Mental Health and Disabilities with Ann Monson-Slagle

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Today’s topic is all about mental health during COVID. The majority of the world is struggling right now, especially the disabled community. I’m grateful to have an expert in this field to discuss ways we can cope. My guest is Ann Monson-Slagle.  

Ann studied Psychology and Spanish at Azusa Pacific University and received her Masters in Counseling Psychology from the University of Saint Thomas in Minneapolis, MN. She worked in social services providing mental health rehabilitation to disadvantaged and dual-disorder communities and later provided counseling services at Santa Fe College in Gainesville, FL, where she now teaches Psychology. 

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Happy New Year!

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Happy New Year, everyone! After a two-week holiday break, I wanted to start off 2021 with a bang. What better way than to have a prominent state figure and servant leader in my hometown. 

Brian Colón is the New Mexico State Auditor and he came on to discuss his background in politics, his relationship to the disability community, and what his office is doing to help New Mexicans with disabilities for the first time.

Brian Colón was elected State Auditor of New Mexico in November 2018 with decisive wins during both the primary and general elections. As State Auditor, Brian is committed to bringing awareness to the important work of the office that uncovers fraud, waste, and abuse in agencies and entities statewide.

The first in his family to go to college, Brian received his Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from New Mexico State University and later earned his law degree from the University of New Mexico School of Law. He has practiced law since 2001, but his top priority has always been one of service and a desire to give back to his community.

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Crohn’s Disease with Kaylin Morford

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Did you know the beginning of December is Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week? Crohn’s Disease is a disability that does not get as much emphasis because it is an invisible disability.

This week I have another APU alumnus, Kaylin Morford. At seven years old, Kaylin Morford was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She has now lived this disease for the past 18 years seeing countless hospital beds, medications, and operation rooms. Despite the ups and downs of being chronically ill, she finds great purpose and joy in sharing her story of living with a chronic illness and invisible disability. 

During her time as an undergraduate student, she was the co-president and co-founder of Azusa Pacific University’s (APU) club, STRONG, an on-campus support group for students with disabilities to find support, understanding, and advocacy for more resources on campus. Now working in the Accessibility and Disability Resources office at APU, she is gifted with the opportunity to continue advocating for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities on the campus. 

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Disability Self-Advocacy with Kristen Manifold

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After a week-long break, I’m back! Happy December! This past Thursday was International Day for Persons with Disabilities. I discuss an “interesting” conversation I had on social media and then interview Kristen Manifold about self-advocacy.

Kristen lives in Columbus, Ohio, and is a graduate of The Ohio State University. Like me, she has cerebral palsy and is a disability advocate in her community. She was a joy to talk to and I hope you enjoy our convo!

You can follow her on social media:
FB: https://www.facebook.com/Cheer4life11
Twitter: @kristenmanifold

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Lego Church Project with John Kraemer

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Legos and Churches…what? Today I have John Kraemer who builds churches out of Legos!
Continuing my series of Catholicism for the month, John is a Catholic out of Saginaw, Michigan, and has been building his annual “Lego Church Project” for over twenty years. With a focus on disability awareness. John and I share the same disability, cerebral palsy and it was such a joy to chat with him about his ministry. Hope you all enjoy it!

Follow him at:


Twitter: @Kc8wzm
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LegoChurchProject
https://prayingbricks.blogspot.com/

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Liturgical Design with Ken Griesemer

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Did you know that religious institution are completely exempt from Title III of the ADA? In this week’s episode, I talk with Ken Griesemer. Ken is a liturgical design consultant and has a passion for making all religious entities accessible for individuals with disabilities. What a cool job he has! Enjoy!

Ken Griesemer has worked as a liturgical designer and consultant around the country since 1985 and established his liturgical design consulting firm in 1999. Between 1991 and 1993, Ken completed studies at the Institute for Liturgical Consultants at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL. He has been an associate board member of the Southwest Liturgical Conference since 2002, and is a founding member and past president of the Association of Consultants for Liturgical Space (ACLS). Ken has been active in the ministry of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) since 1984, and currently serves his Albuquerque, NM, parish as a member of the RCIA team and liturgical MC. He has been a member of the Liturgical Commission of the Archdiocese of Santa Fe since 1997.

Ken can be reached at STFstudio@att.net

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Bipolar and YouTube with Lizzie Reezay

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This is week 2 of 5 of my Catholic/disability-themed month. Today I am talking about bipolar with YouTuber, Lizzie Reezay. Lizzie has a successful (200k subscriber) YouTube channel where she discusses her journey with bipolar and Catholicism. She also shares tips on how to start a YouTube channel! Hope you like it!

You can connect with her on the following social media platforms:

Twitter: @LizzieReezay
IG: @LizzieReezay
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/LizziesAnswers/

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Cerebral Palsy Talk with Frank Kane

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Check out the theme for this month at the beginning of the podcast!

My guest today is Frank Kane. Born in New Jersey and raised in Denver, he is a conjunction of inherited New York humor and a more free-spirited Colorado demeanor. Frank has a degree in political science and English at Rockhurst University in KCMO. After formative stints as a Catholic seminarian and confounding a Denver Cerebral Palsy social group, Frank received a full-ride scholarship to ASU’s Cronkite graduate school of journalism and thereafter held Congressional internships and jobs in the hospitality industry. 

He is currently a freelance writer and researcher for Andiron Group and serves as a community outreach and business development rep for a Denver construction company. He loves all things literary and film and remains active in virtual adaptive cycling. He can also be seen regularly working out at 24 Hour Fitness, where his Cerebral Palsy gait reliably makes him a chick magnet and easy to spot. 

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OT Talk with Reilly Cosgrove

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Throughout my life, I’ve seen countless doctors and therapists, but I have never seen an Occupational Therapist. In this episode, I have a conversation with Reilly Cosgrove. She is an OT student in her third year at Creighton University. She is interested in working with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and neurological injuries. She also is a firm believer that OT stands for Occupational Therapy and not Old Testament. Enjoy!

Follow her @reillycosgrove

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Down Syndrome Awareness Month

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October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. In this episode, I talk about Down Syndrome and Best Buddies and how the organization helps support individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities. In my interview, I have Whitney Michielssen. She is the Jobs Program Supervisor for Best Buddies in Orlando. We talk in-depth about Best Buddies and the important work they do for the disability community. Enjoy!

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offthecrutch@gmail.com