Michael Cummings MD, Medical Director and Janell Van Cleve, Clinical Director of WNY’s APIC organization, Access to Psychiatry Through Intermediate Care, providing outcome-oriented, patient-centered care focused on neuro-behavioral health solutions. 

Fantastic Friends of Western New York features social programs for individuals with Autism, TBI, Down Syndrome, ADHD and other developmental/ intellectual disabilities. Lindsay Bessey joins the program this week to talk about the organization's local efforts and upcoming events.

Robin Bishop is the co-founder of Danceability -- an individualized dance, fitness and movement program serving the special needs community. Learn how their studio is led by qualified staff and dedicated volunteers who create a nurturing environment that empowers our students to flourish and grow while promoting a healthy lifestyle and we have a little fun along the way.

 on target Host penny Wolfgang interviews Rhonda Frederick People’s Inc CEO about her upcoming retirement, Rhonda Frederick also discusses the programs peoples in can offer for individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities 

Kristi Moscato, Community Engagement Manager for Parent Network of WNY 

Michael Roeske of Americas Road Guardians joins the program. They were founded in 2021 In Wellsville New York by a group of individuals who share a high level of love and respect for our nations Military, First Responders and members of the Healthcare Services. Many of the Original members have either served in the Military, been a First Responder or have family who have served in some capacity and decided to create an Organization designed to give something back to these brave men and women who spend each day on the front lines defending and protecting our freedoms and our lives while doing so without regard to mental or physical exhaustion they face. Learn more about them and their upcoming event.

Michael Roeske of Americas Road Guardians joins the show to talk about their May 21st event to benefit the Doug Flutie Foundation for Autism Awareness.

Z. Middlebrooks and Angela Covey of People, Inc., an organization helping individuals with disabling conditions or other special needs get the support they need to participate and succeed in an accepting society. The discussion covered services offered and also employment opportunities with the organization.

Paul Nelson, autism author and advocate joins the program to talk about understanding, awareness and tolerance.

Ron and Cornelia Suskind had two healthy young sons, promising careers, and a brand new home when their youngest son Owen started to disappear. 

3 months later a specialist sat Ron and Cornelia down and said the word that changed everything for them: Autism. 

In this episode, the Suskind family finds an unlikely way to access their silent son's world. We set off to figure out what their story can tell us about Autism, a disorder with a wide spectrum of symptoms and severity. Along the way, we speak to specialists, therapists, and advocates including Simon Baron-Cohen, Barry and Raun Kaufmann, Dave Royko, Geraldine Dawson, Temple Grandin, and Gil Tippy.

When a law student named Mark Bold came across a Supreme Court decision from the 1920s that allowed for the forced sterilization of people deemed “unfit,” he was shocked to discover that it had never been overturned. His law professors told him the case, Buck v Bell, was nothing to worry about, that the ruling was in a kind of legal limbo and could never be used against people. But he didn’t buy it. In this episode we follow Mark on a journey to one of the darkest consequences of humanity’s attempts to measure the human mind and put people in boxes, following him through history, science fiction and a version of eugenics that’s still very much alive today, and watch as he crusades to restore a dash of moral order to the universe. 

In the middle of the challenges and disruptions of the last few years, God gave Max a ministry of encouraging and blessing others, a ministry now reaching people whose lives have been disrupted by war. 

I’m often asked, among all of Chuck Colson’s work—Breakpoint commentaries, books, speeches, important statements like the Manhattan Declaration—what I consider to be the most powerful thing he ever wrote. Without hesitation, I always point to the opening and epilogue of Dancing With Max, a book authored by Emily Colson about her son (and Chuck’s grandson) Max.  

The story behind “Heart by Max” begins during the lockdown days of COVID-19. Recently, Emily Colson joined the Strong Women podcast to describe how God granted Max, a young man with autism who also happens to be the grandson of the late Chuck Colson, a sense of purpose and an amazing ministry during a season that was difficult for him and his mom.  

