The Disability, Education, and Society Podcast

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Sarah Arvey Tov for a thoughtful conversation about disability identity, culture, and justice in education. Together, we explore what it means to move beyond traditional ideas of inclusion by centering disabled voices, honoring disability as a valued part of identity, and creating learning environments where all students can thrive. Dr. Sarah Arvey Tov shares insights from her work with disabled youth, educators, and communities, discussing disability culture, collective access, and the transformative potential of disability justice in schools. This episode invites listeners to reimagine education through the lens of belonging, equity, and possibility.

Link to Transcript!

Connect with Sarah via e-mail: [email protected]

One Out of Five: Disability History and Pride Project

In this powerful episode of the Disability Education and Society Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Shariese Katrell, disability rights activist, scholar, musician, and advocate, to discuss her extraordinary journey navigating higher education as a Black woman with multiple hidden disabilities. Shariese shares her experiences developing a neurological disability at age 18, overcoming systemic barriers, advocating for herself in academic spaces, and challenging the intersections of ableism, racism, and inequality. Through stories of resilience, activism, music, and scholarship, she highlights the importance of representation, self-determination, and creating more inclusive educational systems. This conversation offers a moving and thought-provoking exploration of disability justice, identity, and the power of using one's voice to create change.

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In this episode we converse with Chantal Figueroa, Ph.D., a researcher, educator, and strategist that specializes in designing evidence-based programs meant to support the mental health and wellbeing of Latine peoples. Dr. Figueroa is the co-editor of the book titled Dis/ability in the Americas: The Intersections of Education, Power, and Identity. The conversation explores issues of mental and decoloniality and connections to educational spaces. Also in this episode: Alexis shares his childhood experiences in a boarding school. 

Link to transcript here!

Dr. Figueora's website https://www.chantalfigueroa.com/

Dr. Figuerora's email [email protected]

In this episode we converse with Chantal Figueroa, Ph.D., a researcher, educator, and strategist that specializes in designing evidence-based programs meant to support the mental health and wellbeing of Latine peoples. Dr. Figueroa is the co-editor of the book titled Dis/ability in the Americas: The Intersections of Education, Power, and Identity. The conversation explores issues of mental and decoloniality and connections to educational spaces. Also in this episode: Alexis shares his childhood experiences in a boarding school. 

Link to transcript here!

Dr. Figueora's website https://www.chantalfigueroa.com/

Dr. Figuerora's email [email protected]

In this episode we converse with David I. Hernández-Saca, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. The conversation explores what truly matters, the role of healing, disability consciousness, immigration and citizenship, and disrupting master narratives,  "common sense," and labeling practices in schools through disabled voices. 

Link to Audio transcript

Dr Hernández-Saca's university profile page

Dr Hernández-Saca's university facebook page

Dr Hernández-Saca's co-authored article: “Storying” from special education classroom: Centering voices from accessible-interdependence-intimacy as interdisciplinary justice in pedagogical practices

Mia Mingus Access Intimacy

In this episode of the DES podcast, we sit down with Dr. Rachel Lambert, associate professor at UC Santa Barbara, to discuss her groundbreaking book Rethinking Disability in Mathematics: A UDL Math Classroom Guide for Grades K-8. Dr. Lambert shares powerful stories about disability, inclusion, and the need to reimagine math education as a space of accessibility, creativity, and equity. We explore the systemic barriers that disable students in math, the power of time and collaboration, and the importance of challenging deficit narratives. Tune in for an insightful conversation that pushes the boundaries of how we think about mathematics and disability.

Transcript link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1khVmTMVCPXkYndjkYDuhvLSEr3VHWhszjdpAmgkWVrU/edit?usp=sharing

Link to Dr. Rachel Lambert's book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Disability-Mathematics-Classroom-Grades/dp/1071926039

In this episode of the Disability Education and Society Podcast, we talk with Dr. Catherine Voulgarides, an assistant professor at CUNY Hunter College, about the intersection of disability, policy, and educational equity. She discusses how legal frameworks like IDEA shape access to education, the unintended consequences of Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) policies, and the racial disparities in special education. Drawing from her research and personal experiences, Dr. Voulgarides highlights the challenges of compliance-based approaches and the need for systemic change to ensure true inclusion. Tune in for a thought-provoking discussion on the barriers and possibilities for disability justice in education.

Transcript link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1okkbLllLcT9vEURhl2ArekG5gFjzwZYjWRUspAwgWdc/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode of the DES, co-hosts Paulo and Alexis return after a long break to discuss their latest academic work, activism, and the evolving political landscape. They explore the power of rejected scholarship as a catalyst for new ideas, the intersections of disability justice with broader social movements, and the urgent need for cross-coalitional solidarity in the face of rising authoritarianism. Tune in for a thought-provoking conversation on resilience, writing, and the ongoing fight for liberation.

Transcript link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kxvDROW3002856wPVzveWDIM4lzULtCv_sux_Gp4Kgo/edit?usp=sharing

In this episode, DES co-host Paulo Tan shares a practical application of abolitionist mathematics practices. This episode is a companion to episode #13 where Paulo laid out the groundwork for abolitionist mathematics practices. It is helpful but not necessary to first engage with episode #13 before engaging with this current episode. The practical application Paulo shares is one of infinite possibilities of abolitionist mathematics practices. Paulo shares this practical idea in the context of elementary mathematics teacher education.  

Presentation slide

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In this episode, DES co-host Paulo Tan shares a presentation he recently completed on abolitionist mathematics practices at Purdue University. Drawing on Black Feminist thought on prison abolition, Dr. Tan forwards three crucial tenets (i.e., imagining utopian futures, intersectional struggles, and immediate change making) to guide the fields of special and mathematics education. Dr. Tan argues that these tenets are necessary to eliminate harms disabled students encounter in special and mathematics education while collectively building more just futures. Situating this argument in elementary schooling contexts, Dr. Tan implicates mathematics education in its complicity and perpetuation of containment, a form of incarceration that denies opportunities to certain disabled students. As such, Dr. Tan calls on educational researchers and practitioners to take up leadership in this disability freedom struggle. 

Link to view the slide deck

Books mentioned: Abolition. Feminism. Now.

Decarcerating Disability: Deinstutionalization and Prison Abolition

Subscribe to DES on YouTube for the video of this episode. Find DES on Twitter (@DES_podcast), Instagram (@DES_podcast), and Facebook. 

To support the DES community please subscribe to the DES podcast and become a DES patron