Episode 140: Breaking Barriers: Inclusion, Equity & the Power of Intersectionality in Education

Welcome back, Equity Warriors! In this episode of the 3E Podcast, Dr. Almitra Berry explores the importance of March as National Disabilities Awareness Month, Women's History Month, and Ramadan—and how these observances intersect to shape our classrooms and communities.

From the historic Capitol Crawl that fueled the disability rights movement to the ongoing fight for gender equality in education, Dr. Berry unpacks the challenges and triumphs of underrepresented groups. She also shares actionable strategies for fostering inclusivity, ensuring that every child—regardless of ability, gender, or religious background—thrives in school.

Don’t miss this empowering discussion on the role of educators, school leaders, and communities in creating more equitable learning environments. Silence is not an option—let’s work together to make meaningful change!

🎧 Subscribe, share, and take action for educational equity!

Transcript

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If you you're a parent, teacher or school leader and you're sick and tired of the frustration, anger and unfair treatment of children at high risk in our public schools, then perhaps it's time for all of us to do something about it. In this podcast, Dr. Mitchell Barry brings you tips, tools, strategies and tactics to build successful solutions while touching, moving and inspiring all of us to transform our schools so that every child thrives. Here's your host, Dr. Bill. Welcome back, Equity Warriors, and thanks for tuning in to this week's episode of the free E! Podcast. But first, an apology. My mother used to always say, if it ain't one thing, it's ten. And honestly, since, oh, I guess the beginning of December, maybe the end of November, beginning of December, it has been, if not ten, maybe 8 or 9, things that have knocked me off my feet kept me away from being in front of a camera. And really just some challenges with, with, continuing my work. But we are healthy and we are back. And I want to thank you for sticking with us. And hopefully enjoying, a few of the repairs that we did for, and, one was the very first ever aired, at my story. And if you didn't get a chance listen to that, go back a few weeks and take a listen at that one. No video for those of you who are on Patreon and the special apology to, my Patreon subscribers because you all expect video when those old episodes audio only. So if you were looking for a video that didn't happen back then, but new content, all new stuff coming out, new brand new studio, and, you might able to tell if you're looking at the video, you know, this is a brand new studio. We're in. So I'm really excited about the work moving forward and the additional work, the, the episodes and, and and studies that I will be bringing, to you regarding my book, which actually out in just a few weeks. So if you have not already preordered, make sure you look for me on Blue Sky and LinkedIn, and get your preorder in. Make sure you order from the publisher or win, because those will be the first to ship. All right. Stay tuned for more information on that. Will make to get a link down in the notes for, pre-ordering your books. All right, let's get to the month of March. And yes, it's half right now. I recognize that, but March has a lot going on in it. It is National Disabilities Awareness Month, it is Women's History Month, and it is Ramadan. And we're going to talk all three of those in this episode, and they intersect and how these things can impact your work in the classroom, the school and the educational So let's start with, National Disabilities Month. It's not been around for that long in the grand scheme of things. Or maybe I'm just getting old. And so it doesn't seem like it's been that long ago, but 1987, Ronald Reagan declared March as National Developmental Disabilities Month. And we want to at the same time, recognize that there are other disability awareness events or months, National Disability Employment Awareness Month that, was established to acknowledge the contribution of individuals with disabilities in the workforce. And that goes all the way back to World War two, where with so many of America's men and women deployed for the war, that Americans with disabilities were moved into the workforce and really did play some crucial roles there. But as we think about and talk about, National Disabilities Awareness Month, I want to focus on the the classroom and the school community, because certainly we do also have some educators and educational leaders, who work, who have disabilities, whether they are neurodiverse or if it is a physical disability. We still want to recognize, these people and their challenges, what we can do to be more inclusive and to increase our understanding of what disabilities are, and encourage some opportunities for people with disabilities to participate fully in education, the educate and educational leadership. So we can reflect on achievements of individuals with disabilities. Think about people that you know who may have a disability. Some of the challenges that they may face and work to promote a more inclusive and equitable society. So the month of March, when it comes to disabilities, really highlights and people from various sectors. In education, I want you to think about those students who may have that are unseen, that you may not know about unless you receive an IEP or 504 plan for that student, but also your coworkers and your colleagues. Let's emphasize size this month and every month thereafter, creating an environment that is accessible to them. And that may not necessarily be a physical change. It could be a change of attitude in our classroom. One of the things I wrote about in the book, and make sure you pick up the culturally competent educator, remember on preorder right now, but is creating a classroom where everyone is safe to contribute. It's safe to participate. And that's just one thing I wrote about. So and I want to deep dive into that much. Right now there are modules coming up, but also, creating systems in your classroom and in your school that allows students who have diverse abilities to fully participate and not be penalized because of that disability. So we want to make sure that, our environment, our workplace, for those of you who are educational leaders, school board members, that the classroom and the school are spaces where there is not just