Think Inclusive Podcast

The connection between inclusive schools and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.  On this episode of Think Inclusive, I speak with Simone Morris and Julie Kratz, the hosts of the Inclusion School Podcast. Simone and Julie connected over social media and decided to collaborate on a podcast to talk about the connection between inclusive schools and the DEI space.   Here's what I cover with Simone and Julie in this episode: 1. Why diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are important in schools. 2. Some ways to show up and be allies with people who have been historically marginalized. 3. Why it is important to talk about issues of racism, sexism, homophobia, and ableism, with children.  Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Email List: https://bit.ly/MCIE-Email-ListOtter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/cr-ZbOzqzCGqkavfuxImphJq4HEPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-

Imagine being an adult and not being able to have a say in your education. This was the experience of Gage Robinson, a young man who has an intellectual disability.Gage Robinson is a 19-year-old college student at Dakota County Techincal College in Rosemont, Minnesota. But the road to college was bumpy. A little bit about Gage. He loves public speaking and has co-presented at several regional, national & international conferences. He runs a nonprofit called Gage Gives Back where he educates others about traumatic brain injury, shaken baby syndrome, and gives back to those places that have helped him get to where he is today.Here is what we cover in today's episode.1) How Gage took on his school district to get the services that he wanted.2) What he said in front of the Minnesota Council on Disability Legislative Forum on Inclusive Higher Education.3) And what support looks like for him in college. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podca

Neurodiversity and podcasting. Two of my very favorite topics.  On this episode of Think Inclusive, I speak with Carolyn Kiel, who is an experienced instructional designer of employee training programs. On her podcast Beyond Six Seconds, she features neurodivergent and disabled entrepreneurs, creatives and advocates who shatter misconceptions, break stigma, and showcase the vibrance and diversity of these communities.  Here's what I cover with Carolyn Kiel in this episode: 1. The meaning behind the title of her podcast, Beyond Six Seconds, and why she made the leap into podcasting five years ago. 2. What it has been like to be diagnosed with autism later in life. 3. What she hopes educators learn by listening to neurodivergent people. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Email List: https://bit.ly/MCIE-Email-ListOtter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/vrPTFWRvAmFm2PIt_qvvrSkg5dIPDF Transcript: https

On to today’s episode. I’m going to replay an interview I did with Julia Bascom, the executive director of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. This interview is from 2017. Wow. That is almost six years ago.  Here's what I cover with Julia Bascom in this episode: 1. The importance of self-advocacy for autistic people and how it can help create a more inclusive society. 2. The challenges of autistic people having to advocate for themselves, and how they are often left out of conversations that involve the disability community. 3. The need for allies to step up and support autistic people, to create understanding and acceptance. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Email List: https://bit.ly/MCIE-Email-ListOtter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/jf_oqTJZD4odonI027ZJbwtCJwkPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_831ee827380e4e96824b92e32a713402.pdfCover Art Image Descr

For many years, “chingona” was a derogatory term used to describe Latina women who are seen as too aggressive, difficult, or out of control. It's a word that is meant to keep young Latinas in their place while the male version, chignon, is used as a compliment.  On this episode of Think Inclusive, I speak with Mexican American activist, scholar, and podcast host Alma Zaragoza-Petty who is helping women everywhere claim their inner chingona – or “badass.” In her new book Chingona: Owning Your Inner Badass for Healing and Justice Zaragoza-Petty shares about the chingona spirit she began to claim within herself and leads us toward the courage required to speak up and speak out against oppressive systems. Here's what I cover with Alma Zaragoza-Petty in this episode: 1. How the term "chingona" has been reclaimed to honor the Latina experience. 2. Uncovering the root causes of intergenerational trauma and pursuing healing. 3. The power of mentors and educators in inspiring under-perfor

For this episode, I speak with Hilda and Olivier Bernier. As 3-year-old Emilio prepares to start school, his family finds itself embroiled in a challenge all too common for children with disabilities—to secure the right to an inclusive education. Cornered in one of the most segregated education systems, New York City public schools, filmmaker Olivier and his wife Hilda turn the camera on themselves and their child with Down syndrome, as they navigate a byzantine system originally designed to silo children with disabilities. Hilda, Olivier, and I talk about the film Forget Me Not, which is currently streaming for free on Tubi. And they give us an update about how Emilio is doing now.  Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.FREE WEBINAR: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/4116765589426/WN_XcgoE_ozTlS6CQ37tIwN8wEmail List: https://bit.ly/MCIE-Email-ListOtter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/ce5cfwymonHmNlVHMVhV5XcF83YPDF Trans

