Podcasts about community inclusion

On today's episode Dr. Michelle Sherman joins us on the podcast to talk my most favorite tear-jerking topic, parenting when you're mentally ill as well as how to support family members who are mentally ill/being the family member of someone who is mentally ill. Michelle (she/her) is a clinical psychologist who has dedicated her 30+ year career to supporting families dealing with a mental illness or history of trauma. She was named the American Psychological Association's Family Psychologist of the Year in 2022.Michelle and her work can be found at: https://www.seedsofhopebooks.com/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557940777748 Michelle Sherman, PhD LP ABPP on LinkedIn RESOURCES MENTIONED: Parenting ResourcesTemple University's Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities: Parenting with Mental Health Challengeshttps://tucollaborative.org/parenting/positive-parenting-and-child-resilience-a-training-handout/Advanced Self-Advocacy Plans (ASAPs)https://tucollaborative.org/self-directed-care/advanced-self-advocacy-plan-a-guidebook/ Parenting Well Approach (National Research Center for Parents with Disabilities, Brandeis University): https://heller.brandeis.edu/parents-with-disabilities/work/parenting-well.htmlSend us a text message to be anonymously read and responded to! Support the showYou can find Sara on Instagram @borderlinefromhell. You can also find the podcast on IG @boldbeautifulborderline Corey Evans is the artist for the music featured. He can be found HERE Talon Abbott created the cover art. He. can be found HERE Leave us a voicemail about your thoughts or questions on the show at boldbeautifulborderline.comIf you like the show we would love if you could rate, subscribe and support us on Patreon. Patreon info here: https://www.patreon.com/boldbeautifulborderline?fan_landing=true Purchase Sara's Exploring Your Borderline Strengths Journal at https://www.amazon.com/Exploring-Your-Borderline-Strengths-Amundson/dp/B0C522Y7QT/ref=sr_1_1?crid=IGQBWJRE3CFX&keywords=exploring+your+borderline+strengths&qid=1685383771&sprefix=exploring+your+bor%2Caps%2C164&sr=8-1 For mental health supports: National Suicide Pr...

In this episode, EALA chats with Meg Grigal, the Director of Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, a national center dedicated to expanding and improving post-secondary education options for students with intellectual disabilities. Listen in as they discuss the importance of inclusive higher education, the challenges of shifting expectations around college access for students with disabilities, and the data-backed success stories demonstrating how college improves employment outcomes. For more information, visit www.thinkhighered.net.   Access the full podcast transcript at: https://bit.ly/5mwthinkcollege   

Description: Susanna Miller-Raines, MSW, Program Manager with Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, discusses post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities. Interviewer: Bethany Chase, DSW, LSW, CESP, Training and Consultation Specialist at The Boggs Center on Disability and Human Development Click for Full Transcript of Episode 34

Episode 244 FACULTY: Matthew Cordes, EA and Adam Markowitz, EA CLASS: #AccountingHigh In this episode of Accounting High, Scott Scarano, EA invites the EA team for a discussion about the importance and impact of Enrolled Agents (EAs) in the tax and accounting world. Joined by EAs Adam Markowitz and Matthew Cordes, the conversation dives into their journeys, experiences, and the misconceptions surrounding EAs. The episode also features the premiere of a new OKR track “Smells Like EA's”.

Welcome to Episode 137 of the Think UDL podcast: Deconstructing "College Material" with Cate Weir. Cate Weir is the Program Director for Think College for the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts at Boston. She has written and managed grants to create programs for students with intellectual disabilities to attend college and continues to work with, improve and grow these programs nationwide. In today's conversation, we talk about the history of and need for college programs for students with intellectual disabilities, what the benefits are to the students enrolled in these programs as well as the benefits to professors who teach and the general enrollment students who take classes in which students with intellectual disabilities are co-enrolled. Throughout the conversation we deconstruct what “college material” has been and how it has changed over the years and we end with thoughts on how instructors, students and universities can design environments where all students, including those with intellectual disabilities, are included.

Send us a textReady to discover the secrets of holiday travel in the oldest town in Texas? Join us on Tech Travel and Twang as we welcome Ashley Morgan, the Executive Director of Visit Nacogdoches. Ashley paints a vivid picture of Nacogdoches' fall charm, from its crisp air to its bustling downtown. We get the scoop on must-see events like the Merry Christmas Market and Wassail Fest, which bring a festive spirit to the town. Learn how the CVB collaborates with local merchants and the role of the Main Street manager in crafting memorable downtown experiences, ensuring a thriving community vibe.But that's not all! Learn how Nacogdoches balances influencer content with authentic posts from community members on social media. Discover strategies for building a local ambassador program that fosters hometown pride and engages the community. We also explore successful events such as the Dia de los Muertos celebration and the winter workshop, which draw visitors and support local vendors. Finally, Ashley delves into regional collaborations and professional development efforts that boost tourism, including partnerships with nearby towns and resources like the Texas Association of Convention and Visitor Bureaus. Don't miss this insightful episode packed with tips and strategies for making the most of your fall and holiday travel in Nacogdoches!-----------------------------------------------------The Tech, Travel, and Twang Podcast is hosted by Co-Founders, Kristen Cruz and Jenn Barbee with Destination Innovate. Learn More! https://destinationinnovate.com/about/ Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tech-travel-and-twang/id1679996130

Join me as we delve into night 2 of the 2024 Democratic National Convention.

