On this Season 7, Episode 2 of Unified at Work: a Special Chronicles Podcast Series, we feature a re‑released excerpt from our 2025 conversation with Bill Dwyer, CEO of Helping Hand, joining host Daniel Smrokowski to discuss the future of meaningful employment for people with intellectual disabilities. Together, they explore how High School Transition pathways, inclusive work initiatives, and inclusive hiring practices can transform workplaces and open doors to long‑term career success.

Whether you’re an employer, educator, advocate, or ally, this episode offers actionable insights on building environments where everyone can contribute and belong.

Click here to watch this full episode on YouTube

• Connect with Helping Hand at: helpinghand-il.org
• Tune in to past episodes with Bill Dwyer, CEO of Helping Hand
• Follow our Unified at Work Series for more conversations in inclusive employment 🎧 Follow the Special Chronicles Podcast wherever you get your podcasts ⭐ Leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts or your favorite app 📺 Watch full episodes (video) on YouTube ❤️ Support independent media with Special Chronicles+ PLUS and enjoy perks like bonus content. Your PLUS membership helps us continue producing inclusive stories elevating disability voices, and creating meaningful conversations weekly. Special Chronicles+ PLUS is more than monus content -- it's a way to support the mission and be part of the community that keeps these stories alive. Join Now starting at $10/month and learn more at: specialchronicles.com/PLUS

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.

• Daniel Smrokowski, Founder
• Darian Packard, Content Producer
• Adam Smrokowski, Business Manager
• Linda Smrokowski, Copy Editor
• Georgia Hunter, Co-Host Georgia and Daniel Show

Meet our team here

Join us for a special milestone episode of the Special Chronicles Podcast: EnergyForce Series as we celebrate 15 years of the ComEd EnergyForce Ambassador Program with three guests who represent the program's incredible journey from past to present.

Host Daniel Smrokowski welcomes Paula Conrad, Co-Founder of the EnergyForce Ambassador Program, Jessica Frantz, an original EnergyForce Ambassador, and Charlie Carpenter, a current EnergyForce Ambassador and musician from Misericordia. Together, they reflect on how the nation's first clean energy solutions education program led by people with disabilities has empowered individuals, educated communities, and created meaningful opportunities for employment, leadership, and inclusion.

Learn how the program began, hear stories from the early years, discover how EnergyForce Ambassadors help customers save energy today, and celebrate the lasting impact of a program dedicated to Empowering Ability, Energizing Communities.

Episode Highlights:

• The founding and growth of the ComEd EnergyForce Ambassador Program
• Reflections from one of the program's original ambassadors
• What it's like to be an EnergyForce Ambassador today
• Energy-saving tips and customer education
• Charlie Carpenter's music career at Misericordia and passion for playing organ at church
• The importance of inclusion, employment, and community engagement for people with disabilities

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 07:00 Segment 1: Paula Conrad on Looking Back: How the Program Began and Grew 33:00 Segment 2: Jessica Frantz on Looking Back: An Original EnergyForce Ambassador’s Perspective 46:00 Segment 3: Charlie Carpenter on Today’s EnergyForce Ambassador Experience 57:00 Final Roundtable Questions

📺Watch this full episode on YouTube

💡Access more of our ComEd EnergyForce podcast content

Learn more about the ComEd EnergyForce Ambassador Program

Learn more about Misericordia mission and programs at Misericordia.com

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.

Daniel Smrokowski, Founder

Darian Packard, Content Producer

Adam Smrokowski, Business Manager

Linda Smrokowski, Copy Editor

Georgia Hunter, Co-Host

Click here to meet our team

On this episode of the Special Chronicles Podcast’s EnergyForce Series (Season 9, Episode 3), host Daniel Smrokowski sits down with Kara Schwer, Manager of Marketing & Customer Education at ComEd, for an energizing conversation about the fast‑growing world of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the future of clean transportation.

Together, they break down how EVs work, why they matter, and the innovative ways ComEd is helping customers navigate EV adoption through education, accessibility, and customer‑focused programs. Kara shares insights on EV charging, cost savings, clean‑energy technology, and how disability‑led advocacy is shaping a more inclusive energy landscape.

Whether you’re an EV owner, EV‑curious, or passionate about sustainability, this episode delivers practical knowledge and inspiring perspectives that illuminate the road ahead.

🔌Learn more about ComEd's Electric Vehicles resources

📺Watch this full episode on YouTube 💡Access all of our ComEd related content on our EnergyForce Series 🎧 Follow the Special Chronicles Podcast wherever you get your podcasts

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.

Daniel Smrokowski is an award-winning podcaster, columnist, and disability advocate, best known as the founder and host of Special Chronicles, a groundbreaking podcast platform featuring over 800 episodes produced across 17 years. Through storytelling and journalism, Daniel amplifies the voices of people with disabilities while promoting inclusion, awareness, and social change. In recognition of his impact, he is a recipient of the Matthew Freeman Award for Social Justice for his efforts through media to give people with disabilities a voice.

