146 episodes

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

The Different Ability® Podcast Katey Fortun

    • Education
    • 5.0 • 9 Ratings

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

    "I'm not done!" with Katie Selby

    "I'm not done!" with Katie Selby

    This week I had the honor to meet and talk with another Katie... just spelt different!

    Katie's story is so inspiring, it's a must listen and man she has had so many road blocks (her words) in her life but yet has overcome them / drove right through them and proved to herself she CAN do what she puts her mind to!

    Listen in and share with all of your friends and family!


    Katie's Bio:
    My name is Katie Selby. I’m a person with a language impairment and a learning disability. I was diagnosed with my language impairment at the young age of three and with my learning disability at the age of five. I’m the only person in my immediate and extended family who lives with a disability. I’m unaware of any cause for my disabilities.

    I participated in the special education system from the time I was three years old until I graduated from high school. My high school counselor told me that instead of going to college, I should look for work in child care. There were others in my life who advised me against college. I didn’t listen to the people who were deterring me from my lifelong dream. I listened only to those who supported me in making my dream come true.

    Although it was difficult at times, I went to college and learned how to advocate for my educational needs. After receiving my college degree, I began working to support individuals with disabilities in the school setting as well as the home setting. I support my students with their goals and help them become as independent as they can be.

    I come from a unique social group. All of my friends are people with disabilities. We are not a support group; we just have the same life experiences. About four years ago, I wrote a blog article for “The Mighty” to share my story. Since then, I’ve shared my story on several learning disability social media pages. It feels like I’m sharing my story with the whole world!

    Connect with Katie!
    Instagram
    Facebook

    ____________________________

    Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
    Sign Up Here!

    Shop new products here!

    Places you can reach me at:
    Website:
    https://kateyfortun.com/
    https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
    https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/ 

    • 30 min
    Turning "you can't" into "I CAN!" with Michelle Steiner

    Turning "you can't" into "I CAN!" with Michelle Steiner

    Michelle has heard many "you can't do that", "you shouldn't go into this", but she has broken through all of that negativity and proved herself right, that she CAN do what she puts her mind to and she has! She is now educating, empowering and encouraging people with and without disabilities each and every day!

    Michelle's Bio:
    Michelle Steiner lives with an invisible disability. She has articles published on The Mighty, Non Verbal Learning Project, Dyscalculia Blog, The Reluctant Spoonie, Collective, Imagine the World as One Magazine, and Word Gathering. She has had her photographs featured in Word Gathering and Independent and Work Ready. She works as a paraeducator in a school with students with disabilities. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and two cats.

    Connect with Michelle!
    Facebook
    Instagram
    Blog (Michelle's Mission)

    ____________________________

    Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
    Sign Up Here!

    Shop new products here!

    Places you can reach me at:
    Website:
    https://kateyfortun.com/
    https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
    https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/ 

    • 49 min
    Don't Give Up! From Entrepreneur Billie Asmus

    Don't Give Up! From Entrepreneur Billie Asmus

    This episode is so inspiring! Billie shares about growing up in the Midwest, her struggles in school, to being an amazing Entrepreneur who invented a product to solve an issue she had in her day to day!

    Tune into an incredibility inspiring episode where Billie will encourage you to go after your ideas and to not give up!

    A bit about Billie:
    Billie is the Founder and CEO of Repaint Studios and inventor of the Repaint Tray. She is a mom of two, an avid DIYer, and a Midwest gal through and through. While she always seems to be losing her phone, she still sees her ADHD as a superpower that helps her harness her creativity and always strives to find the good in every situation and every person she meets.

    Connect with Billie:
    Website
    Instagram (personal)
    Instagram (business)
    Facebook
    TikTok

    • 59 min
    Dyslexia & Learning Literacy with Christine Perkin

    Dyslexia & Learning Literacy with Christine Perkin

    Today is a special day! It's an amazing episode with my first guest of season 4, Christine Perkin! And this is a perfect episode to have right now, seeing it's Dyslexia Awareness Month and Christine is an amazing teacher up in Canada working with educators and students with dyslexia every day!

    Christine is a Special Ed. and literacy teacher, specifically working with students that have significant learning disabilities & ADHD. Most recently, teaching middle school has provided Christine for an opportunity to learn and engage with older students that are still learning to read. Teaching striving readers is a passion of hers, and bringing the Science of Reading into literacy instruction has brought so much success to her students and co-teachers.

    Throughout her teaching career, Christine has taught every grade from K-8 with a special focus on literacy, social emotional wellness, and learning disabilities in the inclusive classroom.

    When not in the classroom, Christine can be found outside camping or exploring the Rocky Mountains with her husband and two boys. She loves to write, connect with other educators, and inspire through her personal stories of teaching.

    Connect with Christine below!
    Website
    Facebook
    Instagram

    ____________________________

    Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
    Sign Up Here!

    Shop new products here!

    Places you can reach me at:
    Website:
    https://kateyfortun.com/
    https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
    https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/ 

    • 47 min
    Dyslexia Awareness Month!

    Dyslexia Awareness Month!

    It's October and you know what that means? Dyslexia Awareness Month! Let's talk about it! Listen in!

    ____________________________

    Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
    Sign Up Here!

    Shop new products here!

    Places you can reach me at:
    Website:
    https://kateyfortun.com/
    https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
    https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/ 

    • 9 min
    Have a great semester!

    Have a great semester!

    This one is to my past students I had the privilege to teach at UW-Stout! YOU GOT THIS!

    ____________________________

    Stay in the loop with the new Different Ability® product I'll be launching!
    Sign Up Here!

    Shop new products here!

    Places you can reach me at:
    Website:
    https://kateyfortun.com/
    https://kateyfortun.com/podcast

    Instagram:
    https://www.instagram.com/kateyfortun/
    https://www.instagram.com/differentabilitypodcast/ 

    • 11 min

Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5
9 Ratings

9 Ratings

Cory Rankin ,

Opportunity

Such an amazing podcast. My son has some unique challenges an this is a great resource for our family. Thank you for doing such amazing work.

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