Think Inclusive

A possible sea change at the CEC, presenters who are MIA, and inclusion is easy as 1-2-3. 

For this edition of The Weeklyish, Tim reflects on attending the Council for Exceptional Children conference in Orlando.

Click here for a text version of The Weeklyish: https://weeklyish.substack.com/p/sea-change-cec

Click here for a transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_2e9235bc9886482c9b6e42df4872d411.pdf

For more visit https://www.thinkinclusive.us

Or https://www.mcie.org

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Dr. Zerek Mayes — Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at a private school in Chicago, Illinois.

Dena Slanda — Faculty at the University of Central Florida, working on teacher preparation grants through the Office of Special Education Programs.

Lindsey Pike — Doctoral candidate at the University of Central Florida in Exceptional Education, focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion at the intersection of disability and other markers of difference.

Eric Wells — Director of IDEA Programs at the Oregon Department of Education.

In this bonus episode recorded live at the Council for Exceptional Children Conference in Orlando, Tim Villegas sits down with four equity advocates to unpack the intersection of race and disability in education. The conversation explores why current systems often fail students from racially, culturally, and linguistically diverse backgrounds—and what educators can do to change that. From grassroots action to systemic reform, this episode is a call to reflect, act, and lead for equity.

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/the-intersection-of-race-and-disability-pop-up-podcast-cec2022/

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Amanda Darrow — Director of Youth, Family, and Education at the Utah Pride Center. She holds an M.Ed. and a B.S. in Clinical & Counseling Psychology from Westminster College (Salt Lake City). Her work focuses on helping homes, schools, and community spaces become more inclusive for LGBTQIA+ youth and families, and educating current and future generations about the community.

Shamby Polychronis, Ph.D. — Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Utah. A long‑time disability rights advocate, her passions include intersectionality, alternatives to guardianship, full inclusion in school and community, eliminating aversive interventions, and meaningful employment. She prepares special‑education teacher candidates and continues research and advocacy across these issues.

Host Tim Villegas talks with Amanda Darrow and Shamby Polychronis about honoring intersectionality between disability and LGBTQIA+ identities—what it looks like in classrooms, why language matters, and how policies and everyday practices can either harm or protect students. They unpack the “Genderbread Person” framework (identity, expression, sex, and attraction), discuss pronouns and the life‑saving impact of respectful language, share data on overlap between LGBTQIA+ and disability communities, and offer practical tips administrators and teachers can implement now—along with legal angles (ADA, FAPE/IDEA, Title IX) for creating safer, more equitable schools.

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/amanda-darrow-and-shamby-polychronis-honoring-intersectionality/

School is back! And the role of paraprofessionals in inclusive classrooms.  

This edition of The Weeklyish features the TIES Center Brief called "Understanding the Role of Paraprofessionals in Your Child's Education in Inclusive Classrooms."  

Click here for a text version of The Weeklyish: https://weeklyish.substack.com/p/ties-center-paraprofessionals 

Click here for a transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_e35931e017c94dba8d250821f211dc3c.pdf 

For more visit https://www.thinkinclusive.us 

Or https://www.mcie.org

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If you are a listener to The Think Inclusive Podcast, why don’t you become a patron? You will help us with the cost of audio production, transcription, and promotion of the podcast. And you’ll get access to a private Telegram community, as well as all of our unedited interviews.

Become a patron here: https://www.patreon.com/thinkinclusivepodcast

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Host — Tim Villegas Host of Think Inclusive, framing this “best of” episode and guiding four featured conversations on inclusion.

Lou Brown Co‑founder of TASH; this previously unpublished 2019 clip covers “ultimate functioning,” vertical and horizontal teaming, and why inclusive, integrated settings matter for learning and behavior.

Katie Novak Universal Design for Learning (UDL) expert and former assistant superintendent; she challenges ineffective standardized assessments and urges impact‑over‑intent, evidence‑informed teaching.

Alfie Kohn Author of Punished by Rewards; explains how extrinsic incentives (stickers, points, praise-as-reward, PBIS) can erode students’ intrinsic motivation.

Cheryl Jorgensen Author and longtime inclusion advocate; draws clear parallels between civil rights and disability rights and offers practical advice for educators working toward system change.

This “Best of” episode features four powerful clips: a never‑before‑released conversation with Lou Brown from 2019; plus highlights with Katie Novak, Alfie Kohn, and Cheryl Jorgensen. Together they tackle enduring questions—why inclusive placements outperform segregated “special classes,” how UDL can counter inaccessible assessment systems, why rewards often backfire, and how disability rights sit alongside civil rights. It’s a practical, plain‑spoken primer on building schools where every learner belongs.

