12 episodes

From seasoned Special Education Law Attorney Tracey Spencer Walsh comes an innovative and thought-provoking podcast determined to provide families with the most relevant, powerful, and beneficial information in the world of special needs and civil rights law. It’s Special offers an informative and thoughtful blend of real-world insight, advice, and anecdotes from top leaders and experts. With over twenty-five years of expertise, Tracey dives deeper into the world of special needs and civil rights law to give parents the relevant and supportive information they crave and need.

It's Special Tracey Spencer Walsh

    • Society & Culture
    • 5.0 • 8 Ratings

From seasoned Special Education Law Attorney Tracey Spencer Walsh comes an innovative and thought-provoking podcast determined to provide families with the most relevant, powerful, and beneficial information in the world of special needs and civil rights law. It’s Special offers an informative and thoughtful blend of real-world insight, advice, and anecdotes from top leaders and experts. With over twenty-five years of expertise, Tracey dives deeper into the world of special needs and civil rights law to give parents the relevant and supportive information they crave and need.

    Jordan Wishner | Assistant Head of School talks about challenges that young adults with special needs face during puberty

    Jordan Wishner | Assistant Head of School talks about challenges that young adults with special needs face during puberty

    This podcast discusses the unique challenges that young adults with special needs face during puberty. Puberty and Body Changes: Young adults with special needs may experience puberty earlier than their typically developing peers. This can lead to confusion and anxiety, especially when they are not prepared for the physical and emotional changes.



    The speaker, Jordan Wishner - Licensed Clinical Social Worker, emphasizes the importance of providing comprehensive support and education to young adults with special needs during puberty. Open communication, tailored education, and ongoing guidance can help them navigate this challenging phase and develop healthy relationships with themselves and others.



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    Jordan started his career as a New York City special education teacher, then over time moved into social work, and ultimately into the world of admissions and administration. He brings each of these skill sets to his current work at Children’s Academy.

    childrensacademynyc.org


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    • 48 min
    Joshua Rosenthal, PsyD | Founder & CEO of Manhattan Psychology Group | Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychologist | PCIT Therapist

    Joshua Rosenthal, PsyD | Founder & CEO of Manhattan Psychology Group | Child, Adolescent and Adult Psychologist | PCIT Therapist

    "If the model of one-to-one therapy is not gonna work anymore, what we do is we try to think about the continuum of care.

    If you think about all of the groups that got crunched during Covid -teens got the worst. What makes teenage years special - it’s all about friends, it’s all about figuring out where you are in the larger social context of the world, you realize that your family is one unit but there are lots of other units out there and where do you belong? So teens have this internal need, biological push to leave the nest and go find a social group plus they have their sexuality coming in". 



    manhattanpsychologygroup.com

    Dr. Rosenthal is the founder of Big Apple Day Program, a social skills summer treatment camp in Manhattan that helped over 400 children with social and emotional difficulties from 2011-2019 have a fun and therapeutic summer experience. He is also the founder of the Electronic Daily Report Card (eDRC), a online behavioral progress monitoring tool that was used by thousands of students across the country from 2016-2020. Finally, he has served as an Adjunct Clinical Supervisor for doctoral students in the CBT Child Program at Ferkauf Graduate School, Yeshiva University, and as a Voluntary Faculty Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.

    Most recently, Dr. Rosenthal has shifted his focus from treating patients to primarily focusing on leadership, growth and company culture. He is dedicated to hiring the best professionals, creating innovative ways of helping more children and families and executing the company mission, vision and core values.


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    • 39 min
    Lori Podvesker | Director of Disability and Education Policy, INCLUDEnyc

    Lori Podvesker | Director of Disability and Education Policy, INCLUDEnyc

    “From people not interacting and not being exposed we come to make assumptions which are often false and that contributes to the way that people with disabilities are valued."

