Tony Mantor: Why Not Me ? - Danielle Terrell: From Kenya to Dubai: One Advocate's Journey to Empower the Autistic Community

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

Danielle Terrell shares her journey as the US Healthcare Development Director at the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) and her passion for improving healthcare accessibility for autistic individuals around the world. • IBCCES provides specialized training and certification for healthcare providers, helping hospitals, dental offices, and other facilities better support individuals with autism • The organization has created global partnerships across healthcare, entertainment, and travel sectors, including certifying Emirates as the world's first autism-certified airline • Training programs are built by autism experts and people with lived experience to address industry-specific needs rather than generic awareness • Certification includes virtual training modules and on-site assessments to make environments more sensory-friendly without major structural changes • Danielle has worked with individuals ages 2-87 across residential, educational, and healthcare settings throughout her career • Healthcare gaps for autistic individuals include lack of understanding about sensory needs, communication differences, and proper accommodations • Developers created an Accessibility App that helps people locate autism-certified businesses and services worldwide • Danielle recently participated in Ride for Autism Africa, helping build a therapy center and special needs school in Kenya Join us in transforming the world, one story at a time. If you know someone who has a story to share, contact us at whynotmeworld. The content on Why Not Me: Embracing Autism amd Mental Health Worldwide, including discussions on mental health, autism, and related topics, is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views and opinions expressed by guests are their own and do not reflect those of the podcast, its hosts, or affiliates.Why Not Me is not a medical or mental health professional and does not endorse or verify the accuracy, efficacy, safety of any treatments, programs, or advice discussed.Listeners should consult qualified healthcare professionals, such as licensed therapists, psychologists, or physicians, before making decisions about mental health or autism- related care.Reliance on this podcast's contents is at the listener's own risk. Why Not Me is not liable for any outcomes, financial or otherwise, resulting from actions taken based on the information provided. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to Why Not Me, embracing autism and mental health worldwide, hosted by Tony Miatour. Broadcasting from the heart of Music City, USA, Nashville, Tennessee. Join us as our guests share their raw, howful stories. Some will spark laughter, others will move you to tears. These real-life journeys inspire, connect, and remind you that your never alone. We're igniting a global movement to empower everyone to make a lasting difference by fostering deep awareness, unwavering acceptance, and profound understanding of autism and mental health. Tune in, be inspired, and join us in transforming the world one story at a time.

Hi, I'm Tony Mantor. Welcome to Why Not Me, embracing autism and mental health, Worldwide. Joining us today is Danielle Terrell. She's a passionate advocate for individuals with autism and intellectual developmental disabilities, serving as the U.S. Healthcare Development Director at the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards, IBCCES. As an international public speaker and contributing author, she draws on her extensive experience supporting people ages 2 to 87 to drive transformative change in the autism field.

At IBCES, Danielle leads initiatives to enhance healthcare training and certification, improving care and inclusion for individuals with autism and other disabilities. Her bold leadership raises critical awareness and empowers young learners and professionals in her field. She brings a great story, a wealth of knowledge, and we're happy to have her here. So before we dive into our episode, we'll be back with an uninterrupted show right after a brief word from our sponsors. Thanks for coming on. Yeah, thank you for having me. Oh, it's my pleasure.

So let's start out with what you're currently doing. Sure. So right now, I actually recently started a new position. It's been about a month. And I'm the business development director for health care services in the U.S. with IVCCES, which is the International Board. board for credentialing and continuing education standards. Can you expand on what you do? So what that means is I work with hospitals, urgent cares, dentist office, anything in the healthcare field and develop a partnership. And with that partnership comes a curriculum that

