 Hi, I'm Kim McQueen. I am editor and publisher of onion River Press in Burlington. I'm joined today by my wonderful author Sephakor Komabu Pomayi who has written this beautiful book that I had the Really the great honor to publish this year came out this year We were just talking about some of the harrowing moments We had you know getting this to press In the midst of a threatened UPS strike, I think it was But everything went absolutely beautifully and this beautiful book showed up on time and and to a really welcoming loving beautiful audience at Phoenix bookstore in in Burlington on Bank Street So we thought we would take a few minutes today to talk about the book introduce Sephakor to her who audience her ever-growing audience of That reaches far and wide all over the world Um Sephakor works for you work for I'm undress you now Sephakor you work with the Vermont Center for independent living And we're gonna talk I think a lot about your work with VCIL We're gonna talk a little bit about the book itself Um But at first I'd like to start with just sort of a man on the street type of approach Where I just ask you to please introduce yourself tell us Why you're here and Let's take it from there. Hmm. Thank you. Okay. That's a big question Why right here um So It's a loaded question as I said I'm here on So many missions. I was saying yes, I'm on a mission Most of the time I call the mission drivers and Basadouriel or yeah Assignments so Sephakor has gone through a lot of things which actually Bulled her up to now. Yes, and give her the exposure to Explore more so I'm here to learn To share to educate, you know to impact Train those are some of the things I do practically advocate Yeah, yeah, so I will say as you mentioned with VCIL after my PhD VCIL hired me to as a full-time To coordinate programs for them or develop programs. So I work with VCIL as the Independent living coordinator Under that independent living coordinator. I Am the one in charge of the youth transition program across the state Oh, and then can you talk a little bit about that program and what you do? Yeah, so So I'm the youth the youth transition program I work across the state with all the students on IEP and 544 plan Oh throughout the state of Vermont. Yeah, the whole so I would say student between the ages of 14 to 26 Yeah, they know me in in terms of If they have IEP or they have 544 plan. So any child with disability Within that age group I work with them closely. So I develop programs for them and Self-advocacy projects or self advocacy workshops in other words all my work with them is to build their self-esteem build their confidence level and empower them to be their own Advocates in other words I Make it clear to them one thing that we do what which is the philosophy of VCIL is to Make sure that we call a speed a speed not a big spoon. We add yes That's how I tell me to my language like The philosophy of VCIL is to own the disability So I trade a student to own their disabilities and also to Be proud of that. In other words my job simple term is to let My student know that disability is part of the identity So in developing that Part of them I do it in so many ways. So I have so many Workshops, I have so many programs developed under the youth transition program So for instance one program is I meet a student on one one on one or one Most of the time or I meet them as a school So I have to work through the transition program coordinators Simply we call the TC's the IEP coordinators and the teachers, you know, I work with them So we have a team called the ETA agency called team program. So that's the team That I work through before I get access to the students, right? Right? This program is actually my program or my position is federally funded also through a grant to higher ability so we work Collaboratively with them. So that is one program. There are other programs that I coordinate There are some students that are so much vulnerable that they are not in the school system. Oh, yeah, the school Oh children who are homeschooling or homeschooled. Yeah, so I work with them also on one on one Also, I also have a program called Campus connection. Yes. Yes. So that earlier. Yeah, campus connection is where I see a huge gap of research Not reflecting on the student or on the community or on the people with disabilities in the community that is connecting research at a higher level in terms of Education and not really connecting it the research we're connected to the people for so for instance any student who is in transition program or who I know Working towards self-advocacy and making sure that we empower them with the policies like the ADA Nobody teaches ADA in the classroom, right? Right. But that is my work I teach them the policy that give them the power like I make sure that they have the Truths that when you are talking about let's see asking for reasonable accommodation. How do you know that? I I lead them through the process. I lead them through Trainings to let them know that some people fought the fight of activism To get less if I fall for who did I touch GD human? You know led the people to the Capitol and all those stuff I I work with them and when they get to college level, you know, there are some deceptions I will say is deceptions because Some parent tell their children