Down Syndrome Advocacy in Action: Lessons from Audrey and Jeremy ~ 1311

Jeremy They were debating that I could be in special ed and I said no because I want to be with the rest of my friends, so I said no.

Audrey For the people who think I can’t keep up with the work or the speed of a class, well, proof to you, you guys are wrong. I am right. I have done it. I faced it.

Jeremy I was scared because I thought it’s going to affect me, affect us, and affect my other friends too.

Tim Villegas Hey friends, welcome back to Think Inclusive, real conversations about building schools where every learner belongs. I’m your host, Tim Villegas. Today’s episode is about using your voice to advocate for inclusion and disability rights. And we couldn’t have better guests to talk about it. We’re joined by Audrey Prespy and Jeremy Fraser, co-hosts of the Audrey and Jeremy Show, founders of Down Syndrome Rocks and passionate self-advocates. They’ve been really busy, from speaking out in Washington DC about Medicaid to appearing on MSNBC and the BBC to being featured on the Jumbotron in Times Square for the NDSS Buddy Walk. Audrey and Jeremy are showing the world what it means to lead with courage, love, and purpose. In this episode, we talk about their journey as childhood friends turned couple, their mission to educate others about ableism and inclusion, and how they’re using their podcast to amplify voices and celebrate abilities. Whether they’re interviewing world changers or speaking to students in schools, Audrey and Jeremy are building a future where everyone belongs.

Before we meet our guests, I want to tell you about our sponsor. This episode is brought to you by IXL. IXL is an all-in-one platform for K-12 that helps boost student achievement, empowers teachers, and tracks progress in one place. As students practice, IXL adapts to their individual needs. Every learner gets just-right support and challenge. And each student gets a personalized learning plan to close gaps. Check it out at IXL.com/inclusive. Again, that’s IXL.com/inclusive.

Quick production note, this interview took place over two sessions, months apart. The first part is before Audrey and Jeremy went to DC to talk with legislators about Medicaid cuts. The second part is them talking about their media tour. Okay. All right. Here we go. After a quick break, it’s time to think inclusive with Audrey and Jeremy. Catch you on the other side.

Tim Villegas Audrey and Jeremy, welcome to the Think Inclusive podcast.

Audrey Alright, it’s a pleasure to be here.

Jeremy It definitely is. Sounds good.

Tim Villegas I love talking with podcasters. It’s one of my favorite things to do. And I know that you have a podcast and you have a show called the Audrey and Jeremy Show. You have amazing shirts that you’re wearing. So whoever wants to go first, can you tell our listeners about your story and why you started your podcast?

Audrey Yeah, of course. So me and Jeremy have been friends since we were kids, childhood friends. We started to go on a bunch of different stages of that until we started to date for almost three years. You want to talk about our podcast?

Jeremy Sure. So basically our podcast is really interesting because a lot of people think that our podcast kind of… we have different people with different feelings and we have a great team.

Audrey Yeah.

Tim Villegas Yeah, and you talk about really cool stuff. I think the last episode, I don’t know if it was an episode, you were talking about Medicaid funding, which is a really confusing topic, but you just went ahead and talked about it because you want people to know about it.

Jeremy Yeah.

Audrey Yeah.

Jeremy Yes.

Tim Villegas Yeah. So, okay. So y’all are still dating? Okay. All right. So you grew up, you were childhood friends, you’re dating, you have a podcast. You seem like you’re really busy. What else are you doing? This isn’t your full-time job, is it?

Jeremy Yes.

Audrey Well, it’s part of our job. We’re also advocates, so we are public speakers for different events. We have a lot of amazing opportunities. One time, me and Jeremy did a talk about ableism at an elementary school in Irvine, which is one of the cool things that we’ve done. So we talk to kids about when you have a disability and there’s somebody who can’t assume that a person with a disability can’t do something, but they can. It’s kind of what we talked about there. We’re going to Washington this week. We leave Sunday. So we’re going to talk to the government about its want to cut out Medi-Cal for somebody like us with a disability that has to be covered with Medi-Cal because it covers our insurance, our medicine, and the right to have organ transplants for somebody. We’ll talk to them about that.

