Breaking The Ice - Let’s Talk Inclusion Podcast

Join host Steve Nearman of The Great Blizzards Special Hockey and guests Ralph Marziale and Gerry Letourneau as they discuss the Marziale Foundation and RI Special Hockey. A near-death experience led a former minor hockey player from Cranston, RI, to a life of breathless charitable giving. One of the recipients of Ralph Marziale's Marziale Foundation is the Providence Junior Bears, a USA Hockey special needs ice hockey team out of Pawtucket, RI. Tune in to a very lively discussion of how the lives of Ralph Marziale and Junior Bears Founder/Director Gerry Letourneau intersected for the greater good. Marziale Foundation
Providence Junior Bears - RI Special Hockey
 

Join host Steve Nearman and guest Ashley Waring, OHC Family Engagement Director, The Arc of Massachusetts.
 
What's the best way to assure that our medical and dental providers have empathy and understanding of our loved ones special needs? Train the professionals. We discuss with former librarian Ashley Waring her Operation House Call, a program which educates future healthcare professionals by turning families into teachers. Families host visits with medical and nursing students, particularly families who live within 30 minutes of Boston and Worcester.
 
Operation House Call

Join host Steve Nearman as he catches up with Mike Eruzione, captain of the Miracle on Ice Olympic Gold medal team and Trustee of Winthrop Charities.
 
We talk about life before, during and after the 6-month buildup to the Olympic Games and how life unfolded afterward and the importance of his family and friends.
 
Spoiler alert - at 71, he still is in great shape to chase his grandson around - on the ice!
 

Join host Steve Nearman and his guest Danielle Graziano as they discuss what REAL inclusion looks like versus how it's often practiced — the gap between compliance and culture. Coming from the perspective of what inclusion means from both sides of the table — as a Weymouth School Committee member (Vice Chair, Budget Subcommittee Chair) and as a parent of two teens with diverse support needs. Spoiler Alert - you, too, can get involved in a SEPAC and affect the educational trajectory of yours and others children.

Host - Steve Nearman
Guest - Evan Delahanty, Founder of Peaceful Fruits
 
In this episode, host Steve Nearman of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion and guest Evan Delahanty , Founder and CEO of Peaceful Fruits LLC, discuss how people with intellectual disabilities want to work and feel valued.
 
They explore Evan's journey founding Peaceful Fruits in Akron, Ohio, with a dedicated special needs workforce. Evan shares valuable lessons from his time in the Amazon with the Peace Corps and his mission to create healthy, all-natural snacks while supporting his local community and the indigenous harvesters in the Amazon.
 
Alert - this podcast has a bittersweet ending
 
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Peaceful Fruits
 
 

Please join host Steve Nearman of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion and guest Trevor Levine, Owner/President of Premise Mortgage LLC to learn more about Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs).
 
Accessory dwelling units (ADUs) have been around since before World War II. Initially, they were common as a means to provide affordable housing options, often built on the same lot as a primary residence. This practice allowed homeowners to accommodate extended family or generate rental income.
 
ADUs have grown in popularity especially more recently with the increasing lack of affordable housing and the Commonwealth passing legislation in the Affordable Homes Account which took effect January 31, 2025. Homeowners are now building ADUs for elderly parents and recently-graduated kids. But what about using ADUs to address the housing crisis in the special needs community, where there is a major lack of housing options. We do a deep dive into the viability of ADUs.
 
Trevor Levine, Owner/President of Premise Mortgage, LLC

Host Steve Nearman and guest Lauren S. Henry of Lauren Henry Sensory Design of Delray Beach, FL, talk about how you go from being a singing performer on cruise lines to designing sensory-friendly spaces for special needs people, elderly citizens, schools, corporations and people with PTSD.
 
The bottom line - WE all suffer from overstimulation but in many cases it's a choice - where and how you live, where and how you work, where you go to school and how you manage a multitude of senses in your daily life.
 
Lauren Henry Sensory Design
 
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Please join host Steve Nearman and guest Nicole Young - endearingly known as "The Plymouth Trash Lady," a South Shore, Plymouth-born autistic mom of three autistic children - as they dive into candid, unfiltered conversations about Nicole's own late diagnosis with autism, the everyday challenges and triumphs of raising three autistic kids, and her adventurous world of trash removal. 
You can find Nicole Young (The Plymouth Trash Lady) at the links below:
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TikTok
 
 

Join host Steve Nearman of Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion and guest Nora Bent of @thearcofmass as they discuss the recently passed Massachusetts law establishing the statewide Blue Envelope Program. 
 
In this episode, we explore how the initiative evolved from an idea into legislation, the advocacy role played by The Arc of Massachusetts, and how the program fosters safer, more successful encounters between law enforcement officers and autistic drivers or passengers during traffic stops. Click links below for more information.
 
Request a Blue Envelope
 
Blue Envelope Program Information
 
Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll Press Release
 
 

Living with epilepsy and autism, Megan has given back to the local police for their kindness during her early years.
 
Find out how on Episode 18 of the Breaking The Ice - Let's Talk Inclusion podcast.
 
Joining host Steve Nearman are his guests:
 
Megan Richardson, Board Secretary, Hingham Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association
 
Ryan O'Shea, Deputy Chief, @hinghampolice
 
We discuss her work with the Citizen's Police Academy of which she is a graduate and
We discuss her work with the Citizen's Police Academy of which she is a graduate and its alumni group of which she is a Board Secretary and the positive relationship she has developed with the police department and the inclusive community through her sensory kits.