🔗 Read more about Daniel | 🎧 Discover Daniel’s Story – Listen here

This week on the Special Chronicles Podcast, Host and Special Olympics Athlete Leader Daniel Smrokowski sits down with fellow Special Olympics Athlete Leader and author Ben Haack to discuss his new book, Reason for Hope: A Parent’s Playbook for Raising Happy and Resilient Kids.

Written as a series of personal letters, Ben’s book offers comfort, clarity, and practical guidance for parents navigating life after an autism diagnosis. In this heartfelt conversation, Ben shares hard-won wisdom from his lived experience, including how families can build resilience without erasing difference, create calmer daily rhythms, and help children grow through their strengths, play, and community.

Together, Daniel and Ben explore the importance of belonging, confidence, self-advocacy, and the power of embracing each child for who they are. Ben’s message is a powerful reminder that hope is not about changing who a child is, but about helping them thrive.

At Special Chronicles, our mission is giving respect and voice to people with special needs through media, and this conversation beautifully reflects that mission.

Chapters: 00:00 Introduction 02:50 Opening and Background 14:20 About the book “Reason for Hope” 35:00 Strengths, Confidence & Growth 50:05 Belonging, Community & Connection 57:05 Family Life, Routines & Well-Being 01:07:25 Lived Experience & Hard-Won Wisdom 01:15:45 Advocacy, Inclusion & the Bigger Picture 01:26:00 About the Book’s Impact 01:31:25 Closing & Call to Action

📺Watch This Full Episode on YouTube

📖 Order your copy of Reason for Hope: A Parent’s Playbook for Raising Happy and Resilient Kids by Ben Haack: Buy the book on Amazon

🌐 Learn more about Reason for Hope and Ben Haack's work

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.

About Our Team:

Daniel Smrokowski, Founder

Darian Packard, Content Producer

Adam Smrokowski, Business Manager

Linda Smrokowski, Copy Editor

Georgia Hunter, Co-Host--Georgia and Daniel Podcast

Click here to meet our team

On this episode of the Special Chronicles Podcast recorded on location from the Chicago Ducky Derby 2026, we bring you the excitement of 90,000 ducks splashing into the Chicago River from the Columbus Drive Bridge — all benefiting Special Olympics Illinois.

You’ll hear conversations with sponsors RSM and WayMo, as well as media partners WBBM NewsRadio and WBEZ Chicago Public Radio, who helped share this incredible day with the community.

Make sure you like and subscribe to Special Chronicles, the longest‑running and #1 Special Olympics athlete‑led podcast series covering Special Olympics intellectual disability stories, athlete leadership, and inclusion.

00:00 Introduction 01:55 RSM sponsor 04:30 Waymo sponsor 08:18 WBEZ Chicago Public Radio 15:00 WBBM News Radio 18:49: WBBM Interviewed SOILL Athlete Leaders Daniel Smrokowski and Ryan Murray 21:56 Ducks Drop in the Chicago River 22:13 Closing with a special Choose To Include montage

Help us continue telling stories that celebrate inclusion, leadership, and the power of the Special Olympics movement.

Click here to Watch this Full Episode on YouTube

🦆 Follow and listen to this and more Ducky Derby conversations — and to learn all about the event, head to SpecialChronicles.com/Duck

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.

Click here to meet our team

On this Series Finale episode of “Road to 2026 Special Olympics USA Games: a Special Chronicles Podcast Series,” host Daniel Smrokowski, Founder of Special Chronicles and Special Olympics Athlete Leader, sits down with Jessica Poole, Director of Communications for the 2026 Special Olympics USA Games. Together, they reflect on the meaning, impact, and legacy of the Games.

• The moment that defined the 2026 USA Games
• The lasting legacy for athletes, families, and communities
• How athlete leaders influenced the culture of the Games
• The future of Unified Sports nationwide
• The long‑term impact of Healthy Athletes screenings
• Inclusion momentum in Minneapolis–St. Paul
• National conversations sparked by the Games
• Behind‑the‑scenes decisions, challenges, and breakthroughs
• Inspiring the next generation of athletes
• What inclusion means today
• A call to action for listeners

Chapter Markers: 00:00 Introduction 10:00 Looking Back 15:00 Defining Legacy 25:00 Leadership Perspective 36:00 Athlete Leadership 44:00 Unified Sports Growth 49:00 Healthy Athletes Legacy 01:00:00 Host City, National Movement, and Corporate Partner Legacy 01:10:00 Challenges & Breakthroughs 01:12:56 Personal Reflection 01:18:45 Next Generation 01:20:00 Movement Evolution 01:23:45 Sustaining Inclusion 01:28:45 Message to Athletes 01:30:00 Message to Families 01:32:20 Call to Action 01:35:00 Define Inclusion

👍 Like, Subscribe & Share Help us continue telling stories that celebrate inclusion, leadership, and the power of the Special Olympics movement.

Watch this Full Episode on YouTube - Streaming Now!

👨‍💻Learn more about Special Olympics 2026 USA Games at: 2026USAGames.org

🎧Follow the Podcast Series: Road to Special Olympics 2026 USA Games: a Special Chronicles Podcast Series for all episodes and subscribe to the full series

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Podcast Theme Music: “It Starts With A Voice” written by Amy Wright and performed by Ben Wright, co-founders of Bitty and Beau’s Coffee. Used with permission.