Chapter 12 Conversation – A Teacher’s Impact: How Mrs. D Showed Me the Power of Advocacy | Embracing Your Different Ability® Artwork

The Different Ability® Podcast

Why am I different? Why do things have to be so difficult? Am I dumb? Why am I scared? Will it be this hard forever? Will I ever find the help I need to succeed? When will being different be accepted? Welcome to The Different Ability® Podcast where we will answer all of these questions and a whole lot more! Each week host Katey Fortun brings you tips and tricks on how to navigate being different, along with inspiring stories of guests that are living an amazing life having Different Abilities of their own. Parents and Educators of kids with Different Abilities share their stories to encourage others that they are not alone and we can all get through this together! Katey, who has dyslexia, shares her personal Different Ability stories to show you that being different is a gift, being different is amazing and using your Different Abilities, you too can create and live the life you have always dreamed about! Katey believes that everyone has Different Abilities and it's time to let our Different Abilities shine bright! You are amazing, you are important, you are strong, you are smart and the world needs you just the way you were made! Are you ready to be inspired and encouraged to be the person you were made to be, Different Abilities and all? We know you're ready, so come along, we are all in this together! "You can do anything you put your mind to, with a lot of hard work, determination and never giving up! It's not your disability, it's your Different Ability®!" - Katey

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The Different Ability® Podcast

Chapter 12 Conversation – A Teacher’s Impact: How Mrs. D Showed Me the Power of Advocacy | Embracing Your Different Ability®

December 14, 2025 • Katey Fortun • Season 6 • Episode 239

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In this episode of The Different Ability® Podcast, Katey and her mom, Lynn, explore Chapter 12 of Embracing Your Different Ability®. They discuss the pivotal role of teachers in helping students advocate for themselves, highlighting the encouragement Katey received from Mrs. D during a vulnerable moment in school. Katey shares how writing a letter about her foreign language requirement shaped her mindset toward self-advocacy, the importance of having allies in education, and practical steps students and parents can take to ensure their rights are respected. This conversation emphasizes how educators, parents, and students can work together to create supportive learning environments where advocacy thrives.

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