INCLUDEnyc’s Kpana Kpoto interviews Oroma Mpi-Reynolds, education lawyer, parent, and former Special Education Settlements & Claims Attorney at the New York City Department of Education. This conversation explores the impact of race, culture, and socioeconomic status on special education and the racial disparities in identification and discipline. Listen as they discuss the inequities in the special education system and how to ensure appropriate referrals and high-quality supports and services despite them.

Obtaining High Quality Special Education Services in an Imperfect World

Honest conversations about disability with parents, educators, and people with disabilities.

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Para Alma, madre mexicana de dos niños con autismo, la primera barrera que tuvo que superar fue el diagnostico de su hijo mayor, luego la barrera idiomática, siguiendo por la falta de información que hay para padres inmigrantes y finalmente, el estigma que hay sobre el autismo. Hoy conversa sobre cómo aprendió a navegar el sistema de educación especial de NYC y cómo fue que INCLUDEnyc la ayudó a informarse para poder representar a sus hijos.
http://es.includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/05/Alma-Gopar-Transcript.pdf

Superando más de una barrera

Beth Rosenberg is the Founder/Executive Director of Tech Kids Unlimited, not-for-profit educational organization that teaches 21st century computer science thinking and technology skills to neurodiverse youth ages 7 to 21. She is a multiple award-winning teacher, consultant, author, and frequent contributor to conferences, publications, and events.
To read the transcript for this episodes, please visit https://includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/From-Customer-to-Innovator.pdf

From Customer to Innovator: Why Disabled People Belong in the Technology Field

Nate Trainor is a passionate advocate for the acceptance of people with disabilities and, although non-verbal, is a powerful "voice" for inclusion. Nate has experienced firsthand what rejection, exclusion, and assumed incompetence feels like. He is an author and provides many presentations throughout the country, advocating for people with disabilities, and volunteers his time to help others understand that everyone has many abilities. He lives in Waverly, Iowa.
To read the podcast for this episode, visit https://includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Nobody-Knew-What-I-Could-Do-Transcript.pdf

Nobody Knew What I Could Do: My Fight for Competence, Respect, and Equality

Rick Guidotti, an award-winning photographer, has spent the past twenty-five years collaborating internationally with nonprofit organizations, hospitals, medical schools, educational institutions, museums, galleries, advocacy groups, and communities to enact a sea-change in societal attitudes towards individuals living with a genetic, physical, behavioral, or intellectual difference. His work has been published in newspapers, magazines, and journals. Rick is the founder and director of Positive Exposure, a non-profit organization that promotes a more inclusive world through award-winning photography, film, and educational programs. Positive Exposure has significantly impacted the field of human rights, mental health, medicine, and education by providing new opportunities to see each individual as a human being and a valued member of our society.
You can find the transcript for this episode here: https://includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Reframing-Disability-transcript.pdf

Reframing Disability: Creating Cultural Change and Access Through the Lens of Beauty

How a chance conversation between two NYPD cops on the beat in Brooklyn changed one man's professional and personal trajectory.
Donny Swanson is the principal of Pathways to Graduation in Staten Island, NY, where he utilizes a unique blend of beliefs, adaptations, and flexibility which he developed growing up in NYC with a disability. Pathways to Graduation supports at-risk students who have not been successful in traditional schools. Donny just completed his 18th year in education in February 2022, but his educational journey is not complete.
 
You can find the transcript for this episode here: https://includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/A-Brooklyn-Story-Transcript.pdf

Obtaining High Quality Special Education Services in an Imperfect World

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