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 Kin...
Feb 23, 2023•59 min•Season 10Ep. 17
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 De...
Feb 16, 2023•43 min•Season 10Ep. 16
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...
Feb 09, 2023•59 min•Season 10Ep. 15
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 l...
Jan 26, 2023•35 min•Season 10Ep. 14
About the Guest(s): Dr. Temple Grandin is a renowned professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and a prominent advocate for the humane treatment of livestock for slaughter. She is an accomplished author with numerous New York Times bestsellers, including "Animals in Translation," "Animals Make Us Human," "The Autistic Brain," and "Thinking in Pictures," which was adapted into an HBO movie starring Claire Danes. Dr. Grandin is a trailblazer in autism advocacy, specifically emphasiz...
Jan 19, 2023•46 min•Season 10Ep. 13
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...
Jan 12, 2023•56 min•Season 10Ep. 12
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 ...
Dec 22, 2022•37 min•Season 10Ep. 11
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 weekl...
Dec 08, 2022•46 min•Season 10Ep. 10
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, equ...
Nov 10, 2022•48 min•Season 10Ep. 9
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 wan...
Oct 27, 2022•37 min•Season 10Ep. 8
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. ...
Oct 13, 2022•40 min•Season 10Ep. 7
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, a...
Sep 22, 2022•40 min•Season 10Ep. 6
For this episode, I talk with Jani Kozlowski , author of the book, Every Child Can Fly: An Early Childhood Educator’s Guide to Inclusion . We discuss why inclusion matters in early childhood education programs. And how we can prepare educators to create inclusive learning environments for all learners. 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. Resources Melissa McCullough | What...
Sep 08, 2022•40 min•Season 10Ep. 5
For this episode, I talk with Dr. Ross Greene , author of the books Lost at School and Raising Human Beings . We discuss what schools are getting right and wrong about supporting learners with challenging behavior and an alternative lens for educators to view behavior in all learners. 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 . Sig...
Aug 25, 2022•35 min•Season 10Ep. 4
For this episode, I talk with Dr. Mona Delahooke , author of the books, Brain-Body Parenting and Beyond Behaviors . We discuss the neuroscience of behavior, how parents and educators can move beyond behavior charts and positive reinforcement, and a new way to look at using the check-in procedure with learners. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. *** Click here for a transcript of this episode. Follow us on Facebook , Insta...
Aug 11, 2022•41 min•Season 10Ep. 3
For this episode, we talk with Mazey Eddings , the neurodiverse author of A Brush with Love , a romance novel set in dental school. We talk about why she wanted to write neurodiverse characters in her books, how she sees herself in the characters of A Brush with Love, and what she hopes her readers take away from the book on how to support people living with anxiety. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. *** Click here for a...
Jul 28, 2022•37 min•Season 10Ep. 2
Hi, Y'all! My friends, Cheryl and Thomas (who are superb podcasters BTW), are taking over the Think Inclusive feed for a few minutes today to tell you about a special survey project they are doing. With support from the Disability Visibility Project, Cheryl Green and Thomas Reid are gathering information about disabled podcasters and podcasts focused on disability and accessibility (or “disability podcasts” for short). They will use this information to develop an online listing of podcasts and r...
Jul 20, 2022•3 min
Welcome back to a new season of Think Inclusive ! For the first episode of our tenth season, we speak with Liz Weintraub and Kenneth Kelty, both fantastic content creators and disability advocates. Liz is the host of Tuesdays with Liz: Disability Policy for All , a YouTube show where she breaks down policy so everyone can understand it. Kenneth is the host of Exceeding Expectations with Kenneth Kelty , a podcast where he shares the stories of trailblazers and leaders surrounding disability advoc...
Jul 14, 2022•32 min•Season 10Ep. 1
Today on the pod, we are replaying some clips from our 2020 episode about including students with intellectual disabilities in general education (our second most listened to episode of all time). But this time around, I'm adding an additional interview with my friends from the TIES Center , Jennifer Sommerness and Jessica Bowman. Now if you don't know, the TIES center is the National Technical Assistance Center on inclusive practices and policies. It works with states, districts, and schools to ...
Jun 23, 2022•45 min
Today on the pod, we bring you a special remixed episode from 2019, my interview with Julie Causton, founder of Inclusive Schooling . We discuss six strategies for families advocating for their children to be included in general education classrooms. To start the episode, the story of Sam, a young man with Down syndrome, who went from spending all of this time in a segregated special education classroom to being included in general education. References Washington students with disabilities are ...