that when you grow out When you grow up you grow out of the disability in other words as much as you get to college level when you have epilepsy Let me use any invisible disability Yeah, epilepsy or dyslexia or anything you are going to grow out of it. No, you can grow It's an assumption on the part of the parent or some some they believe that they'll just be able to Function as an adult. Yeah, so and somehow transcend. Yeah, the disability So because they don't want their children to fall into that category of the small group, you know Disability which is marginalized. Yes. Yes. So parents just try to pretend or to cover up And that is you can imagine Children growing to that level as much as they get to college level. They are afraid to Be who they are They don't they are expecting to have a different lifestyle, which is not true And so the deniers stage of our children have been so huge when they get to college level They are lost in the system who has time for students at college level To be working you through your personal skills or life skills now so I work with them closely to build that capacity before they get there and College connection connects them to for instance. We have a program in UVM where I lecture as an agent The campus connection program, which I co-facilitated with one professor lubi in UVM culture of disability cause That cause when anybody takes that cause we work the person through I work the person through personally to Realize their own potential in terms of research focus what they want to change in the system In other words, what do they want to change which they couldn't change when they were young or during their middle school high school? Issues now that they have understood what is disability and they connected to their bigger vision of major Yeah, as much as they work for forward in the education another program that I coordinate With other departments across is the youth advocacy council program So in this as I work with them on one or one I Develop that close connection with them. So the fact is if you know who you are and you are proud of your identity Disability being one part of it that you can be able to just be bold to share openly if necessary and also Work with that strength That means you can be able to talk about yourself, right? So all self-advocacy is Knowing who you are. Yes, knowing what you want how to ask for it home to us Yes, you know So when you build all those things like when you have that capacity there You are likely to be able to vouch for yourself and vote for another person So I lead them to the state level which they can Talk about their own and then Blend it with others in other words when they get to state level we they do systems advocacy I see yes, so you've advocacy council. I coordinate that I facilitate that Co-facilitated that with Kara from higher ability and that is the place that we groomed the student to lead them to The Montpelier State House Yes, we lead them when they request that they want to go there or meet governor Scott anybody That is how systems advocacy leads to them that they talk on behalf of the other people with disabilities Across the state. Yeah, so that is What I do why am I here with VCIL? I I coordinated that program wait connection with UVM where? They take some of the courses that they can take and then connect to their major or do something that they want to do in life in future That's a such a beautiful answer to my question. Thank you so much and I I've of course was Really honored to serve as an editor on this book and it's about this concept of self-advocacy that you really Tell the story from your own perspective What self-advocacy means to you and how you have come to define it for yourself and your community as your community grows to include all of Ghana and that You landed in Vermont and are really Transforming the landscape for all who come after you Here in the state and and it seems to me you've really done it through that focus on self-advocacy, so your Description of how you live it in your everyday life is It's really cool, and I thank you for sharing it. Thank you I Would love to know I Don't want to stop putting words in your mouth Right now and ask you what motivates you from your definition of that. Hmm Yeah, so What motivates me To self-advocate I would say that I think it's that from home Yeah, I will pick it up from there. Yeah, so self-advocacy has to do with first of all Self-realization Yeah, who you are and as much as This category of people are concerned People think that we are in the small group, which is not true Which is not true because we are in the bigger Group rather. Why am I saying that because it's a Cross-section, it's not a minority. No, it's not a minority disability has nothing to do with minority but the ableist Put structures in place to make it feel Separated but that is one thing that I will say that motivates me to decode what disability actually means Yeah, so for me as you know, everything is in this book But one thing that I know very well is as much as Disabilities concern and that's why this book is not for all in students it's for everyone because Whether you are poor or rich Whether you are black or white young or old what Race or class or age or whatever Categories that we have in a stratifications demarcations