Award-Winning Column: Get personal insights from PodmanDan, our founder and host, who is an award-winning intellectual disability advocate.
Founder, Special Chronicles
Daniel Smrokowski is an award-winning disability advocate, journalist, podcaster, and public speaker dedicated to advancing inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is the founder and host of Special Chronicles, a long-running and internationally recognized media platform that shares stories, interviews, and podcasts highlighting the achievements, experiences, and voices of people with disabilities.
In 18 years, Special Chronicles has produced more than 1,000 episodes, reached over 100,000 website views, and achieved more than 50,000 podcast downloads, using storytelling and journalism to promote inclusion, accessibility, and disability awareness. For his commitment to amplifying underrepresented voices through media, Daniel received the Matthew Freeman Award for Social Justice.
In addition to his media work, Daniel serves as a Service Ambassador at United Airlines based in Chicago and is a longtime Special Olympics athlete leader. He has held one of the movement’s highest athlete leadership positions as a Sargent Shriver Global Messenger, representing Special Olympics through public speaking, leadership, and international advocacy.
Through his work in media, advocacy, and leadership, Daniel inspires audiences to see disability inclusion not as a limitation, but as an opportunity to build stronger, more connected communities.
