This is the Empowered Caregiver Show.
If you are a caregiver or know someone who is,
this show is meant to uplift you through education and support,
while also lifting up every caregiver's invaluable role in society.
Now, here is the Empowered Caregiver and your host,
Liza Helen Brand.
You are listening to the Empowered Caregiver Show
and I am your host, Liza Helen Brand.
Tonight, I will be talking with Kevin Colin,
Policy Initiatives Advisor at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Services
about Wisconsin's new initiative to combat the caregiver crisis.
Also, since November is National Family Caregiver Month,
I will be talking with my son, Katie and Crute,
who is a college student at Edgewood College
and is part of their cutting-edge program for adults with disabilities.
Tonight, Katie and his fellow students
are going to be sharing their gratitude for the caregivers in their lives.
And then lastly, I will be speaking with Felicia Clayborn,
a board member of the Wisconsin Board for people with developmental disabilities
and she talks about the transportation crisis that impacts
thousands of non-drivers throughout our state.
I am Liza Helen Brand and you're listening to the Empowered Caregiver Show
and joining me now is Kevin Colin from the Policy Initiatives Advisor
at the Wisconsin Department of Services.
Kevin, I am unable to get anybody's last name right, no matter how simple it is.
So, did I get that right? How do you pronounce your last name?
A little off. It's actually Kevin Cochlen.
Cochlen, see? I knew it. Thank you. Thank you for that, Kevin.
And thank you so much for joining me tonight.
I wanted to talk to you about what is going on in the state of Wisconsin
regarding the caregiver crisis.
But before we dig into that, can you just tell me a little bit about your role
at the Department of Health Services?
Yeah, thanks, Liza. I'm really honored to be here with you today.
And to talk about, you know, just a really critical and important issue.
So, my role, I work for it with Department of Health Services.
And, primarily, I do a lot of work in our long-term care space.
So, people that are automatically receiving long-term care in their own homes
or in assisted living in other community placements.
So, I do policy work.
Currently, I'm leading one of our American Rescue Plan Act projects,
which is some funding that we received during the pandemic to help improve
our home and community-based services.
So, we're doing a number of initiatives.
And the one I'm leading is on our workforce.
Well, thank you for the work that you do.
It is so needed. And I can only imagine there's never enough hours
in your day with everything going on.
I wanted to ask you or talk to you tonight about the partnership
that you have with UW-Green Bay to help address the direct care workforce issue.
Can you tell me a little bit more about this program and how people can find more
or learn more about it?
Yeah. So, with our funding that we received through the American Rescue Plan Act,
we, well, first of all, we've been trying for a number of years to really help support
the caregivers in our state and to do a number of different strategies.
And one of the things that we've heard nationally from some national experts
in the field is the importance of having a training program that has built around competency
and it can also be portable and it can lead to career advancements for individuals.
So, we spent about a year really researching and participating in some national workshop programs
to learn more about it and to look at what other states are doing.
And then it came around to the idea of really developing our own caregiver
certified direct care professional position.
So, it was really designed similar to like a certified nursing assistant
kind of on that same level where a person would get this certification
and then every three years get recertified and it would give them standing
and really help elevate the really difficult jobs that they have and to show
that this is a professional position as well.
So, that was kind of the start and we partnered with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
and they were the ones that helped us create the curriculum and it's based on 14 distinct competencies
that we feel are really important for a direct care worker.
Okay, and that's where I was getting a little tripped up you and I were talking before the show started
because UW-Green Bay actually has on their website a Wisconsin caregiver academy.
So, they have many different areas in which they can support direct care workers and caregivers
but this is not, this program is something completely different.
So, I just want to clarify that because I started out confused
and I want to make sure that you know other people if they are interested in this program
know exactly where to go and how it's different.
So, let's just throw that out there so I don't forget later.
If somebody is interested in taking this course, where would they go to learn more?
Yeah, and you know, I think one of the reasons we went with the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay
was because they have had years and years of this experience.
They have the academy, they've done a lot of other work with community-based residential facilities
and other assisted living facility training.
So, that was kind of what our go-to then is to go really work with an expert in this field.
