Xceptional Leaders with Mai Ling Chan & Martyn Sibley

We are joined by Karen Siff Exkorn, bestselling author of The Autism Sourcebook: Everything You Need to Know About Diagnosis, Treatment, Coping, and Healing--from a Mother Whose Child Recovered. Karen shares with us why she wrote the book and how she approached the book-writing process. She also gives some tips and encouragement for someone who wants to write a book, and even talks a bit about the controversial topic of autism recovery.

We are joined on the show today by the multi-talented, young Cassidy Huff. She is a singer/songwriter, musician, and a voiceover artist for Dreamworks and Amazon. Cassidy has a rare disease which has resulted in her undergoing dozens of surgeries, yet this encouraging teenager is constantly giving back to others in the same condition. You don’t want to miss her sharing her inspiring journey on this episode.

Speech-language pathologist, Amanda Charney, is our guest today. Amanda founded Small Steps in Speech, an organization that provides grants to families with children with speech and language disorders who are either not covered or not fully covered by their health insurance. She tells the story of what led to the creation of the nonprofit, shares tips on how to select board members for a nonprofit, and explains the importance of building relationships and partnering with others in your field.

IEP Coach and international speaker, Catherine Whitcher, is our guest today. Catherine is an expert at helping educators and parents create IEPs that fit their specific needs and she teaches others her methods through online and in-person training. She shares with us about building an online brand, challenges with setting pricing for online resources, and reminds us that not everyone in your niche is a potential client. Don’t miss this informative conversation.

Kenny Salvini is our guest today to share about his journey since a skiing accident made him a quadriplegic as a young adult. After a meeting with other individuals with similar disabilities opened his eyes to the importance of community, Salvini took it upon himself to make the same thing happen for others. He founded the Here and Now Project to meet that need for those in the Pacific Northwest and he shares the story with us today on the show.

Entrepreneur, computing technology expert, and universal design advocate, Todd Stabelfeldt, is our guest today. Todd is a C4 quadriplegic who is passionate about discovering new ways for disabled individuals to gain more independence. He shares the story of the accident which caused his spinal cord injury and talks about gaining as much independence as possible through the assistance of technology. Todd is a business owner and in recent years was a keynote presenter at Apple’s WWDC.

Steven Spohn is our guest today and he began his journey in the world of accessible gaming as a gamer with disabilities himself. He’s now an author and the Chief Operations Officer and Community Outreach Director for the AbleGamers Foundation. Steven shares his thoughts on when “gated communities” for gaming are appropriate, advocates for insurance companies to cover gaming as social therapy, and much more in this engaging conversation.

Steve Isaacs joins us today to talk about using gaming in the classroom. He clarifies the difference between gamification and game-based learning, shares his insights as a game design and development teacher, and speaks about his involvement with Minefaire, the #1 Minecraft event in the United States.

Dr. Kathryn Ringland joins Mai Ling to share with us how she used the Autcraft Minecraft server as a research environment to learn first-hand how it was benefitting autistic kids. In addition to sharing what she learned from the research project, Kathryn tells how she is using the data she collected and how others can use it as a resource for similar efforts. She also talks about the recent founding of her own non-profit and gives us 3 tips that we can take action on in our own projects.

Stuart Duncan runs the Minecraft server, Autcraft, and he is with us on the show to share his experiences with us. Autcraft is a Minecraft environment created especially for kids of all ages with autism to play the game in a safe setting. Stuart tells us the origin of the idea for the server, a bit about his background, and the volunteer team he’s put together on the server. He also explains how running Autcraft led to him giving a TEDx Talk and he also talks about his approach to preparing for it.

Blogger and gamer Erin Hawley is our guest today. Erin has muscular dystrophy which can inhibit her gaming so she shares with us her strategy for choosing new game titles, the story of how she began working with Microsoft on an adaptive controller for the Xbox, and the origins of her blog, The Geeky Gimp. She also talks about how she overcame her reservations about hosting an audio podcast.

Abigail David and Erin Nealy are the co-founders and co-executive directors of Bridgeway Academy in Columbus Ohio and they are our guests on today’s episode. Bridgeway is a non-profit educational institution created to serve children with autism and developmental disabilities. Abigail and Erin talk about the secrets to building a successful partnership, delegating and successful division of duties, and the importance of listening to constructive criticism.

Our guest today is television and film actress, Peggy Lane. Peggy is the creator and director of the web TV show, Donna On The Go, which highlights the struggles of a person with disabilities in a comedic way. She talks with Mai Ling about the inspirations for the various issues addressed in the show and where the idea originated from. Peggy also shares three tips for someone who wants to start a similar type of project.

Ifunanya Nweke is our guest today. She is the founder of Jazz Hands for Autism, an organization that works with musicians who are on the autism spectrum to help them hone their skills and find work doing what they love. Ifunanya talks about the origins of the idea for the nonprofit and really shares her heart for the students they’re working with. She also talks about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who share the same vision and the value of constructive feedback from your team and clients.

Our guest this week is outdoor accessibility advocate, Ian Mackay. He founded the nonprofit organization Ian’s Ride which helps bring awareness to the issue of outdoor accessibility and advocates for support services on behalf of those with mobility impairments who still want to experience nature. Ian shares the story of his spinal injury, what he’s done since, and how he lives independently day to day with the assistance of smart home technology.

Our guest this episode is Angela Mahoney, a Special Education teacher, author, and creator of the I Can Work educational curriculum and training program for children and young adults on the autism spectrum. Angela talks with Mai Ling about the importance of starting to build life skills early on and how to equip young people with special needs to choose a career path that is suited to their unique abilities.

Blogger, speaker, author, and world traveler, Martyn Sibley joins Mai Ling on the show today to discuss what it’s like to travel with a disability that requires a wheelchair. Sibley also talks about launching his blog, creating an online space called Disability Horizons for people with disabilities to share their stories, and how he started a company that he exited with a sale to Airbnb.

Children’s book author and motivational speaker, Simon Calcavecchia, is our guest on the show this episode. He tells about the challenges he’s faced as a quadriplegic and how he has turned his attention and energy toward encouraging and inspiring others through his speaking and books. This is a heartfelt and encouraging conversation that you don’t want to miss.

George Braddock joins Mai Ling on this episode to talk about his work designing homes for persons with disabilities in mind. George is the president of Creative Housing Solutions, LLC, an engineering company that uses person-centered planning principles to design and build homes that fit the specific needs of the people who live in them. His passion for the work and the people it benefits shines through in this informative conversation.

Our guest today is blogger and disability advocate, Heather Watkins, a woman of color who wants to remind the world that disabilities also affect minority groups. She is a co-founder of the Divas with Disabilities project and she joins us to share her personal story and give some tips for how you can raise awareness for an issue in your disability niche.