Diana Pastora Carson:
Welcome to the Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters podcast. Here, you will find a safe space to learn and grow with leaders in education, Disability Studies, disability advocacy, and diversity, equity and inclusion conversations. Specifically, we look at how disability fits into diversity, equity and inclusion, and how to frame disability awareness. In the context of educating K through 12 communities, this podcast serves educators, parents, and community members who strive to learn and or teach about disability in a research-based and respectful way. Moving beyond simple awareness and diving into inclusive and socially responsive conversations. Thank you for joining us today. Now let's go Beyond Awareness.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Hello Keith Jones!
Keith Jones:
Hello Diana! How are you?
Diana Pastora Carson:
I'm well, thank you so much, Keith. Thank you for being here. I am so excited to have you on the podcast today. So I was thinking about this earlier about how we met. I don't even know if you know, the first time we met, but it was in San Diego at Dan Habib's premier in 2007 of including Samuel and you were a keynote speaker. And you know, now he's gone on to different films: Intelligent Lives, and now My Disability Roadmap. You're not in any of the sequels, are you?
Keith Jones:
I'm in the last one?
Diana Pastora Carson:
My Disability Roadmap?
Keith Jones:
Yeah. I'm one of the, yeah, and I did some of the music too.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Oh my gosh!
Diana Pastora Carson:
Okay. And then after the conference we went to dinner, we all walked to this little strip mall near the conference. We went to dinner and you had us rolling. You were telling us stories about different things and oh my gosh, it was so much fun to get to know you there. And since then, we kept in contact, and I like to think that I can consider you a friend.
Keith Jones:
Oh, you, uh, you better.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Oh, thank you. So I want you to tell us about what you do, what are you the most passionate about and why, as it relates to education?
Keith Jones:
Okay, well, hello again Diana. Thanks for having me on the podcast. My name is Keith Jones. I am the president and CEO of Soul Touchin' Experiences, LLC, as well as one of the co-founding members of Krip Hop Nation. And my job, what is my job? It's the question my mother always asks me. She's always like, what the hell do you do? But my job really has been, in terms of running this company, I had taken everything that I liked and said, well, if I'm gonna stress at employment, I'm gonna stress for myself. I had worked in two or three nonprofits where, and this goes to the question about education, where we were talking about, we were working with young kids in Boston, young kids in the state, doing, you know, AmeriCorps type stuff, YouthBuild type stuff. And each one of these people had come across some of the things I had come across, just in a different form.
Keith Jones:
You know, it was, you know, activism at its most basic, but at its core, you know, cause I really, I was like, I think when I started this, I was a pup. God, it was 25 years ago. I'm so old. That's why I have no hair. And I started, and it was like all of my activism and stuff really was accidental. But as it related to education, it was because my mother was a teacher. My aunt was a teacher. My grand, you know, my people came up through the great migration, leaving sharecropping, and chattel slavery and going on to Missouri to become what, you know, what would be called Black middle class nurses, working for the federal government, but having to deal in the city where you still couldn't be in school with white folks. And so me coming in the generation, two generations later, and St. Louis being that really segregated city, and having a disability was like, you go to school and you have teachers looking at you go, well, you can't really learn, but here's some paper and just never really accepted me. How, if you are in charge of education, how are you not smart enough to figure out how to educate me?
Keith Jones:
And so that really, and so my passion about educational access, reform, inclusion, 1) was born out of a personal just journey 2) was because it baffles me that a well-functioning society is well-informed society, a well-educated society. Society doesn't mean you get along, in terms of like what restaurants you gonna go to, but you have a foundational, common understanding of what critical thinking is. You know, we have students who would excel if they had a different educational structure versus put your, feet flat, hands on the desk and look forward. I can't do that. And so, because I can't do that, you then get to project your own isms on me, which then affects the way you teach me. The way I accrue information is reflected on my report card. Do I then get tracked off into resource classes, which then tracks me off into, you know, as a teenager now, I'm socially ostracized.