I think for us I knew right away or very quickly when we went into quarantine that we had been through seasons of quarantine in our lives because most families living with significant disability have been through a season where they can’t go out of the house, they can’t go in the grocery store. … 

And I began to realize, wait a minute, I think we’ve actually done this before, so maybe we have something to share. God comforts us so that we can then comfort others with the comfort He has given to us. … We had a mission that really changed the whole dynamic of this season of struggle and quarantine.  

With encouragement and wise guidance from his mom, Max began to paint. He painted big colorful hearts on yard signs to bless lonely neighbors, first responders, and others. The mission soon became clear. God used this young man with autism to encourage people in his community and beyond. As Emily described, God just began to move. 

There’s a really beautiful story of driving with Max. We were driving along, Max delivering hearts, and Max saw something out the window, and he yelled, “Mom, stop! I want to give them a heart.” And I looked over at this grungy little convenience store, and I thought, “Oh, no, no, no, you can’t. You can’t mean that.” And it’s on a really busy corne

This past weekend in Florida, 21-year-old Chris Nikic completed one of the most challenging feats in all of sports. The Ironman triathlon is a 2.4 mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bicycle ride, topped off by a full marathon, a 26.2 mile run. At one point, Nikic fell off his bike. During a nutrition stop, he was attacked by ants. Still, he completed the race in 16 hours 46 minutes and 9 seconds, 14 minutes under cutoff time. Oh, and Chris is the first athlete with Down Syndrome to finish an Ironman competition.

You can listen to the full podcast by clicking on the yellow triangle on the left hand side of the page next to the title.

During the pandemic, the world learned that some British doctors placed “Do Not Resuscitate” orders on COVID-19 patients with intellectual disabilities. These orders reflected a tendency across Western culture to commodify human life, valuing people based on extrinsic abilities and appearances rather than assuming inherent value for all who are part of the human family. In this way of thinking, the disabled are not deemed as valuable as the non-disabled. To be clear, the pandemic didn’t cause this way of seeing those with disabilities, it only revealed it and worsened it.

For example, a recent story at NBC News reported that denying organ transplants to people with Down syndrome and autism “is common in the United States, even though it is illegal under the Americans with Disabilities Act.” According to one study, 44 percent of organ transplant centers will not add people with developmental disorders to their transplant list. Eighty-five percent “consider the disability as a factor in deciding whether to list the child.”

One reason given to defend this discrimination is that someone with Down syndrome “may not be able to comply with post-transplant requirements, such as taking immunosuppressive drugs.” This “reason” doesn’t pass the laugh test. As several of my colleagues will attest, the intellectually disabled are usually perfectly capable of taking their meds on schedule without assistance. Those who are aren’t have guardians and caretakers who can ensure they comply.

Another reason given for leaving individuals with disability off transplant lists is far more sinister. These patients are, some clinics claim, “more likely to have co-occurring conditions that would make a transplant dangerous” and “the patient’s quality of life would be unlikely to improve with a transplant.”

On one hand, as a report from the National Council on Disabilities found, these worries are unfounded. Though some disabled people do have co-occurring conditions that make transplant surgery dangerous, most don’t. And patients with intellectual disabilities can benefit from transplants as much as any other patient.

The real story behind this discrimination, in fact, can be summed up in the phrase “a patient’s quality of life,” a term that has been used throughout history, but especially recently, to promote various forms eugenics. After all, providing people with “less-worthy lives” with a transplant is to waste a perfectly good organ that could go to someone more “valuable.”

Already, as NBC noted, more than 100,000 people are on the waiting list for organs nationwide. The average wait times, even after a patient makes the list, can be three-to-five years. Hopefully, new technologies such as printable organs will soon be available, but, until then, rationing is necessary. So, shouldn’t the organs go to the best of us?

Of course, no one puts it like this. To do so would expose the lethal logic at work behind leaving people with intellectual disabilities off the list. Instead, we hear things about disabled people not “benefitting” from a transplanted organ, which is absurd. A new heart beats and circulates blood. This is true regardless of the person’s intellectual capacity.

Today, 16 states ban this kind of discrimination, with similar measures pending in eight other states and in Congress. Still, these laws face an uphill battle, even if passed. As the head of the National Council on Disabilities admitted, the real goal of these laws is to inspire “a change of heart so people understand that they are discriminating.”