Jun 09, 2022•29 min
I don't know about where you live, but today is the last day of school for the kids in our neighborhood. Summer is here. So let the late nights begin. Today on the pod, we have Rasheera Dopson , the host of the WomanHood and Disability podcast. This episode's transcript can be found here . Take our podcast listener survey: bit.ly/TIPodcastSurvey . Visit Think Inclusive for more information about inclusive education. Have a question or comment? Reach us at podcast@thinkinclusive.us . Follow us on...
May 26, 2022•30 min•Season 9Ep. 20
Who is ready for a double episode ?!? Today on the pod, we have two fantastic guests. The first is Matt, from the With Rolls and No Luck podcast. We discuss what it is like to generate income all while being on Medicaid. Our second guest is Shirene Hayes, the creator of Super MEro and The Code, a resource for educators to utilize in their classrooms. This episode's transcript can be found here . Take our podcast listener survey: bit.ly/TIPodcastSurvey . Visit Think Inclusive for more information...
May 12, 2022•46 min•Season 9Ep. 19
For the last thirty years, there has been a movement going on. One you may not know a lot about or the origins of. It’s the Neurodiversity movement and our guest Ira Eidle wants to share with you what he’s learned about it. Ira is the curator of Autistic Archive , a collection of video lessons about the history of the Neurodiversity movement, links to websites created by autistics for autistics, and recommended books written by people on the autism spectrum (among other resources). This episode'...
Apr 28, 2022•33 min•Season 9Ep. 18
What does autistic independence look like? In today's episode, we interview Haley Moss (autistic attorney, author, and advocate) about her book, The Young Autistic Adult's Independence Handbook . Haley shares with us the main message she wants to get across to autistic individuals who are seeking independence, alternatives to guardianship, and strategies for educators to foster self-advocacy in their students. This episode's transcript can be found here . Take our podcast listener survey: bit.ly...
Apr 14, 2022•34 min•Season 9Ep. 17
In today's episode, we interview Lisa Drennan, inclusion expert and founder of Merge Consulting . We discuss how families of children with disabilities can advocate joining community recreation groups like the YMCA or even a local summer camp. And that the strategies for advocating for change in recreation spaces are not that different from what we use for school. We discuss how teachers can create cultures of belonging for their students, as well as how educators can find belonging in their sch...
Mar 24, 2022•39 min•Season 9Ep. 16
About the Guest(s): Alida Miranda-Wolff is the CEO and founder of Ethos, a consultancy firm specializing in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) transformation. She is notable for her book, "Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations that Last," which explores strategies for fostering inclusive environments. Alida's background spans higher education at the University of Chicago, non-profit work in immigrant and refugee rights, and a pioneering role in venture capital a...
Mar 10, 2022•33 min•Season 9Ep. 15
What is Critical Race Theory and what do advocates for inclusive education need to know about the Anti-CRT movement? For this super-sized episode, we share the story of an inclusive Maryland principal who was pushed out of taking a job as a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Director in Cherokee County, Georgia. A devastating side-effect of the backlash against CRT is the damage that has been done to educational equity initiatives. These initiatives are the very ones that inclusive education advoc...
Feb 24, 2022•1 hr 20 min•Season 9Ep. 14
Diana Pastora Carson is the host of the Beyond Awareness Podcast . Her TedTalk, " Walking with Joaquin ," chronicles her family's journey to bring home her brother after living in an institution for 15 years. She joins us on Think Inclusive to talk about her journey as an educator who advocated for inclusive education, what it’s like now that Joaquin has been home for close to ten years, why she started the Beyond Awareness podcast. Books Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity Work...
Feb 10, 2022•36 min•Season 9Ep. 13
Today on the podcast, we welcome Greta Harrison, the host of the Born Fabulous Podcast . We talk about the reason for starting "Born Fabulous," why hope should be an essential characteristic of an educator, and the goal of inclusion is always life in the community. This episode's transcript can be found here . Take our podcast listener survey: bit.ly/TIPodcastSurvey . Visit Think Inclusive for more information about inclusive education. Have a question or comment? Reach us at podcast@thinkinclus...
Jan 27, 2022•53 min•Season 9Ep. 12
Happy Friday Inclusionists! Today we have a special pop-up podcast interview with some folks I met at the CEC Conference in Orlando this week. They presented a session called, “The Intersection of Race and Disability: Where Do We Go from Here?” I think it is an important reminder for us that inclusion and equity go together, and that when we are talking about inclusive education, we really mean all students. Here is a special bonus interview from the Council for Exceptional Children Conference i...
Jan 21, 2022•49 min
