Disability INC.

Guest: Sayde Campoamor Chief Equity Officer, Office of the NYC Comptroller Brad Lander How do people become advocates? Sayde's evolution as an advocate and community organizer began as a young teacher in Harlem. Listen as she recounts her experiences and shares her belief that everyone has the ability to contribute in some way to the causes they care about. “We need you urgently, exactly as you are,” Sayde says. “Your obstacles are your path.” 

In the final epsidoes of our series “Seize Joy, Building Community,” host Cheryelle Cruickshank speaks with Lucina Clarke. As a young Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapist providing home-based services to toddlers, Lucina Clarke instantly experienced a powerful jolt of connection with their parents and knew she could help. Now the Executive Director and Co-Founder of My Time Inc. an organization designed to uplift, enlighten, and support parents of a child with disabilities, she shares her recipe for seizing joy. Listen in and absorb a little piece of Lucina's warmth to put in your pocket. 

INCLUDEnyc's Executive Director, Cheryelle Cruickshank, continues our new podcast series, “Seize Joy, Building Community" with Belinda Johnson. Belinda maintained a successful 40-year career in education while raising a child with a disability. Join us as she shares her experiences, knowledge, and perspective in the reassuring voice of a friend who has been there.

Host Cheryelle Cruickshank kicks off the first episode of our new series, “Seize Joy, Building Community.” This week, she speaks with Jackie Ceonzo. When Jackie's son, who is on the autism spectrum, was turned away from a program for young people with disabilities, the experience motivated her to never accept the status quo. Now the Executive Director and Founder of SNACK & Friends, serving individuals with Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Jackie encourages us to think big, reject hopeless thinking, and celebrate small wins that will become giant ones.

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

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

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

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.

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.

Art allows us to process our lives and complex emotions individually, and to come together collectively while building community. Join our conversation on why having brothers and sisters with disabilities stimulates the creation of art.  Allan B. Goldstein is a distinguished NYU Tandon School of Engineering Senior Lecturer, whose Disabilities Studies course teams up students and community members with disabilities to create digital stories and discuss disability readings. Goldstein is the older sibling and guardian of his brother Fred, a survivor of the notorious Willowbrook State School. Goldstein's writing explores the social barriers impeding an inclusive society. Allan also serves on the Pace University Disability Film Festival screening committee, which features films by and about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  Liz Sargent has an extensive background in dance, theater and film, which informs how she tells her stories. Liz is an award-winning producer for Cyprian Films. She is one of 12 children and in her work often draws upon her experiences having siblings with disabilities. Liz is producing “12 Turtles,” a feature documentary exploring who will care for her parents as they get older and who will inherit the responsibility for the siblings who cannot care for themselves. The Sargent family navigates the hard truths of aging, disability, adoption, and an evolving definition of family. To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Exploring_the_Sibling_Story_through_Writing_and_Film.docx.pdf.

Approved, publicly funded special education schools are facing an existential threat. Hear about their history, the challenges they face, and how one school stayed true to its mission by discontinuing public funding. Donna Kennedy guided the Gillen Brewer School, a NYC private school providing special education services in a private school in NYC since its inception in 1992, serving as Head of School since 2003. Donna serves as a Commissioner of Accreditation for NYSAIS and Treasurer of the Guild for Independent Schools. Donna received her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education and a Master of Science in Special Education focusing on Learning Disabilities from Hunter College. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Nebraska.   To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Disappearing_Private_Special_Education_Schools.pdf.

What will mental health care look like going forward? Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Since 2001, he has been listed every year as a Top Addiction Psychiatrist in New York Magazine's Best Doctors issue. He is the recipient of a George Foster Peabody Award for his PBS and HBO films educating the public about medicine and psychiatry, and has been recognized by both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. He is an author and filmmaker and is well known for his book and film “Bedlam.” To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Access__Activism.docx.pdf.

