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Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast

Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast

Auteur(s): Hope on the Hard Road
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À propos de cet audio

 For a family raising a child with special needs, life can be difficult. There are many storms to weather and struggles to address, and we often feel isolated and alone due to the nature of our circumstances. Families have a need to connect and find resources, a need to be encouraged, and a need for hope as we walk down what can be a very hard road at times. Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast was created for this purpose. Our vision is to grow a thriving community, where families with children of all ages with special needs can feel connected, be encouraged, and find hope for the road ahead.Copyright 2020 All rights reserved. Christianisme Pastorale et évangélisme Spiritualité
Épisodes
  • “The Spellers Method” with Dawnmarie Gaivin

    “The Spellers Method” with Dawnmarie Gaivin
    Dec 1 2025
    Spellers Series: “The Spellers Method” with Dawnmarie Gaivin Dawnmarie Gaivin, is the cofounder of Spellers MethodTM and the Executive Director of Spellers Freedom Foundation. A former trauma and transplant nurse who spent more than a decade working in prestigious teaching hospitals in Boston and San Francisco, when she became a mother in 2003, her life took an unexpected turn. By 2006, both of her children had been diagnosed with nonspeaking autism. Driven by an unwavering commitment to help her boys find their voices, Dawnmarie transformed her career. She became an assistive technology specialist and a DIR/Floortime® provider, ultimately founding Spellers Center - San Diego in 2017 and co-founding the revolutionary Spellers Method. Featured in the SPELLERS documentary, her impact has rippled far beyond her own family. Let’s listen in as Dawnmarie shares her story. Bio: Dawnmarie Gaivin, RN, AT-ACP, is a former trauma and transplant nurse who spent more than a decade working in prestigious teaching hospitals in Boston and San Francisco. When she became a mother in 2003, her life took an unexpected turn - by 2006, both of her children had been diagnosed with nonspeaking autism. Driven by an unwavering commitment to help her boys find their voices, Dawnmarie transformed her career. She became an assistive technology specialist and a DIR/Floortime® provider, ultimately founding Spellers Center - San Diego in 2017 and co-founding the revolutionary Spellers MethodTM. Her impact rippled far beyond her own family. In March 2021, speller Jamison Handley and his father JB chronicled their transformative journey with Dawnmarie in their book Underestimated, revealing how spelling opened entirely new pathways to communication. The movement continued to gain momentum. In 2023, the documentary SPELLERS was released, powerfully demonstrating how spelling and typing as AAC methodologies have liberated countless nonspeakers from lives of silence. This was followed in 2024 by Underestimated.tv, which illuminated more profound journeys of nonspeakers after they gained access to open communication. Today, as Executive Director of Spellers Freedom Foundation - a 501(c)(3) public charity - Dawnmarie has expanded her reach far beyond San Diego. The foundation empowers every speller to flourish through access to communication, community-building, and scholarships. She remains equally passionate about ensuring students with alternative communication needs receive age-appropriate curriculum throughout their lifespans, a commitment that has inspired her to pursue a master's degree in educational leadership. What drives her is a life mission that’s as clear as it is urgent: to dismantle the long-rooted paradigms that prevent nonspeakers from living their fullest, most inclusive lives possible - not just in one community, but everywhere. You can learn more about her work at www.spellers.com and www.spellersfreedomfoundation.org. dawnmarie@spellers.com www.spellersfreedomfoundation.org https://www.spellersfreedomfoundation.org/how-to-help www.spellers.com www.underestimated.tv Instagram: @spellers_freedomfoundation @spellers__ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spellerscommunity/ https://www.facebook.com/spellersfreedomfoundation https://www.facebook.com/spellersrev The Spellers Guidebook on Amazon: https://a.co/d/2m3pcXf Underestimated on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iWOZQZg Spellers the Movie: https://www.spellersfreedomfoundation.org/spellers-the-movie For a family raising a child with special needs, life can be difficult. There are many storms to weather and struggles to address, and we often feel isolated and alone due to the nature of our circumstances. Families have a need to connect and find resources, a need to be encouraged, and a need for hope as we walk down what can be a very hard road at times. Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast was created for this purpose. Our vision is to grow a thriving community, where families with children of all ages with special needs can feel connected, be encouraged, and find hope for the road ahead. Connect with Us: If you enjoy this podcast please share us with others and be sure to follow us so won’t miss an episode. We’d love to hear from you so please leave us a comment or rating and connect with us on social media or on our website. Email us: info@hopeonthehardroad.org Website: https://hopeonthehardroad.org/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeonthehardroad/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeonthehardroad/ Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2621447987943459 Free Youtube Resource Library: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsSAfvTkSy87X-fEqtVR2qvo7w9UQBuxz
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    39 min
  • “Finding Their Voice: A Family’s Journey with Spelling” with J Brad and Paulette Britton

    “Finding Their Voice: A Family’s Journey with Spelling” with J Brad and Paulette Britton
    Nov 17 2025

    Spellers Series:

    “Finding Their Voice: A Family’s Journey with Spelling” with J Brad and Paulette Britton

    Today we continue our Spellers Series and are joined by Paulette and J Brad Britton. Paulette and J Brad have a 24-year-old autistic son with apraxia, named Sam. For years, his intelligence and humor were missed. That changed when he began using spelled communication to share his thoughts.

    Paulette has spent years connecting cutting-edge autism research with the families who need it. J Brad, a leadership mentor and business executive, brings a father’s honest reflection to the conversation. He talks openly about what it means to lead, learn, and show up when your child’s needs don’t follow the rulebook.