Keith Jones:
Now I can't be just a regular kid in all of these things because we know this. This is a 40-year trend line, and that's being conservative. So that's really what drove me and still drives me about education is that I got kids in education, public education. So I have a personal stake in it. I'm a product of public education. And I never, this is just me rambling in the moment, but I never really understood why public education had to be, why did we strive to make public education so mediocre? Like why did we strive to make it not the best on the planet? Why private education equated with excellence, greatness, success, And public education is seen as, oh, well, at least you survived. So that's really kind of, that's the backdrop to the passion about education.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Well, I wanna get back to that excellence in education and what would constitute that in your mind and how that relates to inclusive education. But I wanna also go back to your story as a child in the education system. I'm assuming you were in public schools between the seventies and eighties. Yes?
Keith Jones:
Yes.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Okay. We're about the same generation here.
Keith Jones:
Yeah, there you go. .
Diana Pastora Carson:
So, so tell us, I mean, do you have any stories you can think back on that you can share with us that represent what the mindsets were at the time, and as you said, have continued somewhat, you know, that we've seen the same trends happening currently?
Keith Jones:
Yeah. I mean, I think what people forget is that Brown v. Board of Education was 1954. The full adoption of Brown versus Board of education, some would argue, and I would argue, is not even complete and we're in 2022. But once you add disability to it, then you get into the 504, the IDEA, the right, you know, to equal education. And so for me, growing up in St. Louis, we were substantially, say like, if you had a disability, you went to one of two schools. Like there was no inclusive education. All the kids with disabilities went, at least when I was in the city, we went to the Michael School. Then if you was on the north side of St. Louis, you went there. If you was on the south side, they'd bus you there. If you lived in the county, they would send you to another school out in Florissant.
Keith Jones:
And what just baffled me is, I mean, as a kid, you don't really pay attention to it cause it's school. Your mommy gets you up, wash your face, brush your teeth, push you out the door, and get out my face, and come back and don't come home stupid, right? Like you had to go to school and come back smart. But the pattern and practice was 1) we were still only 15 years removed from Brown v. Board of Education. We literally were 6 to 10 years removed from the assassination of major civil rights leaders. We were in the height of the Black Power movement and the reflective response of white flight leaving the...So it was this social upheaval in the seventies and the eighties. And so what you had were people talking about school choice. We don't want kids to go here and teachers saying, you know, I remember my first inclusive class. I was the first kid in to go mainstream.
Diana Pastora Carson:
How old were you?
Keith Jones:
Oh, God. I was like nine, eight or nine. And we were in up Upstate New York. And I went half a day to quote-unquote regular school, and then they would pick me up and send me to the special school because I had physical therapy, speech therapy, but it was,
Diana Pastora Carson:
I wanted, I want to just make sure everybody understands that when you said special, you had a certain expression on your face. So that was a quote-unquote special school.
Keith Jones:
Okay. Yeah. So, so my face will give me away, which is, so don't ever have me on a witness stand. But the special schools, even now, when people talk about special education, and the trend line that I saw, was again, people who chose to get into education, who wanted to who chose education for a career. And because, you know, it's, it's, it's this thing and they feel like they're giving back. But they still allowed their prejudices to dominate who they thought were worthy of being educated. And that's in public education, which public education by default means the public, which means everybody. Don't matter if you got crutches, guide dog, hearing aids, or bad breath or bad ankles, right? The public. And it just educated that for me, because people kept telling me what I couldn't do.
Keith Jones:
You know, what I could not learn, what I was not supposed to be interested in. And I'm here some 40 years later and having conversations with kids in high school who are like, Keith, I didn't know I could even live a life like you livin' because nobody thinks I can go to school. This is most, you know, so, which is why I had the big countdown last year to retirement, because I shouldn't be having the same discussion about educators who chose a profession, which is a clear mandate to impart information upon the end user, which is the student, in order for them to be more informed and more educated, and to not allow your personal biases, to impact your skillset and ability. Meaning, if you want to be a great teacher, it doesn't matter if the kid shows up and hasn't taken a bath in two days, that means you have to use your skillset to understand that they may have a different kind of economic situation at home, and you are the one safe place.
