 |
The Shining Beautiful Series PodcastAuthor: The Shining Beautiful Series
Listen to this podcast and discover the power of "Shining Beautiful" in life and in your community. Mikelle is perhaps the only non-verbal podcaster in the world. How does she do it? With technology. Meet Mikelle, who experiences cerebral palsy, her mother, Katherine Carol, and Gretchen Storm, speech therapist, and assistive technology guru. Together they talk about everyday life with a disability, how technology empowers people with disabilities to own their lives. This sassy team of coffee drinking techies interview technology and rehabilitation experts as they sit around the kitchen table at Mikelle's home. Language: en Genres: Education, Kids & Family Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
Listen Now...
Still Working: Customized Employment in a Time of Change with Cary Griffin
Episode 160
Wednesday, 14 January, 2026
There's a particular kind of laughter that shows up when people have lived through enough systems change to know two things at once: that the work matters deeply—and that taking ourselves too seriously won't get us very far. That spirit framed our recent conversation with Cary Griffin, a longtime leader and truth-teller in the field of customized employment. We came together to talk about what's shifting at the federal level, what those changes mean on the ground, and how individuals with disabilities and families can continue shaping meaningful employment journeys in an increasingly uncertain environment. The headlines can feel heavy. Policy priorities change. Funding structures wobble. Programs are renamed, restructured, or reduced. Families and self-advocates are often left translating vague language into very real, very personal decisions. And yet—this conversation wasn't rooted in fear. It was rooted in perspective. Cary reminded us that customized employment was never about fitting people into tidy systems. It has always been about creativity, alignment, relationships, and listening deeply—to individuals, to businesses, and to communities. Those fundamentals don't disappear when administrations change. In many ways, they become even more important. We talked about what it looks like to: Stay grounded when policy signals are confusing or discouraging Reframe employment as an evolving and meaningful journey rather than a fixed outcome Help individuals and families focus on strengths, contributions, and relationships instead of program limitations Keep joy, humor, and humanity at the center of serious work There was laughter—real, unfiltered laughter—because sometimes humor is how we tell the truth gently enough to hear it ourselves.
