Stuck and Spinning? Call the IDDO

When you know your child needs help, but every phone call leads to more confusion, where do you turn?

In this DadAbility episode of Finding Common Ground, Steve sits down with Flor Ramirez, Supervising Attorney of New York’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Ombuds Program (IDDO), to talk about a resource many families still do not know exists, and why it matters more than ever.

Flor pulls back the curtain on what an ombudsman actually does: helping families navigate complicated disability systems, ask the right questions, and get unstuck when nothing seems to move forward.

“We help you navigate a system that is meant to help you… even when it doesn’t feel that way.”

As both a leader and a mom of a child with autism, Flor brings something rare to the table, professional expertise and lived experience. She shares how her team listens first, connects the dots, and is not afraid to push when something isn’t working.

“We’re not afraid to knock on doors and say, ‘This isn’t right… can we fix it?’”

Steve and Flor also dig into what families are really experiencing right now, the confusion, the delays, the missed connections, and why so much of it comes down to a system that is complex, not always clear. Together, they explore how better education, stronger collaboration, and honest feedback can start to shift that experience.

This conversation is real, practical, and quietly powerful. It is for parents who are tired of hitting walls, tired of being told “no” without explanation, and ready to understand where help may actually begin.

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Recorded at ROC Vox Recording & Production Studios in Rochester, NY. Learn more at rocvox.com.