Latest news with #EastersealsSouthernCalifornia
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Floreo Launches Scientific Advisory Board to Advance Evidence-Based VR Therapy for Neurodivergent Learners
WASHINGTON, June 18, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Floreo, a pioneering developer of virtual reality (VR)-based therapy for neurodivergent youth and adults, is proud to announce its inaugural scientific advisory board. Comprising six leaders across behavioral health research, clinical practice, and healthcare delivery, the board is chaired by Dr. Paula Pompa-Craven, chief clinical officer of Easterseals Southern California--the largest provider of disability services in California. "There is a real urgency and demand for accessible, effective, and evidence-based interventions that can serve individuals living with autism. We see a tremendous opportunity for collaboration across the scientific, clinical, and technology communities. Early evidence suggests tremendous promise for virtual reality as a vehicle for therapeutic support, and we're honored to collaborate with such distinguished experts to ensure our work is grounded in clinical rigor," said Vijay Ravindran, CEO and founder of Floreo. "Their research and insights will help guide the continued development of our technology to better serve the neurodiverse community." Utilized in both clinical and school settings, Floreo's immersive VR lessons support the development of social, behavioral, communication, emotional regulation, and life skills for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and other diagnoses. In 2023, Floreo became the first VR autism technology to receive the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) breakthrough device designation. The scientific advisory board will provide strategic direction on research initiatives, clinical study design, and the continued scientific validation of Floreo's VR-based learning tools. The board convened for its first meeting at the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) conference and will serve as a guiding pillar for Floreo's growing research portfolio. Founding members of the scientific advisory board include: Paula Pompa-Craven, Psy.D., Chief Clinical Officer of Easterseals Southern California Dr. Paula Pompa-Craven, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in assessment and diagnosis of autism and other developmental disabilities. She has been with Easterseals Southern California (ESSC) since 1995 and supported several different service lines before becoming Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of ESSC's Autism Therapy Services. Paula supervises a staff of over 1,400, which provides applied behavior analysis, speech, physical, and occupational therapy services to over 19,000 individuals with autism and their families annually. Retired U.S. Army Major General Elder Granger, M.D. Retired U.S. Army Major General Elder Granger, M.D. is currently the president and CEO of THE 5Ps, LLC, a health care, education, and leadership consulting organization. Before he retired from the U.S. Army in 2009, MG Granger served as the Deputy Director and Program Executive Officer of the TRICARE Management Activity, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs), Washington, D.C. In this role, he was the principal advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Health Affairs) on Department of Defense health plan policy and performance and led a staff of 1,800 in ensuring high-quality, accessible healthcare for 9.2 million uniformed and retired service members, their families, and others worldwide. MG Granger led the largest U.S. and multi-national battlefield health system in our recent history while serving as Commander Task Force 44th Medical Command and Command Surgeon for the Multinational Corps Iraq. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the Board of Hematology and Oncology. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Arkansas State University in 1976 and a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1980. MG Granger also received an honorary Doctor of Science Degree from Meharry Medical College. Dr. Rhonda Moore, PhD, Autistic Cultural and Medical Anthropologist Dr. Rhonda Moore is an Autistic cultural and medical anthropologist, and a program director for the All of Us Research Program at the NIH. Most of her work has focused on lived experiences of pain and physical and invisible disability across the lifespan (healthy populations, cancer patients, and survivors, and in diverse palliative care contexts). Prior to All of Us, she served as a Program Director in Global Mental Health at NIMH and program lead for the digital global mental health technology program. She also served as a Scientific Review Officer at the NCI. She also spent over eight years as a social scientist and reviewer at the US FDA working across diverse regulatory products (drugs, tobacco, devices). She shares her lived experiences as a late identified Autistic adult through podcasts, poetry and talks. Anna Moznavsky, M.A., BCBA, SVP of Clinical Operations and Quality, Center for Social Dynamics Anna Moznavsky serves as the Senior Vice President of Clinical Operations and Quality at the Center for Social Dynamics (CSD), where she leads the organization's clinical quality initiatives and oversees clinical growth and retention. Anna established CSD's Board of Clinical Quality and spearheaded the creation of the organization's internal research department and its own Institutional Review Board (IRB). She also founded CSD University, a comprehensive training and development platform designed to elevate clinician new hire training and promotion pathway training. With over two decades of experience working with autistic individuals, Anna began her journey as a volunteer and has been a BCBA since 2012. Additionally, she served a three-year term on the Catalight Care Advisory Board. Her work reflects a deep commitment to improving client outcomes, advancing clinical excellence, and mentoring the next generation of behavioral health professionals Marsha Stepensky, BCBA, Director of Therapy Content, Floreo Marsha Stepensky is a seasoned clinician and educator with over 18 years of experience across educational, clinical, and community settings. She currently serves as the Director of Therapy Content at Floreo, where she leads the design and implementation of VR therapy lessons rooted in evidence-based practices. Previously, Marsha spearheaded the development and launch of a multidisciplinary Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) clinic for individuals aged 3–21 at a pediatric hospital in Washington, D.C. In that role, she created and led hospital-wide training programs on behavior management policies and crisis intervention, while also shaping onboarding and supervision protocols for behavioral health staff. Marsha has a special interest in sexuality and sexuality education and has worked internationally to train parents and professionals on effective strategies for teaching this topic to young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). She is passionate about ensuring access, equity, and dignity in all areas of support. Shirley Mak-Parisi, Vice President of Clinical Affairs, Floreo Shirley Mak-Parisi is a clinical