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 program director.  In addition to her work at Aspire, Clare is Co-Chair of the Chicago Cultural Accessibility Consortium and also serves as adjunct faculty at the Erikson Institute. Clare has experience working with individuals, families and providers in a variety of roles and across diverse environments.

In this episode, Clare elaborates on what it means to shift our mindset as it relates to foundational understandings of disability. She discusses how sustainability in terms of access and inclusion for disabled people is only possible when we have a strong foundational understanding of disability as normal and natural, and as a part of human diversity.

Aspire Chicago

Amplify Inclusion

Disability Lead

Diana's Website

Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness 

Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity in K-12 Schools & Communities - Diana's Book

Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights - Diana's Children's Book

"Beyond Awareness" Digital Course

Diana's TEDx Talk

Beyond Awareness Facebook Page

Diana on Instagram

Beyond Awareness Tote Bag 

Beyond Awareness Pullover Hoodie

Beyond Awareness Raglan Baseball T-Shirt

Intro and outro music courtesy of Emmanuel Castro.

Podcast cover photo by Rachel Schlesinger Photography.

Podcast cover image description: Black and white photograph of Diana, a Spanish-American woman with long, wavy, brown hair. She is wearing a flowy, white blouse and smiles at camera as she leans against wooden building. Photo is colorfully framed with gold and orange rays of seeming sunshine on top half, and with solid sage green color on bottom half. Text reads "Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed."