OCALI’s Inspiring Change
Stories and connections from OCALI’s ongoing work of inspiring change and promoting access for people with disabilities.
Episodes
Megan and Simon are joined by Amy Bixler Coffin, program director of the Autism Center at OCALI and program manager of the Multi-System Navigation Center at OCALI. It’s a big and bittersweet moment as Amy retires after a 20-year career at OCALI and 35-year career in education. We share a lot of laughs, a few tears, but mostly we commemorate and celebrate all that her two centers have accomplished over the years while we look forwar...
In this episode of Connecting the Dots from the Autism Center at OCALI, hosts Megan Trowbridge and Simon Buehrer sit down with long-time friend and autism expert Jim Taylor from Stirling, Scotland. With over 45 years of experience in the field of autism, Jim shares his insights on learning, reflection, and fostering community. A regular attendee of OCALICON since 2007, Jim explains how Columbus, Ohio, has become his second home—hig...
Join us for the debut of Connecting the Dots, a new podcast series from the Autism Center at OCALI, aimed at raising awareness about autism and empowering communities. In our first episode, we explore how the 2024 Ohio State Fair is advancing inclusivity through its Sensory-Friendly Morning. Now in its fifth year, this special event lowers noise and lights to create a more accessible environment for individuals with sensory sensiti...
Intuitive Machine’s Odysseus recently completed the U.S.’s first moon landing in 50 years. As we continue to explore the “final frontier,” how can we leverage disability’s practical, creative, and ingenuous problem-solving skills – and contingency plans – to better prepare for bold new adventures? And how do these noble pursuits help us build better communities here on Earth? Dr. Sheri Wells-Jenson, associate professor of linguisti...
The OCALICON Rewind series continues featuring a conversation with three leaders, legends, and luminaries. Judy, Temple, and Haben come together for the first time to reflect on their work, contributions, and advocacy efforts over the years, and discuss how different ways of thinking, collaborating, and innovating are necessary to building a more inclusive world for everyone.
OCALI’s Executive Director, Shawn Henry, discusses the necessary components of access and belonging when building community in closing remarks delivered at OCALICON.
OCALI's "Rewind" series continues with a dialogue about the current state of disability education in both rural and urban settings. The conversations features leaders from ACRES, an organization focused on rural disability education and members of the Urban Collaborative, an organization focused on urban disability education.
How can we build and foster better and more significant relationships? Using a framework grounded in research, Tim Vogt and Danyetta Najoli from Starfire in Cincinnati, and Jill Mays from PSU in Lebanon, OH, shared some thoughts, laughs, experiences, and recommendations for creating and supporting meaningful engagements, intentional connections, and stronger and more inclusive communities. This conversation was originally recorded ...
The Rewind series resumes with a candid conversation with two autistic women and the parent of a young woman with autism as they share their personal stories of the journey to receiving a diagnosis, as well as the challenges that they faced in obtaining appropriate resources and services. Kelli Yeagley is a consultant, educator, and advocate specializing in autism, disability, and accessibility. Siena Castellon is author of The Spe...
Since 2016, OCALI has awarded the Margaret Burley Family Impact Award to a parent or professional who has made a significant impact on the lives of families of those with disabilities. But who is Margaret Burley? And why is her work, impact, and legacy important enough to memorialize and honor through this annual award? We discuss with Donna Owens, OCALI’s former director of the Family and Community Outreach Center and unofficial r...
Sheila Graschinsky is the president and CEO of Fundación Ian, an organization in Buenos Aires focused on promoting a diverse and inclusive society. She collaborated with Mundoloco CGI to produce the short animated film Ian, which is based on a real-life experience involving Sheila and her son, Ian. It’s a powerful piece that addresses discrimination and bullying and helps all of us understand why inclusion and diversity are so crit...
Kim Clairy, OTR/L, and Kelly Mahler, OTD, OTR/L, challenge us to step beyond traditional thinking and understanding of trauma and reflect on how trauma is defined and experienced differently by people on the autism spectrum – including complications that can occur involving sensory challenges, social isolation, communication difficulties, and more. Kim further illustrates her own experiences with different forms of trauma in her li...
New! The Rewind podcast series features speakers, sessions, and stories from OCALICON – the premier autism and disabilities conference. Dr. Charles Barrett is a nationally-certified school psychologist, as well as a writer, musician, and teacher from Northern Virginia. His work is anchored by a focus on justice and equity, which represents his unwavering commitment to advocating for populations that have been marginalized by system...
Dani Bowman is an animator, filmmaker, author, teacher, student, and entrepreneur from Southern California. We first met in the summer of 2012 while she was teaching an animation camp to kids and young adults at our offices in Columbus. Dani was still in high school at the time. Fast forward eight years, and we wanted to check in and see how things are going – with her animation company, her continued studies, her animation camps, ...
A conversation with Gabby Kozinski, a recent high school graduate from Bucyrus, OH, and the multi-agency group of professionals who have been her support team as she gets ready for the next phase in her journey.
We catch up with director Kevin Miller from Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities at the ODNR park at the Ohio State Fair.
OCALI’s Jen Bavry and Shawn Henry chat with poet, speaker, and advocate LeDerick Horne about his experiences as a young man with disabilities, his work towards helping give young people a vision for what is possible, and the fresh world of opportunities that opens up when you’re freed from the tyranny of spelling.
July 2020 marks the 30-year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed into law by the first President Bush in 1990.We talk to D’Arcee Neal, Diana Mairose, and Mark Seifarth – three people from three different generations – about what the ADA means to them, what it does for them, where it misses the mark, and their recommendations going forward as the journey continues.
We chat with Marla Berkowitz, Lena Smith, and Christy Horne – the superstar team of ASL interpreters for Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s daily COVID-19 press conferences. John Moore of DSC is the discussion moderator. Closing music from Sean Forbes.
Kim Clairy is an occupational therapist, consultant, poet, and self-advocate. Her husband, William Miller, is a writer and novelist. The two of them sat down with us during a short open mic interview at OCALICON 2019 to share the story of how they met, and give a glimpse into how their marriage works.
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