Beth Poague's life changed when she and her then-husband Jim learned that their youngest son Finn had a rare genetic disorder. Their pace of living shifted, they sought community with other families going through the same thing, and as Finn got older, Beth channeled her energy into advocating for changes to Beacon's schools on her son's behalf.

First at JV Forrestal and later at Rombout Middle School, Beth pushed for — and got — more integrated classrooms and school activities that allowed kids with disabilities to learn alongside typical kids. She believes the work she and other parents did improved outcomes not only for their special needs kids but also for the "normal" kids.

"All of us get accommodated all the time, right?" she says in our interview. "I am wearing eyeglasses right now. That's an accommodation for my disability of my sight. But eyeglasses are seen as something normal, so we don't ever think of it as an accommodation. But accommodations for disability are all over the place. Every single one of us needs help. This idea that we're supposed to muscle through everything and pick ourselves up by our bootstraps and be independent and not need anything from anybody is harming all of us."

Also in this episode, Beth talks about the Wheel of Consent, a system for identifying and communicating needs for the purpose of clear communication, healthy boundaries and personal empowerment. Beth teaches classes and facilitates workshops about the Wheel of Consent. More on her website at BethPoague.com.

Repost: Some listeners experienced a truncated version of this interview, so we are deleting and reposting. -ZR

The tables have turned! After six years and more than 133 interviews, Beaconites creator and host Zach Rodgers (i.e. me) moves into the guest's chair for a discussion of his life and the evolution of this community project. A few listeners have asked for this episode over the years, and Beacon AV Lab's own Jonny Taylor — my creative and production partner during the full run of this project — was kind enough to be my interlocutor.

We talk about my upbringing in Northern Michigan, journey to Beacon, the origin of Beaconites, favorite episodes and the future direction of this project.

Julie Winterbottom has written a wide range of books aimed at children, including books on farts, pranks and horror — all designed for maximum humor, spine chills and fun. Her most recent work is a little different: "Magic in a Drop of Water" tells the story of ecologist Ruth Patrick, who did pioneering research connecting biodiversity to river pollution and helped to write the 1972 clean water act. It's a beautiful book in terms of both the story it tells and the gorgeous illustrations of marsh snails, hugsuckers and, above all, diatoms, the family of phytoplankton that appear in all bodies of water and that were the focus of Patrick's work.

In addition to book projects, Julie also plays cajun accordion and volunteers with multiple local causes, including Beacon Prison Rides and Beacon Climate Action Now. At 68, she offers a wonderful example of someone in endless pursuit of ways to create, connect with others, and give back to this community and those in need.