Forever Home for our kids with disabilities. | Podcast Guru

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Formerly Special Needs Moms - Circle of Strength. This podcast has begun a shift in focus... Hey, I’m Valerie, mom to two with disabilities (one visible, one invisible). We came up with housing solutions for our children. This space has been created to help you navigate the journey of creating a secure, sustainable forever home for your child. We’ll chat with parents on this path, realtors, financial planners, and other experts who can make the process easier. We'll be dropping an episode twice a month. Seeing my eldest thrive living independent of us was a gift I didn’t always know I could give. I'm excited for you to have the opportunity to explore giving that gift to your child. Keep building your child’s future! Music acknowledgement: Audio Coffee - Denys Kyshchuk

Recent Episodes

Building Accessible Homes That Feel Like Home with Griffin Simony of Shift Projects

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities, Valerie welcomes Griffin Simony, co-founder of Shift Projects (formerly Shift Accessibility Contractors). Griffin shares how a desire for more meaningful work and his grandparents’ experience with aging and accessibility challenges inspired him to create a company focused on helping people live more independently and comfortably in their homes. Together, Valerie and Griffin explore the difference between accessib...

34 MIN

Building an Awesome Ordinary Life: Eric Goll's 8-Step Life Planning Process

Send us Fan Mail In this powerful conversation, Valerie welcomes disability life-planning coach Eric Goll to discuss how families can proactively create meaningful futures for their loved ones with developmental disabilities. Eric Goll is a certified coach from Royal Roads University and founder of Empowering Ability. Eric shares his deeply personal journey of growing up alongside his sister Sarah and the pivotal moment when his mother reached burnout and called for help. That experience led ...

51 MIN

Dance, Disability & Belonging: How Movement Creates Purpose and Community with Telisa Dubasov

Send us Fan Mail In this week’s episode of Forever Home for Our Kids with Disabilities, host Valerie welcomes longtime friend and dance educator Telisa Dubasov for an inspiring conversation about the transformative power of dance, movement, and community for individuals with disabilities. Telisa shares her journey from volunteering in disability summer camps as a teenager in Saskatchewan to founding Bloom Wellness Collective — a nonprofit dedicated to making dance, movement, and wellness acce...

30 MIN

Unlocking Voice, Autonomy & Future Planning for Non-Speaking Autistics with Lakshmi Rao Sankar

Send us Fan Mail In this eye-opening episode, Valerie sits down with Lakshmi Rao Sankar — Executive Director and Co-Founder of Crimson Rise — to explore the transformative impact of communication access for non-speaking autistic individuals. Lakshmi shares her personal journey as the mother of a non-speaking autistic son and discusses how the groundbreaking “motor sensory paradigm” is changing the way families, educators, and communities understand autism. Through the methodology known as Spe...

36 MIN

Music, Belonging & the Brain: How Music Therapy Supports Children with Disabilities with Jennifer Buchanan.

Send us Fan Mail In this inspiring and heartfelt episode, Valerie welcomes Jennifer Buchanan, certified music therapist, author, and founder of JB Music Therapy. With more than three decades of experience, Jennifer shares the powerful impact music can have on the brain, nervous system, emotional regulation, memory, connection, and belonging — especially for children and adults with disabilities. Jennifer opens up about the deeply personal experience that first led her into music therapy after...

35 MIN