Kristin Wright
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Diana Pastora Carson: This episode is proudly sponsored by ABILITY Magazine, the leading magazine for health, disability, and human potential that strives to shatter myths and stereotypes that surround disabilities.
Welcome to the Beyond Awareness, disability Awareness That Matters podcast. I'm your host, Diana Pastora Carson. Here you'll find a safe space to learn and grow with leaders in education, disability studies, disability advocacy, and diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations. Specifically, we look at how disability fits into diversity, equity, inclusion, access, and belonging, and how to frame disability awareness in the context of educating K [00:01:00] 12 communities.
This show serves educators, parents, and community members who strive to learn and or teach about disability in a research based and respectful way, moving beyond simple awareness. And diving into inclusive and socially responsive conversations. Now let's go beyond awareness. Hello everyone and welcome back to Beyond Awareness, Disability Awareness That Matters. I'm excited today to have my friend and colleague Kristin Wright here. Kristin is the Executive Director of Inclusive Practices and Prevention and Intervention at the Sacramento County Office of Education. Prior to accepting her role at Sacramento County in 2020, Kristin served as the California State Director of Special Education at the California Department of Education, [00:02:00] also known as the C D E, before C D E, she served as the Education Policy Advisor for Special Education for the Homeless and foster youth at the California State Board of Education.
She has a bachelor's degree in sociology, a special education teaching credential, and a master's degree in special education. I also happen to know that Kristin is the proud mother of three adult children, one of whom experiences disability and for whom Kristin is a staunch advocate. Kristin Wright, welcome. And thank you so much for being here.
Kristin Wright: Thanks for having me. I'm deeply honored.
Diana Pastora Carson: Thank you. So I always start with this question. What is your why? Was Shelby, your daughter, in your life when you began your passionate work towards access and inclusion? And Or did you stumble into this field? Were you catapulted into this [00:03:00] field? Or did it develop over time from some pivotal experiences growing up? How would you describe the road that led you here?
Kristin Wright: I mean, I think I always cared about people deeply. Like, when I noticed, I noticed a lot of things as I was growing up. My family. are social service, helping people, family kind of people, and they all, most of them have been in public service.
And so I think it's part of my DNA just to help people in general. And I, but you never know where your road is going to lead in with Shelby. When she was born with, uh, extensive disabilities, she, set me kind of on a new journey. So I think that's where it kind of really began. But I will [00:04:00] say that I do, I grew up with, an aunt who I was very close to, and she is a person who experienced the special education system.
She was, labeled as a person that had developmental disabilities. And it wasn't until she was in her 20s that, my grandmother realized that she had severe dyslexia and learning disabilities and bought Hooked on Phonics and taught her how to read long after she graduated from high school. And it made me wonder about, just talking to my grandmother about the early experiences she had going to special day classes and special schools,
if her life would have been different had someone actually taken the time to understand her learning needs, and how much the schools disabled her versus her being as [00:05:00] disabled as she thought she was. So I didn't know any of this, so we didn't, she was just my Aunt Marva, so we didn't really call it anything. And, but I did, I did notice her having kind of a, a lonely life.
You know, she spent a lot of time with family, but didn't have a large social circle of people or anything like that and I, sometimes it made me sad and I, I guess I really just didn't reflect on it until much later as I'm trying to help Shelby be in the world and be included in our community and stuff like that, so.
Shelby opened those doors to me and I, I was really, empowered when I went through early intervention with Shelby. It's kind of strange that it was at the Sacramento County Office of Education. And so, life full circle coming back there to do this work is sort of interesting that that's [00:06:00] what how life unfolds.
But, there was a leader at SCOE at the time, and he was really into parent empowerment. And so he cultivated a lot of parents that I see, like, leading different things now and those kinds of things, and it was really early intervention and him in particular that maybe you expect something from the school system and then getting to the school system and seeing that individuals with more complex needs really didn't have access to the system really made me mad. And so I spent a lot of years being really mad and, volunteering at, you know, as the CAC chair in my district and trying to figure, you know, on the board of the regional center and trying to figure out like, What is the system and why is it like this and, is it the system that's the problem or is it the [00:07:00] rest of the world that's the problem and the system is just trying to, you know, do what it can and, so, and I really learned the most actually from a moms group that I joined right around the time Shelby was three and, These moms were badass, so I think we all need, we all need those kinds of, people that we can look up to and that have already sort of been on the journey.
