Demystifying Disability with Emily Ladau

Demystifying Disability with Emily Ladau

From The Integrated Schools Podcast by Andrew Lefkowits, Val Brown, Courtney Mykytyn

January 28, 2026 · 57 min · Season 12 · Episode 8

About this episode

Emily Ladau discusses disability rights and the importance of engaging in conversations about disability.

Join the conversation by registering for one of our upcoming Book Club sessions! The Integrated Schools Podcast returns with a great conversation with Emily Ladau, disability rights activist and author of Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally. Ladau describes herself as "passionate about having conversations about disability and really engaging people to talk about a topic that they might otherwise feel uncomfortable with and really making it approachable and accessible to them." In the spirit of Dr. Loretta Ross, she models what it means to call people in: to meet other people where they are and offer them a bridge to understanding the lived reality - or rather, realities - of the over a billion people around the world who have some type of disability. Ladau takes an approach that is at once gracious and practical. "In order to be effective advocates for any kind of social justice, we first need the tools and the resources and the understanding, but often we are not socialized to think about disability at all... I don't want people to feel so worried about making a mistake that they don't get involved in the conversation in the first place…

People in this episode

Hosts: Andrew Lefkowits, Val Brown, Courtney Mykytyn

Guest: Emily Ladau

Topics covered

  • disability rights
  • social justice
  • ableism
  • advocacy
  • communication
  • education

Keywords

  • disability
  • advocacy
  • social justice
  • ableism
  • communication
  • education
  • activism

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally

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