New from me: I talked to CDC staffers about the new vaccines and autism page. They said things like:
“The best way I can put it is it feels like we’re on a hijacked airplane.”
“I think people are starting to see that we can’t fulfill our mission here.”
I see teaching as a combination of course design (syllabus, LMS, etc.) and delivery (facilitating sessions, providing feedback, etc.). I’m not sure that the expectations for design are necessarily higher than they used to be, but good design does require many more specific tech skills now.
The further dismantling of the Department of Education is bad not only for impeding its Congressionally-approved functions but because of what it signals about how little we actually value education in this country.
I went on CNN's One Thing podcast last week, talking about how absurd & ass-backwards last week's White House Big Autism Announcement was. But as not everyone listens to podcasts, here's a thread of the conversation:
www.cnn.com/audio/podcas...
#autism #TylenolDoesNotCauseAutism #neurodiversity 1/
SR: I think it would be a wonderful thing if [the Administration] were looking at the right issues. You know, what autistic people want? They want better supports. Our families want more respite. We want better paid home aides so there's not such a high turnover. 18/
SR: I think [pregnant people] need to understand that disability is natural. They need to prepare themselves for the possibility that anything could happen—not in a negative way but in terms of being ready to accept the kid they have & look for the info that will help them live their best lives. 28/
millennials are band directors now and I think that’s terrific
We're going to see a lot of bullshit in the coming days and weeks about "causes of autism", and most will be based on flawed, over-interpreted observational studies (1/n)
The U.S. Department of Education will provide expected competitive grant funding for hundreds of in-progress special education projects nationwide in time for the upcoming fiscal year, reassuring grant recipients and advocates nationwide who had feared widespread cancellations.
a snippet of a mini-comic, at top - straight line stretches from point A to B. Immediately below, same dot at A, then becomes a curving, meandering line that winds through the page and ends at a point with rays and a question mark emanating from it. Text reads: "Nothing can do this for you - for that robs you of experience and conflates answers with learning. Rather, it's all the decisions you make along the way, the mistakes, struggles, and surprises! These pathways you create - this is learning.
Probably should’ve posted the Ai statement separately - not sure how it displays with the rest. It’s not so different from what I originally posted, but prefer people get the final version. Have at it & hope it’s useful to you in your classes. All on my site here spinweaveandcut.com/fall-2025-sy...
*Grabs megaphone* 📢
It's the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
What do we want? ACCESSIBILITY!
When did we want it? 35 years ago!
@safriedman.bsky.social may have insight
Benny Doesn’t Like to be Hugged and A Day with No Words are both great. A Kids Book About Neurodiversity is a wonderful direct teaching tool, and Just Ask by Sonia Sotomayor isn’t autism-specific but is my favorite for introducing disability to kids in an honest and inclusive way.
Cory Booker. 👇👇👇
A scene from Parks and Recreation in which Leslie Knope filibusters while wearing roller skates. Text reads “nor will I yield for the rest of the evening.”
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
More. Of. This.
The Trump administration proposes moving special education oversight to HHS. What does that mean for students, teachers and schools? hechingerreport.org/special-educ... via @hechingerreport.org #K12 #education #specialed
It's the anniversary of the Capitol Crawl, a demonstration to push for passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And I, for one, think another spectacle like this is long overdue. www.history.com/news/america...
Trump is bulldozing the Education Department, which helps homeless and disabled kids gain access to school, while he does a car commercial at the White House for the richest man in the world.
Robber barons are waging class warfare on the rest of us.
This is a dramatic loss for schools and the communities they serve. Make no mistake…cutting educational research will directly harm children. Full stop.
Dear higher ed,
Can y’all get together and at least spread out your giving campaigns? Getting bombarded with money asks from 3 alma maters and a current employer simultaneously is too much.
Infographic on costs of federally sponsored research, showing what are direct costs, what are indirect costs, and what costs are not paid by federal funds.
Here is really good info on what indirect rates are and are not. TL;DR - the Republican administration’s plan to cut indirect rates will make Americans sicker, poorer, and more vulnerable. Call your congressional representatives to tell them to fund American success. research.unc.edu/wp-content/u...
A graphic with a white background, green toolbox with tools in it with a green megaphone on it. The graphic advertises a toolkit created by the TED Policy Committee to help with education policy advocacy efforts. The link is on their Linktree in the bio.
Looking for a one stop shop for #educationadvocacy resources?! We’ve got you. Click the #toolkit link in our Linktree (link in bio!). #edpolicy #teachered #specialeducation #sped #education #school #educationadvocate
Such an important article full of immediately actionable ideas for teachers. Grateful to have been a small part of it!
BULLETIN: Setting the Record Straight: The U.S. Department of Education’s Anti-Opportunity “Dear Colleague Letter” is full of disinformation. Read LDF fact check. #SHARE - www.naacpldf.org/education-de...
Thankful for good news on a Friday evening for a change…
Text from the post, "To My Fellow Lab Rats: A Letter From a Postdoc Who Survived the Bolsonaro Years"
Loved this post from a postdoc who lived through the Bolsonaro years in Brazil:
"The best 'fuck you' to fascists? Thriving. Publish that paper. Build that collaboration. Laugh with labmates. Science outlives dictators—but only if we stay in the fight."
www.reddit.com/r/labrats/co...
Dark blue background with a graphic of a red and white megaphone. The text reads, "Action Alert: Oppose Cancellation of Critical Education Research"
Up to 169 IES contracts have been canceled, threatening critical education research. This is a major setback for educators & children with disabilities who rely on evidence-based practices. Urge Congress to protect IES research! #4SpecialEducation
exceptionalchildren.org/takeaction?v...
not paying indirect costs for research is like only paying the players in the Super Bowl.
can't have a Super Bowl without coaches, referees, security, janitors, announcers, stadium staff, and a stadium - and you can't have research without supporting people and facilities
In North Carolina:
NIH FUNDING:
$2.28 billion
JOBS SUPPORTED:
25,081
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY SUPPORTED:
$5.34 billion
Executive wants to frame the NIH indirects cut as $4B in savings.
But given that NIH returns $2.5 on every $1 investment, this would actually cost US economy a net $6 BILLION (per year!). Not to mention the human costs of wrecking education and research sectors and the communities they serve.