And I try to do that for others now, but, back to your original question, the why is really just, that's where life unfolded and, and the journey unfolded. And I feel grateful that I had the tools. My mom was a preschool teacher for most of her career and so that also lent to me and her understanding child development and really, having a support system in [00:08:00] the family to help figure all this out too, because it was certainly something I had no idea about.
Diana Pastora Carson: That's beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing about your personal journey. I, I find it noteworthy that with your aunt and your grandmother, you know, that was, that was a while back. And there's such a contrast between what was available back then, which was nothing by way of legislation and protections against discrimination and societal expectations for people with disabilities.
Versus the protections that existed for Shelby and yet you still had to learn to become one of those advocate moms, you know, with teeth and, and you still, there was still a struggle to make sure [00:09:00] that Shelby got what she needed.
Kristin Wright: Well, I'm not sure, you know, just in terms of how the school system looked and felt that that much changed, to be honest, right?
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah, yeah, there was such a contrast, but there wasn't in actuality. Yeah. Thank you. So my next question is about misconceptions that we have about disability. What do you think are some misconceptions that parents and educators and policymakers have about the needs of students with disabilities? And how have you and how can we challenge those faulty perceptions?
Kristin Wright: I mean, I think the biggest one is, is that somehow a system or a school or a district has to be ready for any particular student to be somewhere. And I think, I think [00:10:00] back to our initial experiences where we, we, our offer of FAPE was not our neighborhood school because the school just wasn't ready for someone that complex.
Diana Pastora Carson: You said, what you, did you say FAPE was not here?
Kristin Wright: Free Appropriate Public Education, right? The guarantee under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act for everyone to be able to go to school and get what they need to learn. And I guess I just assumed that she'd go to the neighborhood school and I was surprised when that wasn't a possibility.
Especially when her brothers and sisters went there, but and in retrospect, I accepted it more than I should have, but it's sort of like, you have to make a decision if you want to go to full battle, or you, you know, at a place that you're don't necessarily feel a sense of belonging or accepted in that way.
Kristin Wright: So [00:11:00] I think, this idea that people with disabilities or students with disabilities need to be separate to be safe or to learn, those are some misconceptions and I think a lot of times as parents we're told, this is just going to be way too overwhelming for your child or, you know, we want to make sure to keep them safe or they're not bullied or they, you know, they're with other students who, are more like them.
Those kinds of things. And also that inclusion is a place. I think that's a misconception that really, I mean, this is my own belief, but that it's really more like a state of mind and an intention. And the creation like of spaces for educational experience and educational experiences like, I think that goes back to this idea about, a school or a classroom isn't ready [00:12:00] for someone.
And, and now when I think about that, and those words that were told to me a long time ago, to me, it just meant that the classroom was not universally designed and probably wasn't great for, most kids. And the other thing is, is this misconception that disability, a disability label means homogeny of like a certain group of people that, that if you have developmental disabilities or intellectual disability, you should be in a classroom with all kids that are the same.
Because that's what we do. We put kids with autism in one class and or kids and kids with other types of disabilities. When I was, when Shelby first was in school, I went to visit a number of schools that had physical disability programs. And [00:13:00] I thought that was interesting because Physical disability comes with and without other types of learning and intellectual disability.
So there was, the only common denominator was that they were, all the students had physical disabilities, but they were separate from all the other students. And I remember at the time, she was only like three, thinking, Does anyone else think this is kind of weird? Like, why can't they be with the kids without, you know, without disabilities?
Why are, just because you're using a walker or you're in a, you're a wheelchair user, that you would need to be somewhere else? So, I guess thinking that disability is really unique to the individual sort of dispels that. And I think in education, I've been working in education for quite a while now, I think we sort people for, because [00:14:00] we like to sort people, I think that's probably just kind of human nature, but that we also do it for funding ease and for the ease of credentialing.
