Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters

Episode Summary In this episode, Diana Pastora Carson talks with Tiffany Hammond—autistic advocate, creator of Fidgets & Fries , and author of the #1 New York Times bestselling picture book A Day with No Words . Tiffany shares why she leads with stories instead of stats, how online “purity tests” can erase nuance, and what true access looks like when we presume competence and make room for mul...

In this rich and fun conversation on  Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters , Diana Pastora Carson is joined by Miguel "El Chueco" Lugo. Miguel is a disability rights activist and a comedian based in Los Angeles, California. Miguel shares his experiences with accessibility in Mexico compared to the US; dating and romance; the value of Medicaid in life quality for him a...

In this powerful episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters , Diana Pastora Carson is joined by Kristin Wright, Executive Director of Inclusive Practices at the Sacramento County Office of Education. Drawing from her deep personal and professional experiences—as a former California State Director of Special Education and the mother of a daughter with disabilities—Kristin shares...

In this episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana Pastora Carson has a conversation with Carolyn Teigland, Chief Executive Officer, and Tim Villegas, Director of Communications, of the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education (MCIE). They discuss changes in the priorities of the federal administration, what it means for disability rights, for inclusive educationa...

In this podcast episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana Pastora Carson has a conversation with author, educator, podcaster, and parent, Kayla Coburn of Inclusion Starts Now. Not only do they discuss inclusion in schools, but also what parents can do to raise inclusive-minded children. Check out the links below to see all that Kayla has to offer  Guest Information...

In this podcast episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana Pastora Carson interviews Chet Cooper, founder of ABILITY Magazine. This was a fun interview between friends. But also a glimpse into the historical obstacles that have existed in the areas of housing, employment, and representation in entertainment for people with disabilities; as well as the ableism that has be...

Dr. Paula Kluth Bio In this episode, Diana and Paula discuss their passion for inclusion, and the relentless work of Dr. Paula Kluth as an author, mentor, coach, and speaker, advocating for and empowering educators with strategies for inclusion. Paula shares countless resources to support educators committed to ensuring access to curriculum and relationships for all students. Paula's work has...

In this episode, Diana Pastora Carson, educator, consultant, and public speaker, shares the audio format of her AwareNow Magazine article entitled "Almost Heaven". This article demonstrates the consequences of dehumanizing practices in autism and developmental disabilities (such as abuse and institutionalization), vs. respectful and accommodating ways to be with people and allow them to...

In this solo episode, Diana Pastora Carson, educator, consultant, and public speaker, discusses the distinction between disability awareness and access awareness, and the critical, long-term importance of focusing on barriers and access vs specific disability labels. Teachers, parents, clergy, anyone who strives to make the world a better place by leading disability awareness in sch...

Savitha Sundar Bio In this episode, Diana and Savitha discuss the value and importance of occupational therapists roles in inclusive education vs. the traditional roles of occupational therapists in schools. Savitha sees her OT role as a "participation access interventionist," as opposed to a deficit remediator. She also believes that access advocacy is a key to occupational justice.   ...

Dr. Andrew DL Goff  Bio In this episode, Diana and Dr. Goff discuss his memoir, Love Is A Classroom, the value of early childhood inclusion, and cultural humility with families. They also discuss the dissonance between district policies and the love and understanding for learners and their families that is based in relationships between classroom teache...

  Dr. Allison Brenneise In this episode, Diana and Dr. Brenneise discuss the distinctions between instructional communication, communication education, and critical communication pedagogy. They also discuss the need for disability literacy as well as universal design for learning as a means for shifting mindsets, teaching to the margins, and advancing societal inclusion of peop...

Dr. Cassie Martin In this episode, Diana interviews Dr. Cassie Martin, Executive Director of Special Education for the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State.  She was also the architect of the Inclusionary Practices Demonstration Sites Project, which is what our conversation was focused around. She talks about the 16 demonstration sites that highlight inc...

In this solo episode, Diana speaks from her heart about the distinctions she advocates for within any disability awareness endeavors, and why long-term, traditional disability awareness practices are unproductive and even harmful. She encourages listeners to reflect on their "why", and ensure that their disability awareness endeavors revolve around societal responsiveness to individual needs being...

In this episode, Diana discusses the correlation between real life situations that she and other individuals and their family members find themselves in due to lack of societal commitment to their well-being, and the social paradigm focus of going Beyond Awareness vs. traditional disability awareness. She concludes with encouragement to listeners to take steps toward going Beyond Awareness so...

In this episode, Diana has a conversation with Dr. Leah Kelley, author of The Person Who Arrives: Connecting Disability Studies and Educational Practice for Teachers, Parents, and Others. They discuss the importance of creating belonging, community, and connection in the classroom, understanding the breadth of diversity when it comes to inclusion, and how the disability experience intersects with...

In this episode, Diana has a conversation with Dr. Shelley Moore. Shelley is a Canadian educator and an expert on special education who also has taught in the U.S. She is the author of One Without the Other, which I've read a couple times, as well as her upcoming book, All for One, which I look forward to reading. Shelly is a teacher researcher, YouTuber and extraordinary speaker. She ad...

In this episode, Diana leads listeners through guidelines for leading a disability awareness event from a social model lens. She tells the story of how she used to conduct disability awareness using traditional, outdated models. And she shares how her learnings and experiences have transformed her focus, and has taken her "beyond awareness." She includes a walkthrough of McMillin Elementary S...

In this episode, Diana interviews Olivier Bernier, film producer of Forget Me Not, which revolves around his family's fight for inclusive schooling for their son, Emilio, who has Down Syndrome.  Olivier Bernier Bio Forget Me Not Film     Links Mentioned  or Related The Henderson Inclusion School, Boston Tom Hehir Sue Swensen   Stay Connected with Diana Diana's Website, inc...

In this episode, Diana interviews Richard Rieman, founder of Imagination Storybooks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing rich and fully accessible reading experiences to children who are blind, low vision, deaf, hard-of-hearing, neurodiverse, and all children.  Richard Rieman Bio     Links Mentioned  or Related   Imagination Storybooks  Nancy Hinde Giving...

In this episode, Danny Whitty and his sister, Tara, talk with Diana about the importance of spelling to communicate, communication regulation partners, and their sibling relationship. This is an emotional episode, as Diana, Tara and Danny connect and relate to one another with raw authenticity and love. If you are curious about autism, and especially non or minimally-speaking autistic communi...

In This Episode Qudsiya Naqui Bio Diana interviews Qudsiya Naqui, lawyer, disability justice activist, and podcast host of Down to the Struts. In this episode, Qudsiya shares about her journey to embracing her blind identity, her disability identity, and the disability community that brought her into the fold. She speaks to the isolation felt when in her younger years, she was excluded from p...

In This Episode So often there is a disconnect between what parents and students want and need, and what school systems offer students. In this episode, Diana talks with Shubha Bala, a parent of a pre-schooler. In spite of his young age, Shubha and her partner have already felt disappointment and frustration with their son's school experience. We discuss some of the ideological differenc...

In This Episode In this episode, Diana interviews her long-time favorite, internationally-known, badass disability rights activist, widely known as the "Mother of the Disability Rights Movement," Judy Heumann. They discuss the importance of acknowledging our interdependence within the disability rights movement, and the importance of including disabled people within other social movement...

In This Episode In this episode, Maya shares her journey to embracing her identity as a person who stutters and as a disabled person. She shares about her work in verbal diversity, and gives guidance to educators and families about how to approach the topic of, respond to, and support people who stutter. My favorite quote from this episode is: "Your unique rhythm is what makes you, you." Maya Chup...