Tim Villegas Very important. Very, very important. Yes, yes. So you talked about going to a school in Irvine. That means do you both live in California?

Jeremy Yeah. Yeah, I see it.

Tim Villegas Okay, so I’m originally from Pasadena, California.

Audrey That’s cool, I have a cousin that lives up there.

Jeremy Cool, I have a couple of, part of 21. So I got a couple of my team members who live in Pasadena.

Tim Villegas Jeremy, have we met before? I feel like we maybe met because I’ve been at Club 21. You know what? Have I met both of you? Hold on a second.

Audrey You look familiar. You do?

Tim Villegas This is so… I cannot actually believe this. Hold on a second, I think that I interviewed you at Club 21 at Lake Avenue Church. This was years ago. Can I show you something? Hold on a second. Yeah, this is like really…

Jeremy My god. My god. What in the world?

Tim Villegas What is happening? I know.

Jeremy What? Well…

Tim Villegas Hold on, hold on, is this y’all? Hold on a second. Maybe it’s not. Maybe I’m making this up. Hold on, hold on, hold on, hold on.

Audrey Me? I thought we talked about something.

Tim Villegas Okay. Okay. See, do you see this picture? Yeah, me holding a microphone. So this was at the Club 21 conference. When was it? So it was 2023. So this is a couple of years ago.

Audrey Yeah.

Jeremy Two years ago.

Audrey Yeah, like two years ago.

Tim Villegas Is that one of you? Is that Jeremy?

Jeremy Yeah, that’s literally both of us.

Tim Villegas My gosh. Y’all.

Jeremy My god.

Tim Villegas How did I not know?

Audrey Yes.

Tim Villegas Wow. What a small world indeed. We’re going back. That’s so cool. I am so happy. This is even better than I ever thought it would be to be able to speak with both of you again. And that you’re doing such cool stuff. You know, promoting…

Audrey That’s awesome.

Tim Villegas …awareness about Down syndrome, but also against ableism and just putting all of your content out there so people can learn about, you know, that disability is not a scary thing, right? It’s not a bad word. So anyways, okay, we’ll keep going. I really am, I’m floored right now. So here we go. I wanted to talk about your school experience. So how did your time in school affect how you think about inclusion and why that’s important?

Audrey Well, I think inclusion is important so people can feel equal in classes and the community.

Tim Villegas Well said.

Jeremy And for me, yes, it’s important because it felt like you’re part of the team and belonging. And I also, every time, made new friends, every single time. And I learned that it’s okay that everyone learns differently because everybody has unique… like people with disabilities, it’s okay to learn differently, that everyone has unique ways of learning.

Tim Villegas Yeah, absolutely. So true. And so I’m wondering if you have an example of something that helped you and made your education more inclusive.

Jeremy Okay, it helps when teachers believe in me because sometimes they don’t feel like they believe me sometimes. Taking extra time on a test and charts. It’s important to take some time on a test or charts. Kind of like you’re modifying tests. And support of an aide—I had an aide since kindergarten to preschool and then afterwards all the way to middle school and all the way to high school.

Tim Villegas Yeah.

Audrey I also had an aide in school too. Not like kindergarten, like middle school, elementary school to high school. I had arthritis when I was growing up. That comes with a lot of weather changes and that would mess up every joint in my body. I would get stiff and I can’t move them. So when, at the time when that happened, I had an aide next to me taking my notes for me so I didn’t have to do it. And just narrowing what they said or narrowing what my homework and stuff is.

Tim Villegas Right. Yeah. That’s like an accommodation, right? Yeah. Yeah. And it’s really needed. And I just want to point out that it sounds like y’all were included in regular classes. Is that right?

Audrey Well, kind of, yes.

Tim Villegas Okay, I mean as much as you know.

Audrey I tried.

Jeremy I tried my best honestly because they were debating that I could be in special ed and I said no because I want to be with the rest of my friends, so I said no.

