FASD Hope is a podcast series about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), through the lens of parent advocates with over nineteen years of lived experience.
Episode 84 is an INSPIRATION-FILLED Episode with Melissa Jacobus. Melissa Jacobus has been advocating for her adopted children and the rights of all individuals with FASD since 1998. At the national level, she is a parent advocate and member of the Justice Task Force for the National Organization Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), serves on the Advisory Committee for FASD Communities and served as a member of the Speakers Bureau for the Centers for Disease Control's FASD Southeast Regional Training Center. In 2019, Ms. Jacobus was inducted into the NOFAS' Tom and Linda Daschle FASD Hall of Fame. Melissa is also active at the state in Georgia. Among her accomplishments, in 2012, she presented at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Suicide Prevention Program and the Supreme Court of Georgia's Committee on Justice for Children. In 2013, her work led Governor Deal to designate September 9th as FASD Awareness Day, which has continued under the current governor, Brian Kemp. Melissa co-led the 2018 Atlanta Training on FASD at the State Bar of Georgia. In May 2021, she published a book about FASD advocacy titled, The Accomplice. Melissa received a Bachelor of Science in Broadcasting from the University of Florida. She worked for the Tribune Broadcasting Company and she was awarded the company's highest honor for customer service before resigning in 1997, to devote herself fulltime to raising awareness and understanding FASD. She resides in Atlanta, GA.
In this HOPE-FILLED episode, Melissa explores the following topics: her family's journey, early advocacy efforts, when she shifted from local FASD parent advocate to regional / national advocate, her involvement in the FASD justice conferences, what led her to write her book The Accomplice, the importance of her faith, the living angels in her life and what she hopes readers can take away from her book.
"Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness." - Psalm 143:10
CLARIFICATION MESSAGE FROM EPISODE GUEST -
"Guest Melissa Jacobus inadvertently mentioned that she presented with Billy Edwards in Missouri and New Orleans, when in actuality, she presented with Billy Edwards in Mississippi and New Orleans."
EPISODE RESOURCES -
You can contact Melissa through the NOFAS website
https://nofas.org/
The Accomplice by Melissa Jacobus
https://www.amazon.com/Accomplice-Melissa-Jacobus/dp/1665300035/ref=sr_1_1?crid=14TED630GN1J9&dchild=1&keywords=the+accomplice+melissa+jacobus&qid=1632106013&sprefix=The+Accomplice+by+Meli%2Caps%2C178&sr=8-1
FASD HOPE RESOURCES -
https://www.fasdhope.com/
natalie@fasdhope.com
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/fasdhope/
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fasdhope1
Twitter - https://twitter.com/fasdhope
LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/natalie-vecchione-17212160/
Clubhouse - @natalievecc
Check out our new book “Blazing New Homeschool Trails: Educating and Launching Teens with Developmental Disabilities” by Natalie Vecchione & Cindy LaJoy BUY IT NOW!
119 - Stronger Together - The Women of FASD Podcasting
118 - Wired Differently - A Conversation with Gilberto Spencer
117 - FASD Hub Scotland - A Conversation with Aliy Brown
116 - Three Generations of FASD Exposure - A Conversation with Dr. Larry Burd
115 - SPECIAL EPISODE - When The World Doesn’t Make Sense - A Conversation with Sandra Flach
114 - Lessons From Forensic Work - A Conversation with Dr. Natalie Novick Brown
113 - Families Moving Forward Connect App - A Conversation with Dr. Christie Petrenko
112 - Created to Be Free - A Conversation with Suzanne Emery
111 - A Conversation with the DiG FASD Research Team
110- FASD Ottawa - A Conversation with Nancy Lockwood
109 - FASD Changemakers - A Conversation with CJ Lutke and Katrina Griffin
108 - Critical Information - A Conversation with Dr. Douglas Waite
107 - NOFASD Australia - A Conversation with Louise Gray and Sophie Harrington
106 - Season 2 Premiere - The Leading Expert - A Conversation with Dr. Kenneth Jones
105 - BONUS EPISODE - Dadcast and Season 2 Sneak Preview
104 - Season 1 Finale - Stronger Together - The Women of FASD Podcasting
103 - FASCETS Friday - Five Things I‘ve Learned as a FASCETS Facilitator with Nancy Hall
102 - All About FASD - Adaptive Functioning and FASD with Jerrod Brown, Ph.D.
101 - LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - The FASD Respect Act
100 - Advocacy in Action - A Conversation with Dan Dubovsky
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