So, to find out more about this program, if you go to www.wiscaregiver
and that's WIS, the word caregiver cdcp.com
and that is the acronym certified direct care professional.
So, wiscaregiver cdcp.com.
Okay, and certified direct care professional.
Tell me what exactly that is because I think that's another area where there's just a lot of confusion.
You know, you hear direct care worker, you hear paid caregiver,
and now we have certified direct care person. Are they all the same person?
Yeah, so it is a direct care worker that has chosen to really elevate their skills,
take this training, become certified, and then that person is also on our registry
because they have to take a competency test to assure that they've met those 14 competencies
that we built it around.
And then it gives them that kind of that standing of I am certified direct care professional
similar to somebody that can say that I'm a certified nursing assistant.
You know, they've gone through training, standardized training,
they show that they are competent in that field.
Okay, and two questions for you.
So, if I am a family caregiver and I am not getting paid,
would I still take this course just for the educational purposes to make myself a better caregiver?
Yes, that's a great question, and we are offering that free to family caregivers as well.
They don't get, you know, they don't get that next part, which is a bonus,
and we're going to be talking about that in a little bit, I think,
but there's an opportunity to get bonuses too with this certification.
But as a family caregiver, they wouldn't be able to receive that perk.
Okay, well, now you spilled the beans, Kevin, you can't say bonus,
and then we'll talk about that bonus later.
What's the bonus? I want to know, what's the bonus?
Yeah, and that's a big part of it.
So, anyone that takes our certified direct care professional certification,
which is a 30-hour online on-demand, so it can be done whenever a person wants to do it,
and they can do it in short modules, they can come back to it.
So, when they complete that, they take a proctored exam, which is,
it's virtual, but it's live, virtual.
And they take that test, if they pass the tests, then they're on the registry.
And if they get a job with a provider who is in the community,
so our home and community-based services, those are providers out there
that are providing services in their home, in people's homes,
in group homes, assisted living in those kinds of places,
they would be eligible to get a $250 sign-on bonus, if they're new.
But if they're an existing employee at one of those providers,
they would also get a stay-on bonus of $250.
And then six months later, they get another $250.
Wonderful. So, I'm asking for a friend of a friend who is, I guess, myself,
because I also, I do some respite care work.
And my question was, because I think this bonus would apply to me,
is how many hours per week after you get the initial $250 bonus,
is there a number of hours, a number of clients?
Is there any requirements to it above and beyond that?
No requirements. So, this could be part-time, it could be full-time,
it could be sort of as needed.
What we do is we validate after six months with that employer
to make sure that they're still working for that employer,
and they get another $250.
If the check comes right to them in the mail, does it go through the provider?
They go to their mailbox and get that check.
Wonderful. Okay. And then, let's see, what else was I going to ask?
So, if I'm understanding this correctly,
you really want the goal for this is to become like a one-stop portal.
Do I have that right for caregivers?
I guess what my question is here is, once individual caregivers go through this course,
how can they make the connection?
Right. So, we have another part of a scope of work
that we were also working with Green Bay on,
and it's called Whisk caregiver connections.
And that is an IT portal that has connects our employers
and our job seekers, those certified direct care professionals
that are coming through.
Wonderful. And I'm going to learn a little more about that.
Once we come back, you're listening to the empowered caregiver show.
And when we come back, we'll learn more about this initiative
to address the caregiver crisis in Wisconsin.
If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.
1-844-967-2789.
You are listening to the empowered caregiver show.
And I am your host, Liza Helen Brandt.
And I am talking with Kevin Cochland,
Policy Initiatives Advisor at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
You are listening to the empowered caregiver show.
And I am your host, Liza Helen Brandt.
And I am talking with Kevin Cochland, Policy Initiatives Advisor
at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
And we are talking about a new initiative that was rolled out
to help combat the caregiver crisis in Wisconsin.
So just a recap here.
There is on Wisconsin caregiver careers website.
There is a course that you can take.
It is 30 hours on demand at your own pace.
Once you complete this course, correct me if I'm wrong on this part, Kevin?
You have to be linked to one of the care providers
in order to get an initial $250 bonus.
Is that correct?
Yeah, a provider that is serving our home and community-based services.
But it could also be someone who self-directs their own care
or a respite care provider as well.
