Episodios
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Learning new things, having new experiences and giving back to our community build self-confidence and self-esteem. However, to often people with additional needs aren’t given the opportunity to do any of these things. In this second part of my conversation with Lex Ali, from Big Life Adventure, we talk about the value in lifelong learning and the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to give back to their communities and to society. We talk about how the Big Life Adventure project will help support this continuous learning and enable people to connect with others.
https://peak15support.co.uk/bl-adventure
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For most people one of the great things about becoming an adult is getting to make their own life choices, dreaming about what they want to do, and making decisions about how their life will look now and in the future. But for many people with additional needs these opportunities aren’t easily available. In this episode my guest Lex Ali from Big Life Adventure talks about why this is happening and what can be done about. The Big Life Adventure project she discusses is definitely part of the answer.
https://peak15support.co.uk/bl-adventure
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Breaking down the barriers to inclusive employment opportunities is proving to be a challenge. But progress is being made and what that looks like is one of the things I’m discussing in this week’s episode with my guest Vinny De Falco from Think Forward. We talk about the programs that Think Forward have previously run, what they learned from those and how that information has guided their next program. We also discuss how to engage with employers and the external factors that also impact on the number of opportunities available. To bring about change means acting, learning along the way and changing what does not work and that is exactly what Think Forward is doing.
https://thinkforward.org.uk/
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The transition from education to employment for young people with additional needs requires planning in order to be effective. In this episode with Vinny De Falco from Think Forward we talk about the importance of early transition planning and how a structured and supportive transition program with personalized coaching can help young people develop the skills and confidence they need. We also talk about the need for collaboration and knowledge sharing among everyone, including families, involved in supporting the young person.
https://thinkforward.org.uk/
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It's a solo episode this week and I'm talking about the role that expectations have in the way we support and inspire our young people to achieve all they are capable of. Our expectations of them guide their expectations of themselves and can also help them to ignore the low expectations of others.
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The use of technology is embedded into our work lives and for people with additional needs it is often assistive technology that enables them to do their job. But often the right technology is not in place or provided by employers and that is one of the topics discussed in this episode of the podcast with my guest in this week’s episode Alex Barker from AbilityNet. Alex discusses why it is as much about mindset as it is about the technology itself when it comes to making sure that the right technology is provided for employees to do their jobs most effectively.
https://abilitynet.org.uk/
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When we think of assistive technology or any technology that can support our young people with additional needs to become more independent, we often start at the point of thinking it could be expensive or complicated to learn to use. But the reality is that today the first bit of assistive technology that our young people should access is their phone or tablet. The built-in features of these devices have changed the way we think about assistive technology as my guest in this week’s episode Alex Barker from AbilityNet explains. Alex brings, his lived experience, and how he uses assistive technology, both in his role at AbilityNet and in his life to discuss why we need to make better use of what is easily accessible to all of us.
https://abilitynet.org.uk/
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When we think of community, we first think about the friendship element of being around other people. But there is more to being part of a community than just that. When we become part of a community, we have the opportunity to learn from those around us. These are the other benefits of being in a community. And why this is such an important part of community is the focus of the second part of my conversation with Sarah Towler from CASPA. We all know community is important but it's not just about the people, it's what we learn from being around those people.
https://caspabromley.org.uk/
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Community is defined as people with common interests living in a particular area but in reality, it’s less about location and more about belonging, about connection and feeling part of something. In this episode, my guest is Sarah Towler and the organization we are talking about is CASPA which does all of these things and more. CASPA stands for Community Autistic Support Pride and Advocacy, and it provides a variety of support services to autistic/neurodivergent children and adults and their families. In our conversation, we talked about why community is so important and the ways CASPA supports its community. Having people to support us through the good and bad times will always be important and part of what makes us all human.
https://caspabromley.org.uk/
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Every day we all do the same things the same way because it’s these habits that make it easier to live our lives. Habits are just skills we have that we use over and over again and for my daughter with additional needs, all the skills she has built over time are now habits that allow her to live more independently. Those skills she has like cooking going to her job or managing her money, the things she does the same way each time are all her habits. In this episode, I’m talking about some of the ideas around habits, the habit loop cue, routine, and reward, habit stacking, and the role motivation and ability play in developing habits.