inclusivity in terms of the the educational aspect of it, but the access, whether that's physical access and depending on state you're in, those laws, some of them are being challenged and some of that access is being removed. So this month is an opportunity for all of us to help educate about the diverse ranges of disabilities and into to get rid of, dispel some and some misconceptions. So back in 1990, there was this thing called the Capitol Crawl. March 12th, 1990, the Capitol Crawl Washington, DC. And that really was sort of a defining moment for the fight for disability rights and push pushing for the passage. Say that three times fast pushing for the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or Ada, as we now know it. So Ada was stalled in Congress. And what do we do when we can't get things through Congress? When we are activists, we march. And so there was a, march from the white House to the Capitol, led by disabilities rights organizations, well, led by the act, which is an organization that supports disability rights. And then there were about 60 protesters who abandoned their wheelchairs and mobility aids and literally crawled up the 83 steps to dramatize the barriers that are faced by people with disabilities. So think about that. Get that visual image in your mind. Why called the Capitol Crawl because they literally crawled up the steps. It was a turning point in disability activism and national attention to the need for infrastructure and equal rights for people with physiological disabilities, in particular, that the emotional impact the visual helped to galvanize public support and led to the passage of the Ada and July 26th, 1990. Since then, you know, we don't think about it. The Ada really is a cornerstone of disability rights in the U.S, and it mandates accessibility in public spaces and prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. But we know with the manga Mussolini, that many things that we have come to rely on as being and being cornerstones are entrenched in our, in our country, in our everyday lives, those things are being challenged and removed. So in any event, Capitol crawl, iconic of determination and resilience in the disability rights movement and a reminder of the power of activism and the ongoing struggle for full inclusion and equality. Yes, there's significant progress. How many of us have not used the wheelchair ramp on the street corner just because we're at the grocery store? Because it's easier to move, it's more increases mobility? There's still a lot of work that needs to be done. There are still systemic barriers, and there are numerous biases faced by people with disabilities every single day. right. Second part of March or the second big movement in March is Women's History Month. So Women's History Month has its roots. And International Women's Day first celebrated March 8th, 1911. So this one goes back ways was a global call for women's rights and equality. And over time the celebration expanded in the US. So in 1981, it went from being a single day, to being a full week long celebration. And that's thanks to the efforts of Senator Orrin Hatch and Representative Barbara mikulski, who co-sponsored a joint congressional resolution then in 1987, as 1981, as my freshman year in college goes back, boys, 1987. There was some momentum from state level declaration. So Congress officially designated March it's Women's History Month in perpetuity. It plays women's History Month plays a pretty crucial in education, because it's the time that we can recognize women's contributions in various fields, from science and politics to literature to the arts, and help students understand the breadth of women's impact on history and contemporary society. And when you think about that, just that little piece, take a look at your textbooks that you use, and if you can get your hands on, same book or some, some old and I mean old, like back before 1987, before 1981. Take a look at some of the books from then and see the difference in representation just for women if you just focus on women. But I do also know from the work that I do with educational publishers that there are times where women are still overlooked. If you look at look at the, the, the American literary canon for high school, that it is still very white, male dominant. And so we still have a long way to go in that regard. March also with Women's History Month, is an opportunity to address gender equality, a chance to discuss and and talk about disparities in academic and professional settings. Think about it. Do a quick count in your head how many women in positions of leadership compared to men. What's the ratio there? Don't just count individual bodies. What's the ratio now? And not just in the classroom where women disproportionately are classroom teachers, especially at the elementary level. And that starts to shift as we get into high school. But look at leadership, look at superintendent sees how many female superintendents compared to male superintendents in your state. If you can go that broadly in your county, if you're in a really large state, this is a chance, an opportunity for us to talk about, to examine and raise awareness about equality and inclusivity when it comes to education, as particularly educational leadership and role of women, there. All right. Third third month, third element of the month of March. And that is Ramadan. And what is Ramadan? Ramadan is the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, and it is marked by fasting that is going without food from dawn to sunset, sunrise to sunset. March is the month when the Koran, the Holy Book of Islam, was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed, through the angel Gabriel. Gabriel and Six and so Rahman Ramadan typically falls on different dates year because it follows a lunar calendar, which is about 10 or 11 days shorter than the solar year. But more important than that, remember that Ramadan falls in March and you may or may not have Muslim students. My awareness to Ramadan was raised when I received a student, after the beginning of the year in my classroom, and I've talked about her before because she was just so remarkable in my classroom experience and really teaching me and training me and helping to evolve my thinking and understanding about so many things from from language acquisition to inclusion and recognizing the importance of a child's religion. And how that transcends the classroom. But Ramadan came, March came. And because I was trying to keep up with what was going on with her, because she was the only Muslim student in my classroom, was just her and her siblings in entire school. That I had to make sure that, I had to, for myself, make sure that I was not harming her. I was not asking to do anything that was outside of of her beliefs. So when Ramadan came, I knew that she was fasting. Now, classroom teachers talking to you, we typically walk our kids to the camp. If you, you know, K-6, you're walking your kids to the classroom. Sometimes you're sitting and eating with them, depending on school in your grade level. Sometimes you're not, but you take them to the cafeteria, they eat together, they go out to play. She was and I thought the cruelest thing in the world would be to make child go sit in the cafeteria and have everyone ask her why she eating her lunch. Why did she get her lunch? And have to have her explain over and over again? Not just because her family was the only Muslim family in the school, but she was also newly arrived. Her the she didn't speak a word of English when she first got there. maybe a few words of English, but but definitely a a newcomer, when it comes to language. And so instead of sending her to the cafeteria with her classmates, she would stay in the classroom while I walked the rest of the kids to the cafeteria. And then she and I would fast together through lunch. And she was this this sponge that was just. And learning to read and learning to read in English. Just wanted to read all the time. And that's very, well, style books for her and so she spent that full time in the classroom with me. I may have lost a pound or two that March. And then once the kids were released from the cafeteria out playground, she would on out and joined her peers. But what do you do? And maybe you haven't had this challenge, and maybe you have had a student, who was fasting and you just ignored it? I hope but hey, we're all here to grow. So what do you do if you have students who are fasting first and foremost in your classroom? Let's not have any food centric events in the month of March. Not during school hours, because we want to respect that those students are fasting. Think about the physical activities. When you have an event, do you really want to go out and play P.E. now? So, let them opt out of any strenuous physical class is really important. For those of you the middle school and school who do have regular PE classes, or allow them to modify their participation because with fatigue comes a risk to your health, you're much more likely to fall to twist in April. Break something, whatever. You cannot be very physically active when you're when you're hungry. Some of us just get plain hangry. And adults. For those of you, and this is maybe at the school level, at the classroom level, if you can provide a prayer space, a quiet, clean for your student or students, if you have a larger population of Muslim students, a place where they go to pray and that they have a time for that observance and that there is no academic penalty for their doing so please. And like I said, alternative lunch space. Now, I allowed my one student to stay in the classroom for me. If you're in a school that has a larger population of, Muslim students who are fasting, maybe there's another area that they can go to to during lunch, so that are not made to feel uncomfortable sitting around people who are eating, or so that not every teacher has to keep their students in the classroom with them. All of this comes about when we start promoting cultural understanding. Teach your students about Ramadan, about its significance, the traditions and the cultural practices so that they can develop empathy as well as being much more inclusive. And then if you can organize some or cultural events that celebrate Ramadan, invite the community. And that's another thing I talked about in the book, is that developing those community partnerships so that you can increase respect among communities across communities, as well as your students. And then use literature or teachers. Right. Use literature, use children's books, use some discussion opportunities, explore those themes of kindness, diverse and cultural appreciation. Connect that back to Ramadan. Now when I started this, actually, there's some intersectionality here, right? We've got disabilities, women and Ramadan. Think about those three and let's think about inclusive education. The intersectionality of these three events in the month of March really does highlight the diversity of experiences and perspectives that enrich our school communities. So when it comes inclusive education, we want to make sure that every single child, regardless of their abilities, their gender, their cultural or religious background, that they all have an opportunity to be successful in the classroom. We want every single child and adult to thrive without fear of discrimination or marginalization, and that is so much more important in 2025 through 2029. If only. We also want to recognize the unique challenges that are faced by individuals at the intersection of multiple identities, such as women with disabilities or Muslim students with disabilities, or female students who are Muslim. These things help us build empathy, and they help to create equitable schools, classrooms, and societies. And when we celebrate these diverse experiences as we promote mutual understanding and respect, embrace these intersections so that we can create educational environments that truly, truly value every single learner's contribution. And then text me question story topic six. Suggestion. Take a look down in the notes for the link, because you know that typically it is your insights that fuel the movement for educational equity in times of educational crisis. And in case you didn't know, we're in one right now. Silence is not an option. So don't worry about things you cannot change. Let's focus on changing the things we cannot accept, and I'll see you next week. And that's a wrap for today's episode of the 3D podcast. Now here's how you can make a real difference first. Smash that subscribe button. It's free. It's easy. Just do it. Second, share the show with anyone you know who cares about education. And third, consider becoming a supporter of the show. Together, we're not just talking about change, we're making it happen. Make a donation today to be part of that mission and change. And I'll catch you next time.