. Aidan and LIsa first met Lori on a playground in Shanghai, China when they had just been told that Aidan could no longer attend the international school he was attending due to his Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD).
Cheri is an international speaker, author, and consultant who trains adults to shift their mindsets about struggling writers to strengthen the social-emotional well-being of people with dysgraphia so they can fully engage in life activities and unleash their potential to change their future and other generations through the written word.
Alexius Ignatius was the first Malaysian to win a gold medal at an international art festival with his animated tale. The monthly art festivals hosted by Festival Bridges headquartered in Europe was the one of the most competitive art contests in the world and Malaysia only managed to clinch bronze or silver medals in the past. Hence, his gold medal was considered a breakthrough feat and what made it more astounding was that it was achieved by a special needs learner. Alexius was a regular volunteer that took an active role in assisting his school teams in many competitions and activities. He offered to be on the prop crew for the school theater which eventually won the district contest and managed the softball team that placed second in the district tournament. He led the special needs learners’ fundraising food kiosk to finance their field trips.
Congratulations to Alexius Ignatius as September’s SENIA World Changer Award Winner!
Listen to Alexius’ animated tale here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O66kqOfKlpA
Avyasvina Istiniza Anak Unong is a special educational needs educator who has played a major role in training the special needs learners at her school to partake in various art competitions through alternative means. This has resulted in unprecedented achievements from the student body and drew national interest. She trained the students with hearing loss to perform monologue and poetry in sign language and helped students with specific learning disorders to be voice actors for animated storytelling. These students earned various medals and prizes in online and remote art and literary festivals. They have been invited to perform at several events including a national convention focusing on inclusion of the special needs community. The impact of her work went beyond her school as the students’ performance videos were shared widely and one performance video was shared by one of the country’s education leaders as well as the ministry of education on social media.
Congratulations to Avyasvina Istiniza Anak Unong as August’s SENIA World Changer Award recipient.
Here is one of her student’s performances: https://youtu.be/wCpXe-Mx-Q4
Samuel Young the founder of Scholars Academy, a strength-based, talent-focused virtual enrichment center that supports twice-exceptional students and their families.
Nicole Demos, a SENIA Europe Board Member and a proud disabled Third Culture Kid, and host Lori Boll chat more about Nicole and how she now accepts her disability as part of her identity.
Daniel Wickner (he/him/his) is the founder of Identity-Centered Learning (www.identity centered.com), a framework for supporting students’ identity development in schools.
Dr. Jack Naglieri. Some of you may recognize that last name. Yes, he is the creator of the Naglieri Non-Verbal Ability Test.
Lori speaks with Katy Fattaleh who is the Chief Program Officer for The Nora Project. The Nora Project’s mission is to promote disability inclusion by empowering educators and engaging students and communities.
Hajime is a voice of self-awareness, acceptance and inclusion. He is a 9 year old boy, who currently attends Concordia International School, in Hanoi, Vietnam. He was diagnosed with ADHD in grade 2 and strategies were put in place to support him at home and at school. Hajime raises awareness and inclusion around ADHD in his community through education. He does this by delivering video presentations educating the students and teachers at Concordia International School about ADHD and the needs, challenges and successes that goes along with it. He sees his difference as a superpower and inspires others to do the same. He allows an accepting space for others to relate and identify with their own learning needs. He aims to be an influence of acceptance to a wider community in the future. Congratulations Hajime on sharing your superpowers with others!
See Hajime’s presentation on his ADHD brain.
Congratulations to Hajime Chiba as June’s SENIA World Changer Award recipient!