DiveIn: A Podcast about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Special Education Research

About DiveIn: A Podcast about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Special Education Research

Join Dr. Federico Waitoller for DiveIn, the podcast that explores the most complex and pressing debates in Special Education. Sponsored by the Division of Research of the Council for Exceptional Children, this series tackles critical and timely topics, including current policy debates, instructional design, disciplinary disparities, school choice, workforce diversity, and funding disparities. DiveIn does not shy away from tough conversations. Through thought-provoking discussions with experts and changemakers, DiveIn will challenge your current perspectives and deepen your understanding, offering actionable insights to drive equity in special education teaching, research, and policy. Tune in and be part of the movement to transform special education through an equity-driven lens. Are you ready? Let's DiveIn!

Publisher

Federico R. Waitoller

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

23 May 2023

Latest episode

5 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

49 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   5 Oct 2026

   The inclusive Education Series: On parental perspectives Dr. Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg

   In this episode of our Inclusive Education Series, I talk with Dr. Lydia Ocasio-Stoutenburg, Associate Professor at Penn State, scholar, advocate, and mother, about what inclusive education looks like from a parent’s perspective. We discuss a deceptively important question: Whose knowledge counts? Lydia and I talk about parent advocacy, collaboration with professionals, race and class, and why families do not all enter the special education system with the same resources or opportunities to be heard. We also wrestle with the tension between believing in inclusion and making pragmatic choices. What happens when an inclusive setting does not provide adequate support? What happens when a child is being bullied, struggling, or simply happier somewhere else? Does choosing a more separate setting mean a parent has rejected inclusion—or are they making the best decision available within an imperfect system? And because Lydia brings both scholarship and lived experience as a mother, we also explore what happens when the researcher studying special education becomes the parent navigating it. Meanwhile, I disclose that my own parenting credentials may be questionable. At the time of recording, my children were being watched by a babysitter whose online profile read: “Great with children. No references. Cash only. Is it okay if I smoke in the house?” I thought... Good enough. Parenting is about trust. 🎧 Join us for a conversation about inclusion from the other side of the IEP table. Are you ready? Let’s DiveIn.

2. 

   16 Sept 2026

   The Inclusive Education Series: On instructional Design with James Basham

   Good news: we found that one listener, my show stats are telling me we have! His name is James “Jamie” Basham. Even better, he happens to be a Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas and a leading scholar on Universal Design for Learning, instructional design, learner variability, and inclusive learning environments. In this episode, we return to our Inclusive Education Series and move from the big conceptual debates to a practical question: If we want inclusive classrooms, how do we actually design instruction for them? Jamie and I talk about what UDL really means in practice, why learner variability should be expected from the beginning, and how instructional design can create more meaningful opportunities for students to participate and learn. We also discuss why UDL is more than a checklist—or three attractive boxes on a PowerPoint slide. Because ultimately, inclusion cannot live only in policy statements and philosophical debates. At some point, the classroom door closes and somebody has to teach. That is where design matters. Are you ready? Let’s DiveIn with Jamie Basham.

3. 

   3 Sept 2026

   MOVERS NEEDED! 📦 What Is Happening to the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services?

   Apparently, special education is moving. Literally. This week, DiveIn takes a short break from our Inclusive Education Series for an important update from Washington, D.C. Kuna Tavalin from the Council for Exceptional Children returns to the podcast to help us make sense of the changes involving OSERS, the U.S. Department of Education, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I jokingly asked Kuna whether OSERS employees were actually walking around Washington carrying boxes from one federal agency to another. It was a joke. Or at least, I thought it was. Kuna informed me that employees had, in fact, been given boxes and were packing their offices. Unfortunately, reality continues to make satire about federal special education policy increasingly difficult. But behind the moving boxes are much more serious questions. What exactly is moving to HHS—and what remains at the Department of Education? Who will be responsible for implementing and overseeing IDEA? What happens to federal special education funding? What could separating special education from general K–12 education mean for students with disabilities? And could locating special education within a health agency reinforce a medical model of disability? We also discuss the role of political leadership, concerns about autism policy, the possibility of IDEA funding becoming connected to the broader push for school vouchers, what Congress is doing, and what educators, families, researchers, and advocates should be watching next. And believe it or not, Kuna even brings us some good news from Washington. Not a lot. Let's not get carried away. At one point, Kuna tells me that I am basically speaking her nightmares out loud. Which may be the best description of my interviewing style I have heard yet. So, if you've been reading the headlines about OSERS, HHS, and the Department of Education and wondering... “Wait. Who moved where? And who is actually in charge now?” This episode is for you. We'll unpack what we know, what remains unclear, and what all of this could mean for the future of federal special education policy. And we'll try to figure out where all those boxes are going. 📦 Are you ready? Let's DiveIn.

Who has been a guest on DiveIn: A Podcast about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Special Education Research

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Kuna Tavalin
• Mitchell Yell
• David Bateman

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 39 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

50

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

68

Contact DiveIn: A Podcast about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Special Education Research

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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