Audrey Yeah, I had a few teachers that wanted to put me in a special class. So they would give me a bunch of homework to see if I couldn’t do it or do it, and I did it. Because the real standards are not that high. They just assumed because I had a disability that I should be in a class with everybody else with the same or different disability. I will learn a little slowly. Me and my mom both were fighting for the right that I can stay in a normal classroom with all my friends that I grew up with. And so over time, when I graduated high school, I did a speech. I didn’t really say the teachers’ names, but I kind of put the point at that time saying that for the people who think I can’t keep up with the work or the speed of a class, well, proof to you, you guys are wrong. I am right. I have done it. I faced it. Here I am today, finally graduating from high school. It felt really good at the time to say that and it did.

Tim Villegas Yeah, yeah. And I am so glad that you did speak up. Both of you spoke up about what you wanted, right? What you wanted in school to be with your friends, to learn what everyone else is learning. I think that’s so important. And I hope that the educators and the people that are listening and watching this episode will remember that just because you have a disability doesn’t mean that you have to be in a special education classroom learning way below the grade level standards. And it sounds to me like there’s probably a lot more people like you out there wanting to be included and they just, maybe they don’t have the skills yet to advocate to be in general education.

Jeremy That’s important, I went through that and my mom and I were discussing it and my mom didn’t say anything at all. I’m the only one who can speak up for myself, but so I did. So I tell my teachers that helped me through a lot. I’ve been through a lot since school. In a way that in high school I didn’t have any friends. And now I found my friends. I was hanging out with them, doing school. I was there for a couple hours doing homework done. And I was like, wow, that’s… It’s hard, like, people with disabilities, staying at school is a point to educate them to pursue what they call… like in high school you can’t find that, but in college you could.

Tim Villegas Yeah, I think maybe college is a little bit more accepting. Yeah. And especially the way that high school is right now, because there just aren’t a lot of inclusive high schools, right? They’re out there. I think that they are out there and definitely some of the districts that we work with as an organization and our colleagues in other states have schools that are very open and accepting of people with disabilities. Imagine, I guess here’s where I’m going with this. Like it sounds like you found friends and belonging after high school. Not that you didn’t have friends, right? But you really stepped into your own independence and voice after high school. But imagine if you had all of that support that you needed when you were in school, how much better it would have been for you.

Jeremy Yeah.

Tim Villegas A lot of educators listen to and watch this podcast. So what are some tips that you could give teachers and school leaders to make schools better for students with disabilities?

Audrey I would definitely say encourage inclusion. Make the student with a disability be part of the class. Make them feel comfortable. And make sure they like to be kept up with the speed of the rest of the class.

Tim Villegas Alright, great tips. What about you Jeremy?

Jeremy I have a few, one of them is believing less. Because especially believing is a big word, people with not just Down syndrome, with all, and it’s hard for people to do that. My other one is related to it. Use different ways to teach because in a way that a different point of view, it’s a teacher sitting there and articulating how you want to teach the class. Be patient and kind because that’s important to be patient. For a teacher to be patient because a lot of people with disabilities, and not just people with disabilities, but with teachers themselves, they will probably teach in a way that they want to be taught. And the last one I will say, celebrate our progress. Because celebrate is a big word for people with disabilities to celebrate who they become as adults.

Tim Villegas Fantastic, great tips and what I’m hearing you both say is the mindset of the teachers and the educators is really important for them to believe that you belong in their classroom. And that really resonates with me and our audience because when we’re working with schools and districts who want to be more inclusive, a lot of times they want to jump to the how, like, okay, what is it going to look like for a student with Down syndrome or autism to be in a classroom? How am I going to modify lessons and all that stuff? But one of the biggest barriers, even before we get to the how, is why it’s important for students with disabilities, no matter what the disability is, why it’s important for them to be present in the classroom. And so when we talk about inclusion, we talk about first, you have to be there to be included. You have to be included in the classroom. And then once you’re included, once you’re physically present in the classroom, then OK, then we can think about how is the student going to participate and learn in that classroom? What are they going to be doing? Are they going to be working on the same thing as everyone else? Or are they going to be in the corner, coloring with a one-on-one paraprofessional, which is not inclusion, right? That’s not what we want. We want the student to be included and doing everything that everyone else is doing. And then also feeling like they are a member in that class and feel belonging. So that’s all the kinds of things I’m hearing from you and really great tips. So I really appreciate that. Anything else that you wanted to mention as you’re talking to teachers before we move on?

Audrey Just be okay if they open up to you a little bit. You have to start the class easy and then work your way into something that they feel more comfortable working on.

