In this episode of Green Mountain Disability Stories, occupational therapist Adrienne Miao interviews occupational therapist Mary Anne Lewis. Mary Anne is also mom to Patrick, Desirée, and Dustin.
Patrick is a Vermonter living with cerebral palsy and blindness, and as his mom, Mary Anne helps Patrick run his own successful business while she and her husband run a bed-and-breakfast in Vermont. Mary Anne shares what she and her family have learned about moving to Vermont and joining a new school, the overlap between her occupational therapist and parent roles, and the fine art of shipping jars of dry goods.
"Patrick has used switches to control his environment for a long time. He has one switch that controls his music, another that turns on his fan and another that runs his blender. He also has another switch that is hooked up to a measuring cup on the end of a gooseneck. Patrick has used this device for years to help water the plants, help pour the milk for a milkshake, etc. As an Occupational Therapist, I was constantly thinking, 'What could Patrick do vocationally, with his switches?' And then it came to me that he could make layered jars of cookies, soups, etc., using his 'pouring switch'. And thus, Purely Patrick was born."
A full transcript of this episode is available at go.uvm.edu/green-mountain-disability-stories
Green Mountain Disability Stories is a monthly show featuring stories told by Vermonters with disabilities, about their experiences, opinions, and the systems that support and thwart them. Watch this episode here on KZread or subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the Google Play Store, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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The theme music for our podcast is:
Track: "Waves Are Beautiful Only When They Break" - Seoul June [Audio Library Release], provided by Audio Library Plus. Watch: Waves Are Beautiful Only When They Break: alplus.io/waves