Join us in the studio with Tyler Sadek, Go MN! Project Manager, and Amanda Jensen-Stahl, Director of Strategic Initiatives at Minnesota General, as we explore the transformative efforts of Minnesota's DIF Grant Go MN! This episode delves into innovative strategies designed to transition individuals with disabilities from subminimum wage to competitive, integrated employment.   Listen Here   Full Transcript:   {Music}   Amanda: Give them the tools and resources to look at other ways to support employment instead of that 14 (C) certificate.   Tyler: So much great work to be done supporting with individuals with disabilities across the country, and we really need people to help implement those innovative ideas so that we can serve these folks even better. This type of work is extremely important, and if you have a good team, I would dare even call this kind of work fun.   Amanda: Having that support is just so appreciated because there is a lot of pieces to this. And when you know, hey, I can call up Brandi and Iowa and just kind of say, hey, how are you guys dealing with this? That has just been really fantastic as well.   Intro Voice: Manager Minute brought to you by the VRTAC for Quality Management, Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time. Here is your host Carol Pankow.   Carol: Well welcome to the Manager Minute. Joining me in the studio today is Tyler Sadek Go Minnesota project manager. And Amanda Jensen-Stahl, director of strategic initiatives with Minnesota General. So Tyler how goes it in Minnesota?   Tyler: Things are going well. I think spring might finally be here, so I'm pretty happy about that.   Carol: Yeah, I'm with you on that. I think we had spring, uh, in February and now we're now we're having winter. It's like what? What is happening?   Tyler: We're gonna give it another shot with spring.   Carol: I know it, it's hysterical. And, Amanda, it's always good to see you. How are you doing?   Amanda: I am good, it's so good to see you, too, Carol.   Carol: Well, we've been delving into the RSA Disability Innovation Fund grants, and this series is focused on the SWTCIE grants, or sub minimum wage to competitive integrated employment. And the purpose of this round of grants is to increase the opportunity for SWTCIE program participants, which includes students and youth with disabilities seeking subminimum wage employment and potential VR program applicants or VR eligible individuals with disabilities who are employed or contemplating employment at sub minimum wage to obtain competitive integrated employment, also known as CIE. Holy smokes, that's a  lot. And I love nothing more than talking with my Minnesota general peeps. You guys always have so much going on. And so for full disclosure for our listeners, before I retired from the state of Minnesota, I was the Assistant commissioner of the Workforce Services, part of the agency. I had the privilege of hiring your director, Dee Torgerson, into her position. And I think the world of Dee and the whole team there. So let's dig in. I'm excited about what you're doing. So, Tyler, I know you had your six month anniversary. Tell our listeners a little bit about yourself and how you came to VR.   Tyler: Yeah, so I was working as a restaurant manager, actually, and I volunteered for an organization called Life Track. I'm doing resume reviews, mock interviews, things like that. And then eventually a position opened up in business engagement, and I got hired. And in that role, I was supporting their employment program for people with disabilities as well as their other employment programs. Eventually, from that role, I moved into providing direct services to individuals with disabilities as a placement person, which I really loved. Eventually, another opportunity opened up at an organization called Resource, and I was hired on to help lead a direct appropriation grant for a few years. So I continued to do that, and then eventually I transitioned into an HR position, actually at a construction company called Parsons Electric, where I was responsible for community outreach, including working with VRS and other community organizations, as well as managing a few employee programs at the company. So in that role at Parsons Electric, I got connected to the State Rehabilitation Council, where I served as a representative of business, industry and labor and then eventually served as the chair of that council for a few years. So that was eventually led me to learning about Go MN a little bit. I saw the position opened up, I decided to apply and here I am. It's been quite the journey to this role, but I feel like it's a good culmination of my experience working with employers, doing placement, managing programs and leading others.   Carol: That is so cool. Our listeners always like to hear where people come from. It's like no one's journey in is ever clearly straight. It's a long and winding road and you're a fellow placement person. I used to do placement way back in the day. I have like fondness in my heart for that. So that. Oh, very cool. Amanda, how about you? You know, I've known you, but I didn't know about your journey into VR.   Amanda: Yes. So I went to school to become an English teacher. And then when I got out of college, I had a hard time finding a job. And so I got a job working with a CRP in Saint Paul. Shout out to Goodwill Easter Seals. And I fell in love with the work. I started doing job placement, job coaching and moved into a manager role where I was overseeing our placement team, our extended employment grant. We started an IPS program, so it was just an awesome, awesome experience. And then in 2015, a position became available at VRS for an extended employment specialist. And I thought, hey, I'm going to jump at this opportunity to use my experience on the CRP side and bring it over to VRS and the state of Minnesota. And from there, I've had a lot of great opportunities. You mentioned WIOA, I came in at the kind of ground level of when that was all starting, and got to build our process for career counseling, information and referral. I started working with our interagency partnerships with DHS, our Medicaid agency, and our special education agency, and then moved into overseeing business engagement, interagency partnerships, and now director of strategic initiatives. So it's been such a journey and just really incredible. And I'm grateful for all of those experiences because I think they all, you know, thinking about this dif grant and going, man, it is all serving us very well. This is kind of a culmination of much of that work.   Carol: That is super cool. I didn't know that about your background. Either. And you've done a ton at Minnesota. I always think whenever your name is tied to something, it's going to be stellar. It's going to be terrific. I do, I think the world of you. So, Amanda, can you give us a little snapshot of Minnesota general? Like how many staff do you have in the agency and how many customers do you guys serve? Yes.   Amanda: So we have 429 staff across the entire state, 23 field offices. And when we look at our last program year, so the last full program year of 22, we served about 12,919 individuals. We had over 5000 applications. And I'm really excited about our employment outcome rate is up over the last two years. So we're kind of building back from the pandemic, as I'm sure many folks are doing, and we're seeing the numbers of folks applying for our services go up, as well as those employment outcomes going up. So really happy that we're back to those pre-pandemic levels of people we're serving, which is just great news.   Carol: That is excellent to hear. I know folks really struggled. The pandemic just like crashed our customers. A lot of them, they were afraid to come out. I mean, they didn't want to be exposed to Covid and all of that. And it really decimated what the VR program was looking like. But we're seeing such a good rebound. You guys have also been rebounding in your numbers of staff too, with your staff vacancy rate. So I know does put a lot of initiatives into place. So you're much you know, I think you're at 20 some percent and I know it's much lower than that.   Amanda: Yes, absolutely. Dee and others have done some really great work with our HR department and really being creative and innovative in how we're recruiting staff, retaining staff, looking at all those ways to support staff with onboarding training. And we're really starting to see that dial shift where our vacancy rate is pretty low again. And we're back to kind of that pre-pandemic level. So we're really grateful for all those efforts. And just, you know, really, I know it's something that everyone struggles with, but just really thinking about, okay, how do we make this work and how do we make the state of Minnesota and VR's a really great place to work?   Carol: Excellent. I love to hear that. Now, I know Minnesota, you know, kind of shifting to our diff. You know, Minnesota still has a fair number of people who work at or are paid sub minimum wages. So tell us a little bit about the project and what you're hoping to accomplish. And Tyler I'm going to kick that to you first.   Tyler: Sure. So this is a disability innovation fund. So we are trying to develop innovative ways to serve people with disabilities in the state. So for this project, we're working with the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston, or ICI Boston, to pilot what's called progressive employment. So it's a dual customer model, meaning it's meant to serve both employers and job seekers. And it really is meant for people with limited or no work experience in competitive, integrated employment. So what's different about it is it's really meant to help people explore work, doing things like tours, job shadows, work experience, learning more about what work means for them, what their skills are, what their interests are. And this project is also focused in the growing high demand transportation industry in Minnesota. So the hope is to help those that are either working in Subminimum wage or considering working in Subminimum wage, explore opportunities in that transportation industry, and potentially find competitive, integrated employment that's a fit for them and for the employer. The idea is really that everybody is ready for something, and we just need to meet people where they're at, provide the support needed for them to be successful in the community.   Carol: I love that. Can you talk a little bit more about the transportation industry, like a little more specificity around that? What does that look like? Yeah, so.   Tyler: The transportation industry is huge and it does include transportation and material handling. So we are considering this pretty broadly. But it really I think most people think about, you know, mechanics or drivers, but it's all those positions that support that work as well. So it could be working in an office. It could be working with technology, working with your hands, working with people. But we do think of transportation as very broad. And what's nice about that is for the folks that we're serving, there is a good chance with how broad this industry is that they can find that opportunity that they're looking for. So that was the emphasis in transportation. I know we'll mention Duluth later being a big transportation hub as well.   Carol: Yeah, that makes sense, I get that. Amanda, did you have anything you wanted to add to that?   Amanda: Yeah, I'll just add a little bit more about just subminimum wage in Minnesota. And Minnesota has historically had a very large number of individuals who have been working in subminimum wage employment. And, you know, when we wrote this grant two years ago now, even in the last two years, things have shifted and changed in ways that are so incredible. And I'm so excited about when we wrote it, we were looking at the numbers and looking at things, and it just has changed so much. So the first year back when we started doing the career counseling information referral process, we had almost 12,000 individuals that we saw that first year for this last year that we have data, we're down to about 4500. So that is a huge, huge change. And then when we look at our pilot location, we are down to like less than 100 people in the pilot location, perhaps even less than 50. And part of that is we're seeing providers just move away from that 14 (C) certificate, even though it's technically still allowable in the state and at the federal level. But I think providers are just saying, you know what, we want to move away from this. And this work really dovetails nicely with lots of other transformation initiatives that have been happening in the state over the last few years to help support providers, give them the tools and resources to look at other ways to support employment instead of that 14 (C) certificate. Lots more to do, of course, but it's just been really exciting to see this work that is just happening right before our eyes. And I think for this grant, we've had to certainly adjust and kind of keep up with those changes as well.   Carol: That makes my heart happy because I remember back in the day, more like 14,000 way back when. And I used to actually work at the Department of Human Services, where we did licensing and rate setting and all the different things for the various providers who were day training programs that did use, a lot of them use the 14 (C) certificates. It was kind of the way of life in Minnesota. So that is such a huge move. I had no idea about the numbers. Now that makes my heart really happy. Excellent. Good on you. This is great, you guys. So for our listeners to Minnesota is really a geographically diverse state. I think for some people they think about us. People be like, do you guys have, you know, plumbing and flush toilets? I've had people ask me that. I'm like, seriously, we are not out in the middle of the boondocks, but we do have areas of the state that really are super rural. And from top to bottom, this state, it is hours. It is a long way. If we're going to go from here to International Falls and such. Now, we do have our urban areas and our extremely remote locations, and you guys are taking a really great approach with this project, focusing on northeast Minnesota and spreading out across the state. So how did you guys come to settle on starting up in the Duluth area, and how are those partnerships developed?   Amanda: Great question. One of the requirements when we were applying for the grant is you had to pick a industry, and there were a couple different options. And as Tyler mentioned, we decided on the transportation industry. And the reason we did that is because when we looked at where were people already getting jobs at VRS across the state and transportation and material moving was number one over the last few years. So we thought, okay, people are already getting a lot of jobs in that industry. And so we decided that makes sense. Let's do that. And then looking at Duluth, because it really, for those of you who don't know, Duluth is right on Lake Superior. And it is a transportation material moving hub. You see those kind of ships and barges coming in and trains, and there's just there's a lot happening in the Duluth area, but it's also small enough that it felt manageable for us, that we could really leverage some of the amazing partnerships that we already have established in the Duluth area. The Duluth team is amazing because part of this work is really relying on our field team. So that manager and those staff that are in that office know that area. They also have previous experience working on a large federal grant from a few years back. We had the SGA grant, the SGA project, and then just those partnerships of not only employers and transportation partners, but our providers, our employment service providers, our relationship with our county, the waiver case managers, and then our centers for Independent living. And really knowing that, okay, we've got something great happening in Duluth and all the pieces were there. And so that's why we decided we're going to start in Duluth. We're going to get this off the ground, and then we can bring that to other parts of the state and really leverage that team to then help mentor as we then go to other parts of the state. And they are also amazing and willing to be flexible, knowing that this is a demonstration model. We're trying some new things. We want to be innovative. And so while we've tried to kind of lay the groundwork, we know that we're going to make changes and adjustments as we go. And they are right there game to do that along with us.   Carol: That makes so much sense now. Why, you know, talking about the transportation history. And then why you picked Duluth? Because Duluth sits on the harbor. It's a lovely location. Like there's major shipping traffic in and out. I hadn't thought about all of that. When you think about the transportation industry, first thing I always come to mind, like semi-trucks, you know, it's the truckers and there you go. But when, as Tyler described it, you know, we're talking so much more broadly. There's a lots of different elements that are all around the transportation industry. That's pretty cool. So I know a lot of our DIF grantees have had struggles and challenges during year one of the grant because, you know, you get notified maybe four days before it's the beginning of the federal fiscal year. And it's like, go and spend all that money right away. And so everybody's been talking about the challenges, and I wanted to find out what kind of challenges you all faced year one and how you have dealt with them and overcome those. And Amanda, I think I'll kick it to you first.   Amanda: Thank you. I did mention this, but it really has had a huge impact on how we've thought about this. But the changes in 14 (C) providers and Subminimum wage work, looking at our pilot location, many of the providers have already in the time we applied and in the time we're planning to get this up and running, have already moved away from it. And so that has been a challenge for us to kind of think about, how do we think about those folks who have historically earned subminimum wages, who might be doing other types of work, but it's still not necessarily integrated? And thinking about kind of that definition of contemplating and working with our RSA liaison to kind of work through that to say, hey, we've got a lot of changes in the landscape of this target population and working really closely with liaison to help, you know, maybe kind of adjust how we maybe thought about the population when we wrote the grant and then really thinking about how this project overlaps with much of the existing work that we've done in Minnesota. I mentioned earlier working with our Medicaid agency and our special education agency, and really thinking about how we serve individuals who are receiving a Medicaid waiver and how we're leveraging those relationships with schools and serving youth with the most significant disabilities. And we've spent a lot of work in how we partner with county case managers, our schools and transition programs. And so being very mindful about how progressive employment and this project fits in with that work, and not duplicating or stepping on toes and then thinking about sustainability. So how we can kind of fit the progressive employment in with much of that work that's happening. So that's a few changes around Subminimum wages. I'll pass it over to Tyler to talk about some of the other challenges we faced.   Tyler: Yeah, I would only really highlight two. One I think a lot of people can relate to is hiring is a challenge. It takes time to find the right people to work through that process. I do think we really have found some great people. I'll talk more about that in a second here. But that was a challenge. It takes time. It's hard to do this work when you don't have the people hired, but then the other one and it relates to this. A lot of these things just take time. As Amanda mentioned, this is a big project. So bringing those partners together, getting contracts in place, just all that groundwork that has to be laid. It just takes time. It's a challenge in the sense we know this work has to be done, but as long as we're patient, as long as we work through the process, as long as we stay determined, we've been able to work through those things, and we are getting very close to being able to get this off the ground.   Carol: I love that, you know, you both talked about groundwork, and I think, Amanda, that groundwork with, you know, the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education, and I know that started years ago, where we were having those monthly meetings, the three organizations and DEED, you know, we're all talking together way back in the day. I was still part of that. And I loved that because we had to really learn to speak each other's language, to start, and then really look at how we could blend and braid and work together. So we weren't duplicating, supplanting all those words, you know, and making sure. So the stage was really set. That is true. And that will help with this whole effort. I think that's great. And even all the groundwork, Tyler, that you guys have laid in the agency with working with HR and all those different processes that have gotten so much better over time, helps for you to onboard and get the people in. So it seems like the stars all aligned and everything is coming together for you guys, I love that. So Tyler, what are some initial wins that you guys have been seeing?   Tyler: Yeah, so building on that theme of groundwork, there's again, a lot that goes into it when I look back at the past. So I know you mentioned my six month anniversary. I think I met about eight months now. Just the things we've been able to accomplish. So there's systems that are necessary to support this work. Customizing Workforce One has taken some time, but I think we've got a good system in place. We're going to be piloting a system called Salesforce. I'm sure many people are familiar with that, but that'll help us with our employer engagement, coordinating and organizing some of those efforts. I mentioned working with ICI Boston that has been bringing them in and working closely with them has definitely been a win. As well as the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota. They're going to be supporting this project as well. So we've just started to meet with them, bringing them into it. And then we also work with Mathematica as part of this project. So just all that groundwork, bringing in all these partners, getting everybody on the same page, I would definitely identify that as one of the biggest wins. And then I just mentioned this, but and maybe I'm a little biased, but I do think we've hired some amazing people on this project. I'm really excited for the work to begin, for them to really, you know, flex their muscles and use their skills. And then just overall, not just the folks that we've hired, all those partners that I mentioned, I think we just have a great team for the project. Everyone is very talented. We have some great team cohesion. Everybody works very hard, so we're all ready to do some good work for the people that we serve.   Carol: Yeah, you have a great foundation. Those groups that you all mentioned, Mathematica, and you've got ICI, and you've got also the UMass Boston people we're well aware of all those folks and consider them our colleagues. They're great. You guys were smart and kind of pulling the trifecta together to help support the project. So I know you're always looking forward and Duluth is the start. So Amanda, what's your next focus area going to be?   Amanda: We are focused on getting that pilot off the ground. And because of those changes of where Subminimum wage is at in Minnesota, we're really taking a look at in our proposal, we had identified some areas and we're rethinking that and really looking at where do we still have those higher numbers of people earning subminimum wage and looking at targeting those locations. So we have a higher number in kind of central Minnesota as well as southeastern Minnesota. And so looking at kind of the lay of the land there with those 14 (C) providers, that might still be providing that, because we want to make sure that we can leverage this grant to do the most work and do the most good, if you will. And so looking at shifting from where we initially thought we had thought we'd do Metro in southwest Minnesota, but now we're rethinking that and looking at, okay, where are our high numbers of subminimum wage workers? And let's go there.   Carol: So are you thinking then would that be down, like in the Rochester area, sort of as kind of the if you're thinking about the state, I'm trying to think I'm like east West. That was not always my best suit.   Amanda: Yeah. So down in southeast it would be like Rochester and Winona, that area.   Carol: Okay.   Amanda: And then central is kind of Saint Cloudish area. Saint Cloud Willmar, yeah.   Carol: Great. So what have you guys had for some takeaways that you've gained from the project so far. And Tyler I'm going to kick it to you first.   Tyler: First I would say my primary takeaway and I'm still new but a lot goes into this work. There are so many people involved. There are so many processes to follow and they can be very complicated sometimes. So I know I mentioned this before, it just takes time. It takes patience, it takes working together. Determination that has been my prime takeaway is just this is a big project. We just have to kind of, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. But as long as we are focused on really doing our best to serve the people that we want to serve, and we're keeping them at the center of all this work, then I have no doubt when all is said and done, we will be successful. We'll have achieved the mission of this grant. I just have to, for myself, even, just be patient. Take it a day at a time.   Carol: How about you, Amanda?   Amanda: I would say it takes a team. It's a big grant. It's a big project. And so I think that foundation that we've been laying with our internal VRS teams, shout out to the Duluth team and then our partners at ICI Boston and ICI Minnesota, we haven't mentioned it yet, but we have for business outreach, the Transportation Center of Excellence in Minnesota. We have someone there who has been helping us think about outreach to business and kind of tapping into what's happening from an education standpoint and working with them. And then I also want to note, CSAVR has been doing a community of practice with the SWTCIE grant holders. So the states have been coming together on a monthly basis to just talk about how this is working and sharing with each other and learning with each other, and that has been really helpful. And then there's been some other like RSA and Mathematica have also held some meetings. So I think just it's helpful when you're doing something like this and you're kind of in the weeds, it's nice to hear from other people, like you're not alone. Other people might be struggling or having successes, and just having that support is just so appreciated because there is a lot of pieces to this. And, when you know, hey, I can call up Brandi and Iowa and just kind of say, hey, how are you guys dealing with this? That has just been really fantastic as well.   Carol: Well, and speaking of Brandi and Iowa, we just recorded with her last month. And their SWTCIE Grant, which is fun. I had not heard that CSVAR was doing this COP. I love that that is great because I know there's a lot that goes into the DIF just organizationally and administratively because it's a different type of grant, a discretionary grant from the feds. There's different reporting requirements. And so sometimes states are not used to all of that. Like there's a high level of involvement from RSA. And so you've got a lot going on and people are kind of overwhelmed. It's different. And so having that support group is awesome I love that. Well, I know too, that we have different listeners who are on the fence. And we're anticipating another round of DIF grants coming again with the large amount of monies that were relinquished in Re allotment. And so sometimes people, you know, they reach out and they're like, well, like, should we do it or not? And do you all have some advice for them if they're contemplating doing a DIF? Tyler, what would you tell folks about this?   Tyler: I could understand looking at these grants, seeing them as intimidating. But I think to Amanda's point, if you do choose to apply, know that you are not doing it alone. We have definitely leaned on other states who are doing similar work, and it both helps support our work as well as remind us that we are really in this together. So I think that makes a huge difference if you do decide to apply. But really, if you are contemplating applying for a DIF grant, I say go for it. There is so much great work to be done supporting with individuals with disabilities across the country, and we really need people to help implement those innovative ideas so that we can serve these folks even better. So this type of work is extremely important, and if you have a good team, I would dare even call this kind of work fun.   Carol: Hahaha. That is awesome! Well, I could see the fun on both of your faces because you're smiling. Our listeners can't see that, but you're both smiling from ear to ear. And I can tell the passion and you're very excited about what you're doing. I know you're building your website right now, so you may not have that available, but if others wanted to connect with you, what would your email addresses be?   Tyler: Once we get that website up, we'll let you know in case we can incorporate that somehow. But I can be reached at Tyler.Sadek@State.MN.US and I'll spell that really quick, T y l e r dot s a d e k at state dot MN dot US.   Carol: Excellent. And Amanda, how about you?   Amanda: Okay, here's my email. Amanda. A m a n d a dot Jensen, J e n s e n, -Stahl, S t a h l, at State dot MN dot US. Amanda.Jensen-Stahl@State.MN.US   Carol: Excellent. Thank you both. You both have been terrific. I'm really looking forward to connecting with you all again. A little bit down the road, you know, as you get more time under your belt and we see how it's going. But this sounds amazing and really I wish you the best of luck. Thanks for joining me today.   Tyler: Thank you Carol.   Amanda: Thank you Carol.   {Music} Outro Voice: Conversations powered by VR, one manager at a time, one minute at a time, brought to you by the VR TAC for Quality Management. Catch all of our podcast episodes by subscribing on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. Thanks for listening!  

