Thankful

I think Thanksgiving might be my favorite holiday. A day devoted to giving thanks for the abundance in our lives- what could be nicer than that? Both personally and professionally, gratitude is an important part of my daily life. I am intentional about practicing gratitude every single day, and I do it in various ways from writing and list-making to meditating on it. Check this out for ways to begin your own gratitude practice.

I find it very helpful to replace discouraging thoughts with those of gratitude. Things are tough in the world today, and it can be easy to be dragged into despair. As inclusion activists we are horrified when we see stories like this. It tells us that there is much more work to be done, and fuels our passion. A few too many of those, and not enough like this and it can be hard to get out of bed in the morning. We need to see that our efforts are making a difference. This is where gratitude comes in for me.

Here are 10 things I am grateful for in my work this year:

I am so thrilled with the commitment that the US Military Child & Youth Programs have made to inclusion. We have been working closely with them all year and it has been an incredible experience for all of us at KIT. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to go to the Pentagon to speak about our work with the incredible people in the Office of Child & Youth Programs and Office of Special Needs.

I am so happy to know that there are disability organizations like The Ability Center of Toledo, OH who are changing their model to more community inclusion. Last spring The Ability Center held a two-day KIT workshop for a large group of recreation and child development organizations in their greater area.

Organizations like Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital are also becoming firmly rooted in inclusion. They hosted a National Keys to Leadership conference on the topic of inclusion this year and Girl Scout leaders from around the country came to learn and share their own practice of inclusion.

Corporate foundations like Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) continue to support inclusion. Celebrating their 20^th Anniversary this year they awarded 20 agencies with Inclusion Champion Awards and KIT was one of them. Thank you, MEAF!

There are so many individuals making a difference, and we were so lucky to have Jon Williams and Teresa Hayes-Williams come all the way from Japan to speak at our national conference in October and share their personal journey of inclusion. It was incredibly moving, and I invite you to watch the recording by creating a free KIT account here (note- there is a small fee to view).

Our KIT founder, Gayle Slate, recently hosted a reception of past KIT supporters to update them on our doings of the past couple of years. The event was so well received and we were so grateful to have the opportunity to thank our original supporters for guiding our early development.

I am a big, huge fan of the work of Micaela Connery and Unified Theatre. This work is showing middle and high school kids that everyone has something to contribute and that focusing on ability is really the way to go. See Micaela’s work here and here and here. I am so grateful that this year Micaela asked me to join her board of directors.

Young people are so important to the inclusion movement, and that is why I am very grateful for the passion and energy of the I Am Norm campaign. Every time I promote it somewhere (and especially when one of the youth advocates is there to speak about it themselves) people get incredibly excited about it.

We are thankful to have been recognized as finalists in the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) San Diego’s PEAK Performance Awards this year. We were recognized alongside Mailboxes, Etc. and HD Supply- two giant corporations, and it was fun to be the little engine that could.

Finally, I could not be more grateful for the incredible team of people I work with at KIT. They care so much about this work, and they express it in ways that are positive, joyful, fun and empowering. People respond so well to KIT’s message, and I know that it is in large part due to how the KIT staff communicates it with such verve. I cannot imagine doing anything else, with any other people and I literally wake up every morning with a smile on my face because I have the incredible good fortune to work for KIT.

What are you thankful for in your work this year?

The Power of Two

I recently learned something about staffing and organizational behavior that I am calling "the power of two." KIT has been experiencing rapid growth over the past year, and we have added staff throughout the year. We are now lucky enough to have 2 digital content producers who work on social media, our website, our learning management system and translating our curriculum into a variety of digital formats. These two creative talents taught me this lesson, which I believe can be applied to any type of organization. Maybe another way to think of it is the "Noah's Ark staffing model." Here is how it goes- previously Michael was our solo digital content guy. He has a lot of expertise in his field and while we are all interested in technology and social media we do not speak his language. When he talks to us he probably always feels like he is teaching us! Which he kind of is. Enter our second digital content expert, Dora. The second Dora and Michael were introduced to each other I saw sparks fly. Because they share the same knowledge, experience and interests they can collaborate with each other in a way they can't with the rest of us. Seeing them work together, and what they have already produced with each other as a resource has really taught me the "no person is an island" lesson. It makes me think that two is more than twice as good as one, in some situations. It also makes me think that we should be intentionally creating these synergistic relationships among staff members, so that they each have their own sounding board. When I think about the organizations we serve, I think the child, youth and recreation providers would also benefit from this kind of pairing. It isn't mentoring, but more a peer-to-peer relationship that fosters creativity, problem-solving and shared experience. Now that I have learned this lesson, I hope to be able to use the information to plan for staffing. It's also something I will use when helping our affiliated organizations plan for and sustain their inclusive practices.

