Think Inclusive

Andrew Goff returns to Think Inclusive to talk about his final year in the classroom and the book he spent ten years learning how to write. A new principal arrived with an interpretation of a legal guideline that barred Spanish in a classroom where three-quarters of the children were dual language learners and two of the teaching assistants were fluent speakers. Andrew complied as far as he could, then discovered the policy said nothing of the kind.

Emma and her mom, Dr. Jenna Mancini Rufo, join Tim to talk about what happens when adults decide instead of asking. Emma describes the year her school assigned her an aide after she tipped her chair at an outdoor party, why that felt like being watched rather than helped, and how she got the support removed. She also explains why she chose to stay in her wheelchair the following year rather than risk a fall that would bring the aide back.

In this insightful episode of Think Inclusive, Tim Villegas is joined by LeDerick Horne, a distinguished advocate for inclusive education and a spoken word poet. The conversation delves into the implications of labeling in education and the transformative power of truly inclusive environments. As someone who has navigated the challenges of a learning disability, Horne shares his journey and the significance of acknowledging disability as a political identity.

For a long time, college wasn’t part of the conversation for students with intellectual disability. Right now, only 2 percent of school-age students with intellectual disability go to college. That’s changing. Across the country, a growing number of colleges and universities are building programs where these students take classes, live in the dorms, hold jobs, […]

As we return to another school year, we’re taking a look at some of the voices that have shaped Think Inclusive. Since 2012, the podcast has featured hundreds of conversations, many with disabled authors and self-advocates. Here are just a few: Disabled authors on the podcast Eric Garcia, We’re Not Broken: Changing the Autism ConversationEric […]

Join us for episode three of MCIE's "Think Inclusive" four-part series in collaboration with Think College, as Tim Villegas visits the IDEAL program at Georgia State University in downtown Atlanta. IDEAL — Inclusive Digital Expression and Literacy — is a college program for students with intellectual disabilities built around creative media: film, television, and digital arts. It is also a commuter program. There are no dorms and no leafy college town here. Every student crosses one of the most traffic-choked metro areas in the country to get to class, some of them spending three hours a day on buses or paratransit for the privilege. The episode opens in a careers class, where nine students name their dream careers: veterinarian, flight attendant, musician, actor, podcaster, comic book writer.

Join us for episode two of MCIE's "Think Inclusive" four-part series in collaboration with Think College, as Tim Villegas travels to the University of California, Davis, to visit the Redwood SEED Scholars Program — California's first four-year residential college program for students with intellectual disabilities, and the first at any UC campus. SEED stands for Supported Education to Elevate Diversity, and the name comes from an unlikely grove of redwood trees growing in the Central Valley heat, holding each other up by their shallow, interlocking roots. It's a fitting image for a program built on community: scholars live in the dorms, take UC Davis classes across 27 different departments, work paid jobs on campus and in town, and are surrounded by more than 170 paid peer mentors.

In this insightful episode of Think Inclusive, Tim Villegas is joined by LeDerick Horne, a distinguished advocate for inclusive education and a spoken word poet. The conversation delves into the implications of labeling in education and the transformative power of truly inclusive environments. As someone who has navigated the challenges of a learning disability, Horne shares his journey and the significance of acknowledging disability as a political identity.

In this insightful episode of Think Inclusive, Tim Villegas is joined by LeDerick Horne, a distinguished advocate for inclusive education and a spoken word poet. The conversation delves into the implications of labeling in education and the transformative power of truly inclusive environments. As someone who has navigated the challenges of a learning disability, Horne shares his journey and the significance of acknowledging disability as a political identity.

In this enlightening episode of Think Inclusive, host Tim Villegas engages with Angela Macklin and Sue Wright to uncover what happens when a school stops waiting for the ideal inclusive blueprint and takes matters into its own hands. At the heart of Cottage Lake Elementary’s transformation lies a commitment to fostering inclusive educational spaces where every student is valued and no classrooms are segregated. Through their account, Angela and Sue provide insider insights into creating schools where each child truly belongs, recounting their journey of trial, error, and ultimate success.