Candace’s Corner
Candace’s Corner is a podcast series where leaders from across the state talk about key issues affecting the disability community.
Candace Cunningham is a research aide in the Outreach Department at the Institute for Human Development at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Candace works with individuals across the country coordinating the Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC) Fellowships. She is a person with lived experience from Lee’s Summit, Missouri. She has a master’s degree in Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling and started participating in advocacy efforts in 2006.
Recent Episodes
Come back on the first Tuesday of the month or visit YouTube for new episodes of the Candace’s Corner podcast!
Season 3 | The History of Development Disabilities in Missouri and Creating System Change
Duane Shumate reflects on the evolution of disability employment in Missouri, from sheltered workshops to community-based jobs, the Employment First movement, barriers to employment, and strategies helping people with disabilities achieve meaningful work and competitive wages.
Wayne Crawford shares the history of disability housing and how his role in helping people transition from large institutions into homes within their communities.
Will Hack discusses guardianship, supported decision-making and the rights of people with disabilities in Missouri. This episode explores how Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services supports individuals in understanding their rights, navigating legal systems and making informed choices about their own lives.
Tec Chapman reflects on the origins of the Missouri Autism Project, the advocacy efforts that pushed for change in the early 1990s and how families helped shape autism services across the state. The episode explores grassroots advocacy, system change and the lasting impact of disability rights leadership.
Dave Kramer discusses the history and impact of deinstitutionalization, the importance of individualized supports and how community living changes lives for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The episode also reflects on lessons learned from institutional and group living models and why inclusion in the community matters.
Learn how disability services have evolved from institutional care to community-based supports through a conversation on support coordination, Senate Bill 40, and the role of Boone County Family Resources in helping people with disabilities and families navigate services, make informed choices and live meaningful lives in their communities.
Mary Sullivan-Thomas shares reflections from nearly four decades in the developmental disability field, including the rise of Individualized Supported Living (ISL), the impact of community living and how disability services in Missouri have evolved since the 1980s. The episode also explores her hopes for a more person-centered future.
Former MO Division of DD Director Bernard Simons reflects on the state’s shift from institutional care to individualized, community-based supports. This episode explores system transformation, quality improvement, self-direction, community housing and the policies that helped reshape services for people with developmental disabilities and their families.