Complete show notes and transcript:

Have an inclusive education story? We want to hear about it!  

For this edition of The Weeklyish, we reflect on what is missing from inclusive education advocacy, your stories.  

Click here for a text version of The Weeklyish: https://weeklyish.substack.com/p/hashtag-goals-2022 

Click here for a transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_00865320d6c24b2ab63e4c2ab03e534d.pdf 

For more, visit https://www.thinkinclusive.us 

Or https://www.mcie.org

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!

Anthony Ianni is a national motivational speaker and autism self‑advocate, and the first known NCAA Division I men’s basketball player with an autism diagnosis. He played for the Michigan State Spartans, earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Michigan State, and is the author of Centered: Autism, Basketball, and One Athlete’s Dreams. He’s also a husband and dad to two sons, Knox and Nash.

Host Tim Villegas opens with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network’s plain‑language definition of autism, then talks with Anthony Ianni about his late‑disclosed diagnosis, his journey to (and through) Michigan State basketball, and how he came to embrace his autistic identity. The conversation centers on high expectations, support, and the message Anthony shares with young autistic people: you define your future

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/anthony-ianni-autism-basketball-and-one-athletes-dream/

Teacher burnout is closing down schools. What is a “smile file?” And can it be used as a tool for rejuvenation?

This edition of The Weeklyish talks about a strategy to help teachers remember why they wanted to become an educator, called a smile file.  

Click here for a text version of The Weeklyish.

Click here for a transcript.

For more, visit Think Inclusive or MCIE.

Hi, Y’all!

Look, I know there are a lot of organizations competing for your attention on #GivingTuesday.

So I’m going to make this message short and give you three reasons why I think you should support the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education and help us reach our goal of raising $5,000 today!

Number One. MCIE is partnering with school systems (right now) around the country to implement inclusive education that lasts. Students with significant disabilities are being included in general education classrooms (sometimes for the first time) and finally feel like they belong like the student in Calvert County, Maryland, who spent the vast majority of his schooling in “life skills classes” and is now in his home high school taking regular classes with his peers. Even teachers see the benefits of inclusive education with their very eyes. Like the teachers in Delaware who implemented the Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction and saw students make and achieve meaningful goals for their lives. Please help us keep the momentum going by donating today!

Number Two. We believe that amplifying disabled people’s voices is vital to changing people’s mindsets. This year we committed to pay disabled writers to tell us their stories, and we are just getting started. Ben, a nonspeaking autistic activist, writes, “It is a common misconception that if you can’t talk, then you can’t learn and you don’t know anything.” Rasheera, a disability justice activist, writes that it is time to “reframe what special education looks like and continue to build a framework that addresses disability in the educational setting from a model that fully submerges the disability experience into the mainstream educational space.” Donate to MCIE today so we can continue to pay and amplify disabled voices!

Number Three. Inclusive education has a public relations problem. And frankly, I’m tired of it. We have the research that says it works. We have the models around the country that are being implemented. We have the stories of families and educators whose lives have been impacted. But what we need is a communication campaign. And all of that costs money. It is pricey to produce media. But fortunately, we have you. We have big plans to produce more podcasts, videos, articles, newsletters, and even things we haven’t thought of yet to spread the word that inclusive education benefits all students. Please donate to MCIE today so we can keep the communication channels open. We can’t do this without it.

You are a vital part of the work we do every day.

Thanks for your time and attention.

DONATE: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/bvp2tw

Tim Villegas

Director of Communications for MCIE

Found of Think Inclusive

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Howard Shane, Ph.D. — Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Autism Language Program at Boston Children’s Hospital. A pioneer in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), Dr. Shane has designed numerous computer applications for people with disabilities, holds two U.S. patents, and has been recognized by national organizations for lifetime contributions to clinical practice and technology innovation. He is the author of Unsilenced: A Teacher’s Year of Battles, Breakthroughs, and Life‑Changing Lessons at Belchertown State School.

Content Warning: In today’s episode, we will discuss depictions of the living conditions of institutions for people with disabilities in the 1960s and certain attitudes about people with disabilities that worked there.

Dr. Howard Shane reflects on his first teaching job at Belchertown State School in 1969, how witnessing institutional life transformed his career, and the early DIY innovations that helped shape modern AAC. He traces a throughline from interest‑driven instruction to today’s consumer‑grade tech (wearables, AR, and AI) that can quietly support communication and social‑emotional needs—while arguing for a language and mindset shift that keeps students learning with their peers as much as possible, with targeted instruction layered in.

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/howard-shane-how-teaching-at-belchertown-state-school-changed-my-life/