OT for Inclusive Occupations: Stories of Not Just Being Invited to the Party but Dancing

About OT for Inclusive Occupations: Stories of Not Just Being Invited to the Party but Dancing

This podcast is for school-based occupational therapists and other educators who are invested in creating a more inclusive world for their students.

Publisher

Savitha Sundar

Category

education

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

12 Nov 2020

Latest episode

3 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 36 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   3 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Season 5, Episode 6: Partnering for Change (P4C Model): Reimagining School-Based Occupational Therapy Service Delivery — Dr. Wenonah Campbell

   Host Savitha Sundar interviews Dr. Wenonah Campbell about reimagining school-based occupational therapy through the collaborative Partnering for Change model to enhance student participation and inclusion.

2. 

   17 Mar 2026

   Season 5, Episode 5: The EMPOWER Model for Neurodivergence Affirming Occupational Therapy Practice- Bryden Carlson-Giving

   In this episode of Inclusive Occupations, host Savitha Sundar speaks with Bryden Carlson-Giving—a multiply disabled, multiply neurodivergent, queer occupational therapist, artist, and creator of the Empower Model, a neurodiversity-affirming framework for occupational therapy. Bryden shares his professional journey—from working in an ABA clinic, recognizing practices that felt harmful, and intentionally seeking out autistic perspectives—to ultimately leaving that setting and developing a model that centers neurodivergent participation, lived experience, and disability justice within occupational therapy practice. Together, Savitha and Bryden explore how occupational therapists can rethink traditional approaches and move toward practices that support authentic neurodivergent development, identity, and belonging in school and community environments. In this conversation, Savitha and Bryden explore: 🌱 Neurodiversity & Neurodivergence ⚖️ Ableism in OT and Education How ableism can show up in IEPs, evaluations, “functional” goals, and behavior expectations Why saying “we’re not ABA” is not enough if occupational therapy continues to rely on compliance-based, neuronormative practices 🌟 The Empower Model Bryden introduces the Empower Model, a neurodiversity-affirming framework grounded in four foundations: Strengths-based practice Trauma-informed care Anti-racism Disability justice At the center of the model is lived experience, which serves as the connective thread guiding meaningful and ethical occupational therapy practice. Bryden describes the anti-ableist process that includes: Critical reflexivity Inclusive evaluations Affirming services and supports Neurodivergent outcomes Advocacy 🏫 Belonging and Educational Placement Bryden challenges listeners to rethink segregation in education and emphasizes the idea that: (a) “All students are general education students first.” (b) The conversation explores how we can reimagine special day classes, segregation by disability, and what true belonging in general education could look like. 🤝 From Compliance to Collaboration Bryden encourages occupational therapists to rethink how they respond to behaviors often labeled as “non-compliance.” Instead of focusing on control, practitioners can approach these moments through: Co-regulation Curiosity Meaningful participation goals This shift invites therapists to ask deeper questions: Is this skill meaningful to the student? Is the environment supportive? What expectations or systems might need to change? 🧭 Working Within Ableist Systems Bryden also discusses the realities of practicing within imperfect systems and how therapists can sustain themselves through: Avoiding burnout from trying to fix the entire system alone Valuing micro-advocacy—small but meaningful shifts in conversations and practice Giving ourselves grace when we cannot challenge everything, all the time Resources & Links Mentioned in the Episode Bryden’s Website:https://neurodivergentnexus.com (https://neurodivergentnexus.com) Resources, tools, and updates on the Empower Model and Bryden’s upcoming book. The Empower Model A neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy framework centered on strengths-based practice, trauma-informed care, anti-racism, disability justice, and lived experience Upcoming Open-Access Article (OJOT) A forthcoming article detailing the Empower Model and practical examples for occupational therapy practice. (Link will be added once published.) Empower Model Action Template A planning and reflection tool designed to help practitioners apply the model with real students. (Link will be added once the resource is published.) Podcast transcripts available at Otter.ai (http://otter.ai)- https://otter.ai/u/MfPnD7hB-fR0ihps8f1q1SrZQAg?utm_source=copy_url (https://otter.ai/u/MfPnD7hB-fR0ihps8f1q1SrZQAg?utm_source=copy_url)

3. 