So it's almost like the things that were set up in people's best interests now are sort of what holds them back. And one example would be like, having classrooms by teacher credentialing labels. And we've done that for a long time. In California, in particular, you have a mild mod class special day class, and a mod severe special day class, or an SH, which is even worse class.
And these are all really were based on the names of credentials and then their labels that get put on kids and then everyone says, Oh, they're in the whatever class. Yeah. So those kinds of things, I think. Parents learn and then they just adopt without really thinking about it. I recently was talking to some parents and there's a district that uses levels.
And so parents will [00:15:00] say my, I have a level three kid or a level four kid or a level two kid and I just find that interesting. It's almost like we just don't think about it and we accept whatever the vernacular is, but the underlying, idea to that is very restrictive. If what does it mean when you're these levels and what do you or don't you get access to and who do you also have to be with?
So I guess back to the original question, which was, what do you think the misconceptions that parents and educators have? It's just that we, the misconceptions are that whatever these old things are that people created and made up is something we have to just stay with and abide by even when we think to ourselves, this is kind of.
This kind of makes me feel ick.
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah. And that we have to then project the [00:16:00] beliefs about what our child is capable of based on that and accept whatever the district offers, happens to offer, not what we know would be in the best interest of our child. Right.
Kristin Wright: And then we also, I think I definitely under potentiated Shelby based on a lot of things that I heard people say.
Just because I, I didn't know. Right.
Diana Pastora Carson: No, we don't know. And I know my, my parents and I also had limited expectations of what Joaquin could achieve and accomplish until we started educating ourselves about what was possible until we started seeing other people with similar support needs, being able to be successful in the community and having, because they had access to.
And I think that that's. That's a big thing. There's a lot of different ways that we could use certain types of supports and services that would empower them. [00:17:00] And we started thinking about how we could do that for Joaquin as well. And it turned out in his favor. Thank goodness.
Kristin Wright: Well, I remember a mom, there was a mom in the moms group early on, and she's a friend and colleague today and she would always come to the moms group and announce herself.
And she would say, and my son is fully included in whatever school he was in at the time. I remember thinking, she never talks about, like, what his disabilities are. Like, I don't even know, you know, if he is verbal or what his potential is or any of that stuff. And in thinking back about that, it was my own limited understanding that you didn't have to meet any criteria to be included somewhere.
Diana Pastora Carson: Right. Wow. That's powerful. What a great learning.
Kristin Wright: That's a big misconception.
Yeah. [00:18:00] Yeah,
You
Diana Pastora Carson: know, thank you. Anything else you can think of?
Kristin Wright: I think, I think the only other thing, I've noticed is that, more recently because we've been doing a lot of work at Sacramento County with the alternative pathway to a high school diploma for students with more extensive support needs or significant cognitive disabilities is how it's labeled.
And I think there's a misconception by both parents and educators that you don't have to be on either like a track, either like a certificate of completion track or a diploma track, that there really are no tracks. The track is that everyone can get a diploma. And [00:19:00] I feel like if, if everyone believed that, that a lot of what happens in elementary and middle and high school would be a different conversation.
that we're not mapping to joy and happiness and not, you know, fewer behaviors. We're mapping to a student, a person learning and growing and figuring out what their gifts are so that they can move on into their lives. being able to have all the skills that they can gather and accomplish. But I think, I know this is true for me when I just wanted Shelby to be happy for so long.
She was so unhappy for so long. I thought that if she's just happy, I don't really, it's fine, whatever they're doing. [00:20:00] Because I just don't want her to be crying all the time. And I didn't realize what a low bar that was until later.
Diana Pastora Carson: And I think as parents, you do, especially given the, the expectations that society has for your child.
You just, if my, my poor in quotes, child could just be happy, that would make me happy. I'd be at peace with that. Right. Yeah. Yeah.
Can you say more because I is the. Is the diploma track, is that something that's across the United States or is that a California thing right now?
Kristin Wright: So actually, it is, there's actually states that don't have that.
There are states that everyone earns a diploma. There's, there's an expectation that everyone takes courses towards graduation meets the minimum state requirements and gets a diploma. When ESSA, the Every Student Succeeds Act [00:21:00] was passed after No Child Left Behind. They put a provision in federal law that said states could decide if they wanted to offer an alternative way for students with more extensive support needs or significant cognitive disabilities to get a diploma.
