DiscoverYANA Nation - Serving the Special Needs Community
YANA Nation - Serving the Special Needs Community
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YANA Nation - Serving the Special Needs Community

Author: Rick Knight

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YANA Nation is the only podcast solely dedicated to the Special Needs Community. Our mission is to ensure that You Are Never Alone; YANA Nation strives to EDUCATE, ADVOCATE, ELEVATE, and CELEBRATE people with differing abilities by bringing them, their families, their caregivers, their supporters, and their communities frank conversations with experts throughout the Special Needs arena.
88 Episodes
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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. 
Elana’s consulting practice specializes in Consultation, Program Design, Curriculum Development, Training, and Advocacy for staff and participants engaged in Post-Secondary Disability Educational programs, Life Skills and Transition programs, Private and Public Community-Based Disability Initiatives and Workplace Disability programs. In her private practice Elana offers Individualized Transition Support & Planning for late adolescents, young adults and adults with the following challenges: Autism Spectrum Disorder (including Asperger’s), diagnoses related to developmental delays, learning disabilities, executive function challenges, chronic anxiety and social-emotional difficulties.She has presented through organizations such as Florida State University Autism Institute, Center for Autism and Related Disorders and PEPSA (Partnership for Effective Programs for Students With Autism); The Autism Society Of America, Interdisciplinary Council For Learning and Developmental Disorders (ICDL), All About Developmental Disabilities (AADD), Decatur Rotary Club, Decatur Business Association and The Atlanta Autism Consortium. Elana sits on the Emory University Autism Center ITAP (Individualized Transition to Adulthood) Advisory Board. She has also worked with Georgia Technology Institute’s EXCEL Program, an inclusive post-secondary program for individuals with developmental disabilities. She consults with staff on executive function, sexuality. learning and social cognition support for students. In addition, Elana runs monthly social pragmatics/executive function groups with all EXCEL students. Elana has earned certifications as a DIR/Floortime Practitioner, a Developmental Disability Sexuality Educator and a Young Adult PEERS Program Facilitator. Over the last 15 years she has conducted teacher trainings and student seminars in special needs and mainstream public and private schools as well as transition programs at universities and colleges in the United States and the Caribbean.
Zenobia Rainey, Chief Program Officer for InCommunity, is responsible for overseeing all of the agency’s community-based programs.  She creates, implements, and revises policies and procedures for operations of all programs, ensuring compliance with the rules and regulations of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD) and Department of Community Health (DCH).  She is a Licensed MSW with over 25 years of experience working with the DD community.
Sheryl Arno has been in the field of developmental disabilities for 29 years. While she started working in the field with children, she has spent most of her career focusing on transition to adulthood and adult life. Sheryl was the creator of the Inclusive Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) movement in Georgia. She started with Kennesaw State University and now there are 8 programs around the state including in all of the major colleges. Sheryl is a consultant with the Georgia State’s Center for Leadership and Disability as a parent liaison supporting the GAIPSEC.Currently Sheryl is the Executive Director of the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta; a role she has served in for the past four years. As Executive Director, she has been able to be a resource to families trying to get through all of the complicated systems that parents transition through. Under her guidance, DSAA now supports individuals with Down Syndrome throughout their lifespan.Sheryl also has a private consulting agency, Ability Matters LLC. She and a team of experienced professionals work privately with individuals and families to get through various systems, while providing support and advocacy for individuals that are developmentally disabled.While Sheryl is very busy with her work, one of her most special jobs, is overseeing the support for her best friend/mentor’s daughter, Lori. Lori is 49 years old, has been married for 17 years and has worked at Children’s Healthcare for 8 years. Lori has Down Syndrome! Sheryl has been married for 29 years and has 3 children.
Dr. Saulnier is a clinical psychologist with expertise in the diagnostic evaluation of individuals with autism spectrum and related disorders from infancy through adulthood. For nearly 20 years, she worked in academic settings conducting research on autism at the Yale Child Study Center in Connecticut and then in Atlanta at the Marcus Autism Center and Emory University School of Medicine. In 2018, she opened her own diagnostic clinic and consulting company, Neurodevelopmental Assessment & Consulting Services in Decatur, GA, and she remains an Adjunct Associate Professor at Emory. Dr. Saulnier has written two books, Essentials of Autism Spectrum Disorders Evaluation and Assessment and Essentials of Adaptive Behavior Assessment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, and she is co-author of the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition.
The cost of raising a child, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will take roughly$240,000 from birth to age 18. For a special needs child, those expenses can quadruple.Eighty-eight percent of parents who have children with special needs have not set up a trust to preserve eligibility for benefits such as Medicaid and Supplemental Social Income.Due to the advances in medication and technology many children with special needs will outlive their parent or guardian and there is one question, that must be answered: What would happen to a child with special needs when something happens to the parentfirst?More than 59% of caregivers say there is too little information available about financial assistance (benefits and support provided by government agencies); and 55% say that such information is very difficult to find. YANA Nation is changing that.Purpose of the Complete Life Planning Guide for Special Needs Families Online ProgramThe purpose of the Complete Life Planning Guide for Special Needs Families Online Program is to provide information exclusively for those with differing abilities that will aid in securing self-sufficiency, independence and will accomplish the following:Raise financial literacy awareness in the special needs community.Address the crucial concern of financial planning for special needs individuals who have outlived their parent or caregiver.Define and outline government benefits for the special needs communityProvide ongoing education tools for parents and guardians who have children with special needs.Our goal is to start the conversation to bring the special needs community out of theshadows and equip them with the tools and knowledge necessary to successfullynavigate financial future.
Trina Smith discusses IEP's and how the Clayton County School District is working to ensure that families are well-equipped to handle virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Smith is the Director of the Exceptional Students Department for Clayton County Schools, which support and serves students with disabilities through providing appropriate instructional supports and services for a free, appropriate public education as appropriate for student progress.From the Department website:The Department of Exceptional Students is proud of the support available for providing high quality education to meet the individual needs of students ages three through twenty-one who are eligible for special education and related services according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Our Department is committed to our stakeholders, which is demonstrated in our positive partnerships with families which enable students to reach their full academic potential.  A full continuum of services and resources are available to meet the unique need of students with disabilities. Supports range from less restrictive to more restrictive environments, depending on the specific needs of the student. The department also supports schools in ensuring students with disabilities appropriately access the Georgia Performance Standards and provide specialized instruction as determined necessary by the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) plan. Additionally, the department assists in the assessment process for determining special education eligibility. In collaboration with students, schools, families, and the community, the Department of Special Education assists students with disabilities in increasing academic performance and enhancing post-secondary options.Services provided through the Department of Exceptional Students include (but are not limited to):Develop, review, and implement the Individualized Education Program (IEP) plansProvide a continuum of service supports to assist students in the general education curriculum in a variety of waysConduct educational testing and determine eligibility for special education services in conjunction with the Department of Psychological ServicesLead and Facilitate Professional Development related to needs of teachers and studentsAccommodate and Modify Instruction according to IEP needsPresent educational information to students through Specially Designed Instructional support servicesFacilitate parent outreach and educate and support familiesProvide opportunities for student engagement in the community through programs, work training, and athletic and extracurricular assistanceOffer specialized preschool Special Education Services through a continuum of supportReview and provide specialized supports for autism, behavior, speech, occupational and physical therapy and many other specialized service areasTrain teachers and support staff to provide medical support services as neededProvide and maintain adaptive equipment as neededUtilize, provide, and train students, teachers, and parents on a variety of appropriate Assistive Technology resources
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