Teacher Features
Celebrate dedicated educators who inspire change by humanizing the disability experience in their classrooms. The teachers featured here share how they've infused anti-ableism into their curriculum, offering practical models for fostering growth, challenging deficit-based views of disability, and building a more inclusive learning community.
Emerging Dyslexia Advocate
Kayla Ilardi
Kayla (she/her) is a senior in high school in Kansas City. She wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until her freshman year, and at first she thought the diagnosis would solve everything. Instead, she quickly realized it was only the beginning.
Prioritizing Real Voices
Kristin Vogel-Campbell
Kristin regularly draws from Learning for Justice, Rethinking Schools, and stories from disabled adults, emphasizing the importance of real voices over hypothetical “role-play,” which she names as harmful.
Commitment To The Brilliance Of Black And Brown Students With Disabilities
Aliemma Kanu
Aliemma’s practice is shaped by DisCrit, culturally sustaining pedagogy, and the belief that the intersection of race and disability must remain at the center of conversations about equity.
Novel Study of Como Pez en el Árbol (Fish in a Tree) by Mullaly Hunt
Ms. Teresina Ruiz
Participating in thoughtful discussions about bullying, feeling misunderstood at home and school, and academic challenges, students offered practical recommendations or just shared how they felt.
The Accessible School Project
Ms. Lisa Yegin
I’m so deeply proud of our students! They identified needs for access in the school community, learned about tools used in design, and then creativity built models to improve access. They are inspired to make change and to use their voices to advocate.
Student Clubs for Learning ASL and Understanding Diversity
Ms. Jen Jaime
Through our clubs, we are discussing ideas of inclusivity, encouraging authentic self-reflection and dialogue. Our ASL and Book Clubs have brought our student body together, fostering a spirit of understanding and positivity.
Sharing Disabled Role Models with Middle School Students
Ms. Katie Twyman
My goal was to introduce the topic of self-advocacy and what it can be like to have a disability in school. More specifically, I wanted students to explore the idea that everyone has assets, needs, and areas to grow, especially in education.
Our Belonging Tree
Michelle Holladay and Kelly Nowakowski
Each Challenger student wrote a six-word story on a leaf (color coded by grade level) in their English class. The idea being, we are all unique and have our own individual stories; yet when combined, our stories create something beautiful.
Telling about My Own Experience
Lauren Provenzano
As a former student who has CP and a teachers of students every year impacted by various disabilities, I hoped these would increase understanding of disability and create meaningful and authentic interactions.