Okay.
And so you take the course, you get a $250 bonus,
and then after six months,
there is an additional $250 bonus.
And I got that.
Correct.
Correct.
And there is really no strings attached to that
as far as how many hours per week you work,
how many people you work with,
just a retention bonus.
Thank you for staying here.
We hope that you're loving it.
And I don't know how you can't love it.
Like I said, I've done some respite work,
and it's always the highlight of my day.
So tonight, we are talking with Kevin Cochland,
the Policy Initiatives Advisor at the Wisconsin Department
of Health and Human Services.
And so I want to ask, Kevin,
many families work with different agencies,
some that come to mind in the Madison area,
are UCP, CLA, Catholic Charities of Madison.
And within those agencies,
there's also different funding sources,
such as Katie Beckett and Iris.
Does taking this course,
in any way, help streamline you
to be able to work with these different agencies
and different funding sources?
Yeah, great question.
And that was one of our main goals,
is to, you know, how do we kind of
knock down barriers for caregivers and for providers
and people that are sort of directing their own care.
So the goal is really to kind of create this universal worker
as a certified direct care professional,
where they can take that skills and work across
different settings, different populations.
It's not a one and done.
You know, people are still going to have to take more training
based on, you know, their job assignments
and the people that they're working with.
But this is really good foundational training.
And then another part of our work that's coming soon
is what we're calling micro credentials
and virtual badging.
And what that will do is we'll be,
if somebody wants to upskill their kind of their resume
and, you know, let's say they want to,
they really like working for older adults with dementia,
they could get additional training in dementia
and then get a micro credential.
So on the registry,
a person would have,
would be a certified direct care professional
and they have a badge as a dementia specialist
or dementia challenging behaviors.
So that would then be recognized on their registry
and also they could be using those virtual badges
in their social media and different ways
on their resumes and things.
And then there was caregiver connections
where they can try to get connected to providers
and different people looking for employees.
So that's wonderful.
I mean, that's really a win, a win, win.
It helps one, give them the education
that they need to be able to do their job well,
but also, you know, I'm assuming
with these badges and credentials,
they can help really make this into a career,
which, if I'm reading between the lines here,
is something that you're working towards.
Does that, can you tell me more about that?
Yeah.
Because I know that,
let's just say that entry-level caregiving,
it doesn't have a great reputation,
although it's one of the most needed positions
out there, especially today.
If you go on any job hiring site,
you see direct care worker, caregiver,
whatever you want to call it,
just pages and pages and pages.
So what's Wisconsin's goal to make this,
to make this a career?
What steps can people take
and how can you advance?
Yeah.
And, you know, I think one of the main goals was,
we really wanted to elevate these positions
and to really show how important they are
to Wisconsinites and the difficult job
and to make sure that they're being recognized.
And actually, one of the listening sessions
that we had with direct care workers,
when we were designing this,
they got to name what this was going to be called,
and they wanted the word professional in it.
So we're really proud of that,
having that certified direct care professional,
because that's, that is,
they are professionals in their work.
But we also heard from them that they are interested
in career advancement.
So we're working right now.
We've worked a couple of different things,
our sister agency,
the division of quality assurance,
that kind of regulates assisted living
and personal care agencies.
We've looked at all of the regulations
that require training,
and we've identified some of those training
that people can be waived from
because they're a certified direct care professional.
So that's kind of,
they talk about latissing,
where people can kind of work across
and that have to be duplicative,
you know, just kind of start from scratch
every time they move to a new job.
And then the other thing is we're trying to do laddering.
So we're working to see if we can ladder
from a certified direct care professional to a CNA.
And in Wisconsin,
if somebody wants to become an RN,
registered nurse,
most providers or most schools
require the person to be a CNA.
So we're also in the high schools looking at
helping kids that are in like youth apprenticeship programs
and HOSA to see that,
you know, as I come in as maybe a freshman even,
I could become a certified direct care professional,
start working, you know,
get my feet in this health care field.
It's something I like.
Maybe I even move on to become a CNA,
even while I'm a senior.
And then, you know,
they're ready to start their RN schooling after that.
So there's lots of,
we're trying to create that sort of those pathways
and to knock down, again,
the barriers as much as possible.
