S11 E7 The Infinity Rainbow Club Series: Jen Malia discusses the importance of inclusion
TTim VillegasOct 26, 2023 at 11:48 am34min
TTim Villegas
00:02Hi friends, I'm Tim Vegas from the Maryland Coalition for inclusive education. And you are listening to thinking inclusive, our podcast that brings you conversations about inclusive education and what inclusion looks like in the real world.
TTim Villegas
00:21An autistic mom of three autistic kids. Jen Malea, is the author of the children's chapter book series, the Infinity rainbow club, and the picture book, two sticky sensory issues with autism. She is professor of English and Creative Writing coordinator at Norfolk State University and currently is pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Originally from Pittsburgh, she currently lives with her husband and three kids in Virginia Beach. Although I hear she doesn't miss a Steelers or penguins game. For this episode, Jen Millia discusses her transition from academic writing to creative writing. She shares how her autism diagnosis influenced her writing and inspired her to create stories about neurodivergent characters. Jen also talks about the inspiration behind her infinity rainbow Club series, and the importance of portraying neurodiverse young kids in everyday situations. She emphasizes the need for acceptance and understanding of neuro divergence and hopes that her books will reach a wide audience including educators and parents. This week, I'd like to highlight one of the sponsors for our narrative podcast series inclusion stories, the Council of parents, attorneys and advocates. COPPA is on a mission to protect and enforce the legal and civil rights of students with disabilities and their families. With over 3100 members across all 50 states and territories, they're making a significant impact their community lead, and much of their work is driven by dedicated member volunteers. Too many students face unnecessary barriers to learning. But COPPA is here to fight for them. They advocate for equitable, inclusive education for students of all abilities. They provide training, mentorship, and expert advice, ensuring that families and advocates have the support they need visit cop a dot o RG to learn more. We've got a great conversation for you today that will help all of us to think inclusive, make sure to stick around for the mystery question. And for free time this week, I respond to a video of an educator that argues that inclusion is setting up kids for failure. Don't miss it. We'll be back after a quick break.
TTim Villegas
03:22Jen, Melia Welcome to the thick inclusive podcast.
JJen Malia
03:25Thanks for having me.
TTim Villegas
03:26So Jen, I know that you're a professor of English. But have you always been a writer?
JJen Malia
03:32Well, it's interesting because I started out I got my PhD and English and mostly published like literary criticism. So I was more on the critical side. But I had an interest in creative writing. It just took me a while to sort of get around to publishing in that area. So I was always a writer of some kind. It was just like the types of things that I published changed over time.
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