As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series, I am excited to welcome Kristen Corrie, Owner of Sweet Abilities, Life Skills Job Coach, Special Education Teacher and employees Carla & Bret. 

Kristen Corrie taught transition age young adults at Lakeland School for 13 years and helped prep them for life after school. As a special education teacher she became discouraged seeing how many of her former students were not out working in the community after they graduated from my classroom. So she started Sweet Abilities in June 2020 with the mission to provide fulfilling and accommodating work opportunities so that all abilities can shine. Sweet Abilities is a mobile ice cream/sweet treat business that serves only locally made products with no artificial dyes or flavors. More importantly they employ 8 young adults who all have varying needs and abilities. 

Listen in Kristen shares more about Inclusion in the workplace, providing accommodating opportunities and following your dreams.

I would highly recommend checking out the YouTube video to see Sweet Abilities in action :) - https://youtu.be/L_1qbwGo0q8

Resources:

Sweet Abilities - on Facebook & Instagram 

Purple Door Ice Cream 

Tas-T Treats & Sweets

Carrie's Crispies

Pete's Pops

After interview message from Kristen: I hope we helped spread the word about the need for accommodating community work environments for those with all abilities as well as showing those watching how making a dream happen IS possible! 

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#meaningfulwork #inclusion #accommodatingworkenvironments 

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Dr. Meagan Orsag, Director of Rural Programs at the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University and Angela Griffin, Program Coordinator for iGROW. 

🌱 About iGROW : 

The "I Generate Rural Opportunities for Work" (iGROW) Project is a transition-focused model that includes pre-employment and leadership-training for up to 20 students with disabilities per cohort per year who are currently enrolled in middle school and high school (ages 14-22).

The purpose of the program is to provide a training environment to support students with disabilities to gain the necessary skills and experiences in work readiness in order to successfully transition into postsecondary education and/or competitive integrated employment. 

The program focuses primarily on five core Pre-ETS (Pre-Employment Transition Services) areas, which include:

1. Counseling in post-secondary educational programs or college level courses

2. Job Exploration Counseling

3. Workplace Readiness training to develop social skills and independent living

4. Work based learning experiences

5. Instruction in self-advocacy

Meagan & Angela share all about the iGROW; Rural Transition Project for Youth with Disabilities. 

Connect with iGROW:

https://www.facebook.com/igrowtamu/

https://www.instagram.com/igrow_tamu/

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Evelyna Castro, Adaptive Trainer/Instructor & Makeup Artist/Designer. 

Evelyna has has had a passion for fitness and the arts practically her whole life, though she does not come from a very performing arts oriented family.

Evelyna grew up in San Jose, CA. with her four other siblings. Evelyna is number two in the lineup.

Listen in as Evelyna shares how she turned her passion into employment. 

Connect with Evelyna:

IG: @trainer.nutrition.coach

FB: Evelyna Castro 

FB Pages: Evelyna Personal Trainer & Instructor 

Makeup by Evelyna 

Best Ways to Connect with The On-Air Advocate:

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome James Collins, Associate Professor of Special Education / Director of UW-W LIFE. 

Dr. James Collins is a school psychologist, board certified behavior analyst, and an associate professor of special education. His professional and research interests include postsecondary programming for students with intellectual disabilities, special education law, assessment, and behavior modification.

Listen in as James shares all about the UW-W Life Program. 

Connect with UW-W Life Program:

https://www.facebook.com/UWWLIFE/

https://twitter.com/ProgramUw

https://www.instagram.com/uwwlifeprogram/

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Robin Miller, Director of Employment Programs, TAMU CDD. 

Robin Miller is Director of Employment Programs at Texas A&M's Center on Disability and Development, where she coordinates the center's Work-Based Learning and Transition Capacity-Building projects. Prior to joining the Center on Disability and Development, she worked in Special Education for 20 years, serving as an autism specialist, behavior specialist, and special education coordinator.

Listen in as Robin shares all about Texas A&M University's Work-Based Learning and Capacity-Building projects. 

Learn More: https://cdd.tamu.edu/ 

https://www.facebook.com/TAMUCDD/ 

Best Ways to Connect with The On-Air Advocate:

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Join the OAA Facebook community: https://bit.ly/oaacommunity

Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Tara Tuchel, Speech/Language Pathologist and Founder of Autism Little Learners. 