Keith Jones:
And that is not, oh, Diana. I've never been around Latinx kids or kids from migrant countries. I don't know how to teach them. Okay. Well then that means you just a terrible teacher. Just say that, say, you know, or what's the other one? Oh, Ms. Carson. I was never given, I was never trained how to teach those students. Who the hell is those students? And that's why my passion is really, if you are not in intentional places, like we're out in public, you don't like me. I don't like you. So be it. But if you wake up, put your pants on, go through traffic, go get your cup coffee, get mad at the people because they messed up your order again, and come to school to teach. You cannot penalize those students because you don't believe that they're able to learn. That is the problem in education. And those isms are deep-seeded and deep-rooted.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Yeah. Wow. Thank you so much, Keith. I know for many of my listeners who are passionate teachers, that's really hard to hear passionate educators, you know, who really do have a great heart. It's hard for me to hear. And I have to reflect on myself as a teacher. Were there are times when my own biases caused me to limit in my mind, what a student was capable of learning. And I really appreciate that, those challenging words, Keith, I really do. And I hope that our listeners do too. And I know that you have a deep respect for education.
Keith Jones:
Oh, absolutely.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Yeah. You, you spend your time, you volunteer your time, often to educate children and educators as well. So, I know that and I want my listeners to know that that's who you are. Yeah. And you believe in public education and you send your children there.
Keith Jones:
Yes. I, so I'm just gonna get on my soapbox for a hot second. I rage against the machine because people always like, oh my God, public education is so bad. And I'm like, that's because you make a concerted effort for it to be bad. Like there's a distinction between stuff being bad, just cause it's bad, and people saying, well, I know we're on that agricultural calendar and our children don't need to get up to go feed the cows at five o'clock in the morning and, you know, be home by three in order to tend to the chickens versus saying, you know what? We understand that we have a dysfunctional funding base that we use to fund public schools. We understand for 20 years that students have been able, people have been able to quote-unquote predict outcomes by looking at zip codes.
Keith Jones:
We understand that depending on high rental or high mortgage, we know which, which communities have the good economic tax base to have school services. When you're talking about schools, and students are sitting in their jackets because the school has no heat. And then when you were talking about, we were just talking about this, like we grew up in an era when you could go to the back of the class and go to the supply cabinet. If you came in the class, and you didn't have a pencil and paper. Keith, did you do your homework? Diana, did you do your homework? Ah, I don't have no paper. I left it. Well, there's something in the back of the room right? Now, you go in the room and they said, well, we would give you some, but we didn't have the fundraiser. And when we were watching the back to school sales, you know, kids are getting lists now to go to Office, you know, Depot on what bring to school.
Keith Jones:
So I just keep thinking public education can be the world's standard if you treat the end user, AKA the students as precious as you do, if they were buying an iPhone or a car, right? If you taught the, if you treat the end user as the dream Cadillac. If we know that our students are our future, why are we so hesitant to teach a child who may be struggling with their gender identity, but loves science, that you still can be the most brilliant astronaut astrophysicists and still wrestle with your identity, but you can still be brilliant. And because we understand that we will support you in your journey of self discovery while informing you and educating you and supporting you. That is not complicated. I think that's how quiet is kept. I actually wanted to be a teacher. So I know, if my goal was to be a teacher, cause I taught a little bit, and I know what it's like to stand in front of a classroom and look at somebody else's kids and be like, you know what? So, but I think that's that's why I believe in public education. Cause you know, we can have a better functioning, more informed, engaged, and smart community. And we can tackle a lot of the issues that are perpetual if we just invest in schools and students, and treat them like the precious things that they are.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Yeah. I know that a lot of my teacher friends would agree with that because so many of us, as you would be doing too, if you were one of the educators, are funding a lot of what's in our classrooms ourselves as well. Yeah. And as well as reaching out to families and communities for support. But yes. Good. Very good. Thank you so much.
Diana Pastora Carson:
So when you were growing up, what was your understanding of disability? You know, did you, did you always have, were you always such a social justice activist? Where, how did you come to be who you are now? What, what was your understanding of disability? What were your experiences? And what was your family's experience of you as a family member with a disability and was there advocacy that had to happen? I mean, I wanna get a better picture of yeah.