Jeremy For me, I’ll probably say open-minded, because a lot of teachers are not very open-minded, because they will probably talk really fast during the class.

Audrey And they probably don’t understand what they’re saying.

Jeremy And you don’t know what they’re saying, it’s kind of hard to articulate. That’s why some people with Down syndrome, not just Down syndrome, all the people with disabilities, they have an aide to support them in a way that’s particular to the teacher.

Tim Villegas After the break, we’ll hear Audrey and Jeremy share powerful insights from their school experiences, their advocacy work in Washington, and their reflections on inclusion and belonging. This show is produced by the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, MCIE. MCIE partners with educators and school systems to promote authentic inclusion, foster change, and support the implementation of inclusive practices, whether it’s district-wide transformation, customized learner planning, or professional learning and coaching, MCIE walks alongside educators every step of the way. And here’s the best part, our work begins with a conversation. So if you’re ready to create schools where every learner belongs, visit mcie.org to get in touch and start that conversation today.

Tim Villegas Audrey and Jeremy, welcome back to the Think Inclusive podcast. How are you all doing today?

Audrey We feel really great!

Tim Villegas Great.

Jeremy I feel great to myself.

Tim Villegas Awesome. Well, it’s been a few months, I think, since the last time we talked and I wanted to have you back on because you have done so, so much in your lives. You’ve been so busy.

Audrey Yeah.

Jeremy Yeah, yeah.

Tim Villegas So let’s just name off a few things that you’ve done and you tell me about it. So you went to Washington, DC to speak up for Medicaid. What was that like and why was it important to you?

Audrey Well, I loved it a lot. One, I get to talk to the Congress people about cuts to Medicaid. Also, I’d never been to Washington before, so that was my very first time. And to be honest, it was actually really cool. Yeah, because I saw a lot of the statues and stuff. So I saw like…

Tim Villegas …is really cool, yeah.

Audrey President Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Tim Villegas So cool.

Audrey It was probably some other ones, I think those are the only two that came into my mind.

Jeremy Yeah, man with a cane.

Audrey It was really cool.

Tim Villegas Yeah, yeah, what about you Jeremy?

Jeremy I had a cool experience. I’ve never been to Washington, D.C. It was my first time. It’s really cool to talk to politicians about Medicaid and it’s going to affect our lives. And yeah, it’s been a cool experience to just see different things and see what they are doing.

Tim Villegas Yeah. What was their response? You talked about Medicaid, was it a good experience? Do you feel like they understood what you were trying to say and that they were on your side?

Audrey Well, they did agree with us out of viewpoint. Which was good because since me and Jeremy were a couple and we’re both on it together, we each took turns to speak for different parts of it. To break it down so they can understand what we’re going through. And hearing that they heard us talking about how important it is to us too that we have it. Because it also covers our health insurance, our staff, and all the things we’ve been up to to have an independent life. So I thought that was cool just to talk about it. I never talked to them before, so that was kind of cool to talk about it with them.

Jeremy And for me, I think it’s cool when our group mentioned where we talked, they did a few points. Yeah, it’s really interesting, because I also never talked to them either. It was a cool experience to just talk to them and what its effect is in our lives. And seeing like, it’s really hard that if somebody… if they pass, it’s going to really, really hurt the Down syndrome community.

Tim Villegas Yeah. So you went to Washington, DC and you were also on MSNBC talking about the big, beautiful bill. What did you want people to learn from that interview?

Audrey Well, it’s a pretty big word, so I can kind of understand that it’s difficult for a lot of people. The big beautiful bill affects everybody with a disability. So…

Jeremy Vote, vote no, because our benefits are… keep our benefits all. And I think for me, I was… I’m going to mention, when I was… I think I was scared. One of them, I was scared because I thought it’s going to affect me, affect us, and affect my other friends too. And I was like, no, I burst out in tears and I was like, question is for myself, is it worth fighting for? And I said, yes. It’s important to people like us to just keep fighting in a way that we are there for each other so we can build up and not cut Medicaid.