research professional with over 20 years of experience. Prior to joining Floreo, Shirley led clinical operations for medical device companies and behavioral health tech startups. She has a keen eye for data and a passion for evidence-based programs while navigating the complex intersection of science, regulation, and patient safety. Shirley brings rigor, integrity, and a touch of practical wit to every project she tackles. She enjoys diving into the details, staying curious, and asking the questions that lead to smarter answers. Whether orchestrating multi-site trials or writing protocols, she's driven by a belief that good research and data lead to better care—and ultimately, healthier lives. To learn more about Floreo, visit About FloreoFloreo's vision is a world that is open and accessible for every neurodiverse person. Its mission is to create the first behavioral therapy metaverse, a virtual world that is safe for learners, equipping them with skills and tools they can apply in their everyday lives. Floreo has developed a virtual reality platform that teaches social, behavioral, communication, and life skills for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, anxiety, and other neurodiverse conditions. For more information, please visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Floreo Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Stories Don't Have to Be About Disability' to Feature Actors with a Disability: A Call for Change
'Over 70 million Americans and 1.3 billion globally have disabilities,' Nancy Weintraub said at the 'Reimagining Hollywood: A New Lens on Disability,' panel at the American Pavilion during the Cannes Film Festival. Weintraub is the Chief Advancement Officer at Easterseals Southern California. For over a century has been the leading disability support and advocacy organization in the U.S. Easterseals works heavily to increase opportunities for disabled performers in the film and TV industry, and Weintraub was joined by actor, writer, producer, and founder of the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, Nic Novicki, for a lively conversation about the state of disability inclusion in entertainment — and the importance of authentic representation. More from IndieWire 'In Your Dreams' Teaser: The Search for the Sandman Powers Netflix's New Animated Sibling Fantasy Sam Rockwell Says 'Sinners' Success Is 'Encouraging' for Hollywood: 'It's a Big Swing' 'One in four of the population has a disability, yet we're in less than 3 percent of film and TV shows,' Novicki, who's appeared in 'The Sopranos' and 'Boardwalk Empire,' said. The time is right for inclusive change. So Novicki founded the Easterseals Disability Film Challenge, 'an annual film competition where you make a one-to-five-minute film that has somebody with a disability involved in front of or behind the camera. The films don't have to be about disability, it's just about including people with disabilities.' The Challenge winners then receive coveted access to already established entertainment industry professionals as a prize. Earlier in the year at Sundance, Easterseals launched a new report on the subject of representing disability onscreen that Weintraub explained looks 'at how far we've come with disability inclusion, but also recognizes there are more opportunities to grow together. Over 50 talented individuals with disabilities helped curate it. We held a national survey in October of 800 adults with disabilities.' Novicki, who has been in over 40 television shows and films, revealed that the Film Challenge had resulted in 135 films being created this year from around the world. Easterseals' report from earlier this year featured an important point from Novicki: 'A lot of times, accessibility does not requiremore money, it requires more planning — strategically planning ahead and integrating accessibility from the very beginning.' Money need not be a barrier. Both Weintraub and Novicki love celebrating successes alongside their ongoing work to increase inclusion. 'There have been some amazing success stories recently,' Novicki said. ''Wicked'! Marissa Bode is a wheelchair user. The future is bright. 'Coda,' winning the Oscars, an all-deaf cast.' 'The buying power, the disposable income of the disability community in the United States is $490 billion, and that translates to over $1.3 trillion globally,' Weintraub said. 'Not only do we have a critical mass of people who want to see themselves represented, but they're a large part of the market. Authentic disability representation has financial incentives.' The report showed the audience wants more representation, and wants networks and studios to fix the lack of representation. 'I wondered why more people with disabilities weren't creating their own content. I wanted to play a gangster. So, I started shooting it myself,' Novicki said. 'I started creating my own opportunities. I created the Disability Film Challenge and it started small. We had 5 films that first year. I partnered with Easterseals in 2017. Now we have had 850 films created from around the world over the last 12 years. These become working databases. The Casting Society of America shares these films. With the challenge, it's not talking about the problem of the lack of representation, it's about being part of the solution.' 'Amazon MGM Studios is a partner of the challenge,' Novicki said. 'They reached out to us looking for an actor on the autism spectrum. We were able to send dozens of talented actors from the challenge. Nic Sanchez ended up booking a role in that film, which was 'The Accountant' sequel, and worked with Ben Affleck. It's a challenging landscape, but I'm optimistic because it's a global population of people with disabilities that hasn't been tapped into.' 'Stories don't have to be about disability,' Weintraub noted. 'A lot of the stories that come out of the challenge are seeing people with disabilities being moms, dads, lawyers, doctors, gangsters, bad guys, and being in romantic relationships too. The studios can see them in roles outside of roles that are just about their disability.' 'People with disabilities have largely not been given the same amount of auditions and opportunities,' Novicki said. Weintraub added, 'There are a lot of background crowd shots in movies. Always consider putting people with disabilities in those. Again, it's one in four, so they should be represented everywhere as well.' 'When you talk about one in four of the population,' Novicki continued, 'You're also talking about your neighbor, your son, your father, your uncle. Everybody has their own connection to disability. It's just about how do you meet them? That happens here (at Cannes). This is the largest film market in the world.' 'The disability community wants to see themselves represented. There's so much pride in our community,' Novicki said. 'I'm proud to have a disability, to be a little person, to be a part of this community. With 1.7 billion, there's a lot more room for awareness. There are a lot of success stories. We have a lot of our own within the challenge, but there's still room to grow.' Watch the video above to find out how to submit films to the Disability Film Challenge, and learn more about Easterseals' disability inclusion work. Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See