So, even as we support the legal efforts to prevent this discrimination, we remember that the best protection for people with disabilities is to recover the idea of the Imago Dei. When people cease seeing themselves and others as image-bearers, they see people as means and not ends, as units of utility to us and to society.

This is why we have chosen “restoring the Imago Dei” as the theme of this year’s Wilberforce Weekend. For three days, May 21-23, in Dallas/Fort Worth, we will be exploring how to apply this principle to our cultural moment

There may be no category of life more alien to the secular, progressive mind than the idea of suffering well. From our policies to our movies to the various and sundry ways we invest in our own comfort, the dominant assumption is that suffering is irredeemable, worthless, and to be avoided at all costs—even at the cost of life itself. That’s the thinking behind doctor-assisted suicide, for instance. 

A test of a worldview is whether it is big enough to handle sickness, disability, and the scorn of a culture. It’s also the test of a church.  

Several years ago in the Washington Post, sociologist Andrew Whitehead described the struggle he and his family faced in searching for a church home. With two sons on the autism spectrum, he described the degrading comments and behaviors by congregants toward his boys, whom they saw as interruptions instead of Image Bearers. For example, more than a few Christians told him that his children probably shouldn’t attend church because they can’t really “get anything” out of it. So, his family spent years watching worship on screens, instead of in person.

Their experience, sadly, isn’t unique. In the article, Whitehead cited the findings of a survey of over 400 parents of children with special needs. A third had switched faith communities because their children weren’t welcome. According to his own research, the odds of children on the autism spectrum never attending religious services are nearly double those of children without such a condition. 

A young man on the autism spectrum attends our church. In fact, he serves as an acolyte nearly every Sunday during a service, attends Sunday school, and never misses mid-week youth group. I remember the first Sunday he served as an acolyte, years ago. He didn’t do everything right, but we are better at following Jesus because he’s been with us. 

Someone who has both embodied and instructed millions on what it means to suffer well is my friend Joni Eareckson Tada. What continually stuns and convicts me is how she understands—after fifty years in a wheelchair, bouts with cancer, Covid, pneumonia, and other conditions—that God is committed to refining her character and witness through suffering. Honestly, I cannot imagine what refining could possibly be left for her, but she has embraced the truth that her suffering is not about her. It has eternal potential in the hands of God, Who can be trusted. 

Joni believes that the way she handles suffering can be a message to those around her, including those tasked to heal and relieve her suffering. She knows that life with disability is not only worth living, but that God has a special place in His family for those often considered inconvenient. She understands that those who cannot walk, see, speak, think, or socially interact with others are welcome members of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ, and are needed by the rest of us for our own edification and sanctification

Roughly 7 million children in the U.S. receive special education services under a decades-old federal law — or did, until the pandemic began. Many of those services slowed or stopped when schools physically shut down in spring 2020. Modified instruction, behavioral counseling, and speech and physical therapy disappeared or were feebly reproduced online, for three, six, nine months. In some places, they have yet to fully resume. For many children with disabilities, families say this disruption wasn't just difficult. It was devastating.

Research shows that early intensive intervention with ABA (applied behavior analysis) can help some families with overcoming Autism.

Emily Colson talks about the trials and triumphs she's experienced in raising her Autistic son, Max. Her father, author Chuck Colson (now deceased), joins the conversation to discuss the lessons they've learned from Max. 

Emily Colson explains how her view of God has changed and how her faith has been strengthened as she's worked to raise an autistic son as a single parent. 

Emily Colson encourages us to put our sanctity of human life beliefs into practice by extending grace and love to people with disabilities, inviting them into our lives and especially, into our places of worship.

"According to Psalm 127:3, “Children are a heritage from the Lord.” Oftentimes, parents of children who have special needs experience a unique joy and perspective that other parents may never encounter. On today’s classic edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson interviews Emily Colson and her dad, the late Chuck Colson, about Emily’s son, Max, who has autism and also You have heard it said that the Lord works in mysterious ways. On today’s classic edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson concludes his heartwarming conversation with Emily Colson and her dad, the late Chuck Colson, about her extraordinary life with her autistic son, Max. Never underestimate the power of God to answer your prayers in the most unorthodox ways. Luke 18:17 says, “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

Emily Colson describes the struggles, the joys, and the grace of God she's experienced in raising her son, Max, who has severe autism. She challenges cultural assumptions that special needs kids aren't valuable and encourages churches to help special needs families in their communities. 