Dr. Tom Liam Lynch is Director of Education Policy at The Center for New York City Affairs at The New School and Editor-in-Chief of the website InsideSchools. A former educational technology professor, English teacher, and school district official for the New York City Department of Education, Lynch has written dozens of articles and presented the world over on educational technologies, online learning, school reform, new literacies, and K-12 computer science. He holds a doctorate in education from Columbia University's Teachers College. To view the report referenced in this interview, visit www.centernyc.org. To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/The_Legacy_of_Bloomberg__de_Blasio_on_the_NYC_School_System.docx.pdf.

Autism didn't appear in the DSM until 1980 or as a disability category under IDEA until 1990. Meet the woman who began building the autism advocacy movement on Staten Island in 1981. Donna Long is a dynamic Staten Island community leader who has been advocating for the needs and services of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism since the early 80s--and her impact is still felt today. She is recently retired as Executive Director of The GRACE Foundation, a non-profit that works with individuals and families impacted by autism. Donna currently serves as Director of External Affairs for Crossroads Unlimited Inc., an agency that provides comprehensive services for individuals with I/DD. To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Before_We_Knew_Autism.docx.pdf.

INCLUDEnyc’s Julianne Toce interviews David Bloomfield, Professor of Educational Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College. David discusses the state of special education during this uncertain time and provides recommendations. You can reach David at davidcbloomfield@gmail.com, visit his website, or follow him at @BloomfieldDavid. This podcast was recorded 4/21/2020.   To view the transcript for this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/David_Bloomfield_transcript.pdf

All sibling relationships are dynamic, but they are all the more so when your sibling has a disability. Listen in to special education teacher and advocate Lindsay Hyland and INCLUDEnyc’s Beth Ebert discussing the challenges, joys and impact of having a sibling with a disability. To view the transcript of this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Lindsay_podcast.pdfLinks:SibsNY website: http://sibsny.org/SibsNY on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/sibsNY SibsNY on facebook: SibsNYSibling Leadership Network: https://siblingleadership.org/Other sibling support on Facebook:Sibnet on FacebookSibTeenSib20

INCLUDEnyc’s Jane Heaphy interviews Dr. David Connor, Professor Emeritus at CUNY’s Hunter College & Graduate Center. Dr. Connor, whose research focuses on inclusive education, learning disabilities, and teacher education, discusses how professionals and families can leverage the transition IEP meeting to advance participation, self-advocacy, and self-determination. To view the transcript for this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Dr._Connor_Transcript.pdf

INCLUDEnyc’s Jean Mizutani chats with cannabis advocate and parent Maureen Surin. Advocating for her daughter, Maureen’s efforts resulted in Ashley’s Law, which allows Illinois students with certain medical conditions to take medical marijuana in school.   To read a transcript of this podcast, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Maureen_Podcast_Transcript.pdf

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.

NY Peace Institute’s Restorative Justice Coordinator Kailani Capote shares her experiences implementing restorative justice at a Harlem high school with Colin Montgomery of INCLUDEnyc. Restorative justice practices will be adopted across all NYC middle and high schools in the 2019-2020 school year and they make up a big part of the DOE’s recent major reforms to limit school suspensions and to equip students and staff with social-emotional and conflict resolution tools.

Leonie Haimson, one of New York’s most active education advocates and proponent of small class sizes, and Jean Mizutani of INCLUDEnyc address the challenge of controlling student data in an era when practice precedes regulatory safeguards and education is today’s most data-mineable industry. For more information, visit https://www.studentprivacymatters.org/

Susan Dooha, Executive Director at The Center for Independence of the Disabled, NYC (CIDNY) and Ruth DiRoma of INCLUDEnyc discuss the movement to ensure that all New Yorkers are safe during emergencies. When they filed their first lawsuit against the city in 2011, demanding emergency planning that addresses the universal needs of residents, little did they know how soon the arrival of Hurricane Sandy would put the city to a life and death test. Find out what happened, and what we expect in the future.

Susan Scheer, CEO at the Institute of Career Development, founder of Access-A-Ride and Jean Mizutani of INCLUDEnyc discuss Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Education for All Handicapped Children’s Act/IDEA, which were all born of the vigorous activism of people with disabilities and their allies. This conversation explores the current state of activism and leadership at a time when our hard-won rights are increasingly vulnerable.