Audrey Well, I thought it was cool that we get to talk to the news about it. Because we get to explain why our lives are up on it. And the fact that we talked about that was cool. The bad part of it is when I saw Jeremy cry. And he said he was scared. I tried to cover him in that interview. Hopefully he doesn’t actually break down. He did a slight break, but not a full-on break. And I didn’t want him to feel that way.

Tim Villegas Well, it’s important to both of you and it can be emotional, right? These are your lives and millions of other people’s lives at stake. So thank you for speaking up and for advocating on behalf of your lives, but also many, many other people.

We still aren’t done talking about all the things that you’ve done. You also were on the BBC and interviewed… the BBC interviewed you about TikTok filters that made fun of people with Down syndrome. I had to look this up, Audrey and Jeremy, I could not believe that this was even a thing. How did this make you feel and what do you want people to know about it?

Audrey For starters, I also had to look it up, too. Because I didn’t really see any evidence of people using AI filters just to look like me or Jeremy. And so I had to look that up on TikTok. They showed… So one of the videos I saw is a person describing and explaining what a 16-year-old girl does. And apparently she uses the AI filters so people can give them money and stuff like that. And we don’t want to feel like we’re discriminated because of those filters that kind of make us not great people. But we’re awesome people and we don’t want people to think that having a disability is cool, but it’s unique and it’s us. So I think using AI filters like that kind of makes us feel bad.

Jeremy Yeah, the way we did with BBC was really interesting and really sad. But the main goal is they don’t need to make fun of us, people like us, because it’s going to hurt us even more. And using that, it’s going to affect who we are. But look at us now.

Tim Villegas Yeah, exactly. Exactly. Well, thank you again for speaking out about that because that is just, wow, unbelievable that someone would do that. And there’s a lot of things to be upset about in this world. Yes. But appreciate your advocacy there. So on your podcast, you’ve had big names like Alyson Stoner reach out. Tell me about that. What does that mean to you and how do you choose who to talk to on your podcast?

Audrey Well, starters, I love talking to Alyson and her story. I thought that was huge. The best thing to feel that is just to see people who want to join our podcast, but if they want to, if they want to be a world changer like me and Jeremy, they’re going to have to talk to our producers if they want to go on the show.

Jeremy Yes, it was a cool experience with Alyson. Big names like Alyson… It’s really cool and just using Alyson to be part of the podcast. And it’s a cute statement that we had Alyson in our podcast and it was really cool to see we have big names. I was really, really excited to see Alyson because I was a huge fan of them. When I was a little kid I kept watching Alyson’s shows and I was like, wow, now they are really cool and if somebody… when I mention world changers, absolutely, who we talk to always talks to our producer.

Tim Villegas That’s right. Okay. So if you’re listening and you want to be on Audrey and Jeremy’s podcast, you know, got to talk to the producer. So, another really amazing thing that happened was you are on the Jumbotron in Times Square, New York City, for the NDSS Buddy Walk in New York. What was that moment like for you?

Jeremy It was really cool, honestly, because being part of the Jumbotron in Times Square was really cool. Very magical. I had a moment with myself, like, wow, I can’t see, but I cannot believe we’ve made it this far because seeing ourselves up there is very… I was very shocked because I was not nervous to see that because I was so impressed how we do it as a team. And just being part of it is really cool. I had a good moment with myself and seeing that was like, you know what, this is who I am. This is who we are. And this is what the podcast is about. And they need to talk to us because they need to speak up.

Audrey My answer would be when I saw ourselves on that Jumbotron I thought I was like the next level of cool. I’m like, I’ve been looking up to you since I was a little girl. Look at me now. Queen of New York. What’s gonna happen next?

Tim Villegas That’s right. Exactly. My gosh. Exactly. What is going to happen next? Yeah. Well, I’m so glad that you’re putting the podcast out there into the world. I’ve been catching your video clips on Instagram and they’re fantastic. How do you use your podcast to teach people about inclusion and respect for people with disabilities?

Jeremy That’s a good question because we educate them, our guests, our show, that everyone brings value to the table because we show… we use the podcast, we want them to listen because we are cool people to talk to. I want to use our podcast to educate them and I want them to learn how everyone brings value to the table because they have the equipment. As a team, we love using our podcast and using our voice and using our own advocate work.

