Eric Jorgensen starts by saying he’s fairly new to his work in the disability community. His son is on the spectrum, and has intellectual disabilities and other challenges, but his wife was the one who managed those in the past. Just as he was about to retire from the Navy in 2012, his wife died from complications resulting from a
Education
Maneuvering the Medical System with a Rare Disease
In this episode, Host Annette Hines welcomes Erin Prosser and her daughter, Lucy’s (Lulu) neurologist, Dr. Christina Bergqvist of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to share their story of working together to care for Lulu and treat her neuro-developmental disease, STXBP1 encephalopathy. This is a great example of how a family member and caregiver can work successfully with a medical…
Taking a Sabbatical from Saying ‘Yes’
In this episode, Host Annette Hines shares more about her goals for 2023. This year she is taking a sabbatical, not from work, but from all her external commitments. She notes that the term “sabbatical” means taking a break, which most often is associated with a leave from work. However, as Special Needs Companies, which includes her law and trustee…
Transforming Our ‘Wants’ to Reality with SMART Goals
What do you want to accomplish this year? Where do you want to be a year from now? For many of us, as soon as we say: “Happy New Year!” we feel the pressure to set resolutions for this year related to our health, personal or professional life. But simply saying: “I want to lose weight this year,” notes Host…
Preparing for Your Best Year Yet
It’s our annual Preparing for Your Best Year Yet podcast episode featuring the planning duo of Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts, P.C.: Host Annette Hines and her favorite podcast guest, her husband and law partner, Mark Worthington. In this episode, they provide tips for ensuring that your estate plan still works for you and meets your goals. Most…
Charitable Giving: How to Make Planned Gifts to Your Beloved Charity
Ever wondered how to give back to a charity or organization that has truly made a meaningful impact on your family? Host Annette Hines shines a spotlight on one of her beloved organizations, Perkins School for the Blind, where her daughter, Elizabeth attended school to show how easy it is to make planned gifts. This episode is the kickoff…
Institutionalized and Priced Out of Community-Based Services
Host Annette Hines and her guest, David Goldfarb who is the Director of Policy at the Arc of the United States discuss policy and advocacy issues related to housing and institutional bias in the disability community. Despite the landmark Olmstead decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in 1999 that found that people with disabilities were being segregated into institutional facilities…
Helping Neurodivergent Children Accomplish What Seems Impossible with Suzy Im
The third in a series featuring unique and innovative solutions for the disability community, this episode features the Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Sponsors of the Future (SoF), Suzy Im. The goals of SoF are to design easier ways for parents and caregivers to access information and advocate for their loved ones, as well as connect neurodivergent kids with…
The Future of Diagnosis of Dyslexia and Other Learning Differences
Working at the intersection of artificial intelligence, ed tech, and dyslexia, Guest and Entrepreneur Hugo Richard of Dystech in Australia is driven to solve complex problems in our society. His goal is to create more awareness about how computer intelligence and artificial intelligence could enable the creation of reliable tools that will positively impact children worldwide and drastically improve and…
The Benefits of Virtual Reality and Other Technologies for Children with Neurodiversity
This is the first in a two-part series focusing on technological advances and how technology can improve the lives of people with disabilities. Assistive technology offers a range of helpers from a reader for books on tape to Braille to a range of assistive apps to button switches that allow people to communicate for them. Host Annette Hines describes…