Sided by side headshots of Crystal Hernandez and Shauna Humphreys. Below a teal medallion with two red and black feathers at each end, circling around the Choctaw symbol for "unity". Text Black Feathers Podcast Disability Conversation

Hosted by Crystal Hernandez, Psy.D., M.B.A., and Shauna Humphreys, M.S., L.P.C., both experts in mental health, Black Feathers is a product of the State of the States in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Ongoing Longitudinal Data Project of National Significance and produced with support from the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities (KUCDD), a part of the KU Life Span Institute. Episodes focus on Native American experiences with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, mental health, anxiety disorders and healthcare access, among other topics.

It is the only podcast by and for Native Americans focused on intellectual and developmental disabilities, Hernandez said.

“A lot of times, we are stripped of our voices, and services and decisions are made without us,” Hernandez said. “It's really important that we’re heard or seen for who we are, and that things are not built around us, for us—but are built with us, and through us.”

Hernandez is a Cherokee Nation citizen, a Latina, and a mother of an autistic son. She is the executive director of the Oklahoma Forensic Center and is a board member of the Autism Foundation of Oklahoma.

Hernandez brought Humphreys on board. Humphreys is a Chahta (Choctaw) Nation citizen, a licensed professional counselor and an advocate for mental healthcare in Tribal Nations. She is the behavioral health director for the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. She also brings her experiences as a mother of five children to the podcast.

Hernandez said there are many missed opportunities for more inclusive and more available services for developmental disabilities in Native American communities.

"We have to do better as a people and as a system,” she said

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