Disability has long been defined by an individual's impairment and the notion that each disabled person should rely on medicine and health care to fix or cure themselves. Others define it by the social, political, and environmental barriers that society creates. Join Lori Podvesker of INCLUDEnyc and Dr. Jessica Bacon, Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at Montclair State University, as they explore how the opportunities, experiences, and education available to people with disabilities are shaped by the lens through which society views disability and calls on each of us to rethink our definition of disability.

NYC has a long-standing school segregation problem that affects students of all age ranges and runs across school programs, disability, race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Students, parents, and advocates are making news headlines as they call for meaningful integration across city schools. Matt Gonzales, Director of the School Diversity Project at NY Appleseed, explains the scope of NYC’s school segregation problem and the promising work happening to meaningfully integrate our schools at last.

Steven Alizio interprets the landmark Special Education Case, Endrew F., a unanimous Supreme Court opinion from 2017 establishing higher expectations for all students, including those with cognitive disabilities. This reinterpretation of the critical free appropriate public education (FAPE) requirements in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is good news for all who care about higher achievement for our students. Steve Alizio is a special education attorney in private practice and former INCLUDEnyc Junior Board member. He taught in a public high school on Long Island for 7 years before earning his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School.

People with disabilities face social stigma and misunderstanding stemming from what they see and hear from movies, books, newspaper, Internet, even advertising. When people are bombarded by daily misrepresentations, they can take root and create stereotypes, reinforcing negative images and ideas about people with disabilities. Learn how authentic representation of people with disabilities in the media is a foundational component in an inclusive society.   Matt Conlin was previously the Digital Accessibility Fellow for Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, adjunct professor and speaker at the CUNY School of Professional Studies. From the arts to higher education, Matt has advised how to create inclusive spaces. He is a Fordham University and CUNY School of Professional Studies alumnus and is currently enrolled in the advanced certificate for youth studies for youth development work.

INCLUDEnyc’s Family Educator Kaitlin Roh continues the conversation with Rachel Simon, a sibling of a woman with a disability and author of Riding the Bus with My Sister, on what has happened since Rachel stopped riding the bus. They dive into how relationships as adult siblings change, the importance of support networks, and advice for caregivers and parents as they grow and build those relationships. The Sibling Support Project is a nation-wide project dedicated to the concerns of and support for siblings of individuals with special health, developmental, and mental health concerns: www.siblingsupport.org.

In any family, relationships among brothers and sisters are unique and important. Siblings can be friends and secret-keepers, as well as rivals and combatants. This relationship can be impacted by a sibling’s disability, shaping the experiences of both individuals throughout their lives together. Rachel Simon, author of Riding the Bus with My Sister and The Story of Beautiful Girl, discusses her own journey and relationship with her sister Beth and all the bumps and turns that happened along the way. For more information on Rachel Simon and her writing, check out her website: www.rachelsimon.com.

Jean Mizutani and Chris Treiber, Associate Executive Director for Children's Services at the Inter Agency Council of Developmental Disabilities (IAC), discuss the changing role of private schools that serve three and four year olds with the most significant disabilities, and how the expansion of public preschool in NYC affects them.

One of the hardest things parents of children with disabilities face is creating a vision for how our kids' lives will look once they become adults. How much independence and autonomy is wise? What does it look like and what are the risks? Hear one father's story.  

Ketrina Hazell is 23 years old. At 9 months old, she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. She describes her experience in the health and education system as hopeless because she felt everyone in those systems expressed very low expectations and outcomes for her. Despite the feeling of hopelessness, she persisted. She is a college student and an advocate for herself and other students with disabilities. She graduated from Partners in Policy making in 2014 and has served on the Youth Advisory Panel for Special Education and the Access A Ride Paratransit Committee. She is the founder and president of her own advocacy group called Voices of Power. She is an educator, volunteer, mentor, friend, aunt, and sibling. Currently, Ketrina serves as Ms Wheelchair NY 2018 with the platform of bringing self advocacy into schools and building an inclusive environment within schools and local communities for all students.