Audrey I thought it was something cool for our podcast. Like if somebody’s going through a time and they can’t find the light and they want to listen to something, I would definitely recommend listening to our podcast and enter the Big Beautiful Light.

Tim Villegas All right. You know, I just spoke with some people yesterday at Georgia State University. I’m going to give a shout out to the IDEAL program at Georgia State and the students in this program are creatives. And so they want to be podcasters and YouTubers and content creators. And so, I’m definitely going to make sure they know about your podcast and anyone who wants to, I guess, be encouraged to keep going and do what you love because you are both shining examples of that. You are doing what you love and advocating and sharing about inclusion on your podcast. So thank you for what you do.

Audrey Yeah, thank you.

Tim Villegas Let’s talk about schools. What do you think schools can learn from your advocacy work? You know, like what you’ve been doing in DC and on TV.

Jeremy Inclusion is important for everyone. We hope to learn about abilities within disabilities because it’s important to have inclusion for everyone because in schools, like we have kids, teachers, staff, they can listen to the podcast and say, we have a good team with us because we just have… They’re very important to kids because they will have a good education and keep finding who they really are as a person. So I think as a kid with or without a disability, with a kid with a disability, will go to school and educate what they want to become. So it’s important to people like us to find what they want. So that’s why I’m here.

Audrey I hope schools… So we went to a school. We went to a good elementary school and we talked to students about ableism. We help educate people, like kids and staff members and teachers, that if you see somebody with a disability, they should say lift their spirits to say, you have a disability. That’s so cool. I have a friend who also has a disability. And I get what you’re going through. I have a sibling who has a disability. I understand what you guys are going through. I thought that was cool for schools to learn that. Like disability and assuming that they can’t do something, but in reality, it’s something that I think every kid should know for the future. Since those kids are the next generation, when they have a person like a disability like we have, they should know that we are cool because we’re human. And us being human means that we are appreciated and welcome and feel included in what they do for schools, would be like clubs, like introducing them to clubs. Feel like they’re comfortable and make sure those kids can understand a situation in the classroom, or if they have trouble learning and they can’t keep up with the class, they can have their extra special time to have that with the teacher so they can help with the education things that their disability affects them with. Makes them feel that they’re comfortable and safe in a safe, healthy community. And that’s basically it, basically.

Tim Villegas Yeah, thank you for sharing that. And what I’m also hearing is that you go around and speak to schools, elementary and other schools. So, yeah, if you’re listening and you’re like, got to get Audrey and Jeremy to my school to talk with students, I think that would be a great opportunity. These are some fantastic people to bring to your school system. So, you know, the topics you’re talking about, like Medicaid, ableism, these are really tough. These are really tough issues. So how do you stay confident and keep going when you’re speaking out about these tough issues?

Audrey We have a really good team that helps us when one of us is crying. We all come in and make sure they’re comfortable and they’re safe. Like, me and Jeremy basically, like, for example, Medicaid is a big word. Jeremy cried about that.

Jeremy I totally did.

Audrey There were like three people that wanted to make sure that he was okay. One of them was me and I was in the podcast with them. So I was reaching my hand out like this, making sure that he is like, it’s okay, it’s okay. It’s fine. I’m the kind of person that likes to show my soft side. Like, I love showing my soft side. It’s my favorite. When somebody is crying or down like Jeremy in the podcast, I make sure that he is like a great positivity guy. Make sure he still has that positive energy through those dark times. Or if I’m the person that’s like teary-eyed or something. I don’t really show that often. I’ll have this guy to help me. And then there was—

Jeremy Yeah, I was crying because that was when I mentioned I was scared because Medicaid is a big word for me because it’s out. Should we still make sure we are able to still fight for it? And I said, yes, we can still fight for it. And it’s really cool how we have a good team. We had great moms and we had a good team. I’m going to shout out to Julie Reister, Carolina. And I got… I’m a great guy and we’ll see what it takes me.

Tim Villegas Yep. Yep. You are a guy. You’re both.

Jeremy Thank you! Fantastic! Thank you!

Audrey Yeah, you’re right.

