TNP on The Accessible Stall!
If you’ve been following TNP for a while, you may have noticed that we’re superfans of The Accessible Stall podcast. Co-hosted by Emily Ladau and Kyle Khachadurian, the podcast tackles of-the-moment issues in disability rights and culture. Following an episode they produced on the role K-12 education played in the formation of their identities, we invited Emily & Kyle to present the keynote presentation at our summer training camp, which was themed “Centering the Student Experience.” No surprise, they earned among the highest reviews of any presenters in Nora Project training camp history, prompting reflections like these from participating educators:
“I learned how important it is to not only treat students with disabilities with the same respect as other kids, but to also make the topic of disability a fluid part of conversations and not make it into a huge deal or something that they should be ashamed or scared of.”
“I think as educators, we need to help students to see multiple parts of identity, both seen and unseen. Helping them see that all parts of identity matter and bring value are really big steps in cultivating that sense of self.”
During the Q&A portion of their presentation, Emily and Kyle connected with longtime Nora Project teacher and author of our new Pivot Points companion guide, Alex Parker. Emily and Kyle were especially interested in Alex’s questions and thoughts around weaving the disability rights narrative into broader conversations pertaining to diversity, identity, intersectionality, civil rights, and social justice. Their conversation didn’t end when the keynote did, and much to our delight, Alex was featured on the most recent episode of The Accessible Stall, where he talked about the role disability plays in the anti-bias, anti-racism work he does in his classroom and beyond. We’re calling out some of our favorite Alex quotes below, but we encourage you to check out the whole episode and if you don’t already, subscribe to hear more from Emily and Kyle about all things disability!
On Identity, Intersectionality & Social Justice
“The Nora Project has this amazing lesson on identity. It really talks about the notion of intersectional identity, where the students get to talk about all things that make up who they are. When we have these conversations, we talk about that everyone is bringing something unique to the table because we all have these different identities…”
“We’re all struggling. Maybe there’s a different struggle, but our struggles aren’t siloed. They don’t exist in this complete mutual exclusivity. Even though the oppression that occurs and the marginalization that occurs happens for different reasons and the etiology may be different, at the end of the day, there is still a level of oppression that’s happening. It’s like we should really work together against these issues as opposed to just saying, ‘I’m only looking at this cause,’ or ‘I’m only supporting this cause,’ or ‘I’m only working on this,’ because so many of the experiences, they really are interwoven…”
On The Nora Project
“Especially when I started with The Nora Project, it was uncomfortable to talk with my students about disability. I had never done it with kids, and I’ve been teaching for four years at that point. But for me, it’s like, “Okay,” but I do feel like I’ve come into my own as a teacher. I feel like I know how to build classroom community. This is something I can do.”
“And at the end of the year, my class was like, ‘So what happens now? Is it over? We leave you, but is The Nora Project over for us forever?’ I was like, ‘No, it can’t be. We have to keep going.’”
Listen to the full episode to hear how Alex’s students continue their work with TNP after they leave his classroom. If you like the podcast -- which we know you will -- subscribe, support the podcast on Patreon, and invite your friends to listen in too. Then, spread the word far and wide that Alex Parker and The Nora Project are here to change the conversation on disability in schools.