Well, you know, I love that you said the feedback
from the current direct care workers.
Where is their voice in this?
I mean, are they part of this process?
Because again,
I think it's,
it's a position that they feel a little powerless in.
Yet they're given a lot of responsibility.
So where are the,
where are the direct care workers in this,
in this training and,
and you know, quite frankly going forward?
Yeah, so we're,
they are,
they were a big voice in the development of it.
So a lot of things that they suggested we incorporated
as we were developing that curriculum.
And then as we're going moving forward,
are the risk caregiver connections?
We are hoping that can be more than just connecting employers
and employees.
And then really have a website that can support caregivers.
And we've got some ideas on how to,
you know, maybe even keep creating networks of caregivers
to talk to each other,
things like that.
Well, that will be wonderful.
Thank you so much, Kevin.
And please keep me in mind as these things roll out.
If you can shoot me an email or whatnot,
I would love to get it out across the state of Wisconsin.
And do everything, everything that I can to help support
the caregiver crisis.
That would be great.
Maybe have me back next year
because we're going to have the curriculum in Spanish
at that time.
Sounds good, Senior.
You are listening to the Empowered Caregiver Show
and I am your host, Liza Helenbrand.
And last week, if you were with us,
I had a guest that I cut short.
Well, I didn't even cut him short.
I don't think I gave you any time at all.
And that is my awesome, soft son,
Caden Crute.
And Caden is joining me today
because we are on the final days
of National Family Caregiver Month.
And I wanted to use this opportunity
to give some shout outs to the caregivers out there
that are working hard to make sure that their loved ones
are cared for and have everything that they need.
So I reached out to Edgewood College.
So Caden, real quick, can you tell those listening
a little bit about what Edgewood College is?
What do you do at Edgewood College?
Let's start there.
I am a sophomore in Edgewood College
and I go to the cutting edge program
and I'm there for an education degree.
Yes.
So you are in the cutting edge program
which is a program specifically for people with disabilities.
People with disabilities.
Would you recommend it to tell their people?
Yes.
Yes.
You're learning a lot there, aren't you?
How to be independent?
How to work in the school system?
It's been a great fit for you.
So I reached out to some of your student friends,
excuse me, in college, to see if they had anything
that they wanted to share with the caregivers
in their lives, which could be their mom
or their dad or their grandparents
or people that are helping them out along the way.
And I got some responses back.
So we're just going to quickly read through these.
Okay, Caden.
So why don't you start off?
If you want to give just the first name of the student
and what they have to say.
First person is Nadia Veet.
And she said, my family has done a great job
supporting me through everything.
They may always make me laugh and smile.
They were always there if I needed help with my homework.
Oh, that is sweet.
Yeah, wonderful.
Wonderful.
And I'm going to read one from Bryce.
Bryce wrote, during my high school years,
my best friend, Sammy, has been there for me.
She's watched me all through my sports
and I'm like her fifth brother.
Wow, she's got a lot of brothers.
My parents have supported me all the time
from scouts to going to Edgewood College
to all the sports that I'm in.
They have supported my goals and my achievements.
Oh, that is so sweet of Bryce.
Next is Brandon.
What does Brandon have to say?
Brandon, Brandon had to say thank you right at home
for taking me places.
I really love going to the art museum
to the opera and orchestra performances.
Thank you, Casey Sander, my friend for fighting
for social justice.
Thank you to my mother for supporting me all the way.
You always believe in me and support my goals.
Thank you to the cutting edge program for my educational support.
Wow, fabulous, Brandon.
That is fabulous.
He has a lot of gratitude to a lot of people
and that is wonderful.
Excellent.
Jacob had to say,
my mom and dad do a great job motivating me
by getting me through the date.
They give me advice when I might need it.
They give me encouraging words to remind me
to get my homework done and be on time.
Very splendid, Jake.
Very splendid.
Very splendid, Jacob.
Who else is there?
Next up we got Marie.
She said, I would like to say thank you to my mom and dad
for being there throughout all my life
and my mom and dad had taught me how to ride a bike.
And when I was a kid, I also taught me how to take swimming lessons
and help me with swimming.
They also have been teaching me how to cook in the kitchen.