Tim Villegas Yeah. We need to encourage each other. You know what I’m saying? Yeah. We need that positivity. We need that love to come around. And everyone’s listening. Everyone listening, you’re awesome. Thank you for being here and listening and watching with us. We really appreciate it. I am wondering what is next for both of you, Audrey and Jeremy. Are there any goals, dreams that you’re working on that you’d like to share?

Jeremy Yeah.

Audrey Yes, we have three. Okay. We want more viewers. Yep. Definitely a lot of views. We would love to have some guests, some big name guests and hopefully sponsorships. Lots of sponsorships.

Tim Villegas All right. Yes.

Jeremy Yeah. That would be really cool.

Tim Villegas All right. All right. OK. Yeah. Jeremy, did you have anything to add?

Jeremy Yes, of course, getting views and everyone has to bring value and getting more sponsorship and get more viewers and get more guests to keep us running and get the pump up and get excited because we’re going to get new guests and new stories. So that’d be really cool.

Tim Villegas Well, there’s never… yeah. You know, we’ll never run out of stories, right? So that’s great. So hopefully you’ll get some more viewers and more people will find out about you through this episode and want to be guests on your podcast. And then yes, please. If anyone’s interested in sponsoring Audrey and Jeremy, please reach out.

Jeremy Yeah.

Tim Villegas And we’ll connect to you. So how long have you been doing the podcast, Audrey and Jeremy?

Audrey Bye. Well, it kind of feels like a year, but we started around the beginning of January.

Jeremy Yeah.

Tim Villegas So almost a year, almost a year. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Well, I’ve been doing this podcast for 13 years. Okay. Long time, long time for Think Inclusive. And so if I can give you one piece of advice is just keep going. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. There were many, many times where I’ve wanted to stop because…

Jeremy Thank you.

Tim Villegas I was too tired or because I didn’t think anyone was watching or listening. And I just didn’t think that my work mattered. But after so many years doing this and hearing people say, yeah, I was listening to an episode from like five years ago and it was so great and it helped me with this. And so I just want to encourage you from one podcaster to another, to others. Just keep going and keep doing the good work. Okay. All right. All right. Anything else you wanted to talk about before we get to the mystery question?

Audrey I want to know what the mystery question is.

Tim Villegas OK.

Tim Villegas We’ve covered a lot in this episode from Audrey and Jeremy’s journey as childhood friends turned podcast co-hosts to their powerful advocacy work in Washington, their experiences with ableism in schools and their mission to educate others about inclusion and respect for people with disabilities. Their stories are a testament to resilience, friendship, and the power of speaking up.

Now it’s time to switch gears and have a little fun. It’s time for the mystery question.

Tim Villegas OK, all right, here we go. Mystery question. Let’s get it going here. Did we do a mystery question last time?

Audrey I have no idea.

Tim Villegas I try to do it with everyone, I’m assuming that we did. Just in case, as a refresher, the mystery question is a random question that I select from a… Sometimes I have my daughter write them, sometimes my daughter is out. She ran out of questions, so I have to go here. So okay and the mystery question is: What is a game that you are really good at?

Audrey OK, my favorite game that I love to play is Block Blast.

Tim Villegas Block Blast? Is it like an iPhone game?

Audrey Yeah, it’s a really good IQ game. It’s basically you trying to match the colors and make multiple matches as possible with blocks. It’s really fun.

Tim Villegas Block Blast. Okay, I’m gonna…

Audrey Honestly really addicting so if you go on it and get the… Take away the brick from it and then…

Jeremy Hahaha

Tim Villegas Give this to addicting because you’ll be playing all day, all day, every night. Okay, okay. I’ll try that. I’ve never heard of Block Blast. Okay. What about you Jeremy?

Audrey That’s what I have.

Jeremy Wow, what game that I’m really good at. There’s also an iPhone game that I really like. It’s called Q-Surf. You should get the app because it’s really cool.

Tim Villegas Yeah. It’s called… it’s Q Surf.

Jeremy Structural,

Audrey True Surf. It’s something that me and Jeremy both play together.

Jeremy Yeah, and it’s a really cool game. I am a really cool surfer.

Tim Villegas Okay, so you surf in the game. Do you do tricks and stuff? Okay, kind of like I used to play this game back in the day called Tony Hawk. It’s a skateboarding game. That was a long time ago.