Visualizing Inclusion at KIT's National Conference

Next week hundreds of people from around the world will be traveling to San Diego to attend KIT’s 7th Annual National Conference on Inclusion. As you can imagine, this week is full of the little details that come with hosting such an event. We are packing swag bags, assembling name badges, getting the program to the printer and on and on and on. But, since this is the 7^th annual conference I am familiar with the growing feeling of excitement and anticipation. There is really nothing like gathering so many people devoted to caring for children into one space and exploring the issue of inclusion. It is always such a moving experience for everyone.

One of my tasks this week is to prepare my comments for the first morning of the conference. I always like to use my time at the podium to frame the learning experience for the participants. I want to help them break their pre-occupation with the outside world and settle into a space of openness and curiosity. In the past I have shared the concept of the “beginner’s mind.” This year, I am considering conducting a few moments of subtle activism by asking the group to close their eyes and visualize what inclusion looks like in its truest form. I think that if we can start the conference by envisioning how we want our child care environments and communities to look, feel and be we will be in a more open space for absorbing the knowledge of our presenters. In subtle activism a group of like-minded people come together to positively influence social change, perhaps through meditation, visualization or prayer or some other form of subtle consciousness-raising. Gathering hundreds of inclusion practitioners in a hotel ballroom to visualize inclusion could be very powerful and propel our efforts to change the world!

This year I also have the pleasure of introducing one of my heroes as our keynote speaker, Micaela Connery, Founder and Executive Director of Unified Theatre. Her own activism is a real inspiration, and if you aren’t there to hear her live I hope you check out the virtual version that will be available in November. 

A Daily Reminder from a Blow Dryer

Every morning while doing my hair before work my eyes settle on a tag on my blow dryer. It says “Warn children of the risk of death by electric shock.” And every morning this causes me to consider the enormity of the responsibility parents have in raising children. My next thought is always about the role teachers and child care providers play in helping children grow and develop. It’s about remembering to warn children of risks like a blow dryer in a bathtub and it’s about teaching skills like sharing with your friends. The big goal, of course, is to help children become happy, confident adults that contribute to our society by sharing their unique gifts and talents. It’s an every day, every minute endeavor. I think it can be easy to forget the end goal when we are trying to get through the day-to-day challenges. Two children struggling over the same toy can be very annoying to us as adults, if we have forgotten that our role is to teach these two children the skills necessary to share. Remembering that behaviors are opportunities to encourage skill-building in children can be a helpful way to maintain our composure.  Let’s consider all the tools and skills that are necessary for you to get through your own adult day. Here are just a few:

·      Dealing with disappointment

·      Listening while others speak

·      Being empathetic

·      Compromising with our spouse, partner or colleagues

·      Setting aside our own interests for the greater good

·      Being patient while waiting in lines

·      Cooperation in the workplace

·      Effectively communicating your needs

This is a list of skills I used before 9:00am today! And, at the risk of repeating the classic All I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, these are all skills we help children learn in our child care and youth recreation programs. They need us to show them the way. They need us to lead by example, and also to be very understanding when they haven’t yet mastered a skill. There is so much to teach these small beings. It’s a big and important responsibility. I try to remind myself of this every morning as I prepare for work.

Inclusion is…teaching skills  

Making Space

We all need to take a breather every now and then. To refresh, revitalize and remember why we work so hard doing the things we do. This month I went and sat and looked at this lake for awhile and renewed my spirit and my dedication to my life's work. I share that with you as a reminder, and hopefully an encouragement, that we all need to make space in our life for reflection. Sometimes it feels impossible, but stepping out of our every day routine to be still is critical to keeping our own battery charged. When we are running on empty we can't give ourselves to others.