    Lori is the Director of Disability and Education Policy at the nonprofit INCLUDEnyc, where she has led initiatives for more transparency, accountability, and improved outcomes for New York City students with disabilities. She is also a member of the New York State Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Special Education Services, which advises the New York State Office of Special Education to the Governor, Legislature, and Commissioner, on the unmet educational needs of students with disabilities. Lori is the former Vice-Chair of the Panel for Educational Policy of the New York City Department of Education, also known as the New York City Board of Education. Prior to these roles, Lori taught both general and special education in public and non-public schools in New York City and Newark, NJ. She lives in Brooklyn and has a 19-year-old son with developmental disabilities who attends a District 75 program on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

    More information about INCLUDEnyc here >> https://includenyc.org/


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    • 57 min
    Órla Mannion | Senior Public Affairs Executive in the Dublin Chamber of Commerce

    Órla Mannion | Senior Public Affairs Executive in the Dublin Chamber of Commerce

    “I think Ireland at the moment is trying to strike that balance between respecting and honoring things like the Irish language, which is coming back with a vengeance at the moment and is becoming a very trend thing to become involved with, you know, and very kind of old Irish, but then also bring forward very new elements. I would hope that that continues and that reflects and moves forward to special education provision in Ireland.”

    Host and Special Education Law Attorney Tracey Spencer Walsh speaks with Órla Mannion, Senior Public Affairs Executive in the Dublin Chamber of Commerce,  about what it’s like for children with disabilities in Ireland and their education system.

    Tracey’s entire career has led up to this moment. Bringing her over twenty-five years of expertise in the legal industry to the air waves, Tracey dives deeper into the world of special needs and civil rights law to give parents the relevant and supportive information they crave and need, without having to sift through a mountain of articles or paperwork. It’s about cutting through the constant noise, pulling the most important tidbits out, and absorbing key advice and anecdotes that help you and your child excel on their journey.


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    • 48 min
    Dr. Ivy Feldman | Executive Director at The Keswell School

    Dr. Ivy Feldman | Executive Director at The Keswell School

    “Autism is a disorder of communication. So, it’s difficult for individuals with autism sometimes to communicate in a way where they’re understood, or they can advocate for themselves. In other ways, their communication is the most honest and genuine communication.”

    Host and Special Education Law Attorney Tracey Spencer Walsh speaks with Dr. Ivy Feldman, Executive Director at The Keswell School, about autism as a spectrum disorder and the misconceptions around autism.

    Tracey’s entire career has led up to this moment. Bringing her over twenty-five years of expertise in the legal industry to the air waves, Tracey dives deeper into the world of special needs and civil rights law to give parents the relevant and supportive information they crave and need, without having to sift through a mountain of articles or paperwork. It’s about cutting through the constant noise, pulling the most important tidbits out, and absorbing key advice and anecdotes that help you and your child excel on their journey.

    For more information about The Keswell School, visit https://www.keswellschool.org/.


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    • 31 min
    Jodi Liston | President and Managing Director of Harris Kramer & Liston

    Jodi Liston | President and Managing Director of Harris Kramer & Liston

    "I'm a problem solver. I don't easily take no for an answer. So when I was unhappy with what was being provided to me, through my school district and through my experience with my children and I continued to seek alternatives, it was through that experience that led me to be able to help my own children and to obtain for them the free and appropriate education that they were entitled."

    Host and Special Education Law Attorney Tracey Spencer Walsh speaks with Jodi Liston, President and Managing Director of Harris Kramer & Liston, about how parents and families can advocate for their children to receive free and appropriate education they are entitled.

    Tracey’s entire career has led up to this moment. Bringing her over twenty-five years of expertise in the legal industry to the air waves, Tracey dives deeper into the world of special needs and civil rights law to give parents the relevant and supportive information they crave and need, without having to sift through a mountain of articles or paperwork. It’s about cutting through the constant noise, pulling the most important tidbits out, and absorbing key advice and anecdotes that help you and your child excel on their journey.

    For more information about Harris Kramer & Liston, visit https://www.harriskramer.com/.


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    • 44 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
8 Ratings

8 Ratings

Kathleen Marren ,

Informative & Important

Tracey’s podcast is a terrific resource for parents navigating the Special Education system. Her impressive guests have a wealth of knowledge on so many important topics and Tracey does a fantastic job interviewing each guest to simply the conversation for every listener. I highly recommend “It’s Special” as it is a great listen and truly inspiring!

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