My journey to an Inclusive mindset took 18 years to get started. I grew up in a white, middle-class suburban neighborhood in Montana. Everyone looked like me. It was not until I left for college that I had exposure to people who looked, acted, and thought differently than me. Suddenly an entire new world was open to me. I learned about new cultures from friends I met from Ghana, Nepal, and Tanzania. I met people who grew up in dense urban areas. I met people of different faiths. Their experiences helped me see the world through a new lens. These experiences led, in part, to my decision to complete the honors program at my college and participate in a study abroad program. I spent a semester living and studying in Greece. Living in a country where I didn’t speak the language gave me a sense of what English Language Learners experience when they move to the United States.

My son is at the very heart of my equity advocacy. Kalen is 8 years old and is on the Autism Spectrum. He also has strabismus and dysgraphia. Being neuro-divergent with additional learning disabilities, typical educational and social environments present challenges for Kalen. He is incredibly smart and articulate, reading considerably above his age level, playing chess, and engineering complex landscapes and machines in Minecraft. I have worked tirelessly to ensure Kalen has all the opportunities to succeed with his education, as well as grow into a well-rounded global citizen.

I have educated myself about Autism and how to support my child’s development. I’ve taking in-person training, online webinars, and read countless articles and books to be the best advocate and father I can be. I have learned how to work with school administration and staff to create a safe, inclusive environment. This has required tough negotiations, patience, communication skills, and the ability to navigate the public education system. I work directly with teachers, support staff, and district administration. These skills also serve me in professional settings

I’ve also worked outside the educational system to advocate for my son. His Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy and Occupational Therapy helps Kalen gain tools and skills that will serve him at school, in our home, and interacting with peers. Community and online support groups have helped us find activities, camps, and sensory-friendly events. 

My work with children with disabilities started years before I became a father. In high school and college, I worked in residential group homes for teens with developmental disabilities. It is a wonderful feeling to help someone learn something new or do something they thought “impossible”. Their feeling of pride and accomplishment made all the hard work and stressful situations worth it. This experience helped me see the potential inside of them; potential that just needed help to breakthrough the surface so they, and everyone around them, could also see it.

I believe this is the case with every student, regardless of where they came from, how they look, or what their life experience has been. With patience, communication, and compassion, each student has the opportunity to grow and achieve their dreams. As parents and educators, it is our primary responsibility to help students unlock their potential. We can do this by creating and fostering a community that allows for, and celebrates, our diversity. Diversity of thought, of beliefs, of cultures. Every difference is an opportunity to learn something new. Our students should learn to embrace, not fear, the unknown and different.