   9 Feb 2026

   Season 5, Episode 4: The 9-Step Inclusive IEP Process- Dr. Jessica Apgar

   In this episode of Inclusive Occupations, host Dr. Savitha Sundar welcomes Dr. Jessica Apgar, educator, scholar, and researcher for 16 years. Dr. Apgar spent 8 years as a dual-certified inclusive educator in public schools and has worked with pre- and in-service teachers for the past 11 years. Her professional interests include inclusive education, systems change, literacy, and curricular alignment—all in service of social justice through high-quality, rigorous instruction, particularly for students with the most extensive support needs. In this conversation, Savitha and Dr. Apgar spotlight a powerful tool created by a team of educators-turned-researchers- Jessica Apgar , Kate MacLeod, and Michael McSheehan : The 9-Step Inclusive IEP Process.Together, they unpack how inclusive education truly begins with an inclusive IEP—one that moves beyond compliance to intentionally design for access, participation, and belonging across the school day. Together, Savitha and Dr. Apgar explore:🌟 Why inclusive education begins with an inclusive IEP—and the common traps that keep IEPs from translating into real participation.🧭 The 9-step process, step-by-step—how each step builds clarity, shared responsibility, and actionable supports.🧑🏫 Team collaboration that works—how to bring general educators, special educators, related service providers, and families into a unified plan.📚 Literacy and curricular alignment—strengthening rigor and access for students with extensive support needs.🏫 Designing for real school routines—how IEPs can support inclusion across classroom instruction, specials, lunch, recess, transitions, and extracurriculars.✅ Making it sustainable—turning inclusive intent into consistent implementation through repeatable team structures. Inclusive IEPs are not paperwork—they are blueprints for belonging. When we plan intentionally for access and participation, we reduce “invisible barriers” and create clear supports that teachers can actually implement. Dr. Apgar offers a roadmap for systems change that is both values-driven and practical for real schools. Inclusion doesn’t happen after the IEP—it is designed in the IEP. Strong IEPs translate into clear supports in real contexts, not just goals on paper. Shared processes and shared language make inclusive planning more efficient and more consistent. Rigor, literacy, and curricular alignment are essential for meaningful inclusion—especially for students with the most extensive support needs. Key Takeaways, Resources & Links: 1. The 9-Step Inclusive IEP Process Template by Jessica Apgar, Kate MacLeod and Michael McSheehan. - Click Here (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1conn6_Dy7qkX9g8IEvVgi3XjSwIZe-n0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113473970588582202532&rtpof=true&sd=true)(https://docs.google.com/document/d/1conn6_Dy7qkX9g8IEvVgi3XjSwIZe-n0/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=113473970588582202532&rtpof=true&sd=true) (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VuRvvtjx3_AhotskAV0zO0zmBVcJuPX_/view?usp=sharing) 2. The Continuum of Supports (NOT Placements) by.Michael McSheehan, Jessica Apgar, Debbie Taub, Mary Schumer andKate MacLeod) https://courses.evolveandeffect.com/products/digital_downloads/Continuum-of-Supports (https://courses.evolveandeffect.com/products/digital_downloads/Continuum-of-Supports) 3. Creating Inclusive Individualized Education Program- Microcredentials: https://farmington.edu/academics/graduate-continuing-education/graduate-academics/creating-inclusive-individualized-education-programs-micro-credential (https://farmington.edu/academics/graduate-continuing-education/graduate-academics/creating-inclusive-individualized-education-programs-micro-credential/)/ Podcast transcripts available at Otter.ai: https://otter.ai/u/QgDqitCxJ9Kb9M--WcQXTvYUDfI?utm_source=copy_url (https://otter.ai/u/QgDqitCxJ9Kb9M--WcQXTvYUDfI?utm_source=copy_url)

Inside a recent episode

Season 5, Episode 6: Partnering for Change (P4C Model): Reimagining School-Based Occupational Therapy Service Delivery — Dr. Wenonah Campbell

Published 3 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] So I think this idea, it's this idea that we need a team, we need a community. You know how we say it takes community to raise a child? I think it takes a community to educate children. And so one of the things that P4C does that is really supportive and does support an inclusive lens is it creates a partnership where now you have two people bringing together their knowledge around, I have some things I know, you have some things I know, we can now be responsible together for ensuring that kids are included and able to participate in this classroom and in the school at large. And I think that our education system would be so well served if we took that same attitude and we included all the professionals that are in our school system that we looked at. […]

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.9 / 5

31 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

5 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100

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

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

51

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