College Campus Tour
William was home for spring break, and he mentioned to Penny that he hadn’t actually seen where she goes to school. She gave us both a tour of her college…
COGNOSCENTI | The Trump administration’s rhetoric about disability diminishes us all
Grateful to write today for Cognoscenti/WBUR, Boston’s NPR station (read the full essay here): "The language we use and the stories we tell shape our behavior, writes Amy Julia Becker.…
S8 E10 | The Myth of a Colorblind, Meritocratic Society with David M. Bailey
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Recent political changes and executive orders have polarized the complex conversation around diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA). David M. Bailey, the Founder and CEO of Arrabon,…
Cultivating Connection One Word at a Time
I once shared a post that included a story from someone who identified as a "person with autism." To respect their choice of words, I used the same term in…
S8 E9 | How to Talk About Disability with Carrie Hahn
Apple YouTube Spotify More! Is disability a tragedy? Are disabled people “inspiring”? The language we use often reveals our assumptions about disability. Carrie Hahn, a pediatric speech-language pathologist and mother,…
Belonging Begins With an Invitation
One of the most heartbreaking aspects of being a mother is watching our kids get excluded. I’ve seen it at times for all three of them, but exclusion happens most…
2011
Welcoming Kids With Disabilities to Trick-or-Treat on Halloween
I’m thinking about Halloween for kids with disabilities. Part of what makes Halloween exciting is the idea of having fun and being together with other people. Parents, if you have…
Using Our Strength to Lift Up
“The strength that we each have is to lift one another up, not to push people down.” Vice President Kamala Harris spoke these words to a young man with Down…
Penny in Her Own Words: Senior Project Presentation
Intellectual disability does not need to prevent young adults from learning. With support, encouragement, and room to make mistakes and grow from them, students like our daughter Penny, who has…
Penny in Her Own Words: Senior Prom
We’ve been talking about senior prom all year long, and I wasn’t sure whether the event itself would be a letdown after so much anticipation. But here’s what Penny, our…