Because before, you couldn't get a diploma, even when Shelby graduated, you know, five years ago from school. She was not able to get a diploma, even though she was fully included and took all the courses she needed to take for graduation. So if she had graduated this past year, she would have had a high school diploma, not a certificate.
And so California put in law, this, and I'll give you some resources that you can share later. They put in law this opportunity, for all students to be able to get a diploma. And this pathway that says this group of students, which is usually, you know, a really small percentage of students, is the students who take the [00:22:00] California alternate assessments.
It said that they, don't have to meet the same rigor of the requirements. So they still have to take the courses, but they can use alternate achievement standards to meet them. And so the, the great thing is that students who never had access to learning all kinds of different things are getting access to learning all kinds of different things.
Yeah. And who, we don't know what they know mostly because a lot of our students in the, that fit that criteria are not, are nonverbal or non speaking. They may use some communication or other things, but we really don't know what they know. And so.
Diana Pastora Carson: But we also don't know what they don't know. That's right. And we need to make sure that we use them with information until we can have the right kinds of communication tools to give them the opportunity to communicate reliably. Yeah.
Kristin Wright: So I'm excited that California has done that, but [00:23:00] it is, there's a lot of misconceptions around it right now because people can't believe like, what do you mean?
Yeah.
Shelby can get a diploma. You know, what does that mean for my kid who had to take all the classes and, you know, and get. all the grades or whatever it is. It's, it's, it's again, going back to that kind of equity conversation that equity doesn't mean that everyone has to do the same exact thing.
Diana Pastora Carson: Right?
Well, that's a great segue because as much as I tend to steer away from political issues. And my intention is never to be exclusively political, but to ensure that my audience is empowered with information that will help them, and specifically that will help individuals with disabilities. But I have you here today, and so I really want to take advantage of you as a trusted [00:24:00] expert when it comes to policies and practices within schools and just in general, I want to touch on some hot topics, and one of them includes, the growing opposition to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in many states.
What is your take on that growing opposition and how do we continue to advocate for D. E. I. A. B. diversity, equity, inclusion, access and belonging, in education and especially in a time when some people see these efforts and, and these topics as divisive.
Kristin Wright: I mean, I guess what I'll say first is that. Many of us have been doing equity work for a really long time. Yes. And I don't even know that I ever even knew what [00:25:00] DEI was. Until, the George Floyd murders and other things happened. And then I, I was like clued into, I've been really hyper focused on disability and disability advocacy.
And I, I, grew a lot around understanding the connections to race and other types of diversity. And so when, I mean, when you think about it, diversity, we have a beautiful, uh, array of diversities in California and everywhere, but particularly in California, I mean, and because of that, we strive, like, if you look at our accountability system, if you look at all of the laws that we've set up is really so that every single person in our state can achieve and do well in their lives and have self determined lives that, You know, that hopefully results [00:26:00] in happiness, but also in, in being able to live a good life and not have to be poor and afraid.
And so, this idea of inclusion, I know it's taken on a lot of different connotations, but I prefer to have a deeper focus really around belonging. Inclusion to me is, is a, is a right when you're talking about the ability to access things.
Kristin Wright: Belonging is, is a greater intention for us to build spaces and places and educational experiences that include the full array of people and learners and just learner variability in general, which helps everyone,
people that are classified as having disabilities or not having [00:27:00] disabilities. So for me, this idea that we all seek belonging and it would be to our greatest advantage to create systems that focus on belonging because you're trying to include the most people and that's gonna look, that may look different for lots of different kinds of people.
I don't know where, how, I mean, I do know how, that DEI became this term synonymous with other things, but I think for, and I, I would venture to guess this is true for you too, Diana, that we will continue to do equity work, no matter what it's called, and I don't want to get hung up on, on words, because I think that detracts from the work that we're trying to do, which is make sure that [00:28:00] we take care of all of our community members and citizens.
Some people need more help at different times than others, but we all do or will need different things at different times. And so I think it's kind of a narrow view to have this, like, anti DEI thing. I think it's actually, a lot of, sort of, noise, and very, very, has a lot of racist undertones that I think are really unfortunate.
