Testimonials

  • Francis was able to adapt instructional methods on the fly in order to promote as much independent engagement as possible. As someone who had worked with most of these participants for years, I was impressed with how quickly he gained the group’s trust, and their full attention! Not only was the course content extremely real and important, but his teaching approach, which often included humor, made participants feel safe and included which was important when exploring difficult and potentially triggering topics.

    — Jill Ellison, M.S., CTRS/R., Program Director

  • Francis has a wealth of knowledge and experience serving people with disabilities as they take ownership of their sexual health. He provides insight and empowerment both for individuals with disabilities and the professionals who work alongside them in increasing quality of life and access to the community. Francis masterfully provides information in an accessible and relatable manner. He is able to translate complex and often sensitive topics into presentations and workshops that are fun, engaging and relevant for everyone. Francis is an advocate for people with disabilities in having agency, giving consent, and knowing their bodies.

    — Kate Krings, M.S. CCC-SLP, Associate Teaching Professor

  • I have worked with Francis for the past three years through an outside agency in my public high school special education classroom. My students had a variety of communication and access needs, and Francis made complex concepts such as consent, public and private, and appropriate technology usage accessible to students of all abilities. He created a classroom environment in which students felt comfortable participating and being vulnerable while learning.

    — High School Special Education Teacher

  • Francis developed and delivered this comprehensive curriculum in a manner all students could understand. I have taught disabled adults life skills for over 15 years and I have come across very few people with Francis’s aptitude to teach them about relationships and consent. I hold Francis in the highest professional regard, as his talent and dedication for teaching students with disabilities this challenging subject matter is rare and quite frankly unparalleled.

    — Transition Special Education Teacher

  • He touched on the appropriate level of comprehension for these students which was enhanced with his visuals which helped students remain focused. Moreover, Francis' approach/examples were very relatable to the students in situations that they may have encountered in their everyday lives. He kept track of who was engaged and not engaged and tried different ways to elicit responses based on their ability level. Based on the students' level of interest/ability, Francis scaled back or expanded the content to help them understand. Francis put a lot of hard work, commitment and passion into his Healthy Relationships Workshop Series and it truly shows! Several students mentioned that they enjoyed Francis' presentation. He made this challenging topic seem natural and approachable.

    — School Transition Specialist and Doctor of Special Education

  • I was incredibly impressed with his ability to reach every single participant (on Zoom no less) by sharing examples and speaking directly with incredible respect. The goal of the series of forums was to bring participants with intellectual disabilities and their family members together with healthcare professionals to discuss topics related to health and wellbeing. Francis was an incredible guest, providing much needed education around safety and self-determination. To this day, I still frequently share the recording of the forum to participants with new questions and concerns. Francis is an incredible resource for education regarding relationships and sexuality.

    — Leah Shaffner, Special Olympics Washington Initiatives Manager