For this episode, I speak with Ryan Wilson, the director of Team Trust Productions. Ryan created Team Trust to help mission-driven organizations reach and serve their communications. He wants to help connect people with the entities, organizations and resources they deserve to grow and flourish. Ryan’s heart is advocating for persons with disabilities, because he is one. Ryan has befriended persons with the same disability as his (Osteogenesis Imperfecta), and established life-long relationships with persons with visual impairments, hearing impairments, cognitive disabilities and mental illnesses. Each one of these relationships changed his life.   Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/Upr-Nwv5MGzuBu_HNMWlmkaRMGoPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_1f3eabbdc10a41ef91270b7847d98415.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Ryan-WilsonCover Art

For this episode, I speak with Mary Beth Moore, author of the book: Unwanted: Fighting to Belong. Mary Beth Moore is the founder and executive director of The Advocacy Underground, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the authentic inclusion of students with disabilities across all educational environments. She studied political science and criminal justice at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte before joining the U.S. Marine Corps. She served as an intelligence analyst for the Department of Defense for several years, and then transitioned to a marketing leader in the high-tech space. She uses the storytelling skills gained as an intelligence analyst and marketing leader to make the complexities in special education law and research more consumable by parents and educators alike.    Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/xsVMU_PN0JPESDTJbqePGKK30YYPDF Transcript: http

For this episode, I speak with Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid, both fantastic podcasters.  Cheryl Green has worked as an Access Artist, making creative and immersive captions for 10 years and audio description for five years. She brings her lived experiences of chronic illness and invisible disabilities to her access work with independent content creators and awesome, disability-focused organizations, including Superfest International Disability Film Festival, Disability Visibility Project, and Kinetic Light. She has made several documentary films and produces and transcribes her podcast, Pigeonhole.  Shortly after becoming blind in 2004, Thomas Reid decided to re-ignite a dormant interest in audio production. After years of combining his interest in audio with advocacy, he was selected as an Association of Independence in Radio New Voice Scholar in 2014. During that same year, he began his podcast Reid My Mind Radio - featuring compelling people impacted by all degrees of blindness and disa

For this episode, I speak with Katie Novak, an internationally renowned education consultant, author, graduate instructor at the University of Pennsylvania, and a former Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Massachusetts. With 20 years of experience in teaching and administration, an earned doctorate in curriculum and teaching, and eleven published books, Katie designs and presents workshops both nationally and internationally focusing on the implementation of inclusive practices, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), multi-tiered systems of support, and universally designed leadership.  Katie and I discuss her book UDL Now. She untangles some of the misconceptions about Universal Design for Learning, explains how UDL applies to instructing learners with extensive support needs, and why equity isn’t really a scary word. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/fqzT3A3HA7vD5bdxe_ePzC

For this episode, I speak with Michael Giangreco, a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education in the Department of Education at the University of Vermont and is affiliated with UVM's Center on Disability & Community Inclusion.  Michael and I discuss why many school systems rely too much on paraprofessionals when implementing inclusive education. We talk about why he cautions parents about advocating for that one-to-one for their child. And stick around till the end when Michael shares what inspired using cartoons as a communication tool.  I’ve seriously been so excited to share this interview with you. Dr. Giangreco has authored over 200 professional publications on various special education topics and presented extensively across the United States and internationally.  Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/1_1-aP9vFpdArMhSWv2LTAamvTI?utm_

For this episode, I speak with Melissa Defayette, who is a current third-year Ph.D. student at the University of Maryland. She achieved candidacy in the Fall of 2022. Her research is focused on creating and implementing mathematic interventions for students with moderate to severe disabilities to be used in general education settings while aligned to grade-level content. She has co-authored three articles with the research team led by her advisor, Dr. Yakubova. Melissa and I discuss what it is like being on the research side versus the classroom teacher side of education, why it's so hard for general education teachers to want to change their mindset regarding students with extensive support needs, and how her inclusion journey started in middle school. And just a quick note that our interview was recorded in early 2022. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/As32Q0z501EZQKGzIYdWFN

For this episode, I speak with Dr. Temple Grandin, professor of animal science at Colorado State University and the author of New York Times bestsellers Animals in Translation, Animals Make Us Human, The Autistic Brain, and Thinking in Pictures which became an HBO movie starring Claire Danes.Temple and I discuss why she wanted to write Visual Thinking, what educational advocates can learn from how she helped improve the welfare of farm animals, and what educators can do to support visual thinkers.Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/SPILF2Rg8javovXe3zpyGtsDIgcPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_f0c6eadc852a4b4cb0f4fe044bb354d6.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Temple-GrandinCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-colored waves overlayed with a headshot of Temple Grandin; text reads: Dr