Diana Pastora Carson: Mm.
Kristin Wright: And I think public education in general should be viewed as equity work. If we're committed to helping everyone realize their greatest potential, then our public education system has to think through that lens of continuing to ask ourselves who, who is [00:29:00] not achieving or, you know, succeeding and why.
And then we correct it, and that's been going on for a really long time. I think the things that we can't cure, are the things outside of education, which are mindsets about certain groups of people that are not based on anything except for just, a disdain for people that are different from each other.
Diana Pastora Carson: Fear of losing control.
Kristin Wright: Fear of losing control, a narrow view of what difference is. And what variability is that, and I, I think it's all based on like these false norms. Like who, what is this typical, or what is this like ultimate thing we're trying to keep pure? And I, I don't know that I even want to go there, [00:30:00] but, but it's, I think the attack on DEI is just another way to divide people and weaken people, the general public, because if everyone's fighting with each other.
About these things, then we are not united and we have bigger problems. And I think we'll also kind of miss the unbuckling of our democracy as we're fighting over words and things like that. It's kind of a cruel way to divide people.
Diana Pastora Carson: I agree. Yeah. So we just continue our equity work and do the good work we've been doing.
Right. Yeah. All right. So with current political challenges in the US, such as threats to Medicaid funding and efforts to roll back protections granted under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, how do you see [00:31:00] these changes potentially affecting students with disabilities and their families in terms of education and employment opportunities if and when budget restrictions are implemented?
Kristin Wright: I think they have the potential for sweeping implications and not just single things. Medicaid funding supports so many things. It undergirds so many programs in our state that will be impacted, and I think they disproport it disproportionately impacts people with disabilities and students with disabilities, because even our education system, is built on a tight relationship with Medicaid funding, when you think about, the related services that students with disabilities receive, many of those are billed back to Medicaid, so education, has this [00:32:00] relationship with Medicaid and with health care, especially when we're talking about our students with more complex needs, that we're dependent on.
And then it also, also with the support outside of school that people with disabilities receive, some of the, some of the funding is matched. Some of the funding, undergirds, like I said, big programs, California has the regional centers, there's implications there. So it, it would, it's from like every angle.
So it's not just, it wouldn't just be one hit and we're not even, we haven't even talked about, the number of people, and individuals with disabilities that count on their healthcare. that receive these funds as well. So, so many different ways, of being impacted. And then also [00:33:00] through some of the other federal programs that provide nutrition and food, and other things all again, disproportionately impact people with disabilities.
So I'm extremely concerned about all of it. Again, the 504 protection, same thing. I mean, you and I both know some of the people that fought for this to happen. And this has been a bipartisan issue forever because it doesn't select different groups to impact. It's, it's everyone. So, I'm hoping that Congress and the Senate are able to at least hold firm on behalf of people in general, which is why we've elected them to make sure that these things don't happen.
But I definitely am, I [00:34:00] am terrified and I'm terrified for Shelby because I think a lot of the support that's built around people having fully self determined lives is dependent on some of this federal funding.
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah. I hear you. So what strategies do you think are most effective for parents and educators in advocating for policies that protect the rights of students and adults with disabilities?
What should we be doing? What can we do?
Kristin Wright: I mean, the, the biggest impact, would be to talk to your legislator that at the federal level that represents you, and I'm not just saying like, write them a letter, I'm saying go to their office, ask for a meeting, help them understand the individual stories of impact, because those are the things that resonate, I think, with members.
And the other thing is, is [00:35:00] joining up with other organizations that are also fighting for the rights and needs of people with disabilities. So if you're not part of an organization that does advocacy, I think one of the biggest things I've noticed in the state especially is that, advocacy around students with disabilities in particular has not been strong.
There's not, there's, we see a lot of the bureaucratic entities advocating, but they're not necessarily advocating for students with disabilities. I mean, they are sort of remotely, but they're part of, of a larger institution of people without disabilities. And I, and not to say that's not important, but when you're talking about groups of people that all have similar interests in what happens in the government around disability, there are very disparate groups of people with disabilities [00:36:00] or parents of kids with disabilities that are not bound together, like in a big consortia.