IBCCES has developed. It's an international, independent credentialing organization that's been around for a little over 20 years. And we've worked with partners from all around the world. So if you ever heard of an autism certified center or, for example, Emirates Airline just announced that they've become the first autism certified airline. That's us. So our curriculum's been developed by our board that's made up a group of subject matter experts and individuals with lived experiences like Dr. Carey Magro and Dr. Stephen Shore. That's great. So what led you to doing this? Yeah. So it's interesting because I decided to take a. a couple of months off as I was transitioning and moving back down to Florida. And through a connection on LinkedIn, I was looking at IBCCES. Well, interesting, because it started a couple of years ago. In 2019, I decided that I was going to start traveling to conferences just to learn what else

was out there to make me a stronger service provider. And I love to travel. So with that, I decided I would go to a conference in a city that I've never been. That's interesting. So where did it lead you? So I went to Houston, Texas for the first time, and the conference was actually organized by IBCCES. So I've been following the organization for a while. And then earlier this year, I had reached out to the CEO on LinkedIn and really just kind of introduced myself. We got into a conversation that led to another conversation that led to lunch to a job offer. And the health care part of it really fits in perfectly because that's something that I took a special interest in throughout my.

graduate studies and throughout my professional experience working with individuals with disabilities. So there's a big gap in healthcare services when it comes to training and supporting individuals on the autism spectrum and individuals with sensory sensitivities. So I know the need is there. And it's a passion that something that I love and that I'm passionate about. So excited to connect with healthcare professionals and talk about this amazing work and why the training is so important. Okay. So can you explain what it is? that you do. You work with people that have sensory issues. So what are some of the steps that you take to help them? So would that be historically or in my current role? Either one. Sure. We can cover both. Okay. Well, if we rewind a little bit, how I got started really in this field, I truly believe that the stars were always aligned. I just didn't quite know that they existed. Right? There's is saying that true friends are like stars. We don't always see them, but we know they're always there. So it's kind of like that. I think that this is something that I was truly meant to do. And throughout time and some reflection, I discovered a career that I absolutely loved.

That's great. So how did it start? It started in New York, where I'm originally from working as a direct support professional for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and co-occurring mental health diagnoses. And I really fell in with the individuals that I supported. Some of the individuals survived you on New York State institutions and actually shared some of their stories about what it was like at Pilgrim State Hospital, Willowbrook State School. And that is where I found an interest in the history of disability services and residential programs. I also met a BCBA there. So I got into learning a little bit more about the field of ABA, which is interesting because I did take an ABA course in undergrad, but never connected the path of this is ABA and this is how you can

turn it into a career. So from that first experience, I've always been someone that likes to learn more and likes to discover what else can I do to make myself a stronger professional. So I jumped around a little of it and work as a service provider in different fields from community services to working in public schools, residential settings. I worked in a group home. I was also a manager at an assisted living facility. Again, every experience I fell in love with. I learned so much. Wow, that's quite a good path. So what was your next steps? In 2021, I completed a master's degree in developmental disabilities. So I started to pour a little bit more of my time into academia while I was working on my professional journey. So having that firsthand experience in different areas of life,

also throughout the lifespan, working in early intervention all the way to supporting individuals in their 70s and 80s. And a lot of different healthcare experiences happened throughout that time, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. There is another individual that I supported who had 83 scheduled doctor's appointments throughout one year. Wow. Yeah. So taking that professional experience and my interest in health care, this role with IBCCES really fell into place in perfect timing. Yeah, that sounds really good. So do you work with people one-on-one or do you just mainly do the scheduling so that others can do that job? Sure. So right now I don't work one-on-one. I don't have a face-to-face interaction with individuals. I work with sometimes it may be a CEO at a hospital or someone

in a leadership role or someone within a healthcare organization that learned about us and they're looking for more information. So we have initial calls to talk about what the need is for their organization and how we can develop a partnership with the curriculum that we have and what their needs are. Sometimes people are looking for an individual certification for themselves, or for example, a hospital may be looking to start with just their emergency room, and then maybe from there, it grows to the entire hospital becoming a certified autism center. So how many outlets do you have across the country that are currently in participation? So I don't have the exact numbers, but we have a couple of partnerships in healthcare. We also work with other organizations from

entertainment, tourism, so hotels, parks and rec centers, police departments, they've gone through this training, yeah. So is the training on site or is it all virtual training? Yeah, so I don't do the training myself. I just share information about the program, but the training is virtual. It goes through different modules, videos and PowerPoint slides. So depending on what type of learning you are, sometimes it helps to see that video presentation or sometimes just reading from slides and taking notes. It's all self-paced so people can pause and stop as they need to and then there's an assessment at the end. So what are some of the challenges that you've faced or some of the people have faced with what you're trying to do to help those that are autistic?