Cara McCarty, Director of Curatorial at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, speaks with INCLUDEnyc Senior Family Educator Ruth DiRoma about the history of the museum, accessible design, and their favorite pieces from the latest exhibitions. McCarty oversees the museum’s curatorial vision and leads exhibition planning. She played a lead role in the 2014 renovation and transformation of Cooper Hewitt into a 21st-century museum, from the overall master plan to the creation of new gallery spaces and participatory visitor experiences. Previously she was curator and head of the department of decorative arts and design at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where she established the museum’s 20th-and 21st-century design collection, and was instrumental in the museum's expansion. Prior to that, McCarty held curatorial positions in the department of architecture and design at The Museum of Modern Art. Her numerous exhibitions and accompanying publications include Access+Ability; Tools: Extending Our Reach, National Design Triennial: Why Design Now?, Structure and Surface: Contemporary Japanese Textiles, Masks: Faces of Culture, and Information Art: Diagramming Microchips. She received a bachelor's degree in Architectural History and East Asian Art from Stanford University and was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard's Graduate School of Design.

Kelly Anderson's documentaries include My Brooklyn, about the redevelopment Downtown Brooklyn, and Every Mother’s Son, about mothers who lost sons to police violence. She is currently the Chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College. Kelly discusses UNSTUCK: An OCD Kids Movie, which she made with a fellow parent of a child with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Chris Baier. This documentary presents the experiences of youth with OCD and the skills and supports they develop. She explores the topics surrounding it--from the specific nature of OCD in youth, to parenting a child with this unique disability--and sheds inspiring light on the advocacy and support that both parents and youth alike have built through their experiences with OCD. For more on the film and great OCD resources, visit ocdkidsmovie.com.

The skills learned in travel training by students with disabilities were put to the ultimate test on 9/11/2001. Hear Peggy Groce, creator and former director of the NYCDOE Travel Training program recount their extraordinary experience. 

Tyrese Alleyne-Davis is currently a graduating senior at the Henry Viscardi School in Long Island, NY. He has triplegic cerebral palsy which requires him to use a wheelchair. For the past 10 years, he has been a public speaker, giving keynote addresses for many children's organizations such as the Starlight Children's Foundation, S.K.I.P. of NY, New Alternatives for Children, and INCLUDEnyc. Earlier this year, he had the distinct pleasure of addressing legislators in Albany, NY advocating for 4201 State Funded Schools. Additionally, Tyrese has had the opportunity to address the Black Law Student Association at Harvard Law School and speak at Columbia University's Disability Caucus. Last summer, Tyrese was one of twenty high school students chosen out of 500 applicants to intern at the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.   Academically, Tyrese has soared, being inducted into the National Juniors Honor Society and receiving multiple college scholarships from CACNY, The Options Center, and the Henry Viscardi School. In the fall, he will be attending NYU on a full scholarship and intends to study communications and sociology. Tyrese has dreams of becoming an advocacy lawyer, concentrating on elevating the rights of the disabled community.  

Learn how to prepare, how to fly, and how and where to stay to make your Disney vacation with your child with a disability the best it can be. In addition to being a travel guru, Millie is INCLUDEnyc's Intake Coordinator, she is a Certified Lactation Consultant, Postpartum Doula, former AmeriCorps Volunteer, and has a BA in Anthropology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice. 

Brooklyn born native Led A. Bradshaw is a talented comic book artist/writer, graphic artist, and Technical Writer who has been captivating children and adults alike with his exceptional artistic abilities from the time he was three years old. Wanting to inspire his son Jacob, an autistic child, to learn, create and be his own hero, Led created the children’s comic book series, "The New Adventures of Jake Jetpulse." A true partnership, this series explores Jacob's imagination and chronicles his superhero and his characters' adventures. You can find the comic book, along with other resources, at jakejetpulse.com.  

INCLUDEnyc's Senior Family Educator Ruth DiRoma has been fighting for a more accessible NYC for people with disabilities since her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's in the 1960s. Ever since, she has fought to bring both fundamental and life-enriching access to transportation, art, and education to the disability community and the community as a whole.