In August KIT delivered a webinar on techniques for relaxation for people who work in child care or recreation. It's still available here- titled Breathe & Relax: Self-Care Strategies.  I encourage you to check it out and make a plan to take good care of yourself. You are so important!

Inclusion is...remembering that we are part of the equation.

Find Inspiration, Reflect Deeply

In any kind of social change work, I think it is important to adopt the practice of seeking inspiration wherever you can find it and then internalize it by reflecting in a deep and meaningful way. Trying to make the world a better place can be draining! It can sometimes seem like change isn’t happening fast enough and that there are not enough people behind your mission to reach a critical mass. The way I counteract this feeling is by seeking inspiration and reflecting deeply.

Recently, my inspiration has been found in the hearts and minds of young people. I am continually invigorated by the energy and passion of the young people in the inclusion movement. I had a “my cup runneth over” moment recently at KIT’s Over the Edge fundraiser. There were several wonderful examples of youth advocacy and I expect to be sharing more about this over the next few weeks.

Here are my first two heroes- Tali and Malia Rappaport. Actively involved in the I Am Norm campaign, these two inclusion super sisters formed their own rappel team and raised $2,000 for KIT. On the day of the rappel they set up a table to promote the I Am Norm campaign and promoted the message of inclusion to every attendee. Tali has used her musical talent to write and produce a theme song for I Am Norm (available on iTunes!) and had our DJ Ryan, from Positive Adventures, play it as they scaled down the 33 floors of the Hyatt. These two blow me away. The positive energy, the devotion and the way they actively spread the message of inclusion is very exhilarating to me. And I love that they found pants to match their I Am Norm t-shirts.

                                                           Tali Rappaport beginning her 33 story rappel! 

When I feel like KIT’s message isn’t being heard, or that my voice isn’t loud enough to make a difference, I look at the young advocates that I am blessed to know. They will change this world for the better, and I can’t wait to see it happen.

Malia Rappaport still smiling as she descends the building. 

Inclusion is…powerful in the hands of young people! 

The Journey

Big news! We have a new CEO at KIT. You may have seen the announcements that our beloved Jan Giacinti retired as of June 30. We were excited to welcome a new CEO to the KIT team (and a man, at that!). It has already been so fun to have an outside perspective on our work, with new questions and a fresh set of eyes on how we do business. At our recent staff meeting Jeff brought up the subject of quality, and how it’s not a destination we arrive at but more of an on-going practice. Yes!

What this brought up for me is related to how we teach organizations about inclusion. We are fond of saying that inclusion is a process and not a product and that the journey to inclusion really is the destination. There is no point when an organization crosses a finish line and can throw their arms up in the air and say “We did it! We are now officially inclusive!” It’s something you are constantly striving for, always refining and forever enhancing. Just when you think you’ve mastered it there will be a new challenge or you will find a new, better way of ensuring that your services can be accessed by everyone. And there is so much value in the journey. The exploration of an organization’s values, and the concept of working through the process of ensuring access is what actually leads to the organizational transformation.

When we deliver our services we are committed to what we call a “parallel process.” We want to model the behaviors that we hope our learners will adopt. We do this in our training modules by teaching the way we hope participants will teach others. We also strive to conduct our organizational business in this manner as well. This is why I saw the connection to quality so strongly. Achieving quality is also a journey, and going on the journey is what leads to better quality. There are some benchmarks along the way, but the finish line is ever changing. I know that at KIT we are so mission-focused that we keep moving the finish line farther and farther away from where we are now. It’s something I have always loved about being a part of KIT. The constant examination of what it means to have high quality (or be inclusive) is what makes it happen.

To all of you, my incredible KIT colleagues and those who engage with KIT at any level, I say let’s enjoy the journey!

Our Future is in Good Hands!

Mentoring young people has always been something that has given me great pleasure, and added a lot of value and meaning to my life. This past year I had the opportunity to serve as the Project Advisor for an incredibly gifted young woman's Girl Scout Gold Award. I first met Jordan Moore, who recently graduated from high school, four years ago when we were paired up for a Girl Scout job-shadowing event. Jordan fell in love with KIT and we fell in love with Jordan. Subsequently, Jordan interned at KIT for a summer, served as a featured speaker at our National Conference on Inclusion and became one of the founding members of the I Am Norm campaign. Jordan, who lives with a disability, is a passionate advocate for inclusion.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement in Girl Scouts, and requires significant, individual effort on behalf of the candidate. Jordan's project, Inclusion Made Easy: How to Bring Everyone to the Table, focused on inclusion of high school students in and out of classroom environments. She identified and organized a group of teens, living with and without disabilities, and created a National Youth Council on Inclusion. They created a resource guide and website to encourage inclusive environments in high school clubs and extracurricular activities. They sent the guide to 38 schools, potentially reaching more than 67,000 students.