Dr. Refky Nicola discusses the relationship between radiology department research funding and institutional community inclusion and investment with Dr. Randy Miles. Assessing the Relationship between Radiology Department Research Funding and Institutional Community Inclusion and Investment. Lopez et al. Radiology 2024; 310(1):e231469.

Peter Leonard is the father of Kevin Leonard, who receives support and services from New Horizons Resources, a provider organization in Hudson Valley, New York. He appreciates the direct support professionals who have made a positive impact on Kevin's life and continue to help him blossom.In this episode of DSP Talk, host Gina Scarpa interviews Peter Leonard, the father of a son with developmental disabilities. Peter shares his experiences with the support his son receives from New Horizons Resources and the direct support professionals who work with him. He emphasizes the importance of direct support professionals in helping individuals with disabilities thrive and become active members of their communities. Through personal stories, Peter highlights the positive impact these professionals have had on his son's growth and independence.Key themes discussed in the episode include the significance of direct support professionals in providing meaningful support, the importance of creating a sense of belonging and community for individuals with disabilities, and the transformative effect of person-centered care.Key Takeaways:Direct support professionals play a crucial role in the lives of individuals with disabilities, providing meaningful support and helping them thrive.The support of direct support professionals can help individuals with disabilities develop a sense of independence and identity.Direct support professionals create opportunities for individuals with disabilities to be active members of their communities.The work of direct support professionals is rooted in values of equality, dignity, and respect for the individual.Notable Quotes:“People who work with my son, every single one of them, over a 12 or 13 year period, everyone has been extraordinary and really made a difference for the good in his life.” - Peter Leonard“I think what direct support professionals do at their best is they provided the circumstances for [Kevin] to take place within his community.” - Peter LeonardResources:New Horizons ResourcesListen to the full episode of DSP Talk to hear Peter Leonard's inspiring story and learn more about the impact of direct support professionals in the lives of individuals with disabilities. Stay tuned for more enlightening content from DSP Talk. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

During Black History Month in Canada, we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities. We highlight Black Canadians' role in making Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous country it is. We also acknowledge the work that remains to be done in addressing anti-Black racism in our society.  This episode we welcome Dr. Denise O'Neil Green.  For over 30 years, Dr. Green, a published author and award-winning expert has applied her visionary approach to equity, diversity and inclusion, anti-racism, organizational change and transformational leadership to organizations. We explore the evolution of the role of diversity leader throughout her career and note the challenges that persist today.  Dr. Green provides advice on the skills and traits to look for when recruiting diversity officers and offers guidance to candidates considering taking on diversity, equity and inclusion roles. We discuss Canada's ongoing journey to address anti-Black racism and how projects like the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Initiative help to spotlight the many contributions of Black leaders.About our guest:Dr. Denise O'Neil Green is an internationally recognized expert in equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and transformational leadership. She is President and Principal Consultant of Denise O'Neil Green Consulting. With 30 years of experience, she has worked across different sectors and is Creator of InstitutionalDiversityBlog.com, reaching 100 countries. As Executive Vice-President, she founded the Division of Equity and Community Inclusion at Toronto Metropolitan University. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership, Adult and Higher Education, University of Toronto and Co-Founder of the 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Project. She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.Additional resources:https://www.deniseoneilgreenconsulting.com/ https://www.100abcwomen.ca/https://www.conferenceboard.ca/product/levelling-the-playing-field_2023/

