Better Together: Disability Desegregation in Schools With Guest Nicki Vander Meulen
Will and Amber pose with Nicki (center) for the September 2023 - back to school season! - episode of Diverse Joy
Diverse Joy Podcast - Season 1, Episode 4
With special guest Nicki Vander Meulen, we share our joy about the TV show Star Trek: Lower Decks, back to school, and football season! Nicki is a lawyer focused on disability issues and the first-ever openly Autistic person to be elected to a school board in the U.S., and she shares her perspectives on disability desegregation in schools.
Will (showing off his jacket lining) and Amber pose with Nicki for her first guest appearance on Diverse Joy
We argue that desegregation is best for not only student with disabilities, but those without disabilities as well. We also discuss language norms around disability (e.g., the difference between "person with autism" and "Autistic person").
To develop our bias habit-breaking skills, we learn to Do Perspective-Taking as one powerful way to forge emotional connections to others' experiences that drives our inclusive behavior going forward.
Nicki's joyful recommendation is Judy Bloom's amazing novel Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret (also now a motion picture).
The episode can be found below, by following the podcast wherever you get podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, RSSFeed, Amazon/Audible, Google Podcasts, or by subscribing to @BiasHabit on YouTube.
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