I feel like I can talk about a lot of different things in the healthcare realm and just in in other topics in areas of life. I mean, with healthcare, the lack of training, I've supported an individual. She was in the ED, and just, I understand time is sensitive. There may be a lot of patients and limited amount of nurses. Sometimes just taking that extra step to ask questions. For example, the individual that I'm thinking of,

unfortunately, she passed away a few years ago, but I was able to support her throughout the last few years of her life. she has an intellectual disability and she's visually impaired. The nurse was like, all right, honey, get up, open your eyes, time to use the bathroom. And it was like, okay, wait, let's slow down, actually. She can't see. You know, we can work with her and communicate with her and just, rather than assuming things, just take a little time to have a conversation.

There was another nurse, same patient, and she was using the restroom in her bed when she was perfectly capable of getting up and walking to the bathroom. So sometimes it's taking those extra steps to learn about who the patient is and treating them like a human rather than, oh, they have a disability and assume X, Y, and Z. Have you done any work with anyone overseas? I've also done some international work, and I've learned throughout the years that if it's happening here, it's happening everywhere. So I was just in Kenya recently, and I was speaking to a speech therapist, one of 12 in the entire country. When she started her career, she didn't know what was out there as far as career paths and options. When she started getting into it, she knew that, again, medical staff weren't well trained

and supporting individuals with disabilities and that a need was there. And she fell in with her, she fell in love with her job. Parents, moms that have talked about what will happen to my child when I'm no longer there and using their voice to be loud and doing things outside of the box to create, programs and residential programs for their adult children so that they can create a community where they're supported throughout their own lifespan. So yeah, a lot of different challenges in different areas of life. So you've said that you've worked in varied capacities. One of them is you've mentioned airports. So do you have people that actually train how to help those

with sensory issues at some of these airports around the world? Yeah, so with IBCCS for airline trainings, so they also go through the virtual training. So all of our virtual trainings are going to be catered to the different industry. So what we're presenting to a doctor is going to be different to a flight attendant. So the in-flight attendants have gone through the training. The ground staff at the airport have also gone through the training. In Dubai, there is a lot of great, incredible work that's being done to make the airport more inclusive, different resources, a lounge, things like that.

Other industries, if you've seen like the sunflower symbol at airports, there's different access points that individuals can go through, so it's not an over-stimulating experiences. They may not have to wait on those long security checkpoint lines, different things like that, yeah. Yeah, I've heard that Dubai has one of the top autistic airports in the world. It's incredible. The Dubai airport's incredible.

I traveled to Dubai for the first time in 2023. I presented at a conference and I was just completely blown away. And even since then, there's so much work that's being done in Dubai. And they really are dedicated to creating an inclusive community and really being leaders in this movement. Now, could you clarify a few things of what you do? Do you act similar to like a CIT trainer who's involved? in teaching police, firefighters, and other personnel how to recognize and respond to someone experienced an autism-related meltdown, or how to better understand and support autistic

individuals, including identifying behaviors like stemming and improving interactions with those situations. Is this something that you do as well? Kind of, in a way. So, for example, if we're talking about a health care setting, There's a shorter training that the front desk staff might go through. And that training may be more of a what is autism, what is sensory overload, communication with parents, caregivers, what communication styles may look like for different people. And then for the training for the clinical staff may be more specific to pain tolerance. Communication is definitely in there and it's important.

how someone might respond to anesthesia if they're going through a medical procedure. So it's more like situational, not like a hands-on training where if someone has a meltdown. We're definitely going to support and educate people on different ways to maybe identifying antecedents and preventing a meltdown, but not like a physical intervention or things like that. It's a lot of communication. What is the experience like? For people who are interested in becoming a certified autism center, one of the other qualifications to receive that certification is an on-site review. So we'll have someone from our team come to your dental clinic or your hospital and give a 360 approach and analysis to what are different things that we can either add to or remove to the environment to make it a little more inclusive.