Al Levine spoke with Long Island Regional Partnership Systems Change Facilitator Lisa Boerum & Associate Director Helene Fallon about the Long Island Network Celebration of Learning "Common Threads Bound Together" event taking place on Wednesday, March 27 at LIU-Post's Alumni Engagement Center from 9 am-12 pm as well as explain the importance of collaboration between parents and school districts in order to maximize their children's education.

iChange Justice Host Joy Gilfilen interviews James White about how his own attitudes of leadership have changed over decades of working within institutions that were controlled from the top down with very rigid systems. James' expertise is working with people who have been boxed in by being labeled with a disability, which creates a habit of disempowerment and co-dependency. Instead, he created ESATTA - a cooperative for Empowering Self-Advocates To Take Action. He works to empower people who have diverse abilities to do community development by teaming up, to serve the greater good. By doing this, James found that the best way to change systems was to change attitudes and behaviors at the top and at the bottom at the same time. He starts with Community Inclusion conversations first. By including human interactions and building collaborative relationships first, they increase their resourcefulness and improve their lives faster.

Adam is interviewing Jodi Green. She is the coordinator of Judaic Outreach and Community Inclusion. She is also responsible for the management of the Tamir Choir, which runs out of Ottawa

In this vlog, I share my expereince and views about being a member of the community and being a part of the inclusion movement in the school, program and community settings. Visit my linktree Weekly E-Blast Sign-up Website & Blog Social: Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Podcast Platforms: Spotify Anchor Google Podcasts Amazon Music Pocketcasts Radio Public

In this episode I have a conversation with Jackie Dobrinska is a teacher, coach, and spiritual director who has married two decades of mystical practices with 15 years of expertise in physical health, including diet, herbalism, and Ayurveda. She works with people to live from their truest essence. In addition to coaching individuals and leading group workshops, she is currently the Director of Education, Community & Inclusion for Ram Dass' Love, Serve, Remember Foundation. We have a conversation about body image. Are you satisfied with what you see when you look in the mirror? Regardless of what you may think, both men and women, of all ages, are affected by negative body image. How an individual evaluates one's self has a great deal to do with the quality of one's interpersonal relationships. How we actually embody our body is a better barameter to understand our relationship with our body's and how we relate to others. “The first step is to be present with your own body”  - Jackie Dobrinska Contact: Jackie Dobrinska Website: ASimpleVibrantLife.com Related Podcasts: Body Awareness Can Help Us Relate Practicing Self-Care in Relationships How Depression Effects Relationships HeartShare: Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Relationships   Let's Talk About It!   Thanks for tuning into this week's episode of Relationships! Let's Talk About It - the show to help you forge deeper, more meaningful connections and relationships with those around you. If you enjoyed this week's episode, please head over to Apple Podcasts, subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating and review.  Check out our Guided Audio Practices, Meditations and Workshops at Relationships! Let's Learn About It. You can check out the original songs I have sung in my podcast at Pripo's Podcast Songs. Don't forget to visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Share your favorite episodes on social media to help others build better, more meaningful relationships. And if our content has helped you forge deeper connections and more meaningful relationships, be sure to help support the show by visiting our Support the Podcast page! Theme music “These Streets” provided by Adi the Monk  

For this episode, I speak with Michael Giangreco, a University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Special Education in the Department of Education at the University of Vermont and is affiliated with UVM's Center on Disability & Community Inclusion. Michael and I discuss why many school systems rely too much on paraprofessionals when implementing inclusive education. We talk about why he cautions parents about advocating for that one-to-one for their child. And stick around till the end when Michael shares what inspired using cartoons as a communication tool. I've seriously been so excited to share this interview with you. Dr. Giangreco has authored over 200 professional publications on various special education topics and presented extensively across the United States and internationally. Thanks for listening, and if you haven't already, please give us a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.Otter.ai Transcript: https://otter.ai/u/1_1-aP9vFpdArMhSWv2LTAamvTI?utm_source=copy_urlPDF Transcript: https://3bd6e695-b492-4878-afa9-f79d8b09e0c4.usrfiles.com/ugd/3bd6e6_e627d16576994abeb7fb45d59564c22e.pdfShow Notes: https://bit.ly/TI-Michael-GiangrecoCover Art Image Description: black background; think inclusive logo in the top left; rainbow-colored waves overlayed with a headshot of Michael Giangreco; text reads: Michael Giangreco, On the Overreliance of Paraprofessionals to Implement Inclusive Education; MCIE logo in the bottom rightCreditsThink Inclusive is written, edited, and sound designed by Tim Villegas and is produced by MCIE.Original music by Miles Kredich.Support Think Inclusive by becoming a patron! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chad Hughes invites Nikki Sitch, Manager of Land and Community Inclusion at Kiwetinohk Energy Corp, to the show to talk about her career journey and the insights she has on attributes that lead to success. As Nikki talks, it becomes clear that she lives what she believes in regards to creating your own future.Nikki claims she got into land “by fluke” as she moved from receptionist at AltaGas to being a Junior Land Admin in the Land Department. She learned on the job and enjoyed it, so she got her land agent's license and earned her Bachelor of Commerce in Petroleum Land Management at University of Calgary over a period of eight years. Nikki is a driven person by nature but also cites mentors she had along the way as being a huge influence on her career.Nikki shares how she approached the challenges she encountered in each job as a chance for education and pushing herself. She tells Chad she enjoys the thought process of solving issues, being creative about approaches, and having a desire to always learn. She is clear that mindset plays a big part in realizing success. This holds true in how she came to write her first book, while maintaining her land career, and seeing it rise to the bestseller's list on Amazon. Nikki has a lot to share about company culture, what it takes to work effectively in land, and how her writing helps inform her land career. “I love the idea of Kiwetinohk just being a different kind of company, we're not just an oil and gas company, we're what's called an energy transition company. Meaning that we obviously are drilling for, you know, mostly we're looking for natural gas. And we're also, we're going out and we're doing renewable energy projects. So I had the opportunity here to work on some solar projects, and to work on some natural gas fired power projects.” - Nikki SitchAbout Nikki Sitch:Nikki Sitch has been with Kiwetinohk Energy Corp. since October 2018 and is the Manager, Land and Community Inclusion. Nikki has roughly 25 years of experience in all facets of land management and indigenous relations in the producing regions of western Canada in exploration, development, acquisitions and divestitures. Just prior to Kiwetinohk, Nikki was the Manager of Integrity and Operations at Aim Land Services Ltd. where she created and expanded the operations, mineral, and upstream departments while managing projects and her growing team. Nikki has created enduring friendships with community leaders, industry counterparts, landowners, and indigenous leaders. She has negotiated and supervised the acquisition of more than 2,500 surface agreements, acquired more than 400 square miles of land and negotiated more than a dozen deals valued between $100K to $100MM.  Nikki earned a Bachelor of Commerce in Petroleum Land Management and holds a valid Alberta Land Agent's Licence. She is an active member of the Canadian Association of Energy and Land Professionals (CALEP) and holds both the P. Land and PSL designations. Nikki has served in a leadership role on many CALEP (formerly CAPL) committees, including President in 2015-16, Director on the Board for 7 years, and in 2007 she was awarded the CAPL Bright Lights Award. Nikki was a founding member of the team that created the Petroleum Land Business extension certificate at Mount Royal University, where she developed and taught the Surface Rights & Regulations Overview course. She was part of the team that created the Professional Surface Landman designation and chaired the team that developed 7 new surface courses with CAPL to support the new designation. In her spare time, Nikki has written two books and is in the midst of writing book three. Nikki's first book, Love, Lust & WTF?! is an Amazon #1 Bestseller. Daisy's Adventures in Love is Nikki's second book and is a continuation from Love, Lust and WTF – Daisy's Dating Adventures. Both books are available in hard copy and in ebook format where books are sold online.---Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedinNikki Sitch |Manager, Land & Community Inclusion at Kiwetinohk Energy Corp / Author: website | linkedin | facebook | books

In today's episode, we speak with Don Williams of JUMPSTART. In our interview, we explore the topic of community inclusion and belonging for individuals returning from prison. In this episode, we'll learn about the systemic barriers in many communities that make it difficult for individuals returning from prison to succeed. This episode will touch on at least two aspects of what we call The Practice of Building a More Inclusive Community. The first is the practice of Groundwork which is about preparing our hearts and shifting our community culture to be open and welcoming to everyone and build a community of belonging. The second is the practice of Systems Work.Full Transcript HERE.Learn more about JUMPSTART.Voices of The Returned: Life After Incarceration hasn't published new episodes in a while, but their content still resonated with me. Their episodes offer an excellent opportunity to hear directly from individuals about their experience with incarceration and beyond. Through this podcast, I also learned that April is National Second Chance month.Don's Bio:True Restoration, Mind Transformation and Personal Elevation. These are the three facets that encompass the life's work, mission and purpose of Determined Don Williams. Don's heartfelt desire to help individuals tap into their “True Potential” is the driving force that pushes him to equip returning citizens to become productive and fulfilled in the mission God has called them to. Don's passion for assisting those who were incarcerated is dear to his heart. He knows all too well how difficult this can be- as he personally endured this journey- and now speaks to youth and adults about making the right choices and living a life committed to giving themselves away. Don has been the keynote speaker and trained numerous organizations about the value of effective communication, customer service, team building, professionalism. Don Williams is an innovative force as well as a visionary enhancing the professional and personal lives of the masses “one life at a time”.  

In the next episode of Inside Rehabilitation Counseling, Kyle Walker, MRC, CRC, CRL, CPM & Russ Thelin, M.S., LVRC, CRC, CRL, speak with CRCC Executive Director Pam Shlemon about the National Training Center for Transformational Rehabilitation Leadership Program (TRL) a collaborative partnership between the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMASS Boston, the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Kyle and Russ talk about the need to redefine leadership in rehabilitation counseling, and how the CRL certification will shape the next 100 years of the profession. 