Jeremy Yeah. Yes. God. Yeah, my brother and I used to meet Tony Hawk.

Tim Villegas Did you… you’ve met Tony Hawk? What?

Jeremy Yes. What? That crazy?

Tim Villegas Come on.

Audrey You are crazy.

Jeremy I was like a teenager back in the day.

Tim Villegas Back when you’re teenagers, okay. Yeah. So long ago. That was long ago for me, not so much for you, but that’s okay. Okay, what game am I really good at…

Jeremy No.

Tim Villegas Well, okay, you know, again, since we’re talking about iPhone games, a game that I just recently downloaded again on my phone is Tetris. Tetris. It’s a block game. So, yeah, have to like… there’s blocks of different shapes and then you’re on a timer and you have to go and you fit them into the blocks. Then you get points based on how many block lines you complete and stuff and it’s got the music and everything and so I’ve recently started playing that and I’m pretty good at that. I feel like I used to… I used to play Tetris like in the arcade, right? Like when it was just a game, you know, and we didn’t have any phones and stuff and I would like spend quarters on that and so that’s what I would used to play.

Audrey You know, honestly, that’s kind of like Block Blast.

Tim Villegas Yeah, yeah, okay.

Audrey Yeah, it’s kinda like Block Blast on your phone.

Tim Villegas Okay, so it’s very similar.

Audrey Yeah, it’s very similar. But instead of the blocks dropping, you get to drag and select what blocks you want from the bottom.

Tim Villegas Uh-huh. Okay, so it’s kind of like a Tetris-like game. Gotcha.

Audrey Take colorful blocks and you’re trying to match them together and complete the whole thing.

Tim Villegas Very cool. Very cool. Okay. All right. Well, everyone’s listening can download all three of those games and then decide which one they like the best. All right, thank you so much for playing with the mystery question Audrey and Jeremy. Thank you so much for being on the Think Inclusive podcast. Really appreciate all the work that you’re doing with your advocacy and your podcast. Best of luck and thank you.

Audrey Thank you.

Jeremy Thank you.

Tim Villegas That was Audrey and Jeremy. Here’s what I’m taking with me. Audrey and Jeremy reminded us that inclusion is not just a concept. It’s a lived experience. From early days as childhood friends to becoming podcast hosts and national advocates, their journey is a powerful example of what happens when people with disabilities are given the opportunity to lead, speak up, and be seen. Their stories of navigating school, standing up to ableism and speaking truth to power in Washington DC show us that advocacy starts with believing in yourself and never giving up. One practical step for educators: start by believing, believing that every student belongs in your classroom.

Audrey and Jeremy made it clear when teachers presume competence, offer accommodations and create space for students to be themselves, it changes lives. Inclusion begins with mindset and grows through action. Share this episode with a colleague who’s building inclusive schools, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify and follow Think Inclusive wherever you get your podcasts.

Shout out to Audrey and Jeremy’s incredible production team. Thanks so much for your input and collaboration. If you have thoughts and opinions about the podcast, I’d love to hear about them. You can always email me at tvillegas@mcie.org. Now let’s roll the credits. Think Inclusive is brought to you by me, Tim Villegas. I write, edit, mix, master. I basically wear all the podcast hats and baseball caps.

This show is a proud production of the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, scheduling and extra production help from Jill Waggoner. Our original music is by Miles Kredich with extra vibes from Melody. Big thanks to our sponsor, IXL. IXL.com/inclusive. Fun fact, I’m headed to Maryland next week to visit some of our district partners to do some filming and document the work that is happening to build schools where every learner belongs. Most likely I’ll be producing next week’s episode on the road, which is not my favorite, but stay tuned for what that looks like and sounds like. Have suggestions on where I should go while I’m on the Eastern Shore of Maryland? I’d love to know about it. Email me at tvillegas@mcie.org. I read every single message. And if you’ve made it this far, you’re officially part of the Think Inclusive Inclusion crew. Want to help us keep moving the needle forward for inclusion? Head to mcie.org and click the donate button. Give $5, $10, $20. It helps us keep partnering with schools and districts to move inclusive practices forward and support educators doing the work. Find us on the socials almost everywhere at think inclusive. Thanks for hanging out and remember: inclusion always works.