These esteemed educators, school counselors, and disability advocates have shared the following endorsements about Just Say Hi! and the inclusive impact it has on teachers, students, families, and entire school communities.
ENDORSEMENTS
FROM
EDUCATORS
Judy Heumann (1947-2023), former Assistant Secretary of Education, U.S. DOE, for Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
"Education goes beyond what students are learning academically. Children and adults with and without disabilities must feel respected and valued. The materials in this curriculum help to facilitate opportunities that will result in greater respect and a valuing of the contributions all people can make.The curriculum enables teachers, students, and families alike to actively participate in this process."
Judy -- known as the "Mother of Disability Rights" --was the recipient of NEA's Friend of Education Award 2021, and numerous other awards and honors.
Takeru Nagayoshi, 2020 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year and Recipient of NEA's Horace Mann Award, 2021
"Just Say Hi! should be part of our broader efforts to make education more diverse, inclusive, and equitable. Working on the project reminded me how disability inclusion work is social justice work, and you can't have a conversation on one topic without the other."
Takeru now works for Panorama Ed. He brought his intersectional identities to this project.
Danielle Giunta, Superintendent, District 26, NYC Department of Education
"The Just Say Hi! curriculum has served as an anchor and a scaffold for how we can look critically at our curriculum."
Janet LaBreck, former Commissioner of the US. Department of Education’s Rehabilitation Services Administration
"It is my sincere hope that Just Say Hi! will be replicated . . . and scaled across the country and beyond. It has the potential to change the marginalization paradigm for students with disabilities and their family members."
Janet is a disability activist, and lives with total blindness. Her belief is: "Sometimes in life, adversity and barriers become a pathway to opportunity."
Donna Meltzer, Executive Director, National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities
"CPF’s Just Say Hi! program in schools is an incredible and impactful opportunity to change the dynamic around inclusion. When children learn the skills and gain knowledge about how to best interact with their peers with disabilities early on, inclusive and caring environments are created that are good for everyone."
Danielle Thompson, PhD, N.C.C., N.C.S.C, Associate Professor, Gallaudet University
"As a Deaf educator and school counselor, I have enjoyed collaborating with Just Say Hi! as it intentionally includes my community in its pedagogy. Just Say Hi’s integration of ASL, teaching PK-8 children ASL signs — and including lesson plans about deafness — is a leap toward breaking down stereotypes around deafness and normalizing ASL as a key form of communication."
Danielle is a first generation Deaf professor, who has also worked as a school counselor.
Betsy Kanagawa, 2021 Michigan State School Counselor of the Year
"I truly hope this curriculum can be made available to all schools with students. While 14% of students in schools may qualify for services under IDEA, many more may be unidentified or acquire a disability later in life. This curriculum will help prepare students to understand so much that will serve them directly or indirectly either now or in their future."
Betsy has a diagnosis of Crohn's disease, and has close family members with disabilities. As such, she brought lived experience to this project.
Alhassan Susso, 2019 New York State Teacher of the Year and Recipient of NEA's Horace Mann Award, 2020
"People are mostly fearful of the things or issues that they do not understand. Just Say Hi! will empower students with disabilities with the knowledge and skills to advocate for themselves. . . .We need to teach this history so that this generation can also do their part to ensure that we continue to make progress towards a just and equitable society."
Alhassan is a first generation American, and lives with a visual impairment. He brought his lived experience to this project.
Stamo Karalazarides, Principal, PS46, NYC Department of Education
"There are many of us out there who think we are doing inclusion right and we don't have to do anything else to be inclusive. But it's important to have a program like Just Say Hi! to help students understand why it is important."
Amy Campbell, 2020 Washington State Teacher of the Year
"As we look at ways to increase the quality and quantity of inclusive experiences for students with disabilities across our nation, we need to identify the lessons that will help students and educators develop their understanding of disability to create more inclusive schools. . . . [T]hese materials would be beneficial in any school setting."
Amy is a special education teacher and lives with a generalized anxiety disorder. She brought her lived experience to this project.
Andrew Jackson, 2021 AL State Teacher of the Year
"I hope to see this curriculum implemented with [SEL] programs as it will increase students’ sense of individuality as well as raise awareness and promote inclusion for all people, particularly those with disabilities."
Andrew has a diagnosis of ADHD. He is a parent to eight children, five of whom have disabilities. He brought his lived experience to this project, as well as a father's perspective.
Sarah Flier, 2021 National Finalist, School Counselor of the Year, and 2021 MI School Counselor of the Year
". . . Just Say Hi! can help students and families with disabilities feel seen and understood, for others' to have an increased understanding and appreciation of the variety of differences each of us has, and to build compassion and empathy within our students. . . . I hope this project contributes to that goal - our future needs inclusive, empathetic, passionate and innovative people in it and I truly believe our kids can be that if they are exposed to stories, lessons, and experiences."
Alanna Flax-Clark, M.S.Ed. Disabled Special Educator, Para-Equestrian
". . . Just Say Hi! teaches students empathy and how to value diversity as a wonderful thing. . . . This can go a long way in helping students know that difference is just a normal part of life. It can also help them build and maintain friendships."
Alanna is a para-equestrian special educator. As such, she brought her lived experience to this project.
Paul Luelmo, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Special Education, San Diego State University
"As an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education in the area of Mild/Moderate disabilities, I train future special education teachers in California, and was a special education teacher in Los Angeles for eight years serving a mostly immigrant community. I believe Just Say Hi! can help all students to be more kind and open to individual differences, and inspired me to be more creative in inclusive teaching practices."
Julia Snider, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Teaching and Learning / Special Education, Grand Valley State University
"In my experience, teachers want to have open and honest conversations with students but don’t always know how to initiate a dialogue or respond to student questions. My hope is that by giving teachers Just Say Hi!'s tools to talk about inclusion and disability, students with disabilities and their families will feel welcomed and seen within their school communities."
Kaye Houlihan, Principal, Fort Hamilton, NYC Department of Education
"This is a biggie. So I would encourage everybody to pause and listen to what this Just Say Hi! campaign has to offer."
Susan Gonzalez, M.S., ATR, M.S.Ed., art therapist, educator, artist
"After working with the disability community for almost 30 years, there's still much to learn. If we look at inclusive practices as a developmental arc across different communities we would most likely notice it is in different phases/stages according to location. Just Say Hi! can offer education for students and families that do not have disabilities and provide space for the disability community to have a voice and reach a wider audience."
Elizabeth Russillo, 2020 RI State Teacher of the Year
"This project truly brought awareness to me to think about the content that I am presenting in a new light. I am always evaluating my curriculum, and working on this project gave me another lens. . . . I hope that schools are able to use these lessons to promote awareness of people with disabilities everywhere."
Liz grew up in a home with a family member with disabilities.
Rachel McCaulsky, Assistant Principal, P4Q, NYC Department of Education
"Just Say Hi! is a program rich with material that celebrates culture, race, religion, gender, and disabilities. Content is divided in a way that allows students and their families the opportunity to break down stereotypes, practice respect for all, and form welcoming and inclusive environments. My hope is that this program can reach students and families worldwide."
Rachel is also a dance/movement teacher and arts coordinator. She has worked with Special Class Staffing Ratios: 5:1:1, 8:1:1, 12:1:1, and 12:1:4 populations.