Keith Jones:
Well, okay. So to give you a little bit of context, ableism runs deep in Black community and there is a history of why. And that that relates to the indentured/chattel slavery going back. So when you talk about the ugly laws, you talk about vagrancy laws, you talk about the runaway slave laws, you talk about, you know, how you can't, you know, panhandling, all of those are stemmed out of, you know, Jim Crow era slavery laws to effectively limit the freedom of Black Americans in this country. And in order to keep people enslaved and, and to be under the threat, they would disable slaves. They would, you would be debilitated. And then if you were a certain level of debilitation, you were only used as minstrels. Or, or fun. If you were, and if you were born quote-unquote, not right.
Keith Jones:
They would use Black babies with disabilities as alligator bait. So this is the history of being Black and disabled in America. My family coming from, you know, coming from the Bayou and the Mississippi Delta, the way we talk about disability now is not the way that were talking about it in the fifties and the sixties. We weren't disabled. We were crippled or handicapped. Right? You were supposed to be put in a nice home or an institution. My family, nope. That ain't, mm, get up, go to school. The way, the way my cousins and I...think about that they used to get mad, not because I had a disability, but because they thought my grandmother played favorites. I'm like, of course, because I'm cute! So yes, like, but, uh, but the irony was, it's one of those things where you, the social activism came from just us being, wanting to be Black, just to live in America.
Keith Jones:
'Cause again, it's, this is me sitting with, you know, grandparents and uncles who are talking about their grandparents and their uncles and talking about how, you know, Mr. Charlie would act crazy in the morning and how they would have to, you know, act a certain kind of way as to not to get the white man mad because they knew if even if they wanted to react, they couldn't. So disability was never really high on, you know, oh my God, Keith, you're disabled, you need to, you know, it was, it was a reality in terms of my existence. My mother was right at the forefront. I still to this day, like, how did you, and she did it with no internet. She had the Dewey Decimal System and like the St Louis Library. How do you, you know? Now everybody goes to Google.
Keith Jones:
But the social justice came frommy grandmother, you know, being very religious and devout, but being accepting of, you know. Yes, she was a Christian (quote-unquote). But she performed one of the first same sex marriages in St. Louis. And, you know, for a Black mother of the church to be doing that, people like, you know, and then she went on to be an Olympic torch bearer when they brought the Olympics to Atlanta. And so you didn't get a chance to, I mean, you had to be aware of racism, you had to be aware of ableism, but you didn't get a chance to practice it because that's what that's, that's not who we are. Yeah. You know? And so me coming to social justice really was in school. For me, it was first me just fighting for me. My mother and I had a discussion not too long ago when we had moved within Ithaca, over to the next town. I was the only Black anything. Like when I walked into school, I was the only any of those, what they now call BIPOC or inclusive community. I was the check box. Keith is here, check! Right? But I felt...
Diana Pastora Carson:
How old were you then?
Keith Jones:
I was in the fifth grade was in fifth grade. And I was in fifth grade, Upstate New York. And it was in the Lansing school district. And I fought every day. I fought every day. I had to fight every day for like five months.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Why, what was happening?
Keith Jones:
Because it was, it was, this is Upstate New York. And so people have this dream of, you know, the north being liberal and accepting. But again, this is the mid seventies, you know, the tail end of Vietnam war, end of Vietnam war, you know, urban decay, quote-unquote, you know, all of the social issues, you're coming outta the mix and going in forward, you got recession and you, you have white people in America, you know, reflexively revolting against inclusion, whether it was women looking for the ERA or the right to have Roe V Wade, or, you know, Black people with the right to vote, or kids with disabilities wanting to be included. There was a reflexive and visceral backlash. And it was subtle in school, which is why, it was subtle in terms of the kids were, you know, we're 6 and 10 and 12 and 15. We don't really have the world global view of as to the larger as to why. But we are dealing with teachers who are coming in, who may not agree with having to have a Black kid with a disability. Who's using a head wand and an IBM roller ball typewriter in her class. 'Cause that was the fight. You know, we don't, we don't want Keith in this class because his typewriter will disturb the rest of the kids.
