A Special Education Teacher, Administrator and Lawyer walk into a bar....all you ever wanted to know about special education

In this podcast Robin, Abby and Angela talk about this recent news even t and the impact on people with disabilities. ALEC program Since 2004, retired Westwood Fire Captain Bill Cannata has been working tirelessly to help train emergency responders on how to deal with persons with autism during emergency situations.  Through the Autism & Learning Enforcement Education Coalition training progra...

We are following current events on the specific topic of Ukraine. It got us thinking about the broader topic of how to educate students with disabilities about important social and political developments. We used these resources as part of our community and school outreach and got great feedback on them. Hope they are helpful to you. Here are some resources about speaking to students about the inv...

Therapy Turkey? Quite possibly, yes. Check out this great article: Why Turkeys and Other Birds Make Great Therapy Animals from the Audubon society - featuring a full color cover shot of a legit Therapy Turkey enjoying the plane ride and view out his window seat on an airplane.... Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @as...

The Olympics are back and Robin is SUPER psyched about that.  Tune in to this episode for a wide ranging discussion about representation of people with disabilities in the media, in schools and the community.  Somehow we got to Kim Kardashian and her advertising campaign for underwear but eventually returned to the topic of the pod.... If you are interested in the form we discuss, first  -listen t...

Hello All! The Massachusetts Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children invited us to participate in their 2022 virtual State Conference.  The topic of this year's conference is Intersectionality and it caused us to think (and talk) a lot about how ableism is alive and well in schools and education.  Coined in 1989, the term began in the legal and academic realm but has been adopted by e...

Welcome back to S2 part 2. Robin, Abby and Angela are back from the holiday break and have a round table discussion of the current hot topics. We are looking forward to the rest of the year - our first episode coming up is a special episode for the Massachusetts Council of Exceptional Children (MCEC)'s annual virtual conference. We are thinking about the big ideas of Intersectionality especia...

Join Robin and Abby as they reflect on reaching the mid-way point of season 2. If you'd like to suggest a topic for a future podcast or ask a question, please reach out to astalpodcast@gmail.com Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Specially Designed Instruction in the Heart and Soul of Special Education. For more information on this topic check out these great resources from the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) at:   https://www.uft.org/teaching/students-disabilities/specially-designed-instruction Also if you are interested in observing/peer observing/auditing your instruction for ongoing professional development purpose...

Here are some additional resources related to invisible disabilities: https://invisibledisabilities.org/about/aboutida/ https://www.disabled-world.com/disability/types/invisible/ https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/hq5269.html Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

In this podcast, Robin and Abby talk about the instructional strategy of Universal Design for Learning.  You can learn more at : CAST - Located near Boston, CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created the Universal Design for Learning framework and UDL Guidelines , now used the world over to make learning more inclusive. The acronym "CAST" derives fro...

On this week's podcast, we interview Bill Kelly, dad of 5, 1 who has a complex disability. You'll hear his lens about navigating the special education world, while focusing on the "long game." You can learn more about Bill's work at CAIA The global professional body dedicated to alternative investments , seeking greater alignment, transparency, and knowledge for all invest...

During this episode, Robin, Angela and Abby interview Laura Gillis, a parent side attorney.  https://www.legillislaw.com/attorney/laura-gillis To learn more about the trainings offered by the Federation for Children with Special Needs that was referenced in the podcast, go to: https://fcsn.org/ Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us o...

MA General Laws Regarding School Discipline The Big Three (the weapons and drugs are combined in section a - FYI) .... "Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, all student handbooks shall contain the following provisions: (a) Any student who is found on school premises or at school-sponsored or school-related events, including athletic games, in possession of a dangerous w...

Our gift to you, loyal podcast listener.... Your very own customizable Manifestation Determination Hearing worksheet. May the force be with you and may you follow all the regulations. Robin, Angela and Abby https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i7FArJFEG4QgoKVsYFoTJs27TrTv7qB0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106323109347884729452&rtpof=true&sd=true Please tell us how you found us by completing thi...

Somerville Suspension case https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/05/25/metro/they-called-police-6-year-old-now-somerville-school-leaders-are-suspending-school-police-programs/ The Great Divide series - Boston Globe https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/education/k-12/education-project/?p1=Article_Inline_Related_Link MADESE laws and regulations regarding Student Discipline https://www.mass.gov/info-details/...

If you are interested in learning more about the book mentioned in this episode, you can find Chip Wood's great resource "Yardsticks" at: https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/product/yardsticks-4th-edition/ Curious to learn more about Early Intervention (EI) services in your State or Territory? The CDC's website states that  EI: Is the term used to describe the services and supp...

Have you ever wondered what a BCBA is or about their role in schools?  BCBA stands for Board Certified Behavior Analyst and in this podcast, you'll learn about a BCBA's role on a school team and some of Kristin's top practical tips for teachers and parents.  Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodc...

Masking can be a contentious issue for some folks. Not for us!  Here are some resources and articles if you are interested in learning more: States w mandates 8/21 https://www.usnews.com/news/best -states/articles/these-are-the-states-with-mask-mandates Premise:Under the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act, public schools cannot exclude students with disabilities or segregate them unnecessarily from th...

If you are interested in some of the topics we discussed in this episode, here are some related links. History of the Paralympic Movement https://www.paralympic.org/ipc/history Becca Meyers and the Paralympics https://www.wbur.org/cognoscenti/2021/08/03/becca-meyers-personal-care-attendant-tokyo-paralympics-aimee-christian Special Olympics and the Paralympics - What’s the Difference? https://www.s...

Person Centered Planning/Free Britney Person-centered planning is a forum through which people join in intentional efforts to support, expand and deepen the direct and visible contribution a person with a disability makes to community life. It recognizes, embraces and celebrates the gifts of diversity and shared humanity. This ultimately leads to greater inclusion as valued members of both communi...

And that's a wrap on Season 1! Thank you so much for listening and be on the look out for a trailer with highlights for Season 2....coming soon! Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

In this episode, Robin, Angela  and Abby discuss the positives and negatives when it comes to special education evaluations.  Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast

Angela, Robin and Abby discuss the topic of Bullying and how it connects to special education. For more detail about the laws and regulations in Massachusetts check out these links:   Section 37O: School bullying prohibited; bullying prevention and intervention plans; reporting of bullying incident date MADESE resources related to this topic Evidence Based Programs, Curricula, and Practices (from...

Join Robin, Abby and Angela as they speak with Lateefah Frank, about the history of the METCO program and the over/under-representation of black and brown students in special education. METCO is the largest and longest-running voluntary school desegregation program in the U.S. enrolling over 3,000 Boston-resident students in suburban public schools.  Watch these videos to learn more about this pro...

In this episode,  Mollie from NJ asks: why are there so many IEP objectives? And why are they so hard to measure?   If you have questions or ideas for future episodes, please send an email to ASTALpodcast@gmail.com Please tell us how you found us by completing this survey Email us at ASTALPodcast@gmail.com Follow us on Instagram @astalpodcast