New podcast amplifies autistic voices in Kawartha Lakes

By Robyn Best

Matt Geraghty is the host of the Autism Resources podcast which aims to bring autistic voices in Kawartha Lakes to the conversation. Photo: Robyn Best.

Matt Geraghty and his wife Meg started Autism Resources Kawartha (ARK) this year, aiming to make Kawartha Lakes more welcoming and accessible for people with autism and their families.

The couple’s son, Beckett, was diagnosed with autism in October of 2022, and since then they’ve wanted to help make life easier for those who have gone through the same process.

“I was trying to figure out how to make his life better and easier as we go, how to make my life better and easier as we go. There’s no guidebook with this,” Geraghty said.

The most recent addition to this is a new podcast, under the ARK name. “There is countless information about everything out there, including autism. We want to do something more local and specific to Kawartha Lakes,” he said.

Geraghty said these kinds of resources are needed, as there’s nowhere else to access them. “You go to the doctor when you’re not feeling good. They’re like okay let’s do a test. They do all that for free, then they tell you how to make your life better and easier. There’s no procedure with autism.”

Guests on the podcast so far have been parents with autistic kids, or adults who have been diagnosed, or self-diagnosed, later in life. “I’m cautious and concerned about how somebody (who is) neurotypical talks about autism is perceived,” Geraghty said.

While Geraghty wants to help magnify those voices, the podcast can also be used as a platform to help families become more aware of services available in the area. One upcoming guest has a horseback riding program that was specifically created to help people with anxiety and autism develop socially.

“I hope people outside of the autism community listen to this, because I want them to understand what autism is. What it looks like, what it’s not, what we’re going through as caregivers, loved ones, parents, and someone with autism too,” Geraghty said.

The podcast is recorded in a studio at Ampere in Lindsay. Geraghty finds that “this studio is very specific to this area.” With access to equipment, like monitors and microphones, that he wouldn’t otherwise have, Geraghty has been able to produce the podcast at high quality level. “I wanted to be top level, professional looking.”

He may be the more recognizable face of the company, but he wants to make it clear Meg is also heavily involved. “I’m out there more purposefully, and I’m comfortable in these situations, because I’ve done them a bunch. She’s behind the scenes.”

“She knows way more about autism and advocating than me. I’m just the marketing guy, and I know how to push stuff out there,” Geraghty continued.

“I would love to talk to more autistic people, if they’re comfortable.” While the podcast is unscripted, he’s happy to accommodate anyone by giving them questions ahead of time, as well as sending guests a package telling them what to expect, where to park, what the building looks like, what the stairs look like and what’s going to happen. “We are doing our best to make this space and this whole experience more comfortable for people with autism,” Geraghty said.

New episodes are available every Tuesday on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts and anywhere else podcasts are available.

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