CDCI Connects is a series of conversations about disability and inclusion, by and with people with disabilities, and their family members, educators, and medical professionals.
Each month, we sit down with some of our favorite people and talk about current issues in disability advocacy. Each episode runs between 30 and 60 minutes, and each one is currently available on our YouTube channel. New episodes are available on or around the second week of the month.
"As a kid growing up in the 1950s, kids with disabilities just weren't around..."
University of Vermont Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Education Michael F. Giangreco joins CDCI Executive Director Jesse C. Suter, to share memories, observations, and advice from his more than 30 years of service at CDCI.
Dr. Giangreco is a widely published and respected innovator in the field of special education, as well as being the author of the much-loved cartoon series, "Absurdities and Realities in Special Education."Learn more about the "Absurdities and Realities in Special Education" collection at https://cdi.uvm.edu/news
And learn more about Dr. Giangreco at https://www.uvm.edu/cess/cdci/profiles/michael-f-giangreco-phd
In this episode of CDCI Connects, Kaitlin Northey talks with Valerie F. Wood.
Kaitlin Northey and Valerie Wood are two of the three authors of a recent study on suspension and expulsion in early childcare education settings across Vermont. They talk about why the study was necessary, what they found, and how comparing Vermont's data to that of Colorado and Arkansas helped them determine a larger portrait of how suspensions and expulsions in these settings affect Vermont families.
Dr. Northey is an assistant professor of early childhood education in the Education Department at the University of Vermont. Dr. Wood is a research assistant professor with the UVM Center on Disability and Community Inclusion.
"Embrace autism. Autism is amazingly unique. Totally interesting, sometimes mysterious, you know." -- Nicole LeBlanc
On this episode of the podcast, CDCI Research Assistant Professor Bryan Dague is joined by Alan Kurtz, PhD, and Nicole LeBlanc.
Dr. Kurtz is a long-time researcher in employment issues for people on the autism spectrum. LeBlanc is a self-advocate, on the autism spectrum, who brings her lived experience of finding employment to the discussion. And Dr. Dague is also the project coordinator of the Supported Employment project at CDCI.
Find out more about the Supported Employment project at go.uvm.edu/supported-employment
In this episode, we connect with Hannah Gallivan and Kathryn Carroll.
Hannah and Kathryn met through the Disability EmpowHER Network mentoring program. As part of the program, Hannah took on research into how to prepare for a disaster when you have a service animal; her research is now part of the Green Mountain Emergency Preparedness Guide.
We talk about the EmpowHER Network, leadership and independence, and the value of mentors for people with disabilities, service animal accommodations, and making real world change. Plus accessibility in the theater!
We make the CDCI Connects podcast with Zoom videoconferencing software, Blue Yeti microphones, and Adobe Audition. The music for Season 1 is "Waves Are Only Beautiful When They Break", by Seong June, licensed by Audio Library Plus.
