Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters

In this episode Keah Brown shares about her journey from self-hate, rooted in a moment in time when another child made fun of her, to self-love. She shares how this has inspired her work, including children's book, Sam's Super Seats, and young adult novel, The Pretty One. Our conversation explores societal narratives about disability and the impact of those narratives in the lives o...

In this episode Deanna Parvin Yadollahi shares their journey of self-discovery, self-love, and ensuing advocacy for access, not just for themself, but for the range of diverse humans within their learning community, and the wider community. A wealth of experiences and knowledge, Deanna broadens our understanding of the many meanings of access, and why access is so important. I hope...

Allison C. Carey is a Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Shippensburg University and director of the Master’s Program in Organizational Development and Leadership. She co-authored   Allies and Obstacles: Disability Activism and Parents of Children with Disabilities   (Temple University Press, 2020), and authored   Disability and the S...

Megan Gross Nancy Brundrett In this episode, Diana shares a conversation about inclusive schools with Teacher on Special Assignment, Megan Gross, and Classified on Special Assignment, Nancy Brundrett, educators in the Poway Unified School District. Megan and Nancy discuss their district's journey toward inclusive practices, including their highlights and challenges. Their passion and candidness is...

Dr. Toni Saia Bio In this episode , Dr. Toni Saia defines "Inspiration Porn" and provides examples of common misconceptions about the disability experience that are perpetuated through popular inspirational comments, memes, news stories, etc.  She challenges us to think about the origins of our tendency toward inspiration porn, to think about the difference between our intentions and the...

Dr. Christa Bialka Bio In this episode, Diana Pastora Carson and Dr. Christa Bialka discuss what research tells us about how we do or do not discuss disability in our classrooms, as well as what holds teachers back from having conversations about disability in schools. She implores us to begin talking about disability because "when you don't talk about disability, you're ignoring somebod...

In this episode, Diana Pastora Carson shares her guidelines for selecting appropriate classroom books about disability in a way that aligns with Disability Studies in Education and the social model of disability, and in a way that is respectful of the many voices of disability. Some of Diana's Favorite Disability and Diversity Related Classroom Books We Move Together, Kelly Fritsch, Anne McGu...

In this episode, Diana Pastora Carson guides listeners through reflection of their perceptions of disability, and the results of having a negative outlook on disability vs. having a positive, respectful outlook on disability. She encourages educators to self-reflect, even when it feels uncomfortable, because in the end, we will be better for it, and our students with and without disabilities...

Keith Jones Bio In this episode, Keith Jones takes us on a journey through past and present experiences of ableism in education, as well as the intersection of being Black as well as disabled. Keith simultaneously honors educators while also speaking frankly with us and challenging us. What do we want to be? A brick wall? Or a launching pad? Finally, in this episode, you'll hear a clip f...

Darlene Hanson's Bio Kindred Communication In this episode, Darlene takes us deep into the idea of the right to communication and what that means in terms of controversial AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) methods. She directs listeners to the understanding of communication as a right, and that prohibiting these strategies is, in effect, denying people...

Jillian Parramore  has a B.A. in Applied Arts and Sciences Liberal Studies, emphasizing Elementary Education and Bachelor's in Child Development with a credential. Jillian has taught early childhood, elementary, middle school, and university level for the past ten years. For the past six years, Jillian has been training special education departments on inclusive educa...

Link to Dr. Sara Acevedo's Bio Dr. Acevedo's Email Address: acevedsm@miamioh.edu In this episode, Dr. Sara Acevedo gives us insight into the person-first and identity-first language debate, and explains how language perspectives are connected to historical context of perceptions of disability. She also dives into the difference between disability rights and disability justice. Finally, Dr. Acevedo...

Clare Killy (she/her) is the Vice President of Digital Experiences at  Aspire , a Chicagoland nonprofit focused on disability inclusion. She leads Aspire's DEI Consultation and Virtual Life Coaching teams and also hosts Aspire's  Amplify Inclusion  podcast. Clare is a licensed educator and child development specialist with experience as a teacher, advocate, inclusion consultant and...

Norman Kunc & Emma Van der Klift Bio In this episode, Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Klift tell their stories as disabled people, and share the lessons they've learned about what it means to be disabled, and how by shifting paradigms of disability from a physiological understanding to a sociological understanding, their lives have been empowered. They offer gems of support to educators...

Andy Imparato's Bio In this episode, Diana chats with Andy Imparato, Executive Director of Disability Rights California, about educational equity and civil rights. During this robust conversation, Andy reflects the lesson he's learned that civil rights laws do not enforce themselves, and that parents and guardians are put in the position to be "private attorney generals" when educated about their...

Leroy F. Moore, Jr.  Bio ABILITY Magazine Interview with Leroy Moore In this episode, Diana chats with Leroy Moore about his personal journey that led to his passionate activism, and art, and his current role as a PhD student at UCLA, advocating and paving the way for Black Disability Studies. He shares the importance of Black disabled representation in all arenas, including education. ...

Jonathan Mooney is a widely sought after speaker whose work has been featured in The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, USA Today, HBO, NPR, ABC News, New York Magazine, The Washington Post, and The Boston Globe. See Jonathan's full bio here on his website,  www. JonathanMooney.com . In this episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Jonathan Moon...

Suzanne Stolz, Ed. D. serves as an Assistant Professor at the University of San Diego. A former high school English teacher, administrator, and leader of disability programs, she has expertise in online instruction, curriculum design, mentoring, school culture, Universal Design for Learning, and disability studies in education. Her research, related to conceptions of disability and disability peda...

Jeff Moyer is a true twenty-first century renaissance man. He is an advocate for human rights, a songwriter, author, poet, playwright, television producer, documentarian, and writer of fiction, disability history, and memoirs. Moyer's music is the soundtrack for the American Disability Rights movement and his songs became the theme music for a BBC documentary on that movement. Moyer’s music and bo...

Emily A. Nusbaum, Ph. D., is invested in supporting students labeled with disability and their families in accessing general education school contexts. She provides advocacy and support to families in Individual Education Plan and 504 Plan meetings, as well as other school-related contexts. She also provides consultation to create IEP and 504 Plans that reflect student capacity and that parti...

Michelle Nario-Redmond, Ph. D. Michelle Nario-Redmond is a professor of psychology and biomedical humanities, specializing in stereotyping, prejudice and disability studies. As a Ford Fellow, she graduated from the University of Kansas with a Ph. D. in social psychology. Her research focuses on access to higher education, group identification, wellness and political advocacy, and strategies for so...

In this episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, author, speaker, and disability rights activist, Emily Ladau discusses the importance of authentic disability representation from an intersectional lens, being a lifelong learner, focusing on ableism and access, and how to avoid ableist disability awareness.    Links Mentioned Emily Ladau's Website Emily Ladau's Book...

Diana hosts a conversation with the minds behind The Nora Project, a program that works with schools to infuse disability studies and disability inclusion into school cultures.   Links Mentioned in Show Lauren and Katy Bios The Nora Project Website Lauren Schrero TEDx Talk Jo Tolley   Stay Connected with Diana Diana's Website Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness Diana's...

Is it appropriate to talk about disability? Is there a way to respectfully talk about disability? What words do I use when talking about disability? How do I teach kids about disability? Why do I feel awkward when I talk about disability? Are there any good resources out there to teach me about disability? This show will serve educators, parents, and community members who strive to learn and/or te...

Shannen McKinney has spent her career in the service of students, teachers, support staff and administrators. It was during her undergraduate studies when she attended a job fair and subsequently began her first position in special education working with individuals with significant behavioral needs. While working at the non-public school, she realized there was a segment of the population who had...