Disability INC.

A Brooklyn Story: How Lou Ferrigno Changed My Life

How a chance conversation between two NYPD cops on the beat in Brooklyn changed one man's professional and personal trajectory.

Donny Swanson is the principal of Pathways to Graduation in Staten Island, NY, where he utilizes a unique blend of beliefs, adaptations, and flexibility which he developed growing up in NYC with a disability. Pathways to Graduation supports at-risk students who have not been successful in traditional schools. Donny just completed his 18th year in education in February 2022, but his educational journey is not complete.

 

You can find the transcript for this episode here: https://includenyc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/A-Brooklyn-Story-Transcript.pdf

Exploring the Sibling Story Through Writing and Film

Art allows us to process our lives and complex emotions individually, and to come together collectively while building community. Join our conversation on why having brothers and sisters with disabilities stimulates the creation of art. 

Allan B. Goldstein is a distinguished NYU Tandon School of Engineering Senior Lecturer, whose Disabilities Studies course teams up students and community members with disabilities to create digital stories and discuss disability readings. Goldstein is the older sibling and guardian of his brother Fred, a survivor of the notorious Willowbrook State School. Goldstein’s writing explores the social barriers impeding an inclusive society. Allan also serves on the Pace University Disability Film Festival screening committee, which features films by and about people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. 

Liz Sargent has an extensive background in dance, theater and film, which informs how she tells her stories. Liz is an award-winning producer for Cyprian Films. She is one of 12 children and in her work often draws upon her experiences having siblings with disabilities. Liz is producing “12 Turtles,” a feature documentary exploring who will care for her parents as they get older and who will inherit the responsibility for the siblings who cannot care for themselves. The Sargent family navigates the hard truths of aging, disability, adoption, and an evolving definition of family.

To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Exploring_the_Sibling_Story_through_Writing_and_Film.docx.pdf.

Disappearing Private Special Education Schools

Approved, publicly funded special education schools are facing an existential threat.

Hear about their history, the challenges they face, and how one school stayed true to its mission by discontinuing public funding. Donna Kennedy guided the Gillen Brewer School, a NYC private school providing special education services in a private school in NYC since its inception in 1992, serving as Head of School since 2003. Donna serves as a Commissioner of Accreditation for NYSAIS and Treasurer of the Guild for Independent Schools. Donna received her Master of Education in Educational Leadership from Bank Street College of Education and a Master of Science in Special Education focusing on Learning Disabilities from Hunter College. She holds a B.F.A. in Dance from the University of Nebraska.

 

To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Disappearing_Private_Special_Education_Schools.pdf.

Access & Activism: Why We Need to Talk about It

What will mental health care look like going forward? Kenneth Paul Rosenberg, MD is a Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Weill Cornell Medical College and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Since 2001, he has been listed every year as a Top Addiction Psychiatrist in New York Magazine’s Best Doctors issue. He is the recipient of a George Foster Peabody Award for his PBS and HBO films educating the public about medicine and psychiatry, and has been recognized by both the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Academy

of Television Arts & Sciences. He is an author and filmmaker and is well known for his book and film “Bedlam.”

To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Access__Activism.docx.pdf.

The Legacy of Bloomberg & de Blasio on the NYC School System

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

To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/The_Legacy_of_Bloomberg__de_Blasio_on_the_NYC_School_System.docx.pdf.

Before We Knew Autism

Autism didn’t appear in the DSM until 1980 or as a disability category under IDEA until 1990. Meet the woman who began building the autism advocacy movement on Staten Island in 1981.

Donna Long is a dynamic Staten Island community leader who has been advocating for the needs and services of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism since the early 80s--and her impact is still felt today. She is recently retired as Executive Director of The GRACE Foundation, a non-profit that works with individuals and families impacted by autism. Donna currently serves as Director of External Affairs for Crossroads Unlimited Inc., an agency that provides comprehensive services for individuals with I/DD.

To read the transcript of this episode, visit www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Before_We_Knew_Autism.docx.pdf.

Uncharted Territory: Finance, Equity, and Education in the Age of COVID-19

INCLUDEnyc’s Julianne Toce interviews David Bloomfield, Professor of Educational Leadership, Law, and Policy at Brooklyn College. David discusses the state of special education during this uncertain time and provides recommendations. You can reach David at davidcbloomfield@gmail.com, visit his website, or follow him at @BloomfieldDavid. This podcast was recorded 4/21/2020.

 

To view the transcript for this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/David_Bloomfield_transcript.pdf

Siblings: In Different Boats, Weathering the Same Storm Together

All sibling relationships are dynamic, but they are all the more so when your sibling has a disability. Listen in to special education teacher and advocate Lindsay Hyland and INCLUDEnyc’s Beth Ebert discussing the challenges, joys and impact of having a sibling with a disability. To view the transcript of this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Lindsay_podcast.pdf

Links:
SibsNY website: http://sibsny.org/
SibsNY on Meetup: https://www.meetup.com/sibsNY
SibsNY on facebook: SibsNY
Sibling Leadership Network: https://siblingleadership.org/

Other sibling support on Facebook:
Sibnet on Facebook
SibTeen
Sib20

Student & Family Voice in the Transition IEP

INCLUDEnyc’s Jane Heaphy interviews Dr. David Connor, Professor Emeritus at CUNY’s Hunter College & Graduate Center. Dr. Connor, whose research focuses on inclusive education, learning disabilities, and teacher education, discusses how professionals and families can leverage the transition IEP meeting to advance participation, self-advocacy, and self-determination.

To view the transcript for this episode, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Dr._Connor_Transcript.pdf

Medical Marijuana in Public Schools

INCLUDEnyc’s Jean Mizutani chats with cannabis advocate and parent Maureen Surin. Advocating for her daughter, Maureen’s efforts resulted in Ashley’s Law, which allows Illinois students with certain medical conditions to take medical marijuana in school.

 

To read a transcript of this podcast, visit https://www.includenyc.org/images/uploads/content/Maureen_Podcast_Transcript.pdf