Check Out The Red Giraffe Solutions Cooking Videos
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The barriers to employment for young people with additional needs are high but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible as this week’s episode shows. In part 2 of my conversation with Adam and Deb, Adam talks about his experience of work and why his current role is working for him. Adam believes it comes down to the right support at the right time and matching the individual to the job.
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Sharing our stories helps us realize we are not alone. Hearing someone else’s story can also be a great way to learn new ideas we can use in our own family’s lives. In this episode, I’m sharing the story of Adam and his family. My guests are Adam, and his mother Deb. Adam talks about moving schools from a mainstream school to a specialist school as well as the challenges he found around transitioning out of full-time education.
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We should all have the right to choose how we live our lives, even if that means taking risks and making mistakes. But too often people with additional needs aren’t being given opportunities to take risks and to learn from their mistakes. My guest this week Carol Smail shares her experiences of the impact this lack of choice has, as well as what can happen when people are given the opportunity to make their own choices. Too often the focus is on reducing risk, but that only reduces choice and doesn’t necessarily make anyone safer.
Open Future Learning Video
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Finding friends with common interests can be difficult for anyone and for young people with additional needs it is often more challenging because their social network is smaller. That is why projects like Gig Buddies are so important as my guest in this episode Carol Smail from Gig Buddies Sydney explains. Carol not only talks about the vision behind Gig Buddies but the role it plays in breaking down stereotypes about people with additional needs.
Gig Buddies Sydney
Find Your nearest Gig Buddies
Start Your Own Gig Buddies
Find out about the history of Gig Buddies - Episode 68 Stay Up Late
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Too often low expectations for people with additional needs have translated into fewer opportunities, particularly when it comes to paid employment. For change to happen, around work, more employers are needed which means employers will need to change their attitude toward employing people with a disability. But what is also necessary is a change in society’s perceptions of what a person with additional needs is capable of. In this episode with Peter Bacon CEO of Disability Employment Australia, we discuss where these perceptions come from and whether a more integrated education system might be part of the answer.
Find out more about Disability Employment Australia
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Inclusive employers change the future for our children, but there simply isn’t enough of them. In this episode with Peter Bacon, CEO of Disability Employment Australia, I’m discussing why this is the case, and what actions could be taken to get more employers to become inclusive employers.
Is some form of legal framework necessary, as Peter suggests, and are most employers willing but unclear on how to take the next steps? We all know the benefits of inclusive employment; the challenge is making employers understand the benefits easily outweigh the risks.
Find out more about Disability Employment Australia
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In this final episode of this Finance Future series, I’m talking to Graham Caldow about the value of giving financial independence gradually and building financial skills over time. We discuss the things that have worked for our family including multiple accounts and tracking spending. Finance is just one part of our legacy to our daughter but in lots of ways it’s the foundation of all the other things she will do in her life.
Graham's Book: What's Possible - Plan A Better Future For Your Young Adult With Additional Needs
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Planning for the future is difficult when restrictions exist around how much money you're allowed to save. In this episode with Jill Cornfield, I’m discussing how ABLE accounts can help mitigate this restriction and enable people to think longer-term and plan their financial future.
ABLE National Resource Centre
Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @expandingworlds
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Managing our own money is challenging. The temptation to spend is never far away and we need tools and techniques that can help us make the right choices most of the time. In this second part of my conversation with Karen Hassett from PATF we are focusing on some ways to help our young people develop those money habits that will help them make better spending decisions. However much money we have, we still need to develop good money management skills, so we always get the most value from what we have to spend.
Find all the PATF Guides here https://patf.us/what-we-do/financial-education/
Money Talks Webinar Series https://patf.us/money-talks/webinars/
The Autistic Self Advocacy Network - ASAN - search this site for useful financial-related resources as well as information on a variety of other topics.
Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @expandingworlds
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Getting started on developing any plan can be a challenge but when it comes to our finances we can often get stuck at the first step. In this episode with Karen Hassett from PATF we talk about how to get started by thinking about a decision-making process when it comes to money and using simple ideas like tracking spending and identifying priorities to move forward. But we also talk about the need to give ourselves grace and understanding about decisions we might have made in the past because what really matters is what happens next not what happened then.
Find all the PATF Guides here https://patf.us/what-we-do/financial-education/
Other Great Resources https://patf.us/resource-category/credit-finance/
Money Talks Webinar Series https://patf.us/money-talks/webinars/
https://www.studymoney.us/
Follow us on Instagram/Facebook @expandingworlds
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