INCLUDEnyc's Senior Family Educator Ruth DiRoma has been fighting for a more accessible NYC for people with disabilities since her mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's in the 1960s. Ever since, she has fought to bring both fundamental and life-enriching access to transportation, art, and education to the disability community and the community as a whole.

INCLUDEnyc interviews Neal H. Rosenberg, the founder of the oldest, largest, and most iconic law firm devoted to the practice of special education Law in NYC. As a former teacher and certified school principal, he began his law career working as an attorney for the NYC Board of Education, followed by two years with the New York State Department of Education, codifying the laws and regulations of PL 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children's Act. He opened the Law Offices of Neal Howard Rosenberg upon his return to the city, and has been advocating on behalf of students with disabilities for 40 years.

Hear Mark Alter, a Professor of Educational Psychology at NYU and founding Chair of the Department of Teaching and Learning, tackle the hard questions about the state of education for young people with disabilities.

Sandra Alfonzo started AdaptAbility: a program in Park Slope, Brooklyn that provides free bicycles for young people with disabilities. 

INCLUDEnyc's Jean Mizutani interviews Rebecca Cort about the continuum of special education services in New York State. She is a former Associate Commissioner of the Office of SE within the NYS education office, and also served as Deputy Commissioner of the Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities. She led the initiative to integrate the State’s Office of Special Education into the Office of P-12 Education, merging all adult services — including Vocational Rehabilitation — into the Office of Adult, Career, and Continuing Education Services, now known as ACCES-VR.  

INCLUDEnyc's Lori Podvesker interviews Celia Green, PLAN (Parent Leader Advocacy Network) advocate and parent of six — four of whom have autism — and advocate, president of the Citywide Council on High Schools, and the Brooklyn Borough Representative.

INCLUDEnyc's Jean Mizutani interviews Kristen Booth Glen, who wrote many groundbreaking decisions as Surrogate Judge of New York County on the matter of guardianship for people with intellectual disabilities and who has written and lectured widely on the human right of legal capacity and supported decision-making. She serves on the advisory boards for the Center for Public Representation/Nonotuck Supported Decision-Making Pilot Project, the New York State Bar Association Disability Rights Committee, and is a former Commissioner on the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights.

INCLUDEnyc's very own Jean Mizutani interviews Miguel Salazar about Jose P: A lawsuit filed and won in 1979 by a group of students that forced the Department of Education to follow laws that give all students with disabilities the right to evaluation, proper school placement, and services. Miguel Salazar, M.A Philosophy of Education, NYU, School of Education, is a veteran Program Director of public education, lecturer, professor, former Impartial Hearing Officer and independent parent advocate. Following a stint as a NYC DOE Impartial Hearing Officer, Miguel joined Resources for Children with Special Needs (RCSN), now known as INCLUDEnyc, in 1987. He quickly became known as the NYC premiere non-attorney special education advocate, an unparalled reputation he enjoyed from 1990 until he retired from RCSN in 2011.

Madison Zalopany, Coordinator of Access and Community Programs at the Whitney, speaks to Jane Heaphy, INCLUDEnyc's Deputy Executive Director for Programs, about art, activism, and Mars.

Dorothy Siegel — an early pioneer for inclusive educational programming for students with disabilities in NYC — tells us the story about how the idea of inclusion for people with disabilities was fought for and won. Beginning in 1990, Dorothy has innovated and advocated for new special education reform models that led to the launching of NYC’s first Inclusion Program at the Children’s School in Brooklyn, NY. In 2002, Dorothy’s collaboration with Shirley Cohen Of Hunter College and The NYC DOE led to the development of NYC’s well regarded ASD NEST program which now serves 1,100 children with autism spectrum disorder all over NYC.

INCLUDEnyc's Director of Communications and Outreach Gennarose Pope interviews writer, public speaker, and rockstar Emily Ladau about activism, dating, and Sesame Street. Check out Emily's website at http://wordsiwheelby.com.

INCLUDEnyc's Senior Manager of Disability and Education Policy Lori Podvesker chats with Kathleen Downes, graduate student in social work at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, fierce advocate, and writer for her hilarious and fierce blog, The Squeaky Wheelchair, about disability and identity, inclusion, and much more.