Diana Pastora Carson:
So it was with the actual educators and not with the other students.
Keith Jones:
Yeah. No, all of my beefs really have not been with the kids. All of my beefs through education have been with, which is why I said it at the beginning, whether it's biases and the barriers preventing teachers from teaching all students, was not kids. Kids don't raise themselves. Right. If you're a teacher, you know, the responsibility, really, if the responsibility, power lies with you. And so it, it wasn't kids. I mean, kids are gonna be kids. And did I have kids who tried to brawl with me? Sure. Were they successful? No. But you know, but when it came to education, I'll give you one story. In high school, two stories. So in high school, when I first got to, and this is after we moved from Upstate New York, relocated from Boston, Massachusetts. And the teachers, on the first day of high school, my homeroom teacher, special ed teacher, took me around each classroom that I was supposed to be in starting.
Keith Jones:
And she would introduce me in this sticky, sweet. She was an older white woman, but she would use that very condescending, patronizing tone. And then she would pat me on the head. Now, if you are Black and from the south, that is clearly because that's what they used to do to the little Black boys under slavery. If they wanted luck, they would rub the little Negro child on the head. So when I told her stop patting me like I'm your little Negro child on the head, much like they do now, I was told that I had an emotional outburst and that I was, that I had an emotional, I was emotionally unstable, and that I needed to see, you know, that as I did it again, that I would be sent to a different kind of classroom and, and have to talk to a social worker. And then for the first year of high school, when I told the, she said, she asked the homeroom, what do we all have in common? Now the homeroom was the special ed class, special education classroom, where all the students with disabilities were housed or shoved into, you know, and we all looked at each other cause we teenagers, what the hell? We like hip hop. I dunno what she got on. We like clothes. We like to eat. We don't wanna be here. What? Teenagers. And she was like, no, we're all handicapped.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Oh, wow.
Keith Jones:
And me being who I am, I said, uh, well, no, the only person in here who's handicapped is that old b---- behind the desk, which got me kicked out of the classroom. And they said I had an emotional, I was emotionally disturbed. They needed my mother and I to sign off to see a social worker. Not that, you know, the teacher just mislabeled me. But you know, and so, you know, and that was in the eighties. And I literally heard that story from a friend of mine two weeks ago about her, you know, somebody, she knows I'm like damnit, man. Like I swear I was doing some kinda good work and I'm still hearing the same story. So I think, for your listeners, it's not, you know, yes, it's hard and it's difficult. But my mom was a teacher. Like teachers are world beaters, like, you know, like to get up every day and to choose to deal with somebody else's kid? Baby, we love you all! Right? But in that, but in accepting that mantra and that task, it's also evident and required of you to be conscious of that precious gift that you're being. 'Cause we all remember the teachers that we love, but we also remember the teachers that we hate. And so I tell teachers when I speak to them, and to your listeners, you could either be a launching pad or brick wall. Which one do you wanna be?
Diana Pastora Carson:
Mm, yeah, I think we all wanna be that launching pad for greatness.
Keith Jones:
Yes.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Yes. So, you know, you brought up ableism and you know, everything you've shared about has revolved around ableism and isms just basically. And I know that there's, I, I had, my listeners may remember that previously I had Leroy Moore Jr. on the show and you and Leroy are in cahoots in music. And you know, I know that there's a lot of, you both are passionate about Krip Hop nation. I want you to share a little bit about Krip Hop Nation and why it's so important, you know. We wanna understand about the importance of representation in the media as well as what the messages maybe that students get from pop culture about disability and what adults get from pop culture, um, about what disability means. So could you just share a little bit about Krip Hop Nation and about why it's, why are you guys so passionate about doing this? And by the way, don't forget to mention that wonderful award you guys got recently,
Keith Jones:
Ok fine. If I have to ...Krip Hop Nation, I guess the reason we're passionate about it is because we literally are, it's life, you know, we would be, would we trade activism just to be poets and artists and rappers? Sure. Would we just wanna wake up and be in whatever our human condition is, whether it's cerebral palsy, deafness, you know, paralysis, you know, late deafened. What we, the passion that drives Krip Hop Nation is 1) for the kids to say, hey, I can do it. You know, and I'm very conscious of what we do. And Leroy is exceedingly precious and conscious of what we do because we understand what the mantra role model can mean and what it should mean and, and how, but also how people who are not in line with your, your spirit or, or even wanting the vessel. You can use that as a curmudgeon to beat you over the head with it.
