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.