So, So when bills pass and things happen, a lot of times nobody comes, things can happen, because we're not as organized as we need to be. And so I think that's another area that, that, collectively we could definitely work on. But in the meantime, our individual voices, because I would, I just talked to one of the congressional offices and they were saying that their member asks them every day.
What did people call about today, or what are they, what are they asking for appointments for? What do they want to talk about and what are sort of the top three things and if the top three things are these things? Then that's something but if they're not if it's other things then these go lower on the list.
Diana Pastora Carson: Got it. [00:37:00] Wow, that's really good to hear because I've been calling every Every day I use five, five calls. org, helps me to stay organized with that and make sure calling my representatives and Congress members. So thank you for that reminder of going. I love your idea of requesting a meeting. I had not thought of that, and I'm going to do that and I've done that in the past with groups but I've never thought to do that as an individual, and,
Kristin Wright: And you have a powerful voice and story so you definitely should.
Diana Pastora Carson: I am going to, I think they're tired of hearing from me right now, so I'll just say, can I come in and meet with this person?
I think that's a great idea. Thank you for sharing.
Kristin Wright: And then you become an asset to them if they need someone to come talk about something.
Yes.
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah.
We all have powerful stories and voices and I think that's just a really great suggestion. Thank [00:38:00] you. So I'm wondering if there's anything that you would, that you wish you would have done differently with Shelby and what are you most concerned about for the future?
Kristin Wright: I mean, I feel guilty every day that Shelby doesn't have better communication. I think I didn't understand how important her having communication beyond just being able to say yes or no, or, you know, basic things, because when, when someone only has the ability to say those things, people don't go deeper with them.
And I wonder how it would be your whole life was just only people asking you what your physical needs are, or, you know, and, and not anything more. [00:39:00]
And so that's something that we're working on now. But I think we could have built it up so much stronger early on. I think she was only limited by the amount of icons I created and laminated.
And so that's probably the biggest one, I think, you know, I think that has limited to her and in fact, wasn't until she was in like the fifth grade that, we had a state assessment team come to her school for a week and do an observation about what they thought about her communication and at the time she'd only had like a GoTalk with four, you know, yes, no, I don't like that.
And I want to hug or something. They were like, you know, after assessing her, we think she could have maybe like seven levels with like 30 icons and you imagine [00:40:00] how many more words that is to, be able to express things at the very least.
Right?
So that's a big one that chokes me up every time.
Diana Pastora Carson: I can relate to that as well.
Kristin Wright: Yeah. And then the, the other one is,
to help. I wish I would have had her have, more connection to people in the disability community.
And so I think I went from her being in a home program being pretty isolated. To then me being, like on the inclusion revolution and that term. And I think it's kind of an, an, [00:41:00] and, you know, I think we all need people that have the same lived experiences and people seek affinity for lots of different things, especially when it's their choice, I think.
You know, I've been thinking a lot about choice and school choice, and I went to a school recently that, was a school that had all people with disabilities that attended the school, and I went on with a lot of preconceived ideas and judgments about it, and I left with a lot of understanding about it.
And that's about it. I know that you know, there's a lot of people that are wondering about parents journeys and why they would choose a placement that was separate. And a lot of it, you know, I don't know that we can sell people on anything different until we create places of belonging for [00:42:00] people. So I get it.
Yeah. If you had to choose going somewhere where you didn't feel like you're wanted, being othered, and then being sent out or the parents called all day, every day to going to a place where. You felt included, you know, and you were part of something. I get
it.
Diana Pastora Carson: I do too. And I think it's extraordinary that you as a leader at the County Office of Education level and previously at a state level can see that there is a level of responsibility from within our system to make that change and not to blame parents for having a stance.
Kristin Wright: Yeah, otherwise we're selling people a false bill of goods.[00:43:00]
Like, you know, like everyone should be included and you want your child to be included. Well, of course we all want our children to be included. But then again, we have to set up spaces that are spaces where people believe that everyone does belong. And that do embrace diversity. And we're at a time right now that feels pretty counter to that.
