# 222: Intellectual Disabilities | Complicated Grief, Stigma, and Shifting Perspectives w/ Amanda Griffith-Atkins, Madeline and Alyssa

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619/222-intellectual-disabilities-complicated-grief-stigma-and-shifting-perspectives-w-amanda-griffith-atkins-madeline-and-alyssa
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619/222-intellectual-disabilities-complicated-grief-stigma-and-shifting-perspectives-w-amanda-griffith-atkins-madeline-and-alyssa.md
Podcast: [The Rare Life](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619)
Published: 2026-04-16T17:25:30+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rare-life/episodes/222-Intellectual-Disabilities--Complicated-Grief--Stigma--and-Shifting-Perspectives-w-Amanda-Griffith-Atkins--Madeline-and-Alyssa-e3i0ot5
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/22c0499c/podcast/play/118563173/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-3-16%2F7f89498d-e871-0d20-60ab-6159f6690dc4.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rare-life-1239619/episodes/222-intellectual-disabilities-complicated-grief-stigma-and-shifting-perspectives-w-amanda-griffith-atkins-madeline-and-alyssa
Duration seconds: 3654

## Resource

From an early age, most of us are taught that being “smart” matters. It’s tied to the way society measures and views success, independence, and worth. So what happens when you're raising a child with an intellectual disability in that world? In this episode, Alyssa, Amanda, and Madeline get honest about all of it: the grief that's hard to express, the fear that you won't be able to connect with your child, and the ways people with intellectual disabilities get left out, even within disability spaces. Plus, they dig into the nuance behind "presume competence," the disability hierarchy often felt in the backdrop of these conversations, and what radical acceptance actually looks like in lives like ours. Links: Join The Rare Life newsletter andnever miss an update! Fill out our contact form to joinupcoming discussion groups! Listen to Ep 19: Katie's Story! Listen to Ep 166: Nonspeaking Child! Follow Amanda on Instagram @amanda.griffith.atkins ! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life ! Donate to the podcast or Contactme about sponsoring an episode.

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