We couldn't let the FIFA World Cup pass us by without a chat about football In this episode we chat with Georgia Adderley, one of the four Co-Founders of Onyx FC, the UAE's first fully female owned football club. Despite being from the football-mad UK, Georgia didn't take up football until moving to Dubai. It was in Dubai that she also found friendship, fun and community, as well as the three other founders of Onyx FC. In this episode, we discuss how Onyx FC came about, what football brought to her life, the achievements of the club since it started just one year ago and the growth of women's football in the UAE and beyond. Georgia also shares her predictions for the World Cup! We hope you enjoy the episode! To learn more about football in the UAE, visit the UAE Football Association at www.uaefa.ae. Find Onyx FC on Instagram at @onyxfc_ and Georgia at @georgia.add. Onyx FC's website is www.onyx-fc.com Our wider support team for this episode includes Editor JJ Thompson and our Artwork is by the talented Alexandra Hickey of Studio Theodore. For more info, visit www.themettleset.com , and follow us on @themettlesetWe hope you enjoy the episode! Dawn & Afshan @dawnable @afshahmed

In the next episode of Inside Rehabilitation Counseling, Kyle Walker, MRC, CRC, CRL, CPM & Russ Thelin, M.S., LVRC, CRC, CRL, speak with CRCC Executive Director Pam Shlemon about the National Training Center for Transformational Rehabilitation Leadership Program (TRL) a collaborative partnership between the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMASS Boston, the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the Commission on Rehabilitation Counselor Certification. Kyle and Russ talk about the need to redefine leadership in rehabilitation counseling, and how the CRL certification will shape the next 100 years of the profession. 

Many families enter guardianship arrangements because they don't know of other options. Guardianship can be unnecessarily restrictive. It can also be difficult, expensive, and time consuming to reverse. Join Michael and Holly as they hear from Ashley Mathy, a self-advocate from Wisconsin. Ashley gives her account of her experience being under guardianship. They then talk with Dr. Allison Hall, Senior Research Associate/Project Manager at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. Allison provides insight into why families should consider supported decision-making.

Rodney Bryant, Freelance Producer/Production Manager; Bobby Edwards, Director of Community Inclusion and External Relations; Aeryk Shields, Licensed Barber/Stylist & Groomer; and Dwayne Vernon, Retired US Navy, Published Author, and Writer share their perspectives about aging. How does it affect social lives, friends and family, mental health and wellness, relationships, dating, wisdom and so much more. In the "We See You" segment, Todd McKinley, Founder and CEO of Southern Roots Spice gives us a taste of what it's like to start and run an organic, gluten-free, international spice and spice blend business during a pandemic when he found himself unexpectedly unemployed! His inspirational story will have you wanting to cook and start your own business venture!

Recognizing and understanding privilege can be a hard pill to swallow for some. It means admitting you're not perfect and possibly “looking bad,” which we were all taught growing up not to do. In today's episode, host Calan Breckon unpacks some of the hard questions around community inclusion with guest Raymond Jordan Johnson-Brown and the work they do as an indigenous wellness leader. Raymond, who uses they/them pronouns, is passionate about creating connections for marginalized groups and having courageous conversations around these sometimes hard topics. Together they explore questions like... How do you think people are “missing the mark” when it comes to inclusivity for racialized folks?How has your lived experience inspired your work?What is intersectionality?What are some of the ways the queer community has contributed/participated in systems of harm?What could a path forward look like to create an equitable world? By the end of this episode, you'll have a better understanding of how you can be more courageous about getting uncomfortable and having those sometimes difficult conversations around inclusivity. Follow Raymond on Instagram: @TheOnlyRJJB Foundry BC Watch this ep on YouTube - Connect with us - Join the private Facebook community Take our "Building Better Relationships" course Take the Attachment Style Quiz! Instagram GayMenGoingDeeper.com Patreon -— Join the Gay Men Going Deeper Membership coaching community

This week we welcome Dr. Matthew Wappett to the podcast to talk with us about strategies for community inclusion and belonging. Dr. Wappett is a researcher, a writer, and an educator in leadership, stress management, and inclusion. His expertise in Disability Studies informs his approach to "compassionate leadership," which has been taught in a variety of organizations and classrooms but is also completely relevant in our everyday lives. Dr. Wappett's research also looks at the impacts of laughter as a stress-reduction technique and a tool to create social inclusion. Download the latest episode to learn more!  Resources:  Learn more about Dr. Wappett: https://www.matthewwappett.com/about learn more about laughter yoga on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@matthewwappett ................................................................ Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, google podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.    

This week we welcome Pablo Juarez, M.Ed., Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) and director of the Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) in the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center. On today's podcast we will talk about The VKC TRIAD Community Engagement Program which is an innovative partnership with community cultural and civic organizations that works to promote full inclusion of all children and adults.  Pablo Juarez is the perfect person to talk to because he has been honored for his work in Tennesse with supporting the inclusion of children and adults with ASD in the community. His emphasis on extending services to lower-resources communities has opened doors across Tennessee and brought about inventive ways increase access to care. Pablo, welcome to the podcast! Learn more about the Triad Community Engagement Program, visit: https://vkc.vumc.org/vkc/triad/community-organizations/ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Autism weekly is now found on all of the major listening apps including apple podcasts, google podcasts, stitcher, Spotify, amazon music, and more. Subscribe to be notified when we post a new podcast. Autism weekly is produced by ABS Kids. ABS Kids is proud to provide diagnostic assessments and ABA therapy to children with developmental delays like Autism Spectrum Disorder. You can learn more about ABS Kids and the Autism Weekly podcast by visiting abskids.com.

Community Inclusion with Jim Kochany About the Episode Date: March 4, 2022 Episode 14: Community Inclusion with Jim Kochany Summary Community inclusion means that people, regardless of their disabilities, have the right to participate fully in public life. The goal of community inclusion is to create inclusive, diverse communities which are welcoming without labeling. Community inclusion promotes active engagement in the everyday world and participation in mainstream community life, like everyone else. It takes place outside of institutions and agencies, which segregate participants. Peer Recovery Specialists can advocate for change by initiating conversations to address the need for unbiased community inclusion and overcome the obstacles of stigma, discrimination, and marginalization. Jim Kochany is a Registered-Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, Certified Family Support Partner, and Certified Community Health Worker. He is currently in a new position as a Community Inclusion Specialist for Henrico County but has worked with the CSB since 2016 on their Assertive Community Treatment Team and Psychosocial/Rehab Treatment programs. Jim is also DBHDS-certified as a trainer for the Peer Recovery Specialist certificate training program and a recovery ally trainer.   Jim Kochany, CPRSkoc003@henrico.us Resources Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion Spirit Works Foundation The Peer Facilitated Community Inclusion Toolkit ARCO Faces and Voices of Recovery NAMI Pledge to be Stigma-Free Virginia Commonwealth University Rams in Recovery

Please join us for our last episode in our Spotlight Series: A Focus on Education. Annette Hines speaks with Cat Weir, Program Director and Debra Hart, Co-Principal Investigator of Think College, a part of ICI, Institute for Community Inclusion. Learning does not stop at age 18 for those with intellectual disabilities and offering those who have entered adulthood an opportunity for growth in over one hundred college programs is what Think College is all about. With the only national database on college programs for those with intellectual disabilities, families can find approved college programs with financial aid that offer person centered planning, additional support services, flexible degree, certificate, and non-degree programs. These inclusive and authentic programs help adults learn life skills like time management, social emotional interaction, trial, and error as well as other growth enhancing skills Think College has reported that these programs have enabled students with positive outcomes in life satisfaction and employment opportunities! So, listen in and learn more about what Think College could offer your young adult. As our guests say “If you don't know, you don't go!”    Debra Hart is the director of the Education and Transition team and co-principal investigator of the Think College Network and the National Coordinating Center for the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She has over 30 years of experience working with students with disabilities, their families, and professionals to support youth in becoming valued members of their community via participation in inclusive K-12 education, inclusive higher education, and competitive integrated employment.   Cate Weir has spent her career working towards the inclusion and full participation of individuals with intellectual disabilities. She has spent over twenty years working to assure that students with intellectual disabilities can attend college in states throughout the US. She has served as the project coordinator and now the Program Director for the Think College Network and the National Coordinating Center for the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, since its inception in 2010, where she coordinates all project activities, including technical assistance, training, dissemination, and data collection.

This month we're tallking about community inclusion. Lisa, Jane, Justin and Miranda discuss the benefits of community inclusion of people with intellectual disability, acquired brain injury and invisible disabilities. What does inclusion mean, who does it well and why is it important. https://www.amida.org.au

Community - Inclusion - Ken Davies - 30 January 2022 by Wollongong Baptist Church

Join us for another round table style conversation, talking about the role of business in supporting sustainability initiatives. Rebecca and Caitlin from Easy Agile are joined by Ida and Ulrika from TietoEVRY.TietoEVRY is a leading digital services and software company, Headquartered in Finland, serving thousands of enterprise and public sector customers in more than 90 countries. Working to create digital advantages for businesses and society.Ida is the head of sustainability and Ulrika is a Senior Sustainability Manager at TietoEVRY. Known for their focus on sustainability and their robust approach detailed in their 2023 sustainability game plan. TietoEVRY works to tackle some of the biggest issues facing our society today.We are extremely excited to be sharing this episode with you all, in hope that it will offer perspective for areas you can improve in your business, as Ida and Ulrika share their expertise. Be sure to check out Easy Agile's firsts Sustainability, Community & Inclusion report. As well as TietoEVRY's Sustainability report.

Award-winning author, psychotherapist and disability advocate Rebecca Alexander is discussing accessibility, community inclusion and the documentary American Masters: Becoming Helen Keller, which chronicles the life of Helen Keller. We also discuss the upcoming Netflix film being developed about Rebecca's life. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/wid-org/support

Samuel Unrau is Coordinator - Training, Community Inclusion and Support Services at Manitoba Possible. In this instalment of Our Next 100, Samuel shares his vision for Winnipeg's next 100 years.About Our Next 100: We invited community members representing various sectors and Cause areas to share their visions for Winnipeg's next 100 years, and the potential role philanthropy might play in achieving them. This series is an audio adaptation of their aspirational essays, collected in the second special centennial edition of The Foundation's magazine, Building a vision for our next 100 years. You can find the essays on our website at wpgfdn.org/next100, or read the full issue on our Publications page.