I am incredibly proud of Jordan and so honored to have had the chance to work with her in her high school years. She's headed off to Yale in the fall and has an incredibly bright future ahead of her. It really does my heart good to see young inclusion advocates like Jordan. This mission will take some years to fully realize, so it's important to have dedicated people following behind us and coming up the ranks. Love you, Jordan!

This year I will be supporting another young inclusion dynamo, Malia Rappaport, as she uses her Gold Award project to promote inclusion.

“Honey, you have to see the interview on Colbert from last night. The CEO of Special Olympics was on talking about person-first language!” my husband excitedly said to me one morning last week. I had fallen asleep while we were watching it together the night before. And, no, I didn’t fall asleep during it’s 11:30pm timeslot. I am (just a little) embarrassed to admit that we were watching our DVR’d version at about 8pm!

I did watch it. And then I watched it again. And then I tweeted it and posted it on my Facebook wall. And I kept thinking about it and talking about it with anyone who would listen. Here is the clip, in case you haven’t seen it. Watch it and then meet me back here and we can discuss.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Tim Shriver
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

OK. Pretty good, right? By “pretty” I mean, I love to see this kind of advocacy taking place on a show with such wide influence. Also, I do love the R-word campaign. But, by “pretty,” I also mean that I do have some criticisms. With no disrespect meant to Tim Shriver, President and CEO of Special Olympics, I think he got a little lost in his message. Here is what I mean:

The clip is about the “R-word” campaign. However, Mr. Shriver talks about person-first language and the importance of putting the person before the disability. In my opinion, that doesn’t have much to do with the R-word campaign, which is focused on stopping people from using the word “retard” as a slang insult. The campaign is beautiful and effective in its simplicity. Instead, Mr. Shriver talked about how mental retardation was a term that was used in the past and that now the term is intellectual disabilities. Which is true, but not really related to the R-word campaign. Which brings me to my next point…

· Mr. Shriver said that, although he knew that others didn’t like it, he likes the term “intellectual diffabilities” (a mash-up of the word “difference” and the word “disability”). I, personally, have a strong negative reaction to that term. It is one of those cringe-inducing, overly euphemistic terms like handicapable or differently-abled.

· I also didn’t love how he explained person-first language. I sat there thinking that I could do a much better job. Of course, being interviewed by Stephen Colbert may be one of the hardest things to do on television, so I shouldn’t be so judgmental. And I am really not trying to be judgey. I know Mr. Shriver was trying to poke fun at Colbert when he called him a “person with goop in his hair,” but I don’t know if it really helped viewers develop any new understanding of people with disabilities.

Again, no disrespect intended to Mr. Shriver and the incredible work he and his family have done for people with disabilities.

I think that the most important sentence in that entire interview was the one that Colbert delivered as a spontaneous PSA at the end. I thought it brilliantly summed up the point of the R-word campaign in a way that was light, funny and important.

What are your thoughts?

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We have an app! How cool are we?

There has been lots of excitement around the KIT office, and lots of travel to faraway places to spread the word of inclusion. I am hoping that some of our busy trainers will contribute their journals to this blog in the near future, but until then I interrupt our regular programming for a commercial for our new iPhone app!

One of the many reasons I love working for KIT is the way we can have an idea and then get it off the ground quickly. This ability is directly related to the diverse team of talents we have here. It took a village to make an iPhone app, and we are thrilled to offer it to you for FREE! Many thanks to the Special Hope Foundation, who made this possible.

Click here to download it for your iPhone. The app includes many just-in-time training tools, like short instructional videos, booklets, FAQs and access to our training calendar. You can also link to our various social media outlets through the app.

We did start with the iPhone, but we plan to secure more funding to create apps for the other smart phones as well. Hang in there Android and Blackberry users!

Inclusion is...leveraging the latest technology!

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