240: Empower the Next Generation: The Person-Centered Approach | Christina Gravina CEO & Founder of BILT

Parenting Impossible – The Special Needs Survival Podcast

Imagine navigating a system where your needs are ignored due to your age. This is the reality for many adults with autism facing age discrimination. The fight against this injustice hinges on advocacy, personalization, and accessibility. Advocating for legislative changes ensures equality and fairness.

In this episode, host Annette Hines talks with Christina Gravina CEO & Founder of BILT (Bridging Independent Living Together, Inc.). Annette and Christina address age discrimination in autism services, highlighting the challenges adults face when denied support due to age. Christina advocates for legal changes and emphasizes personalized, goal-oriented services over the one-size-fits-all model. Her organization, BILT, offers one-on-one support, therapeutic mentoring, skill-building, and community integration, with options for private pay and insurance. They’ve also opened a center with small group classes and a high staff-to-client ratio, allowing clients to choose activities they enjoy. Christina stresses starting small, gathering feedback, and overcoming funding challenges to create effective programs for people with disabilities.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why you should advocate for legislative changes to address age discrimination in autism services.

• How to provide individualized services tailored to the unique goals and interests of disabled individuals.

• What payment options, such as private pay, school district funding, DDS payments, and insurance, can make services more accessible.

• Ways to create meaningful programs for individuals with disabilities.

Resources from this Episode:

Website: www.biltne.org

Facebook, Instagram, & LinkedIn: biltinc

Engage with us:

Join our community: Circle of Care

Visit: https://annettehines.com

Read Butterflies and Second Chances

LinkedIn: @annette-hines-snc

Instagram: @parentingimpossible

Facebook: @SpecialNeedsCompanies

Twitter: @SpecialNeedsCo

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