Dr. Laura Brackin shares her professional journey from special education to leadership roles in advocacy, policy, and state services, emphasizing the shift toward community integration over institutional care. Laura recounts a deeply personal experience with her grandson Jude, who was born with Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting cholesterol production and overall development. This experience reshaped her perspective on disability, highlighting the dangers of assuming limitations and the importance of fostering independence. She underscores three key lessons: assume capability, prioritize communication, and invest in early intervention, illustrating how these principles transformed Jude's progress and quality of life. Laura also stresses the critical role of family belief and support in achieving success for individuals with disabilities, urging professionals and families alike to choose hope and empowerment over doubt.

Dr. Jodi Tate is a psychiatrist from Iowa who specializes in working with adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and mental health challenges. Dr. Tate shares her journey into this field, emphasizing the lack of formal training for healthcare providers in treating individuals with IDD and advocating for better education through initiatives like a specialized psychiatry residency track and Project Echo—a virtual case-based learning program for direct support professionals. She highlights the importance of addressing diagnostic overshadowing, using medications judiciously, and persistent advocacy for quality care. Dr. Tate also recounts a success story involving electroconvulsive therapy for a patient with severe depression, illustrating the need for individualized, evidence-based treatment. The conversation underscores systemic gaps in healthcare for people with IDD and calls for expanding workforce training to ensure equitable, compassionate care.

Steve Gonyea, an advocate and foster parent from New York, shares his journey from seeking help for his son with autism and other disabilities to becoming a statewide leader in disability advocacy. Initially struggling to find proper diagnoses and services, Steve began helping other families and eventually served on agency boards, fostering over 170 children with complex needs. He highlights systemic issues such as long wait times for evaluations, lack of oversight in medication management, and inadequate dental care access, advocating for creative, out-of-the-box solutions like building sensory spaces and collaborating with local providers. Steve emphasizes the importance of parent-driven advocacy, networking through support groups, and pushing for legislative changes, such as ombudsman programs, to improve oversight and services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.