Family Matters PTIC Podcast · Family Matters Parent Training and Information Center

Using Your Story for Change

·31 min·2 clips

Kimberly tells new families to “breathe” after a diagnosis and focus on the child’s voice.

Family Matters PTIC opens with a clear purpose. It frames the podcast as a way to reach more Illinois families and professionals with information on disability supports, special education advocacy, navigation, and the voice of experience. The show also says its limits plainly. It reminds listeners that it is not a legal service agency and that the conversation should not be taken as legal advice. Kimberly Johnson is welcomed as the guest. She introduces herself as a mom and the president of the board for the Arc of Illinois, while noting that she wears many hats. Her story starts with community. She describes meeting Zabita Pasha, working together at Chicago public schools, and connecting through a Chicagoland autism connection meeting and family resource center training. Those relationships become part of how she learned to move through support systems. The conversation turns to transition. She talks about William’s path through Bridges to Work, the transition program, and community college, and about trying to make sense of what was available. Training becomes a turning point. She describes taking a six- to eight-week parent training course through a family resource center, sometimes more than once, to understand the IEP process and 504s and the wider special education landscape. The PALS program comes up as part of that learning. She connects that training to the value of mentors like Lynn Betts and to the way shared information can become shared advocacy. Safe spaces matter here. She says family resource centers gave her a place to ask questions, get refreshers, and stay connected when she needed help. The interview keeps circling back to community. The two speakers talk about building relationships across experience, so that parents, professionals, and advocates can pool what they know instead of carrying it alone. The episode ends with resources. It points listeners to Kimberly Johnson’s Arc of Illinois bio and to the Community Residential Service Authority while closing on gratitude, continuity, and support for families.

As heard by us

A loose but useful conversation on advocacy basics for Illinois families and professionals.

Family Matters PTIC keeps the focus on practical disability support and special education advocacy, with Kimberly Johnson drawing from life as a parent, her time with Chicago Public Schools, and her role as board president for the Arc of Illinois.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

For when you need a plainspoken route through IEPs, 504s, and transition planning.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Family Matters PTIC Podcast