Do you have a child with an intellectual disability?  Does you child talk about going to college?  Did you know college may be a real possibility?  There are over 300 special inclusive college programs at colleges and universities across the United States, and they are all possible because of Think College, a group of projects at the University of Massachusetts,  Boston, Institute of Community Inclusion. In today's episode, Cate Weir, the Coordinator of the Think College National Coordinating Center,  shares how college can be a meaningful, productive, effective opportunity for your child with an intellectual disability to gain skills that can lead to effective competitive employment. This is an incredibly rich and informative resource for your children with intellectual disabilities.https://thinkcollege.net/https://thinkcollege.net/family-resourcesWhat questions did I ask when considering this program for my child and What questions did I wish I asked?    Rethinking College | Think CollegeNovember 3, free webinar

Join us as we chat with Shawna Matz, Chief People Officer, and Angela Weekley, Manager of Community Inclusion, about our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives at Veridian. To learn more visit veridiancu.org/inclusion. Episode recorded 7/27/2021.

Hello and welcome to our Podcast- number 28  in a series of podcast's bringing you information about Microsoft products and services, new technology and some great top tips from the team.  Each episode will be hosted by Nigel and Tom from the Microsoft Evangelist team and will include regular guests from our own team, specialists across the wider technology industry and fellow specialists from our partners.In this weeks episode, we are delighted to be joined by Reverend Philip Averay, Vicar of Chepstow.  Philip discuss how technology has helped him and his community stay connected during the current pandemic and how his knowledge and passion for technology is helping others beyond his parish.We hope you enjoy the show.

Camille Simone Edwards, Consultant With a Coach's Approach believing in the infinite power of courage. With a strategic course of action, she partners with clients to create new pathways to their short/long-term goals related to personal + professional development. Camille Simone trains clients on how to use courage as the foundational tool to change their lives and then to fiercely maintain it. Camille Simone is excited to meet clients who are seeking to be coached in the learning areas of leadership development, culture, team building, diversity, inclusion, vision, goal setting, and interpersonal communication. Camille is also the Director of DEI at Friends Academy of Long Island New York, a school that she has consulted for across the last 12 years. Bobby Edwards has been a leader in independent school DEI efforts for 35 years. He was one of the original 1986 participants at what is now known as the NAIS People of Color Conference, where he attended as a new Admission Officer from Phillips Academy (Andover). During his 20 years of service at Andover, Bobby rose to be the Senior Associate Dean of Admission and spent his last decade at the Academy as the Dean of Community and Multicultural Development. Bobby moved on to serve as the Director of the DC KIPP to College program. In 2008, Bobby joined the McLean School community in Potomac, Maryland, as the Assistant Director of Admission and Director of Financial Assistance. He went on to serve as the Head of the Lower School and now holds the position of Director of Community Inclusion and External Relations. Bobby is also a resident faculty member at the annual summer Diversity Directions Independent School Seminar. Bobby has presented on DEI issues at a number of conferences and is a contributing author to the AISNE Guide to Hiring and Retaining Teachers of Color, and AISNE's Thriving in Independent Schools: A Guide for Teachers of Color.bedwards@mcleanschool.orghello@camillesimoneconsulting.comhttps://www.camillesimoneconsulting.com/Instagram: camillesimone_coach

Episode 5 of the Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series features John Egelhaaf, Executive Director at the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission and a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners. The Commission co-sponsors workshops and is a participant in many discussions or work groups relating to various topics.  The topics generally relate to the continuing program areas that the Commission undertakes such as transportation, economic development, land use/growth management, solid waste, and resource management.Listen as John shares his story of working with others to advocate for a redesign a major transportation corridor in Michigan and improve the inclusivity of transportation services in his community.The Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series examines what we know about today's most urgent inclusive transit planning challenges and how we can make progress in addressing them. In a series of conversations, transportation planners and advocates share lessons learned in their journey towards inclusive transportation planning. Transit Planning 4 All is an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project that has funded a series of pilot projects across the nation, each seeking to increase inclusion in transportation planning and services for people with disabilities and older adults. The project is a partnership of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and DJB Evaluation Consulting Group. The project is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services' Administration for Community Living.

On this episode of CU Succeed, we chat with Betty Andrews from the NAACP and Angela Weekley, Manager of Community Inclusion at Veridian, They share the history of Juneteenth and the importance of the holiday for all Americans. Episode recorded 5/25/2021.

In September of 2018, we sat down with Dr. Mark Salzer, founder and director of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion to talk about community inclusion for individuals with serious mental illnesses, the center's work, and the future of community inclusion.  To learn more, or read the full transcription of the podcast visit www.tucollaborative.org. Music provided by Fredji (https://soundcloud.com/fredjimusic/fredji-happy-life-original-mix). 

Conversations around the impacts of Covid in schools tend to revolve around the risk of an education gap, framing the pandemic as “lost year” for students. But some experts are pushing back on that narrative, arguing that the adaptations schools have made this year could provide a road map to a more inclusive education system. Recorded live with Amanda Garces of the Vermont Human Rights Commission and founder of the Education Justice Coalition of Vermont; Deborah Lisi-Baker, formerly of UVM's Center for Disability and Community Inclusion; Michael Martin, Director of Learning for the South Burlington School District; Celilo Bauman-Swain, a junior at Champlain Valley Union High School; and Bruce Pandya, a senior at U-32 High School.

Episode 4 of the Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series features guest speaker Angel Bond, a program manager for Mobility for All in Boulder County, Colorado. The mission of the program is to promote affordable multimodal transportation options and to raise awareness that transportation is a basic social and economic need. Listen as Angel shares her story of empowering Boulder County residents and working with individuals with disabilities and older adults to advocate and plan for inclusive transit options within their communities. The Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series examines what we know about today’s most urgent inclusive transit planning challenges and how we can make progress in addressing them. In a series of conversations, transportation planners and advocates share lessons learned in their journey towards inclusive transportation planning. Transit Planning 4 All is an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project that has funded a series of pilot projects across the nation, each seeking to increase inclusion in transportation planning and services for people with disabilities and older adults. The project is a partnership of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and DJB Evaluation Consulting Group. The project is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.

In this episode of My Seven Chakras, I wanted to explore my understanding of the words community, inclusion, diversity and connection… I’ve been referring to all of you as Action tribe for so many years, and I don’t take this term lightly. Deep down, its stems from my own yearning and wanting to feel included & accepted as part of a tribe and community. And in this episode, I want to share with you my backstory of how I found connection, community and acceptance from unexpected places. So if you are a listener of our show and you consider yourself a member of Action tribe, then I sense that you will like this episode. Got comments, feedback or questions? aj@mysevenchakras.com ✅ To experience a customized 75-minute 1:1 Breathwork journey with AJ (Completely donation bases. Invest what your intuition tells you): *www.mysevenchakras.com/breathworkcoaching* ( http://www.mysevenchakras.com/breathworkcoaching ) ✅ Free Breathwork Foundations Course ($ 97 value): *http://mysevenchakras.com/freebreathworkcourse* ( http://mysevenchakras.com/freebreathworkcourse ) ✅ Drop in for a single group Breathwork session (No monthly commitment): *www.mysevenchakras.com/dropin* ( http://www.mysevenchakras.com/dropin ) ✅ Leave a voice message on my website! (click the blue mic): *https://mysevenchakras.com* ( https://mysevenchakras.com/ ) ✅ Please, please, please...leave us an iTunes review :)

February is Jewish Disability Awareness and Inclusion Month. In this episode, hear from Rebecca Cheskes, a parent of a member of the disability community, and Lisa Houben, the Community Inclusion and Training Coordinator at the Greater Atlanta Jewish Abilities Alliance (JAA). Both discuss their connections and work in the community and how we can all work together to create more inclusive spaces for Jewish organizations and religious institutions. Rebecca also recounts the intentional planning and work that went into creating her daughter's bat mitzvah service and Lisa gives insight into her work with JAA and what this intentional planning looks like across the board. Learn more about JAA at https://atlanta.jewishabilities.org/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/jewish-today-pod/support

Community Inclusion...Let's make it real! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Dr. Dave Pilon talks with Kerry about his journey through the world of community-based mental health. In talking with him, one gets a sense of how our life experiences, over decades, can come full circle to tie everything together. Most recently, Dr. Pilon was the author of the proposal outlining a bold five-year mental health pilot, submitted to the state of CA in 2019, inspired by the WHO-recognized community-based mental health system in Trieste, Italy and adapted to an American context. Not only was he inspired by Trieste, but his vision was also informed by his seminal work at The Village in Long Beach, the site of a fascinating study in the early 90s. That state-funded study documented how an integrated service system, geared to whole person care with a per-capita budget, led to noteworthy recovery outcomes for the participants. Topics to explore will include psychosocial rehabilitation, the elements of recovery, and how we all benefit by helping people with mental illnesses to find belonging, purpose and true inclusion in our community. Biography: Dave Pilon received his doctorate in Social Psychology from Harvard University in 1981. From 1989 until his retirement, he served in various roles at Mental Health America of Los Angeles, including as its CEO from 2009 until 2017. For over 35 years he has consulted in the design and transformation of mental health programs and systems throughout the United States, New Zealand and Japan. Most recently he has served as the lead consultant to the L.A. County Department of Mental Health for the TRIESTE Pilot. Dave has presented numerous workshops on ethics and leadership issues in psychosocial rehabilitation as well as on the development of performance measures for social rehabilitation programs. He is passionate about creating better ways to serve the most vulnerable among us, particularly people with serious mental illnesses. Resource guide:Chandler, D., Meisel, J., Hu, T.-w., McGowen, M., & Madison, K. (1996). Client outcomes in a three-year controlled study of an integrated service agency model. Psychiatric Services, 47(12), 1337–1343. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.47.12.1337 Chandler D, Hu TW, Meisel J, McGowen M, Madison K. Mental health costs, other public costs, and family burden among mental health clients in capitated integrated service agencies. J Ment Health Adm. 1997;24(2):178–88. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. The TRIESTE* project: *true recovery innovation embraces systems that empower [Internet]. Sacramento (CA): Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission; [updated 2019 Apr 30; cited 2020 Jan 29]. Available from: https://mhsoac.ca.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2019-05/1054552_TriesteConceptPaper-4-18-2019FINAL.pdf

In this video, I sit down with Carin Powell from Signing Animation where we talk about increasing the number of deaf animation professionals and how studios can be more inclusive of the deaf community. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/blkwmnanimator/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/blkwmnanimator/support

Join us as we sit down with Angela Weekley, Manager of our Community Inclusion Department. Learn about how we help our communities through different organizations and initiatives. Episode recorded: 7/29/2020

This week we discussed where parents would like to see more community inclusion and, in an ideal world, what would that look like.