we lay Down Disabilities the p-votes Yes, that we are all revolving around So that for me It's one area that I realized that I have to put this out I have to just make it very simple for a mother at home to know that Disability is part of humanity as I say the fact that You have to understand from that concept of humanity the humanity part of it that I am because you are And whatever you have I have it which are originally from Ubuntu meaning Whatever affects me affects you Yes, so When you talk about what really motivates myself advocacy, I Started telling you that it started from home. Yeah from my mom And this book tells everyone how they can do it from their bedroom remember chapter 4 the mirror, right? Yeah, so it's it's it's a it's very strong. There is no way you can give something that you don't have And self-advocacy has to do with self-realization And when you discover yourself and you know who you are even as the environment around you Tells you Everything around you tells you that you are evil child cashed object Useless and productive all those negative things so far as you know yourself from home whom you know What has been instilled in you from your mental faculty in in the super obliganta? You know who you are nothing can take that out from you And from my side I was groomed by my mom who was a very staunch Christian So I grew up with myself advocacy values to be a very strong Christian groom in the word of God and also making sure that nobody uses anything to work devalue me Yes, yes, and I will say that As much as I know that People believe in so many things or different things That's for me. It's one area that I draw my energy from in terms of myself advocacy As much as I was groomed that's why everybody needs to have that from their own room I like from the bedroom, you know, yeah, so that they can go out and do what they have to do because I call it The garbage is or the garbage piled up outside there are huge Yes Take care of what you can take care of Step out the door exactly so when I work with the children or the youth those are the things that I work with Closely, but you know what is so interesting when you are a mother and you tell your child at home That don't worry as much as you grow you will be okay You will be this you know how we kettle out babies You don't want the child to know that oh what you have now is Disability and somebody also has it or everybody has it and even though they don't show it out So it's outside or visibly everybody has it internally invisible and Those children come to me imagine the contrast They come to me and I am like hey if you have ADHD or dyslexia. It is called disability and they're like What? No, my mommy said I'm just differently able. I Don't have a disability that I take them to the law. What does the ADAC or what is the definition of disability in the ADA? That is the policy part of me So as much as I connect policy to practices on the ground I use it to do my advocacy because I know what the law says and what it says to be Broken down at times by some of the laws also but with that particular tuition at home And then you come into school and everybody is taunting you everybody is Making you feel that you are the most useless person because the school system is not built for people with disabilities It's like it's a it was after thought right so when you know that You have that denial stage at home You don't have something that you have that it's very Very shaky ground for children and then they come and tell me that my parents say this I say okay, but this is what the law says right? Yeah, then I give them the tools that they need I have so many tools that I work with depending on The type of disabilities that they have sure so this self-advocacy and motivation must come from home Right, and actually when I have this particular vision of writing this book my motivation was really about to change the Not the negative narratives all the negative narratives that we have around disability I want to I'm holding the book rather awkwardly because I don't want to forget to ask you to talk to us a little bit about the title and how you arrived at it. I'm I'm like I know the story, but I I want you to tell Because it's cool. I'm able a woman's advice for disability change agents This title went through so many metamorphoses or changes. I would say just because As somebody working Both on the ground and at the top in other ways which students Lower age and as much as I lecture at UVM and St. Michael's I see that I want to Connect to research to policy and practices, right? So initially my title that I have for this book We're very much long Like focusing on academies, you know, right? Yeah Titles and colons with contemporary what what what and da da da this one day and my son woke up and he was like Mama, why don't you just make this title simple? I'm able people think that you can't do anything So when you say I'm able It just makes it simple. You are able you do everything and I'm like Yes, because and one thing that I see is I'm able it's actually not me When you have this book in your hand as you know, every chapter has questions. Yeah, yeah, and I have people telling me that They are learning doing their own education in their own rooms. That is my satisfaction. It's not about a student It's not about