{"podcast":{"title":"The Rare Life","slug":"the-rare-life-1239619","podcast_index_feed_id":1239619,"rss_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/22c0499c/podcast/rss","website_url":"https://therarelife.org","image_url":"https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/5730271/7551fc611b293c10.jpeg","author":"Madeline Cheney","episode_count":305,"summary":"This is the real, raw, and all the feels of loving a child with disabilities. Episodes feature parent-guests, professionals, and solo episodes with host Madeline Cheney. Their authentic conversations don’t shy away from the strong and mixed emotions that often accompany medically-complex parenting. Parents listen in to feel seen, validated, and receive much-needed solidarity. Professionals working with disabled people listen in to better understand what is often going on under the surface for a family living with disabilities.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-10T02:17:02.683032+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619"},"episode":{"title":"225: Schooling Options for Disabled Kids | Advocacy, Access + Emotional Toll of Navigating Tough Choices w/ Rachel Redmond","slug":"225-schooling-options-for-disabled-kids-advocacy-access-emotional-toll-of-navigating-tough-choices-w-rachel-redmond","published_at":"2026-05-07T15:04:18+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619/225-schooling-options-for-disabled-kids-advocacy-access-emotional-toll-of-navigating-tough-choices-w-rachel-redmond","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619","url":"https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-rare-life/episodes/225-Schooling-Options-for-Disabled-Kids--Advocacy--Access--Emotional-Toll-of-Navigating-Tough-Choices-w-Rachel-Redmond-e3j1n0g","audio_url":"https://anchor.fm/s/22c0499c/podcast/play/119642576/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-7%2Faab3964f-d9a3-7e0d-2c2f-f2996e8b5ec2.mp3","summary":"For many families of disabled and medically complex children, school is rarely a simple decision. It’s a constant balancing act between medical needs, safety, transportation, therapies, staffing, inclusion, and what your child can realistically access. In this episode, Alyssa is joined by Rachel, a special education professional and fellow disability parent, to talk about the realities of navigating school options for medically complex kids. The types of schooling options available, the differences between these options, support shortages, IEPs, inclusion, and the emotional toll of having to constantly fight for the support your child is legally entitled to. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed trying to figure out the “right” educational setting for your child, this episode is here to offer you some hope and clarity! Links: Fill out our contact form to joinupcoming discussion groups! Join The Rare Life newsletter andnever miss an update! Listen to Ep. 222: Intellectual Disabilities! Follow us on Instagram @the_rare_life ! Donate to the podcast or Contactme about sponsoring an episode.","meta_description":"For many families of disabled and medically complex children, school is rarely a simple decision. It’s a constant balancing act between medical needs, saf…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3161,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-rare-life-1239619/episodes/225-schooling-options-for-disabled-kids-advocacy-access-emotional-toll-of-navigating-tough-choices-w-rachel-redmond/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-rare-life-1239619/225-schooling-options-for-disabled-kids-advocacy-access-emotional-toll-of-navigating-tough-choices-w-rachel-redmond.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}