ONCE UPON A GENE - EPISODE 008 Heartism of the Bitterroot My guest today is a pillar in her community, starting an inclusive community center called Heartism Community Center, offering kids of any ability free cooking classes, art classes, yoga classes and more.  Jessica Fitzpatrick is the Founder and Director of Heartism Community Center and Bitterroot Arts for Autism, a Seattle non-profit serving special needs children and families. Her background is Therapeutics in Recreation and Psychology with a Bachelor of Science and a passion for understanding the world in a new way as an autism advocate/activist. Jessica’s daughter, Sequoia, launched Jessica’s journey into the depths of autism and sensory processing.  I'm so grateful to have met Jessica. She is a very special person with a gentle, captivating energy that vibrates warmly around you. She's one of the first autism moms that I've chatted with for the podcast, but it's interesting that these moms have a lot in common. They're calming and soothing to be around and talk to and they inspire me. I feel so lucky to have parents like this on my team. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS Tell me a little bit about your daughter Sequoia. Sequoia is a vibrant fifteen year old typical teenager in many ways. She loves tacos, french fries, has crushes on boys and a terrible addiction to YouTube videos. She also has tremendous challenges with Sensory Processing Disorder and Classical Autism. She struggles with everyday things like getting dressed, personal hygiene and even attending school. She's in a school now that she's having a lot of success with and she's able to attend for a length of four hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, which is an improvement from before. She gets overloaded in public places, especially where there's pressure to perform.  Tell me about the beginning, when you noticed Sequoia was different or not hitting milestones.  We had a traumatic birth and even after her birth, I kept asking the doctor if she was okay. She sat up, rolled over and did a lot of things on time. One of the things that stuck out was sensory issues, but I didn't have a word or category to understand that yet. I had several sensory processing issues growing up that I still struggle with today, so I naturally accommodated to the things that stood out the most. When I would walk downstairs with her, she had this sensation that she had been thrown and her whole body would tense up and she would scream. I learned from that to hold her tight and tiptoe down the stairs carefully and that solved that sensory problem. If she were in a room where there was food, she would immediately vomit, especially if she smelled meat. She had very hyper-sensitive reactions to the smell of food. I learned to keep her away from food, I couldn't wear her while I cooked or prepared food and there were certain accommodations I made and didn't think much of it. When she was almost a year old, I would smile and clap and she would look at me confused. For the most part, she was hitting milestones, but I took her to the doctor at eighteen months because I was concerned that she couldn't walk. By the time she was two years old, she still couldn't walk and that's when we got the first diagnosis of global delay because she also wasn't talking much. We started physical therapy right away and the physical therapist was the first one to present Sensory Processing Disorder. I had no idea. I started researching, reading books, understanding that piece and helping her integrate her sensory systems. By age three, we had been working with a case worker and she suggested an evaluation. They were unable to do a cognition evaluation and we had an autism diagnosis. I wasn't prepared for that. It was a buzzword twelve years ago. I was at a stage where I wasn't going to label my child and then, stamp, we got an autism diagnosis. I wasn't prepared, but I'm grateful now because it put us on the right track. Did they do the full 40 hours of ABA therapy 15 years ago? No, there was nothing like that. We signed her up for special needs preschool with five kids with special needs and five kids that were typical, so they had the peer model. That was two hours two times per week for the first year. Then she got speech, physical therapy and OT two times per week. That was less than ten hours of therapy weekly which was minimal. The next year she was able to attend four days a week to receive more stimulation and therapy. It still wasn't nearly the resources she needed to help her rise to meet the challenges.  Were you just trusting your mama's intuition on how to parent on a daily basis and learning about the diagnosis? Yes. When she was five, we did the Play Project, which is a program that teaches parents how to work with the child in a way that the child leads and the parents follow. She responded really well to that and I was very grateful to the Play Project and the people that did that because they came into our home, videotaped us playing with our child, then would give us a CD with commentary. We had already been in therapy for three years and the therapists were trying their best to get her engaged and she had no interest. It's hard to trust someone, but it worked. As soon as I made the switch and made Sequoia the leader, she was empowered. She knew I was going to do whatever she did and it helped to strengthen our relationship and increase her trust in me so that later when I was showing her things, she would imitate me. That was the whole point, really deepening that connection.  In the beginning, what did it mean for you for your child to have a diagnosis? It was difficult because there was already an undercurrent of struggle. She didn't sleep through the night for the first three years. She would wake up and would scream every two hours. After three years of that, I felt half crazy already, waiting and hoping for things to get better and then we got the diagnosis which was so heavy. I didn't waste much time being upset, it was feet to the ground running. I was reading books on autism and reading that they were curing it. We did every supplement, every diet, every imaginable thing we could afford and implement. We worked with a Defeat Autism Now (DAN) doctor and we tried so many different supplements. Behavior-wise and cognition-wise, nothing really changed. No matter what we did, there was never a magic bullet or golden key over a decade. Now, we manage her sleeping and digestive disorders with diet and supplements.  I've been reading about Autism and a movement towards not correcting, but wrapping our arms around the behavior.  You're speaking to stemming, which is a person's reaction to their environment when they get overloaded. You may see hand flapping, clapping or rocking back and forth and that is their body expressing the emotion they're feeling and it's a way to get the excessive energy out of their body. My daughter rocks back and forth when she's happy, so it's the emotion coming out when she's excited. To touch on a different behavior that comes with Autism, Sequoia has been showing some extreme self-injury behaviors when she's frustrated. It's a common trait with Autism. Just pausing for a moment and allowing yourself to feel, thinking what is the general vibe or what is a child trying to convey. I watch people's faces light up when Sequoia runs up to them because she brings joy. She runs right up to people she doesn't know, that she's never met before and she doesn't care. These social norms have no control over her. Wherever we are, she'll jump right into people's bubble and the look on people's faces is priceless. I watch with a big smile and usually, I get a huge smile in return. Occasionally, there's somebody who doesn't want her in their space and I'm right there stepping in as Mama. If I can tell they don't want her interaction, I grab her hand and pull her away gently. There's always someone else and you'll find a smile somewhere.  Tell us about your community center that you started and what Sequoia has inspired. Five years ago I started a non-profit, Bitterroot Arts for Autism, under a larger non-profit, Bitterroot Research Conservation and Development. They took on our project because they look at children as a resource. I started Bitterroot Arts for Autism because I wanted to do art, projects with the kids, cooking and summer camps, all these different ideas I had, but I needed a funding source. That was a big success and a lot of fun and after two years of that we realized we needed a space of our own. We raised the funding and opened Heartism, healing arts for autism and all abilities. We have been operating for three years and it has been a journey with bits of success around every corner. We started offering free art classes with someone who leads painting activities. We offer a series of different life skills and cooking classes, music and movement classes, summer camps every summer with sensory art, gardening and cooking. It's been a lot of fun, new discovery and a learning process for me of finding the balance of what the communities needs are and what people will show up for. We want really high quality, useful and fun programming to bring people together. The neurotypical population is also invited to come in. We encourage middle school and high school kids to volunteer to work with our kids and it's a win-win. Our long term vision for the center is to have a bakery where kids can transition into adulthood, work to do something they love and the community can enjoy the bakery. Community is so important and it's something that's missing for a lot of families. I hope this idea of creating sacred space for all of us will spread far and wide.  Tell us about your TED Talk, Autism and Community Inclusion. I was really scared when the suggestion came up that I do it and my first response was no, pick someone else. I got pressure from friends, I sat on it for a few days and I had to get psyched up for it. I have my own sensory issues and I had a fear of being up on stage with bright lights in my face, but somehow I pulled it together and got through it. Sequoia didn't come here to sit quietly. She's making big waves and I am honored to follow in her wake. I never saw myself in this circumstance, but I wouldn't be anywhere else. What would you tell another parent that's struggling? It comes down to the loved that I had for Sequoia. There was nothing that I wouldn't do for her. I saw her as an innocent byproduct of this diagnosis. A lot of parents feel that, but also a sense of hopelessness and being overwhelmed, not knowing what to do. There are so many things we draw our strength from, whether God, spirituality, family, friends, community or whatever it is that fills your cup. That has to be a focus in a time like that to take care of you so you can take care of your child. Find those resources for yourself and be willing to make yourself a priority.  CONNECT WITH JESSICA Heartism Community Center, Bitterroot Arts for Autism Facebook Page Heartism Community Center Address: 1120 Main Street, Corvallis, Montana 59828 Phone: (406) 210-2937 Email: bitterrootartsforautism@gmail.com LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED Jessica Fitzpatrick: Autism and Community Inclusion TED Talk The PLAY Project Autism Intervention Program TUNE INTO THE ONCE UPON A GENE PODCAST Spotify Apple Podcasts Stitcher Overcast CONNECT WITH EFFIE PARKS Website Twitter Instagram  

Episode 1 of the Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series features guest speaker Adam Thielker, a public transportation activist. Mr. Thielker has been working for transportation justice in Worcester, Massachusetts for nearly three years with the Transportation Advocacy Coalition and Ridership Advisory Committee, both organized with the help of Worcester Community Connections. As a daily rider and advocate for public transport, Adam shares his experiences, challenges, successes, and lessons learned in navigating the maze of effective transportation advocacy and planning. Listen as he discusses the importance of understanding local and regional transportation systems, the role of networking and coalition building with other groups, connecting transit goals such as improving convenience of public transit with other issues such as the environment, health, and road congestion, lobbying for transit funding with elected officials, and effectively advocating for and including the voices of riders in transportation planning efforts.Download this episode's transcriptThe Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series examines what we know about today’s most urgent inclusive transit planning challenges and how we can make progress in addressing them. In a series of conversations, transportation planners and advocates share lessons learned in their journey towards inclusive transportation planning. Transit Planning 4 All is an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project that has funded a series of pilot projects across the nation, each seeking to increase inclusion in transportation planning and services for people with disabilities and older adults. The project is a partnership of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and DJB Evaluation Consulting Group. The project is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.

