Meet my friend, Jared Kozak. He's a working actor, voice over artist (CJ Casagrande on Nickelodeon), public speaker, Yogi, and a genuine, great guy. He shares his experiences and resources that have served him, as he has Down Syndrome. He is changing perceptions and advocating for people with disabilities by getting involved. I aspire to be more like him.

I am honored to introduce my first RAD guest, Jeremy! Jeremy's people skills are out of this world! He can talk to anyone and light up a room with his smile. Jeremy shares what he knows about living with Down Syndrome and the resources and experiences that contribute to his full life. I have listed those here:A Walk on Water Surf Therapy  https://awalkonwater.org/ Operation Warm Wishes  http://operationwarmwishes.com/ Ruby’s Rainbow  https://rubysrainbow.org/ RAD Camp: Rising Above Disabilities  https://radcamp.org/ Seanese (our friend's RAD t-shirt biz)  https://seanese.com/ Surf’s Up With Jeremy on YouTube – Ruby’s Rainbow video featuring Jeremy  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7UZ6U9RZMw Down Syndrome Association of Orange County  https://www.dsaoc.org/ Down Syndrome Foundation  https://www.dsfoc.org/ Regional Center of Orange County  https://www.rcocdd.com/

Why do I want to talk about disabilities? To break down barriers that keep people uncomfortable. Knowledge, familiarity, and relatability are the tools.

Describing what I plan to publish here, I am also posting on YouTube when possible, and will provide the link. Please advise so that I may accommodate adaptive technology. I am learning, and no longer letting my lack of knowledge get in my way... that may be obvious here!