So we're not going to ask you to break down any walls or do any significant structural changes, but are there little ways that we can make the experience from when someone arise in the parking lot to when they walk through the front door, to whatever room they're going to to receive their checkup medical procedure, how that experience can be more inclusive. Okay, that makes sense. Now, what kind of a company would you be working with that would surprise me? It might be one that you wouldn't think about, but then again, here you are, working with them. Well, one example of a company that's become Autism Certified would be the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Florida, SeaWorld, so amusement parks.

Yeah, there's, we actually, so last year, IBCCES launched an app. You can download it from the App Store. It's the accessibility app. And you can actually research different places and organizations that have already gone through our training and have become a certified autism center. So if you're just interested and curious to see what's in your local community or if you're planning for a vacation, you can research different locations from around the world that have gone through the certification process. That's great. Now, is there any business that you haven't worked with or is there any businesses that you think you maybe need to work? work with? I think that, so as I mentioned, I've been with the organization for about a month now,

but IBCCES has been around for over 20 years, and they've really touched just about everything, but there's definitely a need there, and there's so many more partnerships and opportunities for people to be part of this. There's definitely a lot that we need to do as a community. I have humans. I mean, if we think about we're sending people to outer space, but we still have so many gaps in services that really just support individuals so that they can live a meaningful life and be happy and healthy. I was recently at the Disability Policy Seminar in D.C. last month, and one of the self-advocates said, we deserve to thrive, not just survive. And that's something that's really stuck with me for the last couple of weeks. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, that's

a great statement. So tell me, where is your company based out of? So we have two offices. Our main office is in Jacksonville, Florida. And then our second office is in Dubai. And then our team members are all around the world. So we have a team in Jacksonville, a team in Dubai, and we also have a team in the Philippines. Part of our partnership is we have team members that are there to support you. So if there's a problem at a certain time, odds are we have someone in the world. that can help and address the question or send additional resources at any time of day. We'll respond in a reasonable body time. It's a really great team. And in the short time that I've been there, it's really been a clear sense of support. In some of my previous experiences,

especially when you're in a position and there's a lot of red tape, sometimes it's hard. and you're advocating for something that needs four different levels of approval when it makes sense. And if we implement it now, it's not only going to benefit the person in need, but so many other people. With IVCCES, I'm in a position where my experience, my skills, and my knowledge is really valued and supportive. And it feels good. Yeah. I mean, it always feels good when you're helping someone. Yeah.

Yeah, and that seems to be what they're doing. So when you have someone that's in a different part of the country, and then, of course, people that are in a different part of the world, are they from that area so they can relate to the people that they might be talking to? I would say within a reasonable time zone, so our schedules are scattered within the day or across the world. So, yeah, so at least that someone's able to respond in a timely matter. Yeah, and that's a great thing.

because people don't want to wait too long. So now, when you pick up the phone, who do you expect to be on the other end that you'll be speaking with? Who are the ones that are inquiring about your services? I think with, at least in the U.S., with recent updates from the CDC to 1.31, we may expect some people to reach out

because there's more conversations. I think that with a lot of changing, information in the news, there may be more and more conversations about how we can support individuals with disabilities. Sometimes it may be someone from HR. They want to learn about different ways that they can add trainings to their company, whether it's to really better support their employees if they're looking to grow and expand. So it could be a range of people. Sometimes it's word of mouth. We have ads that are distributed through meta and Google, so maybe it's a Google search or an ad that someone saw. Again, word of mouth, if someone has a great experience with their doctor, odds are they're going to tell their friends and tell their neighbors and it can grow that way.

