Empowering Ability Podcast

Separated from her brother at childhood, Libby shares her journey of supporting her brother to create a great life.    Enjoy this conversation with Libby Ellis, sibling, and founder of In Charge, a consulting organization in western Australia that is assisting people with disabilities to be the authors and champions of their own lives.   About Libby Ellis: Libby works for a vivid vision of inclusion. She has walked many steps with her brother, Matthew, and for 20 years she has assisted others in taking front stage in their own lives. She supports people through the experiences, lessons, successes, and failures in self-direction over an extended period. Libby’s vision is to bring a personalized, heart understanding of what it takes to be in charge. Libby lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband, Sebastian.   Libby’s Story: On the podcast, Libby shares her family experience. This blog captures a summary of her story; I recommend that you listen to the podcast to get the full version! Libby lives in Sydn

In this conversation with Dr. Margaret Newbury Jones, here out referred to as Margaret, of SHADE Consulting and Counselling we dive into the topic of sexuality and disability. We discuss what self-advocates, families, and supporters need to know about sexuality and Intellectual/developmental disability (IDD). She answers the questions; Why is knowing the language of our bodies so important? Where do I go to find a partner?, What is the role of a paid supporter, and Should we be allowed to have sex and watch porn in the group home?. Margaret’s career has focused on working with folks of all ages with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and other disabilities for 25+ years. She worked as a public-school special educator for 15 years before beginning to work as a consultant and counsellor focusing on trauma, sexual health and folks with IDD. She works directly with clients with IDD as well as their families and supporters and is known for providing engaging workshops for families, self-advoca

It has been a little over one year since my sister, Sarah has come onto the podcast – and a lot has changed for Sarah. The most significant change has been Sarah moving out of mom and dad’s and into a home of her own. This single decision to move out of mom and dad’s made 1000 decisions for Sarah and our family. This one decision for Sarah to have a home of her own has allowed her to grow into the capable young woman that she wants to be.   Before the Move On the podcast, Sarah shares her journey starting from leaving the school system and spending the better part of a decade living in our parent’s basement. Sarah shares, “Mom and Dad did everything for me. I had no choice [living in their home].” Our parents (and me) made decisions and did everything for Sarah - we acted out of love and with the best intentions… BUT, this created the institution of home. I’ve realized a person doesn't have to live in an institution or a group home to have choice and control stripped away. Eventually,

... If I am not there to care and look out for my son or daughter, then who will be? It is a big question, but it is also something we avoid talking about because we have to realize our own death. BUT, if we don't have these conversations - what are we leaving behind?!  From the hundreds of families I have spoken with I've learned that it is a massive hole. If you are the go-to person for your loved one with a disability, and they are dependent on you and you aren't there for them anymore it is impossible for one person to step into your old shoes. It causes a ton of stress, anxiety, and disrupts several people's lives.  This is why we need to think about the relationships in our loved one's life, this is why we need to be intentional about a Personal Support Network. In this video, I show you how to do this. CLICK HERE to learn how.   Enjoy, Eric   PS. Having a strong Personal Support Network for your loved one with a disability is the best way I've found to support someone after their parents can n

Over the past few years, I’ve been thinking deeply about how to best support families with a loved one with a disability to create a happy and full life for their loved one - and a good life that isn’t dependent on parents (forever)… I know this is possible because I have friends with disabilities who have created this life - my family is going through this transformation, and the families I work with are going through this transformation. In this video, I share one of their stories with you.  ... and I've found that there is there is ONE key thing in common for all of these families… They have Created a Vision! As families, we need to be able to imagine the best possible life for our loved one with a disability so that we can then create it.   Well, actually there are TWO things all of these families have in common. There are two paths that you can choose as a family (and neither is risk-free). In this video, I tell you about these two paths - and I share with you the ONE path that these families are cho

As families, we have the question of who will care for our loved one with a disability when we no longer can? People with intellectual and developmental disabilities have less than 20% of the number of relationships compared to a typical person.  This leads to loneliness, which is more harmful to our health than smoking a pack of cigarettes every day.   In this video, I explain how to build relationships.  You can create a happy and full life for your loved one with a developmental or intellectual disability - that isn't reliant on you. You can make this transformation happen for your loved one and your family.  To do this... We must elevate our expectations for what is possible.  Start by focusing on relationships. In this video, I also show you how to create and deepen relationships for your loved one.

How to create a life worth living? … am I implying that there are lives that aren’t worth living? This a big question that I ask you to consider for yourself.   People with developmental disabilities are devalued and suppressed (largely unconsciously) by society, our families and even ourselves (I am guilty too).   When a person is devalued, it is very difficult to access the opportunities that everyone else can access, and often results in isolation, loneliness, and suffering. Again, I ask - A life worth living?   Well, what I do know, is that I can do better, and we can do better, and our society can do better.   And, and it starts with a vision.   Why do we need vision? Well, as human beings the sense that we trust the most is our eyes, we are looking out for dangers and rewards. Also, where we look is where we go - If we are surfing and we are looking at the rocks, we will end up on the rocks, if we are looking at the beach, we will end up on the beach. Here I am talking about vision as one of o

Here is the secret.... it is to start with developing valued roles. What is a valued role? A valued roles is the answer you give to the question 'What do you do?' when you meet someone new. [more on valued roles below] Guest Genia Sthphen also shares her story as a sibling, a mother to two sons, and how she has helped to create the good life for her son Will.   Professionally, Genia is a midwife to many, and an activist with a mission to band together with families to joyfully pursue the good things in life. She recently launched the Good Things in Life, which is an online community for young families who share a vision of the good life for their kids with disabilities.      You can listen to this conversation in its entirety by clicking play on the player below, OR by clicking one of the following links to listen on your favourite podcast player; iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play.   Growing Up With a Sibling that has a Developmental Disability (DD)   Genia is the 3rd of 4 daughters, and her younger s

Yvonne defines grief, how to support others that are grieving, and shares her 7 takeaways to navigate through life, grief, and end of life.   In this episode of the Empowering Ability podcast, we have an in-depth conversation on grief with nurse and author, Yvonne Health. In this conversation, Yvonne defines grief, how to support others that are grieving, the difference between quality and quantity of life, and her 7 takeaways to navigate through life, grief, and end of life.  Yvonne is an inspirational Speaker, author of the book ‘Love Your Life to Death’, and a TV and Radio host.   (Note: 25% of 'Love Your Life to Death' book sales purchased through this link go directly to Community Living Ontario)     You can listen to this conversation in its entirety by clicking play on the player below, OR by clicking one of the following links to listen on your favourite podcast player; iTunes, Spotify, and Google Play.   Why Are We Talking About Grief?   YH: “I didn’t choose this, it chose me. Looking back