Julie Hornok discusses the tendencies of someone who has been diagnosed, dealing with grief and feelings of disappointment as a parent, and eventually realizing the hope that is found in Christ’s purpose for you and your child. Julie encourages parents to seek support for both themselves and their children, surrender their plans for their family, and believe that God has given their child a beautiful purpose

Describing how his world was turned upside down when his son was diagnosed with severe autism, Jason Hague talks about living with a broken heart and seemingly unanswered prayer, and shares lessons he's learned about the challenges and joys of parenting a special needs child while relying on God for strength and hope.

Karla Akins discusses the joys and challenges she's experienced in raising twin sons with autism, offering hope and encouragement to parents of autistic children.

Sandra Peoples paints a picture of what life looks like for many special needs families and how the church can better reach out and minister to these families.

Raising a child with special needs has many challenges. Jolene Philo will help you discover how to use Love Languages to express love to your child with special needs, as well as their siblings and your spouse! It’s a terrific conversation you won’t want to miss.

Inside Out: Autism: Be Aware Martha Manikas-Foster One in every 64 American children today fall on the autism spectrum. The Centers for Disease Control has noted an increase in the diagnosis, as well as the need for a coordinated national response to improve the lives of people with autism. Karla Akins is doing her part to enrich the lives of children with autism and their families. Karla’s the mother of five, including twin sons she and her husband adopted right from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. As Isaiah and Isaac grew they were diagnosed with fetal alcohol disorder, developmental delays, and autism. Karla knows autism, and the isolation, confusion--and the faith and reward--involved in parenting autistic children. She shares these in her new book “A Pair of Miracles: A Story of Autism, Faith, and Determined Parenting.” She also shares some of her insights in this Inside Out podcast of our conversation. “We could not have taken this journey and believed that God was up to something good without His grace. And that’s something I live by,” she says. “And I’ve learned how outrageous His love is for us. That He had a plan for my boys and loves them more than I love them really helped me.” In this conversation, she outlines the church program she developed to help include autistic children in the life of the congregation.“You’re not forgotten. I know that it feels like you’re forgotten, but I promise you, you’re not forgotten,” she says. “Always, always know that God loves your child more than you love your child, that God’s always up to something good, and He has a plan for your child just as He has a plan for you.” Connect with Karla’s blog. Inside out is created, produced, and broadcasted by the family life network a friend you can turn to 

Having a special needs child can be challenging for parents, both in terms of raising the child and how the public interacts with their kid. Christian Counselor Chris Anderson talks with Teresa Yeager, the mother of a boy with severe autism, to get some insight and advice.

Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Rochester, New York’s Jason McElwain. 14 years ago the kid known as “J-Mac” made sports history by scoring 20 points in the final four minutes of a high school basketball game. But that’s just the beginning of his story.

Today’s “Hometown Hero” is Andrew Bennett from Clarence, New York.  He’s changing lives by placing “at-risk” kids on farms.

This week’s Hometown Hero is Theo Braddy of Lower Paxton Township, PA. He’s a quadriplegic since a football accident at age 15, a long-time advocate for the disabled in central Pennsylvania, and newly-appointed to the president’s National Council on Disability.

The UN describes people living with disabilities as the world’s largest minority group. A billion of us live with some sort of disability and are up to twice as likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people. For Caroline Casey, the founder and creator of the Valuable 500, this was a challenge. She calls herself a troublemaker and as such she has persuaded the CEO's of more than 500 of the world's biggest companies to personally sign a declaration to end disability exclusion in the workplace. Tamasin Ford meets Caroline and hears her story and what motivates her. We also hear from disabled Ugandan worker Naome Akwee, Sam Latif from London and executives from some of the Valuable 500 including Santen, a Japanese pharmaceutical company and Ernst and Young.

Produced by Tom Kavanagh and Clare Williamson.

(Image: Caroline Casey; Credit:The Valuable 500)