Down Right Capable Hosted by: Marla Murasko and Brian Herndon Down Right Capable

The IEP process can be confusing overwhelming and emotionally draining welcome to the Down Right Capable podcast.

Even for those of us who have been down this road, many times we all feel a bit nervous or even frustrated when it comes time for our child's IEP.

But there are some good news, the whole process is governed by rules and regulations that are designed to protect you and your child.

Did you know that there are 6 principles found with IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). Today on the podcast we want to talk to you about;


Zero Reject
Nondiscriminatory Evaluation

On our next episode we will be discussing:


Individualized and Appropriate
Least Restrictive Environment

Please stay tuned for that next episode. Please share this episode with others, so that we can educate as many people on special education and inclusion advocacy.

If you like what you hear, please consider making a small donation. Brian and I do not get paid to do this podcast, we just love what we do, but it does take time. Your small donation will help us keep the lights on and help as many families as we can.



#downsyndrome #downsyndromeawareness #specialeducation #IEP #IDEA #downrightcapable #inclusionmatters




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The IEP process can be such a draining experience for parents of children with disabilities. Even for the seasoned veteran, these meetings can feel overwhelming, emotional, adversarial, confusing, etc. Welcome to the Down Right Capable Podcast. Today my co-host Marla Murasko and I, Brian Herndon are going to talk to you about our experiences with IEP’s, the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Come listen as Brian and Marla share their stories of when IEP's didn't go so well, were horrible, or some that were productive and showed how when IEP's collaborate meetings can go well and everything in between.

#downsyndrome #downsyndromepodcast #downsyndromeparenting #specialeducation #iep #downrightcapable #advocacymatters #trisomy21 #theluckyfew #nothingdownaboutit


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Presuming competence is such an important aspect of raising and educating a person with Down syndrome. Welcome to the Down Right Capable Podcast. Today my co-host Brian Herndon and I, Marla Murasko are going to talk to you about how important it is to the success of our children when we presume competence instead of presuming incompetence.

Come listen along as Brian and I share times with our sons that the school presumed comptenence and least dangerous asumption when it came to their education.

Link to article from Julie Causton on Presume Competence: https://inclusiveschoolcommunities.org.au/resources/toolkit/presumption-competence



#downsyndrome #downsyndromepodcast

#downsyndromeparenting #specialeducation #iep #downrightcapable


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Being a part of the school community is more than just showing up to the building and spending the day in one classroom. Welcome to the Down Right Capable Podcast. Today my co-host Brian Herndon and I, Marla Murasko are going to talk to you about how your child can and should be a part of the school community before, during and after school. Today we are talking about extracurricular activities and electives, and how your child should be a part of them. So, Brian, I think this is an area that gets missed so often on IEP’s don’t you agree?

Come take a listen, comment and please share!

Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast to stay up to date when new episodes release. If you would like to sponsor or be a speaker on our podcast, please email us at downrightcapable@gmail.com

#downsyndrome #downsyndromeparenting #downsyndromepodcast #inclusion #specialeducation


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As we are all very painfully aware, this pandemic has affected all of us in a variety of ways and for our children, the school year was overwhelming. Welcome to Episode 1 of the Down Right Capable Podcast, I am Brian Herndon and I am here with my co-host Marla Murasko, During the 2020-2021 school year, many school districts offered in-person learning and virtual learning, as well as a combination of each of those. Marla and I each made some very tough decisions for that school year regarding the education of our boys and in today’s episode, we will be sharing each of our son’s school experiences from last year, as we both made different decisions for our boys.

Please make sure to subscribe to our podcast, and if you would like to sponsor us you can email us at downrightcapable@gmail.com

#downsyndrome #downsyndromeparenting #downsyndromepodcast


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Hello, everyone! Welcome to the Down Right Capable Podcast. I’m thrilled that you have chosen to take time out of your busy schedule to be with us today. On our previous episode you got to hear from my wonderful cohost – Marla Murasko. Today, you will be hearing from me, Brian Herndon. We wanted to take a few minutes in these first few episodes to tell you a little bit about ourselves and about the Down Right Capable Podcast. 

So, today, you get to hear from me! Like I said, my name is Brian Herndon. I am a professor of education at John Brown University in Northwest Arkansas. I teach mainly literacy and special education courses to undergraduate and graduate education majors. Little did I realize that my journey into the world of special education would start with the birth of my son, Nate. I had been an elementary teacher and swore that I would never get involved in the world of special education, but in 2008, my son, Nate, was born with Down syndrome, and the doors of special education opened up without me even realizing it. 

Being an advocate for my son has led me down some really interesting paths. I’ve served as a general education teacher with students who have special needs in the classroom, as an elementary school principal and early childhood special education director/principal where I was the LEA for literally hundreds of IEP meetings, as the direct of the Parents as Teachers program at our school in Missouri, as a special education advocate for families frustrated by the system, and now as a professor, teaching general education and special education majors more about special education. 

I am passionate about my son, of course, but I am also passionate about working toward a more just and equitable world where people like my son and Marla’s son are seen as valued and valuable members of the communities in which they live and are seen through the lens of ability and not disability. Marla and I have hosted the Down Right Capable Show on Facebook for two years prior to the pandemic, where we took a bit of a break. We have switched the platform for this show to a podcast, and I’m super excited about that! I also serve on the National Down Syndrome Society Inclusive Education Taskforce. Locally, I serve on the Board for the Northwest Arkansas Down Syndrome Connection. I’m so glad you have found us and spending your valuable time with us. Please subscribe to our podcast so you don’t miss any of the great information we will be sharing!


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Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/down-right-capable/support