At home, they also taught me how to roast
on a nice, wonderful Marie.
Well, those are some busy, busy parents.
You know what I'm learning here?
Parents do a lot of things.
Don't they, Hayden?
Yes, they do.
And Catherine has to say,
I want to say thank you to my mom for supporting me
and helping me and encouraging me and loving me.
That's all you can ask for, huh?
Who else is there, Hayden?
Next up we got George.
Shout out to my roommate.
One thing that I like to say about my mom is that she's always
made sure that I am on top of things like assignments
and what not because she is a teacher.
And that's her main thing.
Something else that is no matter what's going on
or what I'm going through, I know I can always either text her
or call her or tell her what's going on.
And one thing I like to say about my dad is that he is one
of the people who turned on me to music
and has also helped me introduce me to guitar
because he is a guitar.
Something else that we run in a lot of errands together.
Like, I'm his to-go person for as much as I don't want to go.
I do enjoy it because he runs around in...
So what is he enjoys running around errands with his dad
because he tries to incorporate that wherever,
whenever he goes shopping.
Thank you so much to my parents for all they do.
So, okay.
And it sounds like he's saying he learns a lot from his parents
too, so that's good to George.
He does.
And, you know, if I'm reading between the lines on this one,
I think George likes going and running errands with his dad
because probably his dad is in and out,
and straight to the point,
and doesn't come home with $500 worth of grocery bags, right?
Yep, he's getting prepared for what it's going to be like
when he's older.
Yeah, and if you had to go to the store with mom
or with dad, who would you pick?
Me?
Yeah.
I mean, most of my memories is going with you,
to be honest with you.
That's most of my memories ever since I was eight years old.
Well, yeah, I had to drag you wherever I went you went,
but I'm just saying, and you can answer honestly.
I can handle this.
If you had to go shopping,
who would you rather go with mom or dad?
Well, you because I've done it more with you.
Okay, that is not the answer that I was expecting,
but I'll take it.
I thought you would say dad because one,
dad buys everything at Quick Trip.
If Quick Trip doesn't sell it, dad doesn't need it.
I was thinking more like grocery stores though,
like I find memories of you at grocery stores.
Yes, we spent a lot of time in grocery stores, didn't we?
But let's say, let's read what Tyler had to say.
Yes, Tyler.
Thank you to my mom and dad for taking care of me
and helping me get to Edgewood College.
Thank you for helping me be an independent young man.
Thank you to my brother, Spencer,
for helping me be an independent young man.
Wow, very clever, Tyler, very good.
That is very clever.
And I said to you before we started this,
we have a lot of these, so we have to read fast.
What I didn't know is that you could read so dang fast,
so you can feel free to slow down just a smidge.
Thank you to myself as well.
Yes, and I'm going to read what Jack had to say.
Oh, good old Jack.
We love Jack at Edgewood, don't we?
Shout out to President Jack.
Yeah, President Jack had to say,
my parents have really helped me become the person I am today.
They have not only helped me with my schoolwork,
but they have also helped me present my best self
and be comfortable and be able to enjoy everything this world has to offer.
I feel like they have also been a great source of communication
and I feel like I can go to them with anything I need.
I also feel like I've had a lot of fun memories with them over the years.
I bet you Jack did because they seem like a fun family.
There are another big music family, aren't they?
Oh yeah.
Oh yeah, and what did Tristan have to say?
And he's in the rock.
Tristan, my family has done a lot.
I think that when I was going through a hard time dealing with being in a hospital,
there was a lot of family supporting me.
When I was going through surgeries, I was surrounded by my family and I owe them a lot because of that
because they keep me motivated and push me to be the best that I can be.
Thank you all to my family.
Very, very nice Tristan.
I also remember when you were talking to me about that summer class,
that stuff during class two.
So it's very good that you're supporting your parents because of it too.
So Tristan had to spend some time in the hospital?
Yeah.
Well, that must have been scary for both.
It had to be.
Yeah, everyone involved.
I also want to read what Lily had to say.
Lily said, my dad and my mom take care of me and I really love them.
They drive me around and they help me get the things that I need.
I really like to go on walks with them and we have fun together.
You know what caregivers do?