And so it makes me have even more resolve about, how to focus on creating spaces. And I think that's my team at Sac County. That is what we're working on is, more about how do we empower educators and parents on what that can look like versus just saying these words of, you know, inclusion and not really people not really knowing what exactly that means.
Does that just mean [00:44:00] that a person's in a classroom all day with students with and without disabilities, but they really don't have a sense of belonging, nor are they accessing their learning. And so how can we do all of that?
Diana Pastora Carson: Right. Yeah, I can just see the floodgates open up as parents want to come back to the districts once educators are empowered with that mindset, you know, a shift in mindset and a resolve to and a commitment to actually create belonging within the schools.
Kristin Wright: Well, I have a lot of hope for this next generation. They seem to be a little more, inclusive by nature than our generation.
Yes. Yeah. Noticed.
Diana Pastora Carson: That, that brings hope for sure. Thank you. Kristin, are there any resources you would [00:45:00] recommend to our listeners?
Kristin Wright: There are a few, all the resources, at the TAI Center are excellent.
They were the, they were a federally- funded center this last five years at the University of Minnesota up until last year, I think. And, they have really great resources around inclusion and belonging. We're actually working with them on some resources right now for California. Undivided, is another one nice, run by parents and is amazing.
They're on Facebook and undivided. Io. And then for resources around self determination. So thinking about post school, Disability Voices United.
Diana Pastora Carson: I'm on their board. [00:46:00]
Kristin Wright: There you go. Definitely learned everything that I know about self determination from their guide. Oh, it's a fabulous guide. Fabulous guide.
And I think, you know, for, for parents of high school age students or even middle school students. To, to read, to see those types of resources, to understand what they're mapping to, just like mapping to a diploma, changes how IEP teams talk about what's possible and what's expected. Yes. So there's other good ones, but those are really good.
And of course, your website and all of your resources.
Diana Pastora Carson: Oh, thank you. I'll be sure to put that in
the show notes. Alright, so I have a few rapid fire questions just for fun. Are you ready for some fun.
Kristin Wright: Yeah, why not.
Diana Pastora Carson: Okay. If you could have dinner with any historical [00:47:00] figure, who would you choose. And why?
Kristin Wright: Let's see. I mean, it would probably be Judy Heumann. I had a chance to talk to her a little bit, but not nearly enough. I know you did.
Diana Pastora Carson: I did. I loved every second of it. Yeah.
So probably it would be Judy Heumann for sure. Judy Heumann. It's so
funny when I asked you that question, she came into my, She popped into my head.
I thought you might pick her.
Kristin Wright: Well, I also, I also had a chance to meet Haben Girma. Oh, wonderful. And I don't know if you've read her book.
Diana Pastora Carson: I have. Yeah. The DeafBlind Woman Who Conquered Harvard Law. I love that book. I think I've read it three times. I loved it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay.
What's one book that has had a significant impact on your life?
Kristin Wright: There have been so many different ones at different times. [00:48:00] I would say Judy Heumann's book. I would also say, some of the books from young disability advocates. I don't know if you know, Kaylee Mycroft. Oh, I don't. She has a book that she wrote. She's a South African woman, who was the first, person with, complex disabilities to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.
Wow.
And she's pretty cool. And so check out her book. I will, for me it's, it's books about, resilience that stick with me.
Yes. Love that. What's something you've always wanted to learn, but you haven't learned it yet? [00:49:00] Definitely another language. I don't know if it's too late. No, I don't think so.
What's your favorite quote or saying that keeps you motivated?
I would say recently I've been, I'm not a 12 stepper, but the serenity prayer.
Mm.
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.
Yeah.
I
Diana Pastora Carson: have it on my wall. My grandmother did a needle point and gave it to me when I was a child. I love that one. Yeah. And we need it so much right now.
Kristin Wright: We really do.
Diana Pastora Carson: If you had to describe your perfect day, what would it be like?[00:50:00]
Kristin Wright: It would definitely involve plants.
Diana Pastora Carson: Mm.
Kristin Wright: I have a small obsession with plants and, I live in a house with lots of windows now. Which only fuels the fire of my obsession. It's borderline hoarding, I think, of plants, but I feel like it makes the air really healthy and fresh. So there is some benefit to it.
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah.