So do you find yourself working with hospitals and doctors more than you would just people picking up the phone and calling you? Yes, for me specifically because that is my focus. other members of my team will focus on other industries. So is there any industry that you're leaving and touched or are you just asking them to all join in and advocate? Right. Not that I can think of. I think that we have a need and a willingness to knock on doors in all the different industries. And I mean, if there's one out there that isn't being touched, absolutely reach out. We're on LinkedIn. I'm always on my LinkedIn account. So yeah. So what do you see for yourself in the next three to five years? What are your plans for growth and where do you see yourself at in the future? Yeah. Well, I definitely see myself here in Florida and being part of this organization and watching the growth develop across the country, really focusing on having more of a presence in the United States specifically. And then outside of my full-time work, I'm always keeping.

myself busy, so more traveling and collaborating in other countries, on projects. The reason why I was in Kenya in March, slash the beginning of April, was because I have a friend who has a nonprofit organization, and this was the sixth annual ride for Autism, Africa. So when it started in 2019, there was one cyclist who rode a thousand kilometers across Kenya, and the movement has grown. So I was like, this is so cool. I want to go and ride a bike and raise awareness. Like, that sounds fun. I'd ever been to Kenya before.

So I reached out to my friend and I said, all right, I'm coming to Kenya. And she said, oh, you know, we're really not going to do the ride this year. I'm kind of behind and have a lot going on. And shortly after she said, okay, D, come and bring the world with you. So for the end of last year, Bania this year, while I had some time off, I worked on sharing this information with people, seeing who wanted to come with me. to Kenya. We had a couple of people who were on board, but ultimately, they had a back out. So it was just me, which made me a little nervous at first, being that this would have been my first time

traveling out of the country by myself. But I said, you know what, it started with one cyclist, so I'll be that one person that comes across the Atlantic and participates. So it was an amazing experience. We built a therapy center in a special needs school in Nakuru. We celebrated on World Autism Day in Nakuru, and it was just a great. just amazing to be surrounded by so many people to, you know, celebrate resources and the sharing of information and celebrating lives of individuals with disabilities. So you're doing all this and you're really advocating. Do you see yourself becoming an ambassador for your company to bring this word and the message that you're sharing around the world?

Possibly. I think the opportunity for growth definitely exists. if there's ever a chance to travel, I'm more than likely going to say yes. That's what I've been doing for the last few years. And a lot of times initially, I don't know how it's going to work out and how I'm going to plan around it. But fortunately, it always does. And I traveled to India last year and it was actually my second time. And that was an amazing experience and just all these really great stories that I've had. around the world's meeting different communities and working with colleagues and building friendships has been amazing. So I truly hope that continues. Last year, actually one of my best friends interviewed with you last year, AJ Colin Langell. Oh yeah. Yeah, autism barks. So we actually

started a podcast last year to address the question, what do I want to be when I grow up? So we interview different people that are working in the human service field, siblings, advocates just to share their career journey and share their story to inspire others to come in and fill all these gaps that we have because it truly is a rewarding career and we like to highlight that you can take your interest in things that you love and intertwine it with this amazing community and build a beautiful career. Yeah. Yeah, I think that's great. So, In closing, what would you like to tell the listeners that you think is very important that they hear about what you're doing? That you will continue to be inspired every day through this work.

The individual that I talked about earlier, she used to sing the song You Light Up My Life by Debbie Boone. It was her go-to karaoke song, and that had so much meaning for me because all the individuals that I've had the privilege to support have been the light to what I'm doing. And it's not always easy. There are some really challenging days. And sometimes, especially if you're in direct care where you're like, how did I get here? I don't have the training to do this, but you do it and you push through. Don't be afraid to ask questions and have conversations with people because the stories really do bring this work to life and they should be shared. So continue to share those stories because they'll not only inspire you, but they'll inspire others. And it's what will take us

to the next level of support, whether it's in the healthcare industry, direct care, education, and so on. Share those stories, ask questions. And if you have a loved one, whether you're a parent, a sibling. Also, don't be afraid to share your story and lean into your community as well. Yeah, that's great information. Well, this has been great, great conversation, great information. Thanks for coming on. Thank you so much for having me. Oh, it's been my pleasure. Thanks again. Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to listen to our show today. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. If you know someone who has a story to share, tell them to contact us.

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