Let's Talk: Living with a Learning Disability
"Let's Talk: Living with a Learning Disability" is a vital conversation that aims to create awareness and understanding around the challenges and experiences of individuals with learning disabilities. This topic encourages open dialogue, education, and support for those living with learning disabilities and their families. It focuses on promoting inclusivity, advocating for accessible education and resources, and fostering a more empathetic and accepting society for all.
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What happens when a learning disability becomes a launchpad for a life of advocacy and inspiration? Just ask Michelle Steiner, our special guest for this episode, who shares her journey of living with dyscalculia, a learning disability that affects numerical and mathematical skills. Despite her early diagnosis and subsequent battles with academic challenges and bullying, Michelle emerged victorious, using her experience to inspire and educate others about understanding and accepting their unique abilities.
Imagine viewing your disability the way a flower blooms - slowly, beautifully, and inevitably. That's exactly the metaphor Michelle uses to describe her experience with dyscalculia. As an accomplished writer, educator, and artist, she combines her love for photography and writing into her advocacy work, using her pieces to highlight nuances often overlooked by others. She also shares her advice for adults who have recently been diagnosed with a disability, emphasizing the power of focusing on abilities rather than limitations.
Our conversation doesn't stop there. We tackle the often-overlooked impact of trauma on children with learning disabilities, especially amid the unprecedented challenge of COVID-19. Michelle underscores the importance of addressing these children's trauma before they can begin to learn, drawing from her own experiences of working with parents and students during the pandemic. Her insights on the vitality of physical interactions and ways to support educators and students in these difficult times are invaluable for anyone seeking to understand and support those living with learning disabilities.
--------- EPISODE CHAPTERS ---------
(0:00:52) - Living With a Learning Disability
(0:15:27) - Photography, Disability, and Parenting
(0:27:25) - Trauma and Learning Challenges in Children
(0:32:42) - Supporting Parents and Educators During COVID-19
Connect w/ Michelle: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100013356902200
https://www.instagram.com/steiner7250/
Get the Book: https://www.amazon.com/Rediscovering-Your-Story-Expressions-gratitude/dp/B0C4N7W3CQ
Michelle Steiner
Disability Writer
Michelle Steiner is a disability, writer, advocate, and para educator. She published articles on The Mighty, Non-Verbal Learning Project, Dyscalculia Blog, The Reluctant Spoonie, Imagine the World as One Magazine and Word Gathering. Recently she began a blog called Michelle’s Mission. Her photographs were featured in Word Gathering and Independent and Work Ready. She works as a paraeducator in a school with students with disabilities. She lives in The United States with her husband and two cats.
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