In This Episode Qudsiya Naqui Bio Diana interviews Qudsiya Naqui, lawyer, disability justice activist, and podcast host of Down to the Struts. In this episode, Qudsiya shares about her journey to embracing her blind identity, her disability identity, and the disability community that brought her into the fold. She speaks to the isolation felt when in her younger years, she was excluded from participation in school activities simply because people did see her need for access, nor her right to access. Finally, Qudsiya shares about many great leaders and authors who have provided a sense of community, support, and mentorship in her podcast, as well as in her personal growth and enrichment.  Down to the Struts Website You can follow Down to the Struts on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.   Links Mentioned or Related DownToTheStruts@gmail.com Alice Wong - Disability Visibility Project Podcast, Disability Visibility book, Year of the Tiger book Down to the Struts Interview with Alice Wong Thomas Reid - Reid My Mind Radio Podcast Cheryl Green - Pigeonhole Podcast Down to the Struts Interview with Thomas Reid and Cheryl Green Down to the Struts Interview with Sean Collins, Vox Editor Arielle Silverman - Just Human: The Quest for Disability Wisdom, Respect, and Inclusion Down to the Struts Podcast Interview with Dr. Arielle Silverman Down to the Struts Podcast Interview with Dr. Sara Acevedo Leah Lakshmi Piepzna Samarasinha - The Future is Disabled, & Care Work Jennifer Natalia Fink - All Our Families Intersectional Insights Podcast The Heumann Perspective Podcast Bhavna Mehta Down to the Struts Podcast episode Conchita Hernandez Legoretta Melissa Lomax Justice Shorter Children's Book We Move Together   Stay Connected with Diana Diana's Website, including blog Free Resource - 5 Keys to Going Beyond Awareness  Beyond Awareness: Bringing Disability into Diversity in K-12 Schools & Communities - Diana's Book Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights - Diana's Children's Book Ed Roberts: Champion of Disability Rights Thematic Unit/ Disability History Lesson Plans "Beyond Awareness" Digital Course Diana's TEDx Talk Beyond Awareness Facebook Page Diana on Instagram Beyond Awareness Tote Bag  Beyond Awareness Pullover Hoodie Beyond Awareness Raglan Baseball T-Shirt Beyond Awareness Journal/Notebook Diana's Teachers Pay Teachers Store - Disability as Diversity Diana's Brand New Resource! Beyond Disability Awareness: An Educator's Guide, Published by National Professional Resources, Inc. (NPR, Inc.)   Credits and Image Description Intro and outro music courtesy of Emmanuel Castro. Podcast cover photo by Rachel Schlesinger Photography. Podcast cover image description: Black and white photograph of Diana, a Spanish-American woman with long, wavy, brown hair. She is wearing a flowy, white blouse and smiles at camera as she leans against wooden building. Photo is colorfully framed with gold and orange rays of seeming sunshine on top half, and with solid sage green color on bottom half. Text reads "Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness That Matters, Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed."