David pitonyak biography

“Over the past four years, I’ve met with dozens of families of people with disabilities.  I have given each of those families this article. 

Usually, it’s the first thing I give them.

It’s just so important.  It’s funny, it’s poignant, and it asks powerful questions with important ideas.  The icing on the cake is an attached bit of thinking from Jack Pealer and Sandy Landis, which I think inspired the article.

I’ve been able to learn from David Pitonyak a few times, and am grateful for it.  In particular, he first blew my mind with his “7 Questions” and framing “behaviors” as ways for communicating unmet needs.

Such an important point of empathy that I was never taught.

Overall, this article is about helping people explore, name and reclaim their story.  Knowing a bit about the author, and Jack Pealer and Sandy Landis, I’m guessing its original intent was to help people with disabilities who were institutionalized and h