Podcast Episodes

Today on the podcast, Jennifer Spencer-Iiams, Assistant Superintendent for the West Linn-Wilsonville School District, talks to us about the transformation in her district toward inclusive practices. Her book, Leading for All: How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools, shares lessons learned from years building district schools where all students are served in their neighborhood […]

Discussions around the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) for students with disabilities are almost always tricky. For this episode, we attempt to make LRE a little more understandable. We interview Amy Langerman, special education advocate and attorney in California and Arizona. We discuss the difficulty of some parents seeking the Least Restrictive Environment for their child

Today on the podcast, my interview with Carol Quirk (CEO of the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education). We discuss what it really takes for school systems to move to a model where 90% of all students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms. It is not only a pipe dream.   This episode’s transcript can

For so many of us, whether you are an educator, parent, or both, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a strain on all of us. And in late March, when word got out that Betsy DeVos was going to possibly recommend waiving part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) because of the hardship that

Today on the podcast, we are going to talk about modifying curriculum. For my students back in Pasadena, CA, according to their IEP, the team agreed that this was the best way to access the curriculum. To take a part of the standards and then modify it down to where they were able to meaningfully

Today on the podcast, I interview Christina Samuels of Education Week.  We discuss Ed Week’s Special Report called Special Education: Practice and Pitfalls. It takes a look at the shortage of special education teachers, how co-teaching strategies enhance the effectiveness of education for all students, and how to encourage parents and students to advocate for

Today on the podcast, my interview with Mike McHargue, speaker and author of Finding God in the Waves, host of the Ask Science Mike podcast and contributor to the Liturgists Podcast. We talk about his recent diagnosis of autism and his thoughts about how disability, sexual identity, and faith intersect. Also, Erin Green (Co-Director of

Today on the podcast, our guest is Dr. Julie Causton, creator of Inclusive Schooling, an engaging community for educators, administrators, and parents who seek to create more inclusive schools.  We discuss six strategies for families who desire for their children to be educated in an inclusive classroom.  Follow Julie and Inclusive Schooling on Facebook and

Today on the podcast, our guest is Dr. Erin Studer, principal of CHIME charter school. We discuss how CHIME has made full inclusion work since the 90s and how they can serve as a model for what is possible for schools in the United States and beyond. Follow CHIME on Instagram and Twitter! Visit Think

Today on the podcast, our first guest of the new season is Lou Brown, co-founder of TASH (an organization that advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs) and Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin.  We discuss what supports for students with significant disabilities looked like before 1975