a teacher. It's about Everybody whether you are social worker, please Medical practitioner, whatever work you agree parents caregiver student with disability everybody You have the learning starting from I'm able when you are able to tell yourself That I'm able and you go to this book every one chapter a day and take something from me You will see that whatever you have because as you know, I touch base on so many things I think it's a wonderful book. It's both personal. Yeah, and it's and it's It's academic in the sense that it's it's your voice and you have a teacher's voice and a Guides voice and it and it reaches out past Vermont all the way to Ghana and comes back. Yeah, so it's all and it's all in the back Yeah, exactly. So talking about I'm able I have this vision of making Disability as an ambassador. I'm on a mission. I told you from the beginning that Disabilities to come closer to everyone. That is why in UVM. I have this course called global disability studies that Everybody should take from across the world wherever they are whether a UVM student or not. No, yeah, wherever you are You can because it's asynchronous course which actually won One of the best hours recently the pre-locked award for me to be the best asynchronous Teach a course teacher. So my focus Yeah, I'm able is actually for all of us that yeah when you possess it You can be able to do so many things on your own Despite the fact that you don't have a visible disability because I said everybody has disability. So yeah With that focus I'm able is traveling long As much as global disability studies are concerned presently investee of Cape Codes I'm able to work closely with them on a different level as the founder and CEO of EEPD Africa that is enlightening and I EPD Africa enlightening and empowering people with disabilities in Africa. Got it. That is EEPD Africa Okay, that's my organization in Ghana So I'm working with them to actually Have what we call disability center in Ghana like what we have in the you in UVM or in the US system every Investee has disability center. Yes. Yes. So I Have been able to work with them or EEPD has been able to work with Investing of UVM investing of Minnesota and investing of Cape Coast in Ghana to establish What we call a disability center just as we have CDC I in UVM. Yes Yeah, so we are having that right now at UCC, which my organization coordinated and an interesting piece is We have a call a program now called international Disability studies program and that that program Global disability studies is one of the prerequisites requirements. That's very nice. Yes And that program is not for all students today. We targeted the whole community whether you are hotel manager Whether you are yeah, whatever job you are doing. You think that you don't have a disability We want you to just join that course and then educate yourself and I'm able It's one thing that will help you. So I'm able it's a simple way of claiming your own disability before It's okay. In other words for the to avoid the fear of the unknown Right. Yeah. So when you start diving deep into this we understand it Yeah, when you start diving deep into this book, you will know that you are able of doing anything Especially if you have that training from home and you know the foundation of that training That is all that you need to survive whether somebody tells you that you are useless Whether somebody tells you that you can't be productive whether somebody Trashes you that you can't be in it. You are not worthy of anything You just know that you have once read I'm able So beautiful. Yeah, yeah, it's it's Yeah, once you read it you it's You're armed to really yeah do anything and I can see the future for I'm able moving from Country to country continent to continent because one major vision that I have is making sure that everybody is well aware of the type of disabilities that they have and then they can embrace that and Alongside of whatever they are doing exactly And I think I would imagine the younger that you are the more Facility you'll have With developing this resilience But anybody of any age can take this course or read this book or just simply have a conversation with yourself or someone from the Vermont Center for Independent Living or for that matter the Disability Studies Center at UVM and And Get up to speed no matter where you are in life no matter what kind of childhood you have and know what matter no matter What kind of disability you have or how much you may know about it? You can start with your work and grow from there I'm so so pleased to have been able to have a very simple question for you now So what is your experience with me published in this book? Oh Thank you you turn the tables I'm just curious I learned so much from working on this book from my first conversation with you on the phone when I was Really just learning how to be Efficient and effective in my role as editor and publisher at a New River Press And so even as I was making plans with you Boy, I doubted a little bit Whether I would be able to make this the book the best it could be But we work together and I think we did it. Yeah, did it. So that's that's how I feel Thank you. Yes. Yes, I feel the same way too. The feeling is mutual. Thank you so much. Thanks. I really enjoy working with you Thank you