Podcast Archives - Good Things in Life

13Feb 2019 by Genia Stephen 1 Comment

#011 The Captivating Life and Influence of Becky Till Part 2 – with Linda Till

To listen to part 1 of this episode click here. The transcript of this episode will be available soon. Check back often. After finally freeing Becky from a life of neglect, abuse and captivity, Linda and Becky set their sights on the good life with a “come-hell-or-high-water-just-watch-us!” attitude. Linda began advocating for Becky to become a student at her local school because she knew that Becky needed to be immersed in a life rich in language, learning, opportunities and relationships. First the school board said that Becky should go back to the institution for her education. Ummm… NO. Then they suggested that Becky go to a segregated school. Ummm… NO. The best they could figure out was a segregated class in a regular school in the next town over. It…

06Feb 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#010 The Captivating Life and Influence of Becky Till Part 1 – with Linda Till Transcript

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Becky's first day home for good! The transcript for this episode will be available soon. You can find the show notes and listen to the episode here. Join us in the next episode (episode 011) to hear about Becky’s remarkable human rights case that established the right of kids with disabilities to an inclusive education. After listening to the episode, tell me what you think! Email me your top takeaways or messages for Linda. I'm happy to pass them along. Thanks for Listening! Resources & Links Mentioned: Documentary: Becky Belongs To get an email about new podcasts so that you never miss an episode sign up here. To share your thoughts: Leave a note in the comment section below.Ask me a question by email.Share this show on Facebook.Talk about this show…

01Feb 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#009 Having a vision means you can make informed choices

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Download the Guide to Informed Choice in Health Care and Service Systems. Parents make thousands of decisions on behalf of their children. Sometimes we don’t even realize that we are making decisions. We just roll along. But our choices and decisions can bring us closer – or farther – to our vision of the good things in life. Decision can be hard. Once a vision specialist made recommendations that could improve my son’s vision. But it meant he would have to give up classroom time. How do you choose between two options that both seem important? That is where informed choice comes in. You can practice informed choice by using the mnemonic BRAINS. It stands for B: Background and benefits R: Risks A: Alternatives I: Intuition N: Doing Nothing S:…

23Jan 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#008 3 Steps to begin creating your vision Transcript

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To listen to the podcast click here. Welcome to the good things in life podcast. I'm Genia Stephen. You're listening to episode eight. Today, I want to talk a little bit more about vision. When people talk about having a vision for the life of your son or daughter with a disability, do you know what they mean? And why it's important? Or does it sound kind of airy fairy? Or are you confused about where to start? In episode 002, Darcy Elks describes vision and why it's important and you can find that episode at goodthingsinlife.org/002 or on your favourite podcast platform. Today I want to talk a little bit more about why a vision for the life of your son or daughter with a disability is absolutely crucial…

23Jan 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#008 3 steps to begin creating your vision

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Find the transcript for this episode here. Does having a “vision” sound airy fairy to you? It’s not. It’s actually social science. And it’s crucial to the life of people with a disability. Why do I say its crucial? If we don’t set our own direction towards the good things in life then people’s lives tend to follow the path that society sets. And that path includes some not great things like a life defined by special places for special people and not many typical opportunities for the good things in life that we all want. It is crucial that we set our own destination to avoid this. How does one begin creating a vision? Start by thinking of the age of the person you care about with a disability.…

16Jan 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#007 Holding the vision of a good life since 1974 with Linda Dawe Transcript

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If you would like to listen to this podcast you can find it here. Genia: Welcome to episode 007 of the Good Things in Life podcast. Genia Stephen here. In this episode I’m speaking to Linda Dawe. Linda has known me for most of my life. In fact, after we finished recording she reminded me that I’m still “one of the kids” despite the fact that Linda’s daughter Tiffany and I are in our 40’s. Kind of warms my heart really. Linda Dawe is a founding member of Deohaeko. I’m going to read from the history section of Deohaeko’s website www.deohaeko.ca: “Deohaeko Support Network is a group of families who came together in 1989 to think about and plan for good lives for our young adult sons and daughters. DEOHAEKO…refers to the…

14Jan 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#007 Holding the vision of a good life since 1974 with Linda Dawe

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Click here for a transcript of this podcast. Linda Dawe is a parent and a founding member of Deohaeko, a family group that dreamed of what home could be for their son's and daughters. Their collective dream and hard work resulted in Rougemount Cooperative Homes in Pickering, Ontario, Canada. You can find out about their remarkable journey here. Linda's daughter, Tiffany, was born in 1974. A time when many children with an intellectual disability were placed in institutions and children's hospitals. With the support of her family and other parents of children with disabilities that she met along the way, Linda held onto to the vision of a good life for her daughter. Linda highlights the importance of having a community of people around you that can help you see…

02Jan 2019 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#006 What brings out the best in Tess? With Jack Yates

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You can download a worksheet to help you think about what brings out the best in your son or daughter here. And you can download a printable version of this blog post here. What brings out the best in Tess? What situations, what activities, what tasks, what expectations, what tones of voice, what people, what kind of people? All in all, what contexts bring out the best in her? What do we mean by “the best?” Well, for instance, what brings out the intelligent person in Tess? Please note that I am not asking “how intelligent is Tess.” Fascinating question, but entirely different. What tasks, what challenges, bring out the intelligent person in Tess? Because everyone has inside them an intelligent person and a stupid person, and different tasks will…

26Dec 2018 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#005: Living a good life with Janet Klees Part 2

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This week is a continuation of episode 4. You can find episode 004 here. Genia continues her discussion with Janet Klees, Author and Executive Director of the Durham Association for Family Resources and support in Ontario, Canada. She shares best practices around a child's independence and how we, as a parent, can best nurture their sense of freedom. Show Notes: Our Guest Janet Klees is an author and Executive Director of the Durham Association for Family Resources and Support in Ontario. She is a champion of disabled children and their families, and she strives on a daily basis to support families in their journey. Why it is crucial to understand your child's interests regardless of age or disability. How to experiment and feel comfortable with giving your disabled child…

16Dec 2018 by Genia Stephen No Comments

#004: Living a Life of Relationship with Janet Klees

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In the 4th episode, Genia Stephen welcomes Janet Klees, Author and Executive Director of the Durham Association for Family Resources and Support in Ontario, Canada. Janet shares what's driven her to become an advocate for people with disabilities. Her work focuses on giving typical choices to people with disabilities. Show Notes: Introduction of Janet Klees Janet discusses her past experiences that shaped who she is today. People often get stuck seeing the people's limitations first, instead of the person's capabilities and contributions. Relationships are an important part of life and helping kids develop relationships should be a priority. It's important to give kids autonomy, also allowing them to make choices at a young age. Janet's organization runs support groups based on principles of hope and direction. Tweetable Quotes: “Life happens best…