Tony Mantor: Why Not Me the World
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental condition that affects millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication, and repetitive behaviors. Although autism is becoming more widely recognized, there is still a lack of understanding and awareness surrounding the condition. As a result, many individuals and families affected by autism struggle to find the support and resources they need. Why Not Me The World podcast aims to bridge that gap by providing valuable information and insights into autism, fostering empathy and understanding, and promoting acceptance and inclusion. Nashville based Music Producer Tony Mantor explores the remarkable impact h...
Haley Graham : A Conversation on Mental Health, Autism, and Finding Your Way
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Psychotherapist Haley Graham shares her journey from pharmacist to mental health advocate after her son's struggle with school led her to found the Bounce Brighter Futures Foundation.
Her personal experience with neurodivergence drives her passion for supporting children, parents, and teachers through therapeutic storytelling and compassionate understanding.
• Founded Bounce Brighter Futures Foundation in 2019, now supporting 90 families weekly with 12 therapists
• Approximately 50% of children seeking support are neurodivergent (autistic or ADHD)
• School attendance difficulties often stem from not belonging in the system rather than just peer bullying
• Cautions against t...
Patrick Kennedy on Autism,Mental Health, Addiction, and Political Change
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Patrick Kennedy shares his journey from Congressman to mental health advocate, revealing how his family history and personal struggles with addiction shaped his mission to transform America's approach to mental health care.
• Passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act by attaching it to the 2008 bank bailout bill
• Advocates for unifying mental health, addiction, and intellectual disability communities around shared needs
• Explains how our healthcare system focuses on "sick care" rather than prevention and community support
• Identifies how isolation and siloed treatment approaches fail those with co-occurring conditio...
Judge Liefman: Breaking the Cycle of Autism and Mental Illness in Criminal Justice
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Judge Steven Leifman shares his remarkable journey from witnessing horrific conditions in a state psychiatric hospital as a teenager to becoming a leading judicial advocate for mental health reform.
His work in Miami-Dade County has transformed how the criminal justice system handles people with mental illness, saving millions of dollars while giving thousands a path to recovery.
• Began his advocacy at 17 when investigating abuse at a state psychiatric hospital where he found an autistic young man being improperly treated as psychotic
• Discovered as a judge that our system has t...
Christine Vester: Humanity Over Handcuffs: Protecting Autistic Lives in Legal Battles
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Christine Vester shares her mission with Humanity Over Handcuffs, a national advocacy movement protecting autistic individuals from being criminalized by the justice system.
Her organization supports families, educates legal professionals, and works toward reforming a system that often treats neurological differences as criminal behavior.
• Autistic behaviors like lack of eye contact, shutdowns, and sensory overload often misinterpreted by police as aggression or defiance
• Families seeking help unexpectedly find themselves battling a legal system unprepared to understand autism
• Courts routinely fail to consider autism as a mitigating factor, treatin...
Carol Nesteikis: Autism and the Justice System
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Carol Nistakis shares her family's painful journey through the justice system after her autistic son was manipulated into illegal activity by a neighbor.
Her decade-long fight for justice led her to cofound D3, an organization helping families navigate the unique challenges autistic individuals face in legal proceedings.
• Began advocating when son was diagnosed at age 2, ensuring proper education and support
• Son functioned at age 10 level but was active in Special Olympics and held a part-time job
• 2012 incident led to 19 felony charges that were eventually reduced to one misdeme...
Areva Martin: How One Mother Became an Everyday Autism Advocate
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CNN contributor and civil rights attorney Areva Martin shares her personal journey of raising an autistic son while becoming a powerful advocate for disability rights and creating systemic change.
• Son Marty's autism diagnosis at age two prompted an intensive learning journey
• Navigated overwhelming and often inaccurate information by applying legal training to seek evidence-based resources
• Witnessed evolution from stigma and "cure" focus to greater acceptance and integration of neurodivergent individuals
• Founded Special Needs Network, California's largest social justice organization for special needs children
• Advocates for reform in criminal j...
Ruth Johnston: Autism and Schizophrenia: A Mother's Fight for Change
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Ruth Johnston shares her harrowing journey as the mother of an autistic son who developed schizophrenia, and how this experience drove her to advocate for Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania following a family tragedy.
• Ruth's son was diagnosed with autism as a teenager, after she had already been homeschooling him for years
• Around age 13, he began showing signs of developing schizophrenia, though it took a decade to recognize the condition
• Current laws prevented intervention despite clear evidence of his deteriorating mental state
• Expert testimony revealed 5-34% of...
Angela Calzone's Vision:Integrating disabilities into the workforce
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Angela Calzone shares how Inroads to Opportunities supports individuals with disabilities through comprehensive programs designed to facilitate meaningful employment.
The organization's business-oriented approach focuses on integration, skills development, and changing employer perceptions about hiring people with both visible and invisible disabilities.
• Inroads to Opportunities serves approximately 400 individuals annually with various disabilities
• School-to-work transition programs allow students to remain until age 21, learning practical skills
• Contract packaging operation provides real-world work experience in assembly and shipping
• Certificate programs include Serv Safe food handling and OSHA forklift training
• On-site job...
Brian Shrader: How Autism is Misunderstood in the Legal System
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Brian Shrader, a criminal defense attorney with experience as both prosecutor and defender, exposes how the justice system profoundly fails people with autism and mental health conditions.
• Autism often leads to escalation during police encounters rather than directly causing criminal behavior
• Mental health training is virtually non-existent for lawyers, judges and prosecutors
• The system lacks procedures and resources for addressing mental health issues beyond addiction
• Mental health diversion programs have extensive waitlists while jails provide no treatment
• First responders frequently misinterpret autism behaviors as drug-related symptoms
• Public defen...
Judge Kim Taylor:A Judge's Journey with Autism
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Judge Kim Taylor shares her journey as a pioneering female judge and mother of a son with autism, revealing how personal experience fueled her advocacy for autism awareness in the criminal justice system.
Her work began after learning about Sidney Templeton, a young man with autism who died in police custody due to officers' lack of understanding about his condition.
• First woman elected as district court judge in Alexander-Iredell-Davie County in 1986
• Created a task force that made autism training mandatory for North Carolina law enforcement
• Developed educational resourc...