Tara is a speech/language pathologist who has been teaching young autistic children for over 2 decades. She has had the unique position to run her own communication-based classroom and team teach with a special education teacher. She started Autism Little Learners in March of 2019, about 6 weeks after she lost her dad to leukemia. The grief was so deep and so raw after he died that she needed something to distract her mind from the pain. She started a store on Teachers Pay Teachers because she was already making so many of her own materials for her classroom. It can be so difficult to find good resources that are at the right level for 3 and 4 year old autistic children! She figured that she couldn’t be the only one having this issue, so she started creating resources and activities for educators and parents of young autistic children.

Listen in as Tara shares 5 Tips To Help With The Back To School Transition!

Connect with Tara: 

www.autismlittlelearners.com

https://www.facebook.com/autismlittlelearners/

www.instagram.com/autismlittlelearners

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTpUyl_mrGB_rmYZ02UFAlA

https://www.tiktok.com/@autismlittlelearners?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Dede & Peter Dankelson, Owners & Creators of Pete's Diary. 

Dede and Peter Dankelson are co-owners of Pete’s Diary. Dede is the managing partner, author, and content creator. Peter is the musician and speaker. 

Over 700k social media followers have found inspiration and motivation from their music, books, and merchandise.

Peter's story and talent is the inspiration that fuels Pete's Diary. He is 21 years old and undergone 37 surgeries to correct birth defects due to Goldenhar Syndrome. 

Peter found his passion for playing guitar at the age of 15 and used it to get through his toughest recoveries. His music is available on all streaming platforms.

Listen in as Dede & Pete share their amazing journey with us, what Pete’s Diary is all about and how to purse your passions and Rock Your Life 🎸 

Connect with Pete’s Diary:

https://www.petesdiary.com/

https://www.facebook.com/PetesDiary

https://www.instagram.com/petes.diary/

https://twitter.com/Petes_Diary

https://www.tiktok.com/@petesdiary?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc

https://www.youtube.com/c/PeterDankelsonOfficial

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dededankelson/

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0

As we continue our Back To School & Transition Series 📚 I am excited to welcome Tracy Glass, PATHS Program Coordinator, Heather Dulas, Dr. / Program Director, Aggie ACHIEVE and Eric Roberts, Director of Postsecondary Education.

📚 Tracy is currently the PATHS Program Coordinator working with students of all abilities to help them achieve their employment and educational goals.

📚 Heather M. Dulas, Ph.D. is the Program Director for Aggie ACHIEVE at Texas A&M University. Dr. Dulas earned her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University where she also served as a job coach for Aggie ACHIEVE and the Child Care Professional Instructor for the PATHS Program. She also holds Bachelor of Science degrees in Elementary and Special Education from St. Cloud State University and a Master of Arts degree in Education with an emphasis on autism spectrum disorders from Hamline University. Her research interests include increasing access to inclusive postsecondary education opportunities and developing self-determination skills among individuals with disabilities. Dr. Dulas has 21 years of teaching experience in the public high school special education setting and 4 years teaching experience in inclusive postsecondary settings along with lifelong experience as a sibling and strong advocate for a younger brother with multiple disabilities. She is also the proud parent of Bailey, Fightin’ Texas Aggie Class of ‘21.

📚 Dr. Eric Roberts received his doctoral degree from Texas A&M and has a wealth of experience in transition education and services for individuals with disabilities. He taught secondary special education in the Houston area, led several transition-related projects at Texas A&M University's Center on Disability and Development, and worked in the College Station Independent School District as the Transition and Instructional Coordinator. He supported and collaborated with local, statewide, and national disability-focused agencies and organizations on several initiatives in these roles. Currently, Dr. Roberts is the Director of Postsecondary Programs, where he supports Aggie ACHIEVE, PATHS, and other training initiatives. 

Listen in as we learn all about Texas A&M University's PATHS and Aggie ACHIEVE Programs. 

Connect with PATHS: https://paths.tamu.edu/

Connect with Aggie ACHIEVE Program: https://aggieachieve.tamu.edu

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Get Your Guide Now: The Self-Care Toolkit for Special Needs Parents: https://www.onairadvocate.com/selfcaretoolkit-parents.html

Check out my book Transitioning from a Pediatrician to an Adult Physician: https://amzn.to/3OFtJM0