Keith Jones:
And so we're passionate about it because to look at the, you know, we are from that same generation. So I grew up watching Sanford and Son, Chico and the Man, you know, you know, you had Fish, you had Barney Miller, or you had, or you had The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Or, you know, you had Heat of the Night. You had all of these things where to have anything other than white on television was amazing. And so you craved for, because everything that was not white on TV was telling you that you were not worthy. So when you talk about Krip Hop and what we're doing, the passion is to be able to turn to a child who may have never seen another person with a disability, not because they just like, I don't wanna see him, but because society is not set up to be embracing of your fullness of your humanity.
Keith Jones:
So if they see a Keith Jones or Leroy Moore or Tony Hickman, or, you know, or, or, you know, Kalyn from Wheelchair Sports Camp, or, you know, an Archie from Africa, you see, you know, inclusive in Australia, that your human condition does not define your creativity. What defines your creativity is your expression and your opportunity to give it. And so, that's really what we're passionate about. And it's crazy that we did this. We started on my space and who we are now 20 years later. And we give them the song, the world, the song attached to the Rising Phoenix and the title song, that the same name and won an Emmy and now, and you know, and parents are like, I never thought my kid could have a life. And I used to ask why, you know, we love our family. And so we are passionate about it because the world can be a better place.
Keith Jones:
We can have a better world. We can have inclusive education where teachers are valued and supported. Students are valued and supported. And we build a structure in the system that caters to their strengths, their talents, and their likes versus shoving them into these cubicles because we have a pre-prescribed notion of what they should be, which literally how many people do we know in our age now, like I did this because my mother wanted me to be an accountant and I hated it. And now I'm retiring and I'm gonna go like painting, like watch whales. Well, what could, how much happier could you have been if your educational outlet gave you something where you didn't need to have a PhD or a master's degree where your skill set in your life experiences are your talent, and how much more open and creative and accepting would our society be.
Keith Jones:
So that's really sort of like the undergirding of the philosophy of why we do it is because at the end of the day, we don't wanna have to do it. You know, you should just be glad that Diana is Diana. 'Cause Diana is dope. Not because Diana is like, well, Diana's dope because she's this, you know, like it's dope. She just, they, the spirit radiates everything versus, you know, well, you know, I'm dope. But if you ask me to cook, I might burn down the house. So, you know, we, we accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Yeah. Everybody has a contribution to make in our community. You know? And sometimes, you know, those days, like you talked about your mom and, and all the educators out here, you know, there are days when you go in and you're trying to teach somebody else's child who they've raised in a different way. And it's not always easy, but there are people like you are, who are here to remind us that everybody does have a contribution to make. And we are the ones who are in leadership. And we are the influencers. I say that all the time., Educators are influencers. And so how we believe and how we behave is going to influence the way that others, that other educators are going to behave and think and believe as well as the students with, and without disabilities, in our classrooms and on our campuses. I really appreciate you sharing about that and congratulations on the Emmy. So I am so excited about this Rising Phoenix song. What is the name of the song it's Rising Phoenix, right?
Keith Jones:
Yes. The song title and the documentary are both called Rising Phoenix. And we're still on Netflix.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Awesome. Yeah. On Netflix. I love it. Well, I am gonna play a crip, play a crip. That was a Freudian slip. I'm gonna play a clip. of Rising Phoenix right now. Here we go.
