Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters

By Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed.Society & Culture Education Courses

Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters episodes

August 22, 2024 41. Love Is a Classroom with Dr. Andrew DL Goff
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 teachers and those they serve, and the difference that good leadership can make. Andrew brings up the distinctions between mindset, heartset, and skillset, and encourages listeners to remember the importance of focusing on all three in inclusive schools. Finally, Diana and Andrew discuss ways to maintain balance in our lives as inclusive educators.

Links Mentioned

Love Is a Classroom Podcast
Love Is a Classroom Book
Julie Causton & Kristie Pretti-Frontczak - Inclusive Schooling
Parker Palmer
Eckhart Tolle - The Power of Now

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
52 min
July 16, 2024 40. Disability Literacy and Universal Design for Learning with Dr. Allison Brenneise
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 people with disabilities.

Links Mentioned
OCR (Optical Character Recognition)
UDL (Universal Design for Learning)
Shelley Moore
Peyton Goddard - I Am Intelligent Book
Freire
John Dewey
Tobin Siebers - Disability Theory
Beth Haller
Jim Churney
Dale Carnegie Book - How to Win Friends and Influence People

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
46 min
May 31, 2024 39. Inclusionary Practices for Schools with Dr. Cassie Martin
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 inclusionary practices, and why and how she and her team brought these schools into existence, and how they have transitioned into a movement, and now a network. Appreciative Inquiry, equity, social justice, and research-based inclusive practices have made her model successful with educators and students. Dr. Martin also discusses the technical pieces as well as adaptive pieces and relationships that must be addressed in order to be successful in inclusive schooling. My favorite quote from our time together is when Dr. Martin states that "Research tells us that when we follow the path of the most marginalized, and learn from them, then it removes barriers for every single one of the students in our schools."
Inclusionary Practices Technical Assistance Network
[email protected]

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
20 min
May 11, 2024 38. Disability Awareness Distinctions with Diana Pastora Carson
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 met, creating spaces where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
20 min
January 24, 2024 37. My Disability Awareness "Why"
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 that we can begin making progress toward access to well-being for all.
Links mentioned have changed!
Resources can be accessed at www.dianapastoracarson.com/keys and www.dianapastoracarson.com/talk.

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
25 min
November 25, 2023 36. Creating Belonging, Connection, and Community with Dr. Leah Kelley
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 so many other lived experiences that are important to bring to the table.
Dr. Leah Kelley

Links Mentioned or Related
The Person Who Arrives Book
Thirty Days of Autism Blog
Hannah Arendt - Natality

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
30 min
October 20, 2023 35. Mainstreaming, Integration, Inclusion & Belonging with Dr. Shelley Moore
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 advocates for inclusive education and seeks to reform iep programs to better suit the needs of individual students. Shelley is so well-informed as it relates to disability diversity and educational policies related to students with disabilities, both in the US and in Canada. And she's brilliant and talented and funny, and really just a good human. Shelley and I discussed the concept of inclusion and she distinguished between mainstreaming, integration, and inclusion with a real sense of belonging in one's community. She compares the intent of LRE (least restrictive environment) with what we have been doing in public education, as well as individuals with disabilities and families as the intended beneficiaries of a continuum of services. Shelley also shares on a personal level of what her "why" is, and some fun rapid-fire questions at the end of the interview. I hope you'll enjoy this episode as much as I did!
Dr. Shelley Moore
DrShelleyMoore.com

Links Mentioned or Related
BlogSomeMoore
Five Moore Minutes
Five Moore Minutes YouTube
One without the Other Book
All for One Book
Dan Habib
Herb Lovett - Learning to Listen Book

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Trifold Laminated Resource: Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
40 min
September 12, 2023 34. Disability Awareness: Do It Right
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 School's Beyond Awareness Celebration, and interviews leaders and participants throughout the planning, implementing, and reflection process.
Special thanks to McMillin Elementary School in Chula Vista, California. Thank you to Andrea Galang and Liza Tuscano, for continuing our McMillin tradition with so much enthusiasm and care. Thank you to all the administration, staff, families, and students for embracing these opportunities for new learning and growth throughout the years.
And mostly, thank you to all the guest presenters for generously sharing your time and energy with students, staff and families.
Links Mentioned or Related
Diana's Trifold Laminated Guide, Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)
Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity in K-12 Schools & Communities - Diana's Book
"Beyond Awareness" - Diana's Digital Course
Andrea's Free Resource - Recorded Interviews with Guest Presenters
Diana's Free 5 Fundamentals Poster

Inspiration Porn Episode with Dr. Toni Saia

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Brand New Resource! Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
28 min
July 26, 2023 33. Parent Advocacy for Inclusion with Olivier Bernier / Forget Me Not Film
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, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Brand New Resource! Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
37 min
June 25, 2023 32. Accessible Children's Books with Richard Rieman of Imagination Storybooks
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 Fund
Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) free classroom resources
Storybooks Club

Stay Connected with Diana
Diana's Website, including blog
Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness
Free Resource - How to Talk with Kids about Disability
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
Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans
"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
Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook
Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity
Diana's Brand New Resource! Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)

Credits and Image Description
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."
26 min

About Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters

From the publisher's feed

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 my disability awareness efforts outdated and offensive? Or are they aligned with disability research, allyship, and inclusion? Are there any quick and easy, and good resources out there to teach me about disability? Is disability awareness necessarily connected to conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion? How can I be sure that I'm not teaching disability awareness from an ableist perspective?