This week we have a special WOA edition you won’t want to miss. With part of the WOA team on vacation, we couldn’t think of a better host to take the lead and the mic than Matt “the Man” Moore! Matt hits us with life updates and takes us back to his personal favorite episode with WOA, Season 2 Episode 6 with Tennessee’s Department of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Commissioner Brad Turner. This episode shares information on the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities and Turner’s personal journey to Commissioner. Join us in hearing from Brad Turner and don’t forget …

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Ever wonder what a parent’s experience is with Early Intervention? In this week’s episode of Waves of Awareness, you find out what that process is like with special guest Chelsey Herron! We are also joined by Waves Early Learning Interventionists Jen Choate and Kate Harris, as well as WOA regulars Christy Webb and Staci Davis. Christy and Staci come fully equipped with questions and allow Chelsey, Kate, and Jen to educate us on what Early Intervention truly entails. As a parent of a daughter with Down Syndrome, Chelsey shares what her journey has been like and how having Waves Early …

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This week is a special episode for Waves of Awareness as we invite Diane Giddens to share her history with Waves. Diane’s brother Jimmy Dean started receiving services from Waves in the 1980s. Before Jimmy passed away he was a force to be reckoned with, both with Waves and in his community. Beth also returns this episode and shares her own memories with Jimmy, having connected with him through Waves and gone through rehabilitation together. Diane reflects on how Waves allowed Jimmy to exceed expectations and foster connections. With Waves providing support, Diane remembers how her mother was able to …

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This week our hosts Trent, Gina, Matt and Christy welcome a special guest! Jim Littlefield is a fellow podcast connoisseur who most recently welcomed our Early Learning Program Director Gina Wilson on his own show. This time he’s the one answering questions, as he dives into how being the parent of a child with special needs has shaped not only his home life but inspired his career focus today. Having a daughter born 1.5 pounds placed Jim and his wife in the world of Early Intervention and the support network that comes with that. Jim leads the @seeingabilitypodcast on Spotify …

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This week we welcome Hannah Rose to Waves of Awareness! It’s a full house on WOA this episode as Hannah speaks with Misty Bowker, the Program Manager for the Waves Residential and Day Services at Fairview. As well as our OG Matt the Man Moore and Marci Cohen, the Adult Service Director at Waves. WOA has the honor of being Hannah’s first experience behind the mic as she makes moves towards her goal of being on the radio one day! Listen in as the crew chats about Hannah’s love of the band KISS, Disney movies, and her time with the …

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Waves Early Learning Program isn’t the only program providing services to children 5 and younger with developmental delays and disabilities. There are a lot of really great organizations providing a myriad of services and The Children’s Center for Communication and Development at USM is one that deserves a highlight. Trent, Matt “the Man” Moore, Gina, and Staci talk to Sarah Myers, the Executive Director of The Children’s Center. Sarah shares her background and experience of working with children through speech-language pathology and all the services available at The Children’s Center. She also briefly describes how TCC is nestled in The …

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Vision therapy? We aren’t making things up! This is a service available through Waves Early Learning Services and we have Cara DeLap, Vision Specialist, on the mic to share what it is! Listen along as Trent and Matt learn more about vision therapy at Waves with Cara and Gina. As a newer service offering, a lot of questions are answered about how children with low vision or vision loss are supported through intervention. Cara shares signs that parents can look for in their child, and how to talk to a pediatrician about concerns over a child’s vision. While every child …

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Backlight Productions returns for another episode to share even more of their programs. This week is all about dance. Listen along as Matt, Trent, and Chris talk to Elise Horecka with Backlight Productions. Elise shares the history of Backlight as well as the journey that brought her to Backlight as a dance coach. Matt is currently in the dance class that is scheduled to compete later in April. Elise also shares about the many other classes available at Backlight that includes singing, theatre, playwriting, dance, stage production, and more.  Links mentioned in this episode: Backlight Dance: https://backlightproductions.org/ A Dream Come …

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WORLD DOWN SYNDROME DAY! March 21 is a pretty special day and we are here to celebrate! It’s World Down Syndrome Day and we have Eric Wilson, Matt “the Man” Moore, Norris, Gina, and Trent at the table to talk about it. The group talks about what 3.21 means and why today is the day chosen for WDSD. The guys talk about their goals in life and get into their superpowers. Gina shares how the world is different for people with Down syndrome in comparison to 30+ years ago when Eric was born. She also shares some great information about …

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WOA, we’re turning 50! This year is Waves’ 50th Anniversary and we are here to tell you all about it. Join Trent (Spread the Positive), Matt “The Man” Moore, Beth Hughes, and Lance Jordan (Executive Director) as they talk about the festivities planned for the 50th Anniversary and how the organization has changed over the past 5 decades. Matt has been active in Backlight Productions with their dance team, while Beth really enjoys tuning into their masterclasses available online through Waves. You can learn more about Backlight Productions here: https://backlightproductions.org/ This podcast is made possible through partnerships with Spread the …

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