    Together, Paulette and J Brad have become thoughtful voices on “presuming competence”, advocating with compassion, and holding on to hope on the hard road.

    Their story is featured in the upcoming book Real Words with Sam, which includes Sam’s own writing—his ideas, his humor, his voice. Let’s Listen in as we hear Paulette and J Brad’s Story

    Bio:

    Paulette and J Brad Britton are the parents of Sam, a 24-year-old autistic man with apraxia. For years, his intelligence and humor were missed. That changed when he began using spelled communication to share his thoughts. Paulette has spent years connecting cutting-edge autism research with the families who need it. J Brad, a leadership mentor and business executive, brings a father’s honest reflection to the conversation. He talks openly about what it means to lead, learn, and show up when your child’s needs don’t follow the rulebook. Together, Paulette and J Brad have become thoughtful voices on presuming competence, advocating with compassion, and holding on to hope on the hard road. Their story is featured in the upcoming book Real Words with Sam, which includes Sam’s own writing—his ideas, his humor, his voice. The book invites readers to see through a different lens and reconsider communication, connection, and belief.

    Insta and Facebook: RealWordsWithSam www.realwordswithsam.com

    jbradbritton@gmail.com

    For a family raising a child with special needs, life can be difficult. There are many storms to weather and struggles to address, and we often feel isolated and alone due to the nature of our circumstances. Families have a need to connect and find resources, a need to be encouraged, and a need for hope as we walk down what can be a very hard road at times. Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast was created for this purpose. Our vision is to grow a thriving community, where families with children of all ages with special needs can feel connected, be encouraged, and find hope for the road ahead.

    Connect with Us:

    If you enjoy this podcast please share us with others and be sure to follow us so won’t miss an episode. We’d love to hear from you so please leave us a comment or rating and connect with us on social media or on our website.

    Email us: info@hopeonthehardroad.org

    Website: https://hopeonthehardroad.org/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeonthehardroad/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeonthehardroad/

    Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2621447987943459

    Free Youtube Resource Library: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsSAfvTkSy87X-fEqtVR2qvo7w9UQBuxz

    Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hope on the Hard Road, Inc. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, medical, or legal advice.
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    43 min
  • “Spelling Adventures and Advocacy” with Kelly and Pamela Schlenz

    “Spelling Adventures and Advocacy” with Kelly and Pamela Schlenz
    Nov 3 2025

    Spellers Series:

    “Spelling Adventures and Advocacy” with Kelly and Pamela Schlenz

    Hey guys, we’re excited you’re joining us for this episode! Today we begin our Spellers Series, highlighting this incredible form of communication. You won’t want to miss this informative and heartwarming series this month!

    Kelly Schlenz is the Executive Director of Idyllwild Pines, a retreat and camp center nestled in the San Jacinto Mountains of Southern California. Along with his wife, Pamela, Kelly has dedicated his life to creating spaces where individuals and families can connect, grow, and find hope.

    Inspired by their daughter, Naiya, who communicates through spelling, the Schlenz family has become passionate advocates for the spelling community. At Idyllwild Pines, Kelly and Pamela host specialized camps for spellers and their families, offering opportunities for connection, inclusion, and empowerment in a beautiful, supportive environment. Their leadership reflects their deep faith, family values, and commitment to building a world where every voice can be heard and celebrated.

    Bio:

    Kelly serves as the Executive Director at Idyllwild Pines Camp and Conference Center, where he brings leadership, vision, and a heart for community. He sees camp ministry as a powerful way to share the hope of Christ, build meaningful relationships, and create space for spiritual growth in the lives of others. Pamela is a devoted homeschool mom of three, passionate about nurturing both faith and education at home. Inspired by their own journey with their 15-year-old minimally speaking daughter, Kelly and Pamela partnered with Autistically Inclined to create Spellers Family Camps—transformative retreats designed to support and empower families of nonspeaking, minimally speaking, and unreliably speaking individuals by providing connection, community, and practical support with multimodal communication. Their mission is rooted in faith, compassion, inclusion and lived experience. When they're not hosting camps or homeschooling, you can find them enjoying mountain life with their three kids, two dogs and tending to their flock of 17 chickens.

    www.idyllwildpines.org

    autisticallyinclined.com

    Instagram:

    @adventureswithnaiyagrace

    @Idyllwildpines

    For a family raising a child with special needs, life can be difficult. There are many storms to weather and struggles to address, and we often feel isolated and alone due to the nature of our circumstances. Families have a need to connect and find resources, a need to be encouraged, and a need for hope as we walk down what can be a very hard road at times. Hope on the Hard Road Special Needs Podcast was created for this purpose. Our vision is to grow a thriving community, where families with children of all ages with special needs can feel connected, be encouraged, and find hope for the road ahead.

    Connect with Us:

    If you enjoy this podcast please share us with others and be sure to follow us so won’t miss an episode. We’d love to hear from you so please leave us a comment or rating and connect with us on social media or on our website.

    Email us: info@hopeonthehardroad.org

    Website: https://hopeonthehardroad.org/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeonthehardroad/

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopeonthehardroad/

    Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2621447987943459

    Free Youtube Resource Library: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsSAfvTkSy87X-fEqtVR2qvo7w9UQBuxz

    Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by guests on this podcast are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Hope on the Hard Road, Inc. This podcast is for informational purposes only and is not intended as professional, medical, or legal advice.
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    38 min
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