A lot of driving.
Yes.
A lot of driving.
You and I have spent a lot of time in the car together haven't we?
Yep.
Love it.
I love it though.
It's my time with you.
Definitely.
What does Sarah have to say?
Sarah, my parents have helped me get into the cutting edge program so I can learn how to become an adult.
My parents helped me with me going to the doctor and getting food.
My parents always tell me to try my best and not judge others.
They encourage me to ask for help when needed.
They really love, I really do love my parents so much.
Sometimes they embarrass me but that's okay.
Thanks for everything mom and dad.
Oh, sometimes they embarrass.
You've never been embarrassed by your parents.
Have you?
Please.
It's part of the job.
It's part of the job description.
Okay.
Claire.
Claire says my godfather has been in the army for a long time and he has taught me a lot about the army.
He has motivated me to go to college and is proud of me.
My mom and dad do a great job motivating me by getting me through the day.
They give me advice when I might need it.
They give me encouraging words to remind me to get my homework done on time.
You know what?
Some of that was Jacob's which I think but we already read.
But Jacob's parents probably deserve a double shout out because.
Yeah, double shout out to Jacob's parents.
Yeah.
So who else do we have left here?
Julian, Chris, Jen except the study might.
Oh, Julian, Julian said what I love most about my parents is that they are always there for me when I need them.
When there are tough things that I need to work on, I know that I can always ask them.
I know you don't have this one circled, but what does Kaylin have to say?
Kaylin says I would like to thank my parents for helping me out with my life and getting me through tough times.
My parents are so kind to me and other people.
I would like to thank them for taking me on family vacations and helping me with homework.
Nice shout out from Kaylin and I think we got them.
Yeah, it's saying Christian was willing to join us.
I don't think he's with us right now.
Yes, no, but I am sure that Christian or Christian would want to give a shout out to his kids.
Shout out to Christian too.
Yes, and to him as well.
And to all of the caregivers that support their children through Edgewood,
I think that they are a group of people that are really dedicated to their kids and want them to have the college experience.
Do you have any other final words that you would want to say when it comes to the importance of your parents as your caregivers?
Like my thank yous.
Like your thank yous or let me ask you this, where do you find mom and dad helping you out most as a young man with the disability?
When there's situations that I cannot really handle my self because of disabilities, I think you're there for me.
For example, like those phone calls, I'd say the phone calls and like the security checks, what those kind of stuff or how they have Zoom calls are called.
Okay, so you're talking because you are an adult with the disability, you have a case worker that's part of your, she's considered your iris consultant.
So we have to have monthly calls with her and come up with a with a plan.
And you know, there's probably other parents that are listening that have children with disabilities.
What advice would you give those parents so that they can help their child be the best that they could be?
Sorry, could you repeat the question again?
So there's probably people that are listening that have children with disabilities and I'm just curious what advice you would give those parents so that they could help their children in being the best that they can be.
Well, I would say try to push them to do things, but you also need to remember that they have disabilities as well.
And definitely when they are younger with the whole being protective, it is good, but it's good as they get just a little bit older to be less protective.
Even if it's not quite the age of 18, because then it can make them learn how to be a little bit more independent. If you still feel like you need to be protective of them when they are over 18, that's totally fine too, but just.
Well, you know, I understand and that's great advice, Kate, and I see that sometimes with parents that have children with disabilities that they really want to make sure that they're okay and they kind of handle everything and they don't always necessarily let their children to go out on their own and be independent and spread their wings.
So we just have a few seconds. You want one final thought?
Well, and just any parent in general, that's just parents and having kids in general.
That's just parenting. Parenting 101 from a non-parent, Kate and Krut, thank you so much, buddy for helping me out today.
I love you and I'm glad that you can give a shout out to everyone at Edgewood.
You are listening to the empowered caregiver show and I am your host, Eliza Helen Brandt, and I am joined now by extraordinary self-care advocate, Felicia Clayborn, who is also a board member of the Wisconsin board for people with developmental disabilities.
Welcome, Felicia. Let me warn you, Felicia, that this interview is going to go by extremely fast.
So I just want to ask you a few like speed dating questions, right off as quick as you can so we can get to your advocacy work.
