156 Creating a Sustainable Future and Community for Adults with Disabilities with Sangeetha Chakrapani

09/11/24 • 29 min

In this episode, we address a crucial and often daunting question for parents of children with disabilities:

How will my child be supported when I am no longer around?

Many of us, as parents, carry the weight of this question, wondering about our children’s future in our absence. Today, my guest Sangeetha Chakrapani offers a powerful and hopeful answer.

Sangeetha is the founder trustee of Together Foundation in Mumbai and co-founder of the Together Community, a residential project for adults with disabilities located in Hosur, Greater Bengaluru. She is also a mother to two autistic adults and two neurotypical adults. With vast experience managing teaching programs, vocational training, and life skills development, Sangeetha brings a wealth of knowledge on how to create thriving, supportive environments for neurodivergent individuals. She is also the author of Autie Tales: Interactive Stories for People with Autism and has earned certifications in integrated education, counseling, and young adults' programs.

Tune in to hear more about:

Building sustainable, supportive living communities for adults with disabilities.

The vision behind the Together Community and how it addresses the needs of both individuals with disabilities and their families.

If you are exploring future care options for your child with disabilities or considering community-based living models, this episode will provide you with insights, hope, and a path forward.

Key Takeaways

Focusing on building a community that ensures care and growth for your child after you are no longer there.

How vocational training and life skills programs create independence and fulfillment for neurodivergent adults.

The importance of parental vision and community collaboration in shaping the future for individuals with disabilities.

You can reach out to Sangeetha at [email protected]

You can find the Together Foundation at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/

And the Together Community at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/group-home/

In this episode, we address a crucial and often daunting question for parents of children with disabilities:

How will my child be supported when I am no longer around?

Many of us, as parents, carry the weight of this question, wondering about our children’s future in our absence. Today, my guest Sangeetha Chakrapani offers a powerful and hopeful answer.

Tune in to hear more about:

Building sustainable, supportive living communities for adults with disabilities.

The vision behind the Together Community and how it addresses the needs of both individuals with disabilities and their families.

If you are exploring future care options for your child with disabilities or considering community-based living models, this episode will provide you with insights, hope, and a path forward.

Key Takeaways

Focusing on building a community that ensures care and growth for your child after you are no longer there.

How vocational training and life skills programs create independence and fulfillment for neurodivergent adults.

The importance of parental vision and community collaboration in shaping the future for individuals with disabilities.

You can reach out to Sangeetha at [email protected]

You can find the Together Foundation at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/

And the Together Community at https://togetherfoundationtrust.org/group-home/

Previous Episode

155 Accessible Academics for students with disabilities with Lisa Mihalich Quinn

If you have struggled with making a neurotypical math curriculum work for your child with disabilities, whether Down Syndrome or Autism or other disabilities that impact their sensory-motor profile,

If you have a child who communicates via AAC, or is an unreliable speaker, or a Speller - perhaps they use RPM or S2C,

you may find that either "regular" Math is not available to your child, or not accessible.

In this episode, Lisa Mihalich Quinn and I have a hard but necessary conversation on the gaps in special ed, and what needs to happen to make academics accessible for ALL STUDENTS!

Lisa has been doing this for years, and is one of the leaders in accessible academics for students with disabilities. She is also a huge advocate for non-speakers who spell / type to communicate.

Key Topics Discussed:

Presuming competence in non-speaking and minimally speaking autistic students

The role of assistive technology in promoting communication and learning

Creating inclusive classrooms through collaboration between parents, educators, and students

Communication for Education training and its impact on global educators

Connect with Lisa: You can learn more about Lisa Mihalich Quinn’s work and the Communication for Education program at https://reacheveryvoice.com

You can find Lisa's Accessible Academics program HERE.

Next Episode

157 Independence, Life Skills or Education for your child with a disability ?

Let's explore the critical balance between life skills, independent living, and education for children with disabilities. The importance of academic learning in building logical and critical thinking, as well as emotional regulation is often ignored or trivialized in the lives of children with a disability. If your school team is focusing on life skills at the expense of education, If you find yourself asking what about independece, what about college, this is the right discussion for you!