Kristin Wright: And I think just spending time with my family, maybe hanging outside in our yard with the dogs. I want to this this year. I want to spend more time in the garden and doing really tangible things. I find myself, watching late night news a little too often. I think it's very healthy right now.[00:51:00]
Diana Pastora Carson: Yeah. Well, I hope you have many, many of those perfect days coming up. What's the last song you listened to on repeat?
And you can sing it if you can't remember the name.
Kristin Wright: I'm just thinking of which one, cause I have, I have a playlist that I just play over and over again. Okay. Dog and butterfly. That's one of them. Dog and butterfly. Okay. I don't know that one. I have to look that up. It's an old, really old heart song.
You need to look it up.
Diana Pastora Carson: I am. It's
Kristin Wright: going to be your
Diana Pastora Carson: favorite song. I will. I will look it up. Okay. And something that always makes you laugh.
Kristin Wright: To be honest, I don't think I laugh enough.
Diana Pastora Carson: Hmm.
Kristin Wright: [00:52:00] What makes me laugh?
That's a really good question. Actually, you know, what makes me laugh in the mornings is there's a, there's like a set of memes that come up about people who hoard plants. Those always make me laugh. Cause then I send them to my husband and then he buys me a plant.
Diana Pastora Carson: Well, Kristin Wright, I thank you so much for being here today.
I appreciate your time, your energy, your wisdom, your experiences, and, just wish you all the best in all the work you're doing that is impacting so many of us. Thank you.
Thank you for tuning [00:53:00] into this episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters. I love providing this podcast to support you in your passionate disability awareness and inclusionary practices work in our schools and communities. And I hope you'll help me to help others by promoting this episode far and wide.
You can also proactively support this podcast in the following ways, subscribe, rate and review this show on Apple podcast, Google podcast. Spotify, or wherever you listen to this episode, it really means the world to me to have your support in this way, because it increases the chances of others getting to hear the messages presented in each episode.
For more valuable resources that align with the values of this podcast, you can visit my website, dianapastoracarson. com, where you'll find links to my priceless free resource, how [00:54:00] to talk about disability with kids. As well as my blog, where I share my thoughts as an educator and sibling advocate, my flexible online Beyond Awareness Basics course, my books, including the beautifully illustrated children's book, Ed Roberts Champion of Disability Rights, as well as my comprehensive guide for anyone wanting to do disability awareness work.
That is the book entitled Beyond Awareness, Bringing Disability into Diversity Work in K 12 Schools and Communities. Now while I love this book so much, and I believe you should have it in your library as a resource, I do understand that time is of the essence. So, if you are super busy like me and you just need something quick, easy, and convenient that will get to the point, I have just what you need.
You should definitely get your [00:55:00] hands on my handy, tri fold, laminated, beyond disability awareness educator's guide. Published by NPR Inc. Again, all of these resources can be found at dianapastoracarson. com. You can also follow me, Diana, on Instagram at dianapastoracarson and at facebook. com slash go beyond awareness.
Podcast transcription and podcast guest information can be found in the show notes. Intro and outro music has been provided courtesy of my son, Emmanuel Castro. Thank you again. Be well, be a lifelong learner, and let's be inclusive. See you next time.
Latin Theme Music: Cuando [00:56:00] empieza el ritmo Todo el mundo se junta Bailamos, gritamos, amamos
Subamos las manos Nada nos puede parar Hasta el final vamos a cantar Estamos aquí para disfrutar Moviéndonos al ritmo Manos arriba, arriba, todas las manos para arriba. Que viva la vida, no hay alternativa. Arriba, arriba, todas las manos para arriba. Que viva la vida, que viva, que viva, que viva. Whoa,[00:57:00]
whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Todo el mundo together, bailaremos forever, sudando, gozando, brillando hasta la mañana. Whoa, whoa. Nada nos puede parar. Hasta el final vamos a cantar. Estamos aqui para disfrutar. Moviéndonos de ritmo. Manos arriba, arriba. Todas las manos pa arriba. Que viva la vida. No hay alternativa.
Arriba, arriba. Todas las manos pa arriba. Que viva la vida. Que viva, que viva, que viva. [00:58:00]