Rising Phoenix Song:
We drew how they made it sit, but that's what you feel around vultures and all the fatal schemes. They want to label me a crippled. That's the way it seems to take away my right to pursue a normal
Rising Phoenix Song:
Life in indeed. For me, I must proceed and shine bright like the sun, even though I know that darkness will come, it's all temporary. I can be legendary. Cause I will never stop believing in me. It doesn't matter what you think I should be. See, I am what I am, I'm the truth. I'm disabled. I'm amazing. Understand don't you ever under me? Cause I second chance. And to be the, Song continues...I'm a Rising Pheonix...I'll rise above you...
Diana Pastora Carson:
Do you have any last words of wisdom you wanna share?
Keith Jones:
I guess the last word is, remember why you do this? You know, um, typically when I'm, when I'm doing educational trainings or speeches, um, I'll ask a teacher, why do you teach? And if it takes longer than 30 seconds to answer the question, you don't need to teach anymore.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Ah,
Keith Jones:
Because this is not because we're not in the business of making widgets, like you are in the business of affecting and shaping people's lives. And again, the larger or more popular quote-unquote narrative is that teachers are, you know, we're gonna, you know, ban books, and teachers are teaching this. You are the fulcrum point of any successful society. You can either be the, again, the launching pad or the brick wall. You are the reason that people wake up and say, I am here because the teacher believes in me. You may be the one, you probably are that one person that if a student comes with a different human condition or different, different way of looking at the world, you may be that one rung on the ladder that they can cling to, to pull themselves to the heights that they see themselves going. But if you can, but if you within yourself, can't reassess and reevaluate and realize why you do this, and it's not to project your isms or, you know, or to codify students in this larger, well, you know, Johnny doesn't read this way.
Keith Jones:
So he can't be in my class. Johnny there's, there's no human who stands up in front of a classroom for the students and can glance out over that mass of humanity and identify each way each individual learns. You can't do it. 'Cause if we could have did it, our educational system, wouldn't be the way it's. So the way I hope, um, I inspire teacher or even motivate you, or just remind you that you are the deal. You are that like y'all are the people. Yes, you can still have beliefs that are not popular, but as a teacher, you have the ability, even if you don't like the students, but you have the ability to be the most positive, the most energetic and most encouraging force in their life. But it can't be done that way if you look at me rolling into your classroom and instantly say, that Negro in a wheelchair aint ready to learn. Because that's reality. Because students with disability is graduating at a 12% rate in four years outta high school, versus their counterparts.
Keith Jones:
Students in higher education are roughly about 2.3% of the total higher education population, which is why 90% of the people with disabilities who are in poverty or abject poverty. So this is not about, you know, doubting teachers. This is just realize your power. You are the people, but it's almost like you can use it for force of good or evil, right? You know, you can, you can, you can either be like, I'm the teacher and I gonna teach you, like, I'm gonna teach you factually-based information and put it in a way that you can attain, assess, hold on and reaffirm and reimagine and re-tap into this education to this information. Or I can just get you propaganda in order to keep feeding the narrative. I hope that teachers go into the classroom, parents when you send your kids out the door, encourage them that however you, however you take information in it's okay. Whether you need to put it to a beat, whether you need to be in crayons, whether you need to be in a cartoon or a movie, or just reading and for teachers that you can be creative and use multitudes of ways to impart information on your class because that's, that's the job. And we love you. Thank you for the job that you do. It ain't easy. It's thankless. We love you. And so keep doing what you do.
Diana Pastora Carson:
Thank you for tuning into this episode of Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters. If this was helpful to you, be sure to subscribe, rate, and review this show on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Spotify. You can also follow me, Diana, on Instagram @dianapastoracarson and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/GoBeyondAwareness. Or you can go to my website for more information at www.DianaPastoraCarson.com. My books include Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity Work in K-12 Schools and Communities, as well as my children's book, Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights. They can both be found on Amazon. For your free Beyond Awareness resource called the "5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness," simply go to www.GoBeyondAwareness.com/keys. This podcast transcription and podcast guest information can be found in the show notes. Intro and outro music has been provided courtesy of Emmanuel Castro. Thank you again for joining me. Be well, be a lifelong learner, and let's be inclusive. See you next time.