Episode 2:Episode 2 of the Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series features guest speaker Julie Wicke, the Executive Director of Ride Connection. Ms. Wicke has been instrumental in Ride Connection’s service expansion, program innovation, and partnership building, allowing customers to access transportation that fits their individual needs. Listen as she describes the successes and challenges of collaboratively creating their dialysis transportation service, aimed at keeping people healthy with access to care through high quality, customer focused transportation. In order to create an environment that fosters transformative ideas, Ms. Wicke describes the strategies of honing an inclusive, cross-disciplinary planning process that builds trust, manages change, and ensures that all voices are respected and heard. She shares important insights into the methods of involving and engaging those most impacted by an issue in the generation and implementation of solutions. Download this episode's transcriptThe Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series examines what we know about today’s most urgent inclusive transit planning challenges and how we can make progress in addressing them. In a series of conversations, transportation planners and advocates share lessons learned in their journey towards inclusive transportation planning. Transit Planning 4 All is an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project that has funded a series of pilot projects across the nation, each seeking to increase inclusion in transportation planning and services for people with disabilities and older adults. The project is a partnership of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and DJB Evaluation Consulting Group. The project is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.

Episode 3 of the Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series features guest speaker Lynn Norris, a steering committee member at Worcester Community Connections, one of 22 coalitions that provide family support services including access to reliable transportation. Listen as Lynn shares her story of responding to the threat of budget cuts to already limited funding for transportation and her work building connections and coalitions to advocate for transportation funding and services. Hear how she worked with multiple cities, lobbied pubic officials, and built alliances with organizational partners to avoid these threats and how she continues to use inclusive models of planning to address the ongoing challenges of reliability, affordability, and access to transportation, which is a critical resource for her community.Download this episode's transcriptThe Transit Planning 4 All Podcast Series examines what we know about today’s most urgent inclusive transit planning challenges and how we can make progress in addressing them. In a series of conversations, transportation planners and advocates share lessons learned in their journey towards inclusive transportation planning. Transit Planning 4 All is an inclusive and coordinated transportation-planning project that has funded a series of pilot projects across the nation, each seeking to increase inclusion in transportation planning and services for people with disabilities and older adults. The project is a partnership of the Administration for Community Living (ACL), the Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA), the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston, and DJB Evaluation Consulting Group. The project is sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living.

Creative Financing for Community Inclusion, podcast hosts Nina Crook, graduate of Yale SOM with a Masters in Global Business and Society and Camilo Monge, MBA guide listeners through a series of conversations exploring different models of creative financing to build inclusive models for economic development and make possible investments in innovation that maximize community benefit.  Guest interviews with: Joe Evans from The Kresge Foundation, Aliana Pineiro from Boston Impact Initiative, Greg Reaves from Mosaic Development Partners and Eric Letsinger from Quantified Ventures. Topics covered include: use of impact covenants for Opportunity Funds to differentiate funds with community benefit commitments, crowdfunding and other strategies to share the wealth potential of OZ projects with community members, and environmental impact bonds as another arrow in the quiver for municipalities layering OZ projects alongside other investments as part of a broader OZ development planning process.

In the lead up to IDAHOBIT 2019, Cal is joined in the studio by Emily Dwyer from Edge Effect - an organisation focused on supporting humanitarian and development groups to work in genuine partnerships with sexual and gender minorities (aka people with diverse sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, and sexual characteristics (SOGIESC), or LGBTIQ+ people). Emily also shares an exciting announcement with the launch of 42 Degrees - a new NGO working in this humanitarian sector. Plus, we continue our Volunteer Spotlight series in the lead up to National Volunteer Week as we talk to Kate - a long-serving volunteer at Thorne Harbour Health's Positive Living Centre. This show, Episode #670 originally aired Thursday 16th May 2019. Grab this and other podcasts from the Well, Well, Well team on iTunes | Spotify | or your favourite podcast platform - or head to joy.org.au/wellwellwell Head to www.thorneharbour.org for more information about Thorne Harbour's LGBTI health and well-being services Thorne Harbour is social! facebook: facebook.com/thorneharbour  |  twitter: @ThorneHarbour  |  instagram: @thorneharbour  

Tina Dam from Inclusion BC shares her thoughts on natural inclusion vs purposeful inclusion for people with diverse-abilities, what true friendship looks like for her, inclusion in the school system and barriers to inclusion. Tina is a true advocate for people with diverse-abilities and a leader in social change. We are so grateful that she spent part of her day sharing her perspective with us. Support the show (https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/10606)

This past January, one of Ryerson's Female Black staff members, Carol Sutherland was fired from the Ryerson's Equity and Community Inclusion office while on medical leave. This week on the show, River-Jordan and Latoya Elle talked to Carol about her impact on Ryerson University. For more of the story, check out this report by the Eyeopener:https://theeyeopener.com/2019/01/ryerson-fired-black-staff-member-on-leave/UofT panel on women of colour in politics:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/women-of-colour-in-politics-tickets-55712170602?aff=ebdssbdestsearchValentine's day all-female comedy show:https://www.blogto.com/events/ladies-night-comedy-toronto-3/ Follow us on social media for updates on our show:Twitter: https://twitter.com/cjrufemradio?lang=en Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cjrufemradio/

In September of 2018, we sat down with Dr. Mark Salzer, founder and director of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion to talk about community inclusion for individuals with serious mental illnesses, the center's work, and the future of community inclusion.  To learn more, or read the full transcription of the podcast visit www.tucollaborative.org.  Funding for the project was provided by the Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), music provided by Fredji (https://soundcloud.com/fredjimusic/fredji-happy-life-original-mix).

Dr. Thomas Easley also known as the ‘Hip Hop Forester' is an educator, musician, and entrepreneur. Thomas serves as the Assistant Dean of Community Inclusion at the Yale school of Forestry and Environmental Studies. Prior to this, Thomas was the Director of Community Diversity at NC State University, where he also earned his doctorate. On today's show, Thomas discusses how he inspires his students to achieve, how he got into forestry, and brings up ways we as a profession can get better at inclusion and diversity.   Key Takeaways: [:55] A message from Leadership Nature. [1:40] A quick intro to Thomas's background. [3:25] How did Thomas get into forestry and natural resources? [11:30] It took someone who shared the same identity (race, gender, religion) as Thomas to show him how to treat people outside of his ethnic/social group. [15:15] Thomas shares his journey on how he ended up getting his Masters degree in Forest Genetics. [21:55] Thomas credits his teaching ability to his mom, who was also a teacher. [25:20] What did Thomas teach prior to teaching at Yale? [33:00] What is Thomas teaching currently? [38:05] If you try to make changes too quickly or too aggressively, you're going to be driving people away instead of getting supporters. [41:05] Thomas believes Yale wants him to help them get to a more diverse place. [46:45] What advice does Thomas have for young professionals? [50:20] You gotta look inward sometimes to see where you can improve and be better. It's important to take initiative and not rely solely on others to lift you up. [51:30] What does the profession need to do better to increase more diversity in the profession? [53:30] You can not change and grow while still staying the same. As an industry, we need to be open to growing.   Mentioned in This Episode: Rashadeas.com Thomas on LinkedIn   Tweetables: “If you can't teach children, then you can't teach. I watched my mom teach young kids who were brilliant but had a lot of family problems.”   “We all have voices and we're using our voices.”   “When you really invest in diversity, equality, and inclusion, you're going to be speaking multiple languages at one time.”  

In this episode we find out what it takes to successfully support people under the NDIS to build capacity. We are joined by our studio guest, Leanne Napper, Manager of Community Inclusion and Projects at genU, one of the first providers to trial the NDIS. GenU has taken a strategic approach to capacity building, which has resulted in successful outcomes for participants in areas of employment, independent living and mainstream inclusion.

The goal of Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston is to support the creation of authentic, inclusive college experiences that lead not only to academic and social growth, but also integrated competitive employment outcomes for youth with intellectual disability. Students with intellectual disability who go to college are 26% more likely to leave vocational rehabilitation services with a paid job and earn a 73% higher weekly income. There are now over 260 colleges and universities that have opened their doors to students with intellectual disability. As more students with intellectual disability express their desire to go continue their education, more colleges respond by creating opportunities for learning. Teachers need to learn about these opportunities so that they curb the low expectations that are too often placed upon children with intellectual disability. Families need to know about these options so that they can make help prepare their children for a different and better future. And most of all, youth and young adults with intellectual disabilities need to know that college is a realistic option for their future. One that can lead to increased knowledge, social connections and better employment outcomes. To support and expand this progress we need to increase public awareness about these college options, increase efforts to expand existing options, and targeted research to document the outcome that higher education can have on the lives of people with intellectual disability. Speaker: Meg Grigal, Ph.D., Co-Director, Think College Senior Research Fellow, Institute for Community Inclusion, University of Massachusetts Boston More Information and Transcript available at: https://www.adalive.org/episode45

Magento Master Sonja Riesterer On Contributing To The Community, Inclusion, and More by Kalen Jordan

Joyce welcomes William Kiernan, appointed the dean and research professor at the School of Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMASS Boston. He is also the director of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCED). He will discuss his expertise with transition, employment and public policy development, workforce development and systematic change.

Joyce welcomes William Kiernan, appointed the dean and research professor at the School of Global Inclusion and Social Development at UMASS Boston. He is also the director of the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University Center on Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCED). He will discuss his expertise with transition, employment and public policy development, workforce development and systematic change.

Insight 10 Insight No. 10b, 2012 Standards Insert Think College at the Institute for Community Inclusion at the University of Massachusetts Boston has developed Standards, Quality Indicators, and Benchmarks for Inclusive Higher Education. Institutes of higher education can use these standards to create, expand, or enhance high quality, inclusive postsecondary education to suppor t positive outcomes for individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID). Additionally, these standards can be used to as a framework to conduct and expand research on issues related to supporting students with ID in higher education. They are aligned with the definition of a comprehensive postsecondary and transition program for students with intellectual disabilities and reflect institutional and instructional practices that support a Universal Design for Learning framework as outlined in the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008.