For this episode, I speak with Ashley Barlow, a special education attorney advocate and host of the podcast Special Education Advocacy with Ashley Barlow. In a former life, she was a German teacher in Jefferson County Public Schools and Cincinnati Public Schools, having taught nearly every grade from K to 12.  Ashley practices statewide in Kentucky and also operates a business to empower and inspire parents and advocates in special education, which can be found at www.ashleybarlowco.com. She is also the Director of Education at the National Down Syndrome Congress.  We did something a little different for this episode. Ashley and I interviewed each other and are posting the same interview on our respective podcasts. Cool right? We discuss several things related to inclusive education, including … what inclusive ed really means and using Dear Colleague Letters as a strategy in IEP meetings.  Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spoti

For this episode, Tim speaks with Jay Ruderman, the President of the Ruderman Family Foundation, focusing on inclusion, diversity, and social justice. He hosts All About Change, a podcast focused on activism, change, and courage. Jay is a social justice activist who has spent his life promoting the inclusion of people with disabilities. Through his foundation, he has been an integral part of holding the entertainment industry accountable for its lack of authentic representation of people with disabilities. Just a quick content warning, Jay and I discuss some sensitive topics, such as suicide, school shootings, and gun violence. Our conversation was recorded in May of 2022. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/tgKg6ts9AFRiISJMPI6mu7RwXRMPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_be3c7c83dfe347f48c991e543229b6f4.pdfShow Notes: htt

For this episode, Tim speaks with members of the Inclusive Education Community of Practice from TASH, Debbie Taub, Diane Ryndak, and Mary Fisher, about TASH’s position statement on the characteristics of fully inclusive schools.So just a point of clarification. We recorded this interview earlier this year before the annual conference in Phoenix, the first weekend of December. Tim will give his full recap and reflection of that TASH conference in his audio newsletter, The Weeklyish. Go to weeklyish.substack.com to subscribe and get it in your inbox when it drops next week.Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/6b10zs5hfS7EK_djD90tCo0wEvMPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_1a9b8cc81a47491fbddea27cbd671e30.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-TASHCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-colored waves overlaye

In this episode, Tim Villegas speaks with Charmaine Thaner, an inclusion advocate and founder of Collaborative Special Education Advocacy. They discuss her journey from being a self-contained special education teacher to an inclusion advocate and including her son with Down syndrome in school from preschool to college. Charmaine describes her early work as a special education teacher in the 1970s when few students with disabilities were in public schools. She also talks about her work today, equipping families and educators to advocate for inclusive education.Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/AEbSJSrQ2NjM0uEGofmJzdrXu7MPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_4f15200d1bdd496e987f3ab67c2e8bd6.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Charmaine-ThanerCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-co

For this episode, Tim speaks with Kanwal Singh, former director of the Vishwas school and author of Hanging On: A Special Educator’s Journey into Inclusive Education.  Kanwal and Tim reflect on her career working with students with disabilities in special schools and why her attitude changed toward inclusive practices. They discuss her experience as the director at Vishwas school and what she’s learned about sustaining inclusive education over the years. And what teachers need to know if they want to keep inclusive education going in their school or district. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/STNVD0IVekrI0SlYnwOkCEqXuosPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_5620cb4971b14fdb82cbb8830fadbd85.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Kanwal-SinghCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-c

For this episode, Tim Villegas speaks with Russ Ewell, Founder of E-Soccer and Digital Scribbler, CEO of Hope Technology Group, host of the Lead Different Podcast, and father of children with disabilities. We discuss the characteristics of being an inclusive leader. And later in the interview he turns the tables on Tim and asks him some questions about why inclusion is important to him.Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/J_6dkIWVIt5ePGi6q1nJYzMzucsPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_84396f23e05e49c89ac53966dd749315.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Russ-EwellCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-colored waves overlayed with a headshot of Russ Ewell; text reads: Russ Ewell | Inclusive Leadership; S10E7; MCIE logo in the bottom rightCreditsThink Inclusive is written, edited, and sound designed by Ti

For this episode, I speak with Meg Grigal and Cate Weir from Think College about why it is important for individuals with intellectual disabilities to have the option to go to college. We discuss what inclusive post-secondary education programs for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities really look like. And how the data shows that these programs are successful, with learners getting jobs after graduation at three times the rate of the national average. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.***Click here for the transcript of this episode.Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.Sign up for updates from MCIE.CreditsThink Inclusive is written, edited, and sound designed by Tim Villegas, and is produced by MCIE.Original music by Miles Kredich.Support Think Inclusive by becoming a patron! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.