S5: Episode 155 - Chatting with a Kentucky mom who decided to create a solution for adults with disabilities who have no options due to aging out
Living the Sky Life - Our Autism JourneyShow Notes
Karen South has worked in healthcare her entire life, starting with her first job in the kitchen of a nursing home at age 15 to being a dental tech while she was serving in the Navy, to being an EMT, nursing assistant and a radiation therapist. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, she worked many years with teenagers that were in state's custody living in a residential facility. She says all of these roles prepared her for her favorite role, which is being a mom to 4 children. Now that her children are adults, she spends most of her time caring for her 23 year old son, David who has Autism and is unable to live independently. He requires a great deal of support and 24/7 supervision. As David was preparing to age out of public school, Karen realized the lack of resources that are available for adults living with Autism or other disabilities. This realization prompted Karen to go back to school to become a therapeutic, adaptive fitness instructor and start a company called the Learning Curve of Kentucky. Her new company strives to provide individuals of all abilities with the support, training, encouragement and opportunities they need to have fulfilling careers, hobbies and social activities. Connect with Karen on FB: @TheLearningCurveofKY To purchase tickets for the 9/23/23 Autism Conference with keynote speaker Temple Grandin email Karen at: [email protected]
More from Living the Sky Life - Our Autism Journey
Pam Blanton, Founder and CEO of Partners4Housing, established the organization to create a better pathway for families of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) to develop Shared Living solutions and identify compatible roommates. She brings 35 years of experience in special needs housing and possesses extensive expertise in navigating critical public benefits and housing resources, including SSI, SSDI, Medicaid-funded personal care services, state residential supports, supported employment income, and Section 8 housing subsidies. Pam is a recognized leader in her field and has been honored for her longstanding commitment to expanding housing opportunities for people with disabilities, including receiving the Friend of Housing Award (2007) and the Margaret M. Sevy Lifetime Achievement Award (2025). Visit the Partners4Housing website: https://partners4housing.com ***************************************** To purchase my books "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" or "Selling Vegetables to Drunks" click HERE or visit Amazon.com! You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website lauriehellmann.com for all the links. I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!
Karen is the mother and guardian of Eric, the Big Dude. He is a 52 year old gentleman who is nonverbal, profoundly autistic, and 6 feet, 5 inches tall. He was diagnosed as autistic in 1977. Karen has been a registered nurse for over 50 years. She has worked in many areas of nursing, including hospital administration, clinical practice, and higher education. Her undergraduate and graduate programs in nursing emphasized the role of the nurse as a patient advocate. Her doctoral program included an emphasis on leadership in organizations. Those skills have helped her advocate for Eric, related to his diagnosis and education as a child and a teen and, in his adult years, for his quality residential care. Since 1990, Karen also used her advocacy skills and nursing knowledge as a volunteer panel member for the Human Rights Authority of the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission. Panel members investigate potential violations of the rights of elderly, disabled, and mentally ill persons by schools, health care organizations, other service organizations, and jails/prisons. She has provided expert testimony on the needs of developmentally disabled persons and the financial implications of quality care in Illinois to committees of the Illinois General Assembly, hearings by legislators and state agencies, and in federal court as a member of a class action lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Human Services. *********************************************************** To purchase my books "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" or "Selling Vegetables to Drunks" click HERE or visit Amazon.com! You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website lauriehellmann.com for all the links. I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!
I was so thrilled to sit down for another discussion with my friends the Turnings - who many of you know as the hearts and voices of the social media account 'Bacon & Juiceboxes.' It's been a few years since they were on my show so we had plenty to catch up on regarding all things parenting autism ... navigating adulthood with our sons, Spelling to Communicate (S2C), bridging the gap between first responders and special needs families, financial planning and more! Although we could've talked & laughed for many more hours, I know most listeners prefer short episodes, so I've broken our almost 2 hour recording into 2 parts. ***************************************** To purchase my books "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" or "Selling Vegetables to Drunks" click HERE or visit Amazon.com! You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website lauriehellmann.com for all the links. I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!
I was so thrilled to sit down for another discussion with my friends the Turnings - who many of you know as the hearts and voices of the social media account 'Bacon & Juiceboxes.' It's been a few years since they were on my show so we had plenty to catch up on regarding all things parenting autism ... navigating adulthood with our sons, Spelling to Communicate (S2C), bridging the gap between first responders and special needs families, financial planning and more! Although we could've talked & laughed for many more hours, I know most listeners prefer short episodes, so I've broken our almost 2 hour recording into 2 parts. ***************************************** To purchase my books "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" or "Selling Vegetables to Drunks" click HERE or visit Amazon.com! You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website lauriehellmann.com for all the links. I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!
Mother's Day can amplify comparison. Let's try to release the idea of what motherhood 'should' look like and embrace our version of motherhood as valid, meaningful and enough! Similarly, caregiving often forces us into a place where control is an illusion. Faith becomes less about having answers and more about trusting without them. Remember... faith isn't always loud- it's often just choosing to keep going! ***************************************** To purchase my books "Welcome to My Life – A Personal Parenting Journey Through Autism" or "Selling Vegetables to Drunks" click HERE or visit Amazon.com! You can easily stay connected to the Living the Sky Life podcast and me in various ways. Please visit my website lauriehellmann.com for all the links. I'd love to hear what you think, so if listening on the Apple platform, please leave a written review and rating of the podcast! If you are interested in being a guest on an episode of Living the Sky Life, please contact me!