Across The Desk With Elizabeth Plouffe

Socrates, Suzy's, Robert's and more. We get in to the necessity of having variety on a team and particularly so when dealing with the neurodivergent community. If you're a service provider and you've hired yourself a team of Suzy's, that all meet the same hiring criteria and wouldn't know the Socratic method of teaching if the philosopher himself walked up to you and used it, you need to listen to this podcast. Your clients would LOVE you to listen to this podcast. Trust us ;)

Adulting was hard on the day we recorded this podcast. HARD I tell you. But as usually Betty pulled up their socks and dragged me along for an insightful, vulnerable and honest to goodness learning session on setbacks. They do have value as long as you try to learn from them and don't let them keep you mired in the muck for too long. A little pity party? We all have them. Moving in to Pitytown? Well that's just no good for anybody ;)

Do you get sick and tired of people treating your autistic kid or your autistic self as someone who's incapable of doing just about anything? It really grates my cheese when people make assumptions about my son's capabilities and Maddy's cheese is equally grated for themselves and their kids. Sometimes it's just about capacity and understanding the expansiveness of it and the reasonable constraints. And the new profile photos? I got to give Maddy a huge hug at the recent Autism Leadership Summit and we both agree that Drag Queens are the bomb. Since we forgot to get a picture taken together, I'm mixing it up ;)

The word should is one that really grates my cheese. And not in a delicious mac and cheese way but in a ticks me off way. Should implies that what you're doing is wrong and the person who's saying it? Their way is better. Should creates limits when it becomes shouldn't. As the parent of an autistic individual I have banished should and my lovely co-host Maddy has done the same thing for their kids. Find out why should's are shitty and should be banished for good!

Have you ever been sick and then spent weeks catching up from that??? Shortly after we recorded this AMAZING episode, Elizabeth got COVID. She got it goooood. And she's been catching up ever since. So while this Holiday glitterati inspired podcast is late, it can be applied to birthday parties, summer gatherings, graduations and more. Because a party isn't a party until Uncle Jerrycan gets loud and someone has a meltdown ;)

We all have things we need to work on. For some it's talking to loud or too much (that's a me thing, hence the podcast) for others it's refusing to bathe and for some it's about whether they can rock a tiara. It's all about how we show up in the world and how we communicate our needs around that. Sometimes it's not about not wanting to take a shower - it's that the soap stings our skin. Sometimes it's not about thinking we're better than other people - it's that today we felt like rocking a sparkly tiara. Whatever the situation, it can usually be solved by getting curious, not furious (to quote Stephen Covey).

Meet Whitney Hodgins, an autistic Canadian who is a change maker and policy shaker! Learn more about the inaugural Jim and Jinette Munson Award winner who is absolutely a leader in the autism community and someone I plan to keep an eye for great things ;)

I am a proud Monarchist. I come from a long line of Monarchists. It's not for everybody and I respect that. What caught me unawares was the level of grief I'd feel at the death of Her Majesty. Of course Maddy and I went off on a bit of a tangent instead of our scheduled topic but we both see value in embracing the moment vs strictly adhering to a topic. So here's our chat on grief, the process, embracing your process and getting through the tough times.

Have you ever had to work with a school to develop an IEP for your child? Was your child ever given an opportunity to be a part of the discussion? Mine wasn't and it didn't even occur to me to ask him because the school never said it was an option. But who better to influence how an IEP is developed that the person it's most affecting?? Join us as we discuss how the IEP process can help autistic individuals who need one to also develop leadership skills, advocacy skills and know their place at the table is valued and important.

Did Gene Roddenberry have any idea that when he created Star Trek in 1966 that he'd be influencing technology development, societal relationships, exploration and so much more for generations to come? He definitely boldly went where no one had gone before and has been inspiring people around the world ever since. Today, Maddy and I discuss the creative autistic and how, as the Vulcans say, there is infinite diversity with infinite combinations for how we can be creative, share it with the world and be bold in our own way.

We don't want to should on you but being an ally is part of being a good human. It doesn't have to be a huge action to count. It can be standing up for someone in a meeting. It can be acting through altruism vs ego. It can be shining a light on tokenism. Or any other ism. Being an ally isn't about you - it's about what you can do to make a difference. And if you choose to wear a cape? Well, you know what Edna says about capes ;)

As the Queen of Soul once sang: R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Find out what it means to me. We're back with the indomitable Maddy Dever and a chat about the intersectionality between the autism community and the LGBTQ+ community. Maddy, who is non binary, uses the pronouns they / them. This was not an easy choice but one they felt they needed to live as authentically as themselves as possible. Do I do great with the pronouns? Nope! But I respect Maddy's choice and I make every effort to remember how important it is. That's honestly all that's needed when society needs to shift its perspective: effort. And respect. That Aretha - she was on to something ;)

What could prompt you to get outside? Is the benefit of getting outside enough to prompt some movement or is there something creating a barrier? Today we chat about the benefits of looking after your mental health and your physical health and hopefully at the same time ;)

So what does a rambler do? Well it can drive you from A to B. It can keep you cool in the hot sun. Or it can chat about all kinds of things under the sun which is what this Rambler does. I'm so tickled to introduce you to Maddy Dever who is one of the kindest, sweetest, perceptive, strong, intelligent and best advocate for others I've ever met. In episode one of the Autistic Rambler, we touch on experiential empathy, intersectionality of the ASD and LGBTQ++ communities, what schools could do better and a whole lot more. It's time to ramble on ;)

What are partnership and collaboration such amazing things for a business? Because they open up opportunities that you might not have been able to act on by yourself and they create opportunities that you could never consider. I was fortunate to be introduced to Wayne Lamon from the Work Based Learning Consortium almost 2 years ago. Not only are the staff training programs that WBLC provides for clients in advanced manufacturing exceptional but their willingness to collaborate on one of my crazy ideas is also awesome ;)

This is a Canadian success story across so many levels. It brings together the importance of pursuing an idea, being open to opportunity and the power of being a part of a mentorship. Meet Amanda Craig and Doug Wallbank and hear their story of how mentorship changed their lives and businesses.

Everyone likes a success story. If you are a parent of an autistic person, success stories are extremely important. Meet Courtney Weaver who is a success story on many levels. A strong autistic self-advocate, Courtney's journey to employment has had many stages and phases that all driven people can relate to.

Have you ever had the chance to learn from or be a mentor? It's an amazing opportunity that MentorAbility Ontario is helping to make happen for folks with a disability. Why is that important? When you've already got some barriers up against you for successful employment, support is a very important thing. Meet Brittany Williston from Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care and Kim Cooper from Youth Culture who are part of the MentorAbility program. Hear their success stories in providing on the job learning opportunities and making mentorship a part of their company culture.

There is nothing worse than a situation where a group elects itself the voice of another group. Why? Because how then do we really know whose voice we're listening to? This is what makes the 200th episode on the Across the Desk podcast extra special. It's what the podcast is all about - giving folks a voice who might not otherwise have one. It's my honor to introduce you to some of the editorial team of the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity. Rebekah, Ryan and Mackenzie are all autistic adults who are sharing their voice as part of the editorial team. Their key role? To give a voice to other autistic Canadians who deserve to be heard.

I think we can all agree that COVID has put our mental health to the test. Imagine being in a situation where you are not only dealing with the stress of COVID but suddenly all supports for yourself or someone you care for who is autistic disappear. No warning. No other plan. Just gone. Dr. Carly McMorris and self advocate and parent Rebekah Kintzinger join us today to discuss what that looks like and how we can begin to recover.