First of all, do you feel comfortable disclosing your disability?
Yes, I have a visual impairment, I am an albino, I have nistagnas, I have tromiscus, I have astigmatism, I also have platyptiitis and both of my foot and also I have intellectual disability.
So I have autism and I have anxiety disorder and depression.
Thank you for sharing that, Felicia, that in and of itself takes a lot of courage and I admire all of the work that you are doing.
I also want to ask you, so you're on board supporting people with disabilities, you present at conferences and if I recall, you also do a podcast. Is all that true?
Yes, that is true.
I have been doing two podcasts. One is under development, but one that I've been doing ever since July of 2019 called Keenahole Connection podcast, which I interview people from the faith base around the world.
And the other one is under development that I've been doing since June of 2023 called Disability Cafe podcast. So it's bringing the African supporters and disability community leaders together to talk about what they do almost what you're doing lies are here.
Yeah, but you've been doing it longer. So I've got a lot to learn from you. Where can people find your podcasts?
Well, they can find Keenahole Connection on Spotify on Google podcast, which maybe now be switching over to YouTube on Amazon music.
So they can always a extra smart speaker, play Keenahole Connection podcast. So in the end also with disability cafe podcast will be on pod bean, Google podcast, Spotify, Apple podcast also.
You're everywhere. You are everywhere. Say, say the first one, I just turned up my microphone, but I didn't catch it. Can you say the first one loud and slow, slow and loud.
Kingdom, hope connections podcast.
Kingdom, hope connections podcast. And that's your faith based podcast. And what do you cover on that?
Mostly various faith based topics. How it that happened back in 2018, I wanted to do podcasting, but then at the time I had financial problems.
So I started to look on the internet to create my radio show and found the platform and asked a lot of people that I were connected to on Facebook and other social media platforms.
And they kindly say yes. And in the rest of this history, we talk about prayer and hope and love and all the good ones that people will love to hear that needs that hope and them darkest hours of their life.
I love it. Thank you for the work that that you do on your podcast. And I can't wait to check it out. But what I really want to give you the these last few minutes for. And like I said, this was going to go super fast is you and I met at an advocacy training put on by family voices of Wisconsin.
And you're there because you are an active advocate around the transportation issue. So I want to give you the rest of the time just to talk about what issues are going on in transportation, especially for those with disabilities, those that don't drive and what you would like to see done.
So the issues that we're having is that a lot of the communities in Wisconsin does not have connecting transportation, especially within the Milwaukee area, Madison, Green Bay, all the surrounding cities that are happening where they can't go beyond the lines of their county to go somewhere.
And so what is very important that we advocate and educate the community to be able to do that and to be able to say we want things to be done.
And we want to see an expansion and a connection. So people that's from Milwaukee can get easily to Green Bay. People that said Madison can be easy to get to Milwaukee. We know we got buses, but we want to do more.
We really want to do more so we can be able not to be depending on family and friends, but always depend on transportation and transit makes Wisconsin works.
It does make Wisconsin work and you know, I love that. It's not it's not only getting from point A to point B, right. It's about being able to live your life independently and not relying on others. I guess what that's what living independently means, right.
Do you have any statistics out there about how many people are non drivers in Wisconsin or about how many people this would really benefit.
Most of the statistics that I have is mainly the ones that are rural areas that are depending on caregivers or either they can't get anywhere at all.
So the biggest is in the rural areas, but mostly in those big cities. I could say that a lot of them are experiencing lateness to doctors appointments and also to their job.
And so we need more. We just need more drivers in the Milwaukee area.
Well, Milwaukee and beyond, you know, I know I've shared with you in our class workshops together a little bit about my story and I'm happy I have a 19 year old son with autism.
And you know, I'm fearful as I'm becoming an empty nester and kind of want to get out and do some things I haven't been able to do while I was being a mom is who's going to take my son to where he needs to go.
So Felicia, I told you it was going to go super fast. So I'm going to have to ask you back on again so we can talk about this more because I've heard you talk and you've got wonderful good things to say and you have some really good solutions.
And we need you on our team. So I'm going to give you that microphone one more time down the road.
Awesome. I would be glad to come back and talk.
All right. Thank you, dear. You're welcome.