If We Knew Then - Down Syndrome Podcast

158. Best Buddies with Katelyn Quintero

This week we were joined by Katelyn Quintero from Best Buddies International, which is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 
Website: www.bestbuddies.org
Champion of the Year: www.bestbuddieschampion.org
The Walk: www.bestbuddiesfriendshipwalk.org
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/09/24/158-best-buddies-with-katelyn-quintero/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

157. Ruby’s Rainbow with Liz Plachta

We had such fun talking to Liz Plachta, the founder of Ruby’s Rainbow!  Ruby’s Rainbow grants scholarships to students with Down syndrome who are seeking post-secondary education, including enrichment or vocational classes, and helping them achieve their dreams of higher education while spreading awareness of their capabilities and general awesomeness.
Ruby’s Rainbow: www.rubysrainbow.org
WDSD Pledge: www321pledge.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/RubysRainbow/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rubysrainbow/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/rubysrainboworg
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/09/16/157-rubys-rainbow/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

156. GiGi’s Playhouse with Nancy Gianni

Today, we are joined by Nancy Gianni to talk about her foundation, GiGi’s Playhouse, which provides FREE, life-changing therapeutic, educational, and career training programs for 30,000+ individuals of all ages, everyday. GiGi’s Playhouse empowers families by maximizing opportunities for daily achievement and lasting acceptance and in turn, showing the world what individuals with Down syndrome are truly capable of achieving as students, co-workers, volunteers, friends, and valued members of the community.
GiGi’s Playhouse: https://gigisplayhouse.org
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/09/09/156-gigis-playhouse-with-nancy-gianni/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

155. Using Your IEP to Make the Most of Middle School

In this episode we give an update on our son Liam, a 13-year old in middle school, and discuss how far he has come, what supports have helped us navigate his transitions into middle school and how we are helping him find the independence every teen wants to cultivate. 
Citizen's Of The World Middle School: https://www.cwcsilverlake.org
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/09/02/155-using-your-iep-to-make-the-most-of-middle-school/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

154. Revisiting Our Interview with Megyn Price

This is our conversation with actress Megyn Price to discuss inclusion, the importance of encouraging others to express their uniqueness and how her Uncle, who had Down syndrome, affected her family in a positive way.
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/08/27/154-revisiting-our-interview-with-megyn-price/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.
 

153. Revisiting Jad Issa’s Story: A Man with Down Syndrome Raises a Family - An Interview with Sader Issa

This week we revisit the story of Jad Issa, a man with Down Syndrome who is a husband, father and respected citizen. At diagnosis, parents of children with Down syndrome are immediately told all the things their child won’t do. Jad’s life shows us that these preconceptions aren’t only untrue but the very belief in them often cause limitations. As with every child, all things are possible. We hope that this conversation with Jad’s son Sader, a dentist in Damascus, brings comfort to parents to believe in what may be thought of as impossible.
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/08/20/jad-issa/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

152. Revisiting The Canadian Down Syndrome Society’s Project Understood - Training Speech Recognition Technology

This episode is the entire conversation we had with Matt MacNeil and Ed Casagrande from the Canadian Down Syndrome Society concerning their collaboration with Google AI to create a database that can help train Google’s speech recognition technology to better understand people with Down syndrome.
Donate your voice at: https://projectunderstood.ca
Learn more about the CDSS: https://cdss.ca
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/08/13/152-revisiting-the-canadian-down-syndromes-project-understood-training-speech-technology/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

151. The New York City Buddy Walk and Times Square Video with Abby Brandon-Livits and Misty Adams

This week we are joined by Abby Brandon-Livits and Misty Adams from the National Down Syndrome Society to talk about the 2023 NYC Buddy Walk and it’s wonderful Times Square Video presentation that redefines the image of the Down syndrome community.
NYC Buddy Walk website: https://give.ndss.org/event/2023-new-york-city-buddy-walk-r/e478474
National Down Syndrome Society: www.NDSS.org
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/NDSS1979
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ndssorg/
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/08/06/151-nyc-buddy-walk/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

150. Down Syndrome Research, Ableism and The Right To Just Be with Dr. Eric Rubenstein

Today we're joined again by Dr. Eric Rubenstein, an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health. Eric is a researcher, a volunteer for the Special Olympics and a lifelong advocate of individuals with Down syndrome. This conversation is a round table discussion of change and evolution, progress and insights that we feel so fortunate to be able to share with each of you today.
Eric’s Website: https://sites.bu.edu/rubenstein
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/07/30/150-ableism/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

149. Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s Research with Dr. Tom Mahan

Today we're joined by Dr. Tom Mahan, who specializes in Alzheimer’s research with a focus on individuals with Down syndrome. Tom is a father of three boys and his oldest son, Teddy, has down syndrome which is what sparked him into taking his already existing research of Alzheimer’s and guiding it to a focus on individuals with Down syndrome.
ABC-DS: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/abc-ds
NIH INCLUDE Project: https://www.nih.gov/include-project
DSDN Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/DownSyndromeDiagnosisNetwork
DSDN Website: https://www.dsdiagnosisnetwork.org/
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/07/23/149-alzheimers/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

148. RODS Heroes - Our Interview with Brady Murray

This week we visit with Brady Murray of RODS Heroes, an organization meant to inspire families to answer the call to adopt children born with Down syndrome and other special abilities. Brady and his wife Andrea have seven children and it was their adopted son Cooper who brought our attention to the Murray’s advocacy though his appearances throwing out the first pitch a Major League Baseball games. In this conversation we also talk about Brady’s Special Needs Life Planning venture, Special Abilities Network and discuss his eldest son, Nash and the experience of receiving Nash’s Down syndrome diagnosis in 2007.
RODS Heroes: https://rods.org
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/rodsheroes
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rodsheroes/
Special Abilities Network: https://specialabilitiesnetwork.com/
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/07/16/148-rods-heros/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.

147. T21 Coffee - Giving Back to the Down Syndrome Community - Johan Lindborg

In this episode, we speak with Johan Lindborg, founder of t21 Coffee. We had a beautiful conversation discussing his journey with his 12 year old son Cooper and how he has transformed from the doubts he had and the darkness he felt when receiving the Down syndrome diagnosis. It is an open and honest discussion that touches on fears to which any parent can relate. In the face of those fears, he created T21 Coffee, which both employs individuals with Down syndrome and donates a portion of every bag sold to Down syndrome research.
T21 Coffee: https://www.t21coffee.com
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/t21coffee
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t21coffee1/
Episode Transcript: https://ifweknewthen701833686.wordpress.com/2023/07/09/147-t21-coffee/2/
Please follow us on Twitter @ifweknewthenPOD you can drop us a line on our Facebook page @ifweknewthenPOD or visit our website https://www.IfWeKnewThen.com to send us an email with questions and comments. You can join our mailing list there and get alerts of future podcast episodes. Thank you again and we look forward to you joining us on the next episode of IF WE KNEW THEN.