experience good days, bad days that are unpredictable, which can make it difficult to

01:12 – 01:14
manage their symptoms and plan for the future.

01:26 – 01:29
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the happiest pod on Earth. I’m Steph.

01:29 – 01:35
I’m an educator who uses passions and fandoms to help my students grow and learn about themselves and the world around them.

01:35 – 01:42
And I’m Ariel, a licensed therapist who uses clients’ passions and fandoms to help them grow and heal from trauma and mental illness.

01:42 – 01:49
I’m Maria. I’m a marriage and family therapist and a registered play therapist who pulls from pop culture to normalized mental health and therapy.

01:49 – 01:53
And here at Happiest Pod, we dissect Disney mediums with a critical lens. Why?

01:53 – 01:56
Because we are more than just fans and we expect more from the mediums we consume.

01:57 – 01:58
So everybody, what are we talking about today?

01:59 – 02:08
Well, we have a very special guest on our podcast today, an old friend, I guess you can say, because we have had her on our podcast before.

02:08 – 02:15
We have Maria who is, a wonderful person, human being, and very talented in what she does.

02:15 – 02:22
I am in awe of everything, that she has accomplished, and, I had so much fun the last time I saw her because the last time

02:22 – 02:26
I we saw her was at the parks. So Yeah. Yeah.

02:26 – 02:33
Yeah. Thank you guys so much for having me back, and thanks for coming and playing with me at Disney.

02:33 – 02:35
I mean, there’s no there’s no better work day than

02:35 – 02:36
a day at Disney.

02:36 – 02:39
You really have to pull our hair to, like, go there.

02:39 – 02:44
We’re just like, I don’t know about this one. That’s such a big ask. Oh, good. Ask.

02:44 – 02:46
I had to leave work. Oh my goodness.

02:46 – 02:53
So, Maria, I’m curious. What inspired you to choose Disneyland as the venue of your play therapy conference?

02:53 – 03:00
And were there any unique challenges and rewards that you encountered in having the magical place be the location

03:00 – 03:11
of your conference? Sure. I mean, when we think about play, and the 3 of us being, Disney adults, fan adults, I mean, there’s

03:11 – 03:15
really not a better place than the parks to go and play. Right?

03:16 – 03:24
And so really the the idea behind the conference was how do I integrate play back into the learning? I’m old.

03:24 – 03:30
I used to attend conferences when they were fun. That stopped happening.

03:30 – 03:37
You know, and prior to the pandemic, and then since we’ve been back trying to do, like, learning in person again, I learn

03:37 – 03:40
best when I am fully, like, in it.

03:40 – 03:45
And nothing nothing completely captures my attention than anything Disney touches.

03:46 – 03:49
So, it was just it was a wild dream. It really was.

03:49 – 03:53
It was just kind of a, I wonder if this had ever happened.

03:54 – 03:55
And I was just like, well, what’s the

03:55 – 03:58
worst that’s gonna happen? Right? Like, we’re gonna put it out there.

03:58 – 04:02
Like, the worst day of this is still like a good day at Disney.

04:02 – 04:11
I mean, that’s a pretty safe that’s a pretty safe low bar for me to try it out with. Absolutely. Yeah. And so, like, it’s interesting.

04:11 – 04:14
So, I mean, I’ve done event planning before.

04:14 – 04:16
I do host a conference here in my hometown.

04:16 – 04:22
You you do kind of get to know the ins and outs of event hosting, and then there’s Disney. And then

04:22 – 04:31
there is Disney. Okay, so did they have challenges that they threw your way that you hadn’t experienced in your current experience of event hosting?

04:32 – 04:35
Not, not as many as I had anticipated, right?

04:35 – 04:42
I kind of went in thinking I’m a small, small little minnow fish in a very big pond. Right?

04:42 – 04:49
People who think about Disney events think, you know, big, huge corporation events. I am not that.

04:50 – 04:56
So I I think I went in with the anticipation that I was going to be kind of like, that’s cute.

04:56 – 04:59
He would like to do this,