In this week's episode, I am talking to Tim, an avid sports fan and a popular employee at LADD. Currently living on his own, he’s the winner of the Spirit of Independence Award. Tim shares insights into life as a person with cerebral palsy, discussing growing up with a service dog, education with and without the assistance of aides in the classroom, and challenges like moving out for the first time, learning to cope with anxiety, and the significance of speaking up for oneself. This is his story. You can watch a captioned video of the interview on the LADD youtube channel.

In this episode, we meet the remarkable Sis Geier on he eve of her 70th birthday, along with her three brothers, Peter, Rodney, and Jeff. These four siblings are the children of the dynamic community organizer Peggy Geier, who, along with friends and other community leaders, started LADD in 1975 to help people with developmental disabilities live, work, and connect. Fifty years later, LADD continues to break ground for people with disabilities as a powerful force for inclusion and equity in Cincinnati and beyond. They are the force behind new Smart Living smart homes that will change the lives of countless people in the coming years, allowing them, for the first time, to live without round-the-clock in-person care. They are opening the first seniors home for people with developmental disabilities on the LADD campus, and have worked with government, cultural institutions, and academia to improve the lives of people with disabilities. And it all started with Sis and her brothers.

Introducing a new podcast of oral histories and interviews centering people with developmental disabilities in the American Midwest. Produced by Cincinnati-based service organization LADD as part of their 50th anniversary celebrations, this podcast preserves the real stories of real people who share insights on life in institutional settings, progress after the ADA, growing up with a disability, finding independence and dreams for the future.