By Savitha Sundar
4.8
2626 ratings
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.
This second inclusion story features Tyler Bernreuther, a 16-year-old Loudon County, Virginia sophomore. Tyler is joined by his mom, Trish, and his former school OT, Dr. Debbie Schwind (a former guest of Inclusive Occupations).
The pragmatics of enabling inclusion is shared by this trio. Dr. Debbie Schwind’s support through a non-traditional, strengths-based occupational therapy intervention calls for practitioners to rethink how school-based OT services can be utilized to make inclusion a reality for our students with disabilities.
Pranav Bakshi is popularly known as India's first male Autistic model. Pranav claimed his autistic superpowers to design the life he wanted to have. Pranav also says his mom, Anupama, is his second superpower (Autism being his first).
Co-occupation is a term used in occupational therapy to describe occupations where two or more individuals share a high level of physicality, emotionality, and intentionality. Life's occupations are often interdependent, giving meaning and purpose to all involved. Pranav and Anupama's story reflects that.
Today, 23-year-old Pranav has a successful career in modeling and is ambitious about pursuing his life's dreams. This journey was not easy. Pranav's success was made possible by his tireless mother, Anupama, who refused to complain, resent, or give up. She invested her energies in focusing on her son's strengths and interests to help engineer a life that enabled him to do, be, and become what he chose. Their story urges us to rethink possibilities and reframe our interventions.
Key Takeaways:
1. Work hard, play hard
2. If you can't find a village, be the village
3. "....No way should we interfere with the basic personality of our child"- Looking at the larger picture of Autistic idiosyncrasies like obsessions.
4. Are we different because of our challenges?
5.".. ..Cut the crap and be focused on your child."
6. "Divyang"- An "Angel-like" status given to a special needs child in India
7. Caregiver energies must focus on intervention and not sensitization- For that, individuals with disabilities must be visible and accepted in society.
8. "We should not have to justify our child's presence in a particular place…" Humans are not blessed with one IQ. We are an assortment- so we need to let all the differences be.
9. We must give people the chance to make amends.
We all have different roles to play in inclusion. Some of us carry the torch, some take the idea of spreading awareness, and those work in the background (caregivers, educators).
10. Inclusion is very situation-specific- On certain days, it's a 10/10, other times 1/10.
11. Being considerate about inclusion. Look for spaces where you find acceptance, and do not expect everyone to become enlightened.
12. Parents must have faith in service providers, trust their expertise, and have transparency in the relationship to facilitate collaboration.
13. Ensuring generalization of all supports and services to the natural environment.
14. Marvel Movies and Super Heroes- A narrative they used to build an understanding of Autism.
15. We all need cheerleaders, and that makes all the difference!
More of Pranav:
Pranav's Ted Talk
Pranav's Interview- Youthopedia Talk Show
Some News Articles About Pranav:
GQ India
NDTV
1 Special Place
Edex Live
Check out our website- www.inclusiveoccupations.com
Podcast transcript with audio available at Otter.ai-https://otter.ai/u/c3PBb6k2rZvxFSPX5x9VTKPRgt0?utm_source=copy_url
In this first part of the two-part series on the Inclusive Education Roadmap (IER) by the TIES center, Dr. Diane Ryndak gives us a general overview of the work done for sustainable systemic change in inclusive education at the state, district, and school. After getting together a diverse Equitable Inclusive Leadership Team (EILT), the second step of the Inclusive Education Roadmap is called RISE (Reflecting on Inclusive Systems of Support). The school Leadership Team is led to deeply reflect and engage in critical discussions about their system's current use of inclusive educational practices for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities.
"Systems change is not quick and easy," Dr. Ryndak shares. "We are still doing what we did decades ago." Several easy-to-use tools for implementing inclusive education were identified in their extensive research, but they have not been effective in implementing sustainable change. The IER is a long process based on implementation science. "We are looking at a five to seven-year process." She says.
Dr.Ryndak is a Professor of Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Her lifelong career is focused on inclusive education and access to the general curriculum for students with extensive support needs, student outcomes achieved by inclusive services, preservice teacher preparation, and technical assistance for sustainable school reform efforts related to inclusive education.
The TIES Center's Inclusive Education Roadmap- https://publications.ici.umn.edu/ties/ties-ier-rise/introduction
Contact Dr. Diane Ryndak at [email protected].
Check out our website- www.inclusiveoccupations.com
Podcast transcript with audio available at Otter. ai
Dr. Tina Flecher worked as a small-town school OT for 25 years. While working as an OT in schools in rural Texas, she pursued her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in fine arts and sculpture. She then went on to get her educational doctorate. She is a Texas Woman’s University professor on the verge of retirement.
Strategies and Guidelines for Sensory Havens in Sensory and Autism-Friendly Events
Sensory spaces on wheels: Meeting neurodiverse community members where they are.
Dr. Fletcher's Book- Success on the Spectrum: Practical Strategies for Engaging Neurodiverse Audiences in Arts and Cultural Organizations Paperback – February 6, 2024
In this episode, Dr. Cheryl Jorgenson responds to this question: "why have the numbers not changed in the past ten years when it comes to inclusive placements for students with extensive support needs?". Are decisions to place students with complex needs in lesser restrictive environments made by genuinely considering what is best for our students, or do we make decisions based on what we, educators and related service providers, are good at? Do school-based OTPs understand the educational system and our place in supporting inclusive placements? Listen on to learn more. This is a very insightful conversation with Dr. Jorgenson, a trailblazer in inclusive education.
3. Article by Mathew Brock (2018) - Trends in the Educational Placement of Students With Intellectual Disability in the United States Over the Past 40 Years
4. Dr. Paula Kluth- https://www.paulakluth.com/
A few additional resources:
Carol Conway, occupational therapist, and Becca Moskovitz, speech and language pathologist at Hudson School District, Ohio, recognized how peers could be powerful agents of inclusion in their school community. They lead the "Buddies program" in their elementary school, which grew and evolved over 12 years, creating opportunities for students with complex access needs and their peers to develop authentic relationships and flourish. In their interview, Carol and Becca share how this was the "best part" of their job. This interview underlines that it takes intentional efforts on our part as educators and related service providers to facilitate relationships between students with extensive support needs and their peers. Their insights are undoubtedly an inspiration for us therapists to go beyond traditional roles to support the creation of rich environments for social participation for the students we serve.
Podcast transcripts with audio available at https://otter.ai/u/qc-jx8g_Uj3YtmKbU97T2Ifx6sQ?utm_source=copy_url
The podcast currently has 30 episodes available.