Show #100 Looking Back, Moving Forward

Transcript

Transcribed by Kanako Suwa

[ Introduction music plays ]

Welcome to the SENIA Happy Hour with your host, Lori Boll. We know you’re busy so we bring you 1 hour of content in under thirty minutes, leaving you with time for a true happy hour. 

Lori: Hello SENIA peeps and welcome to our 100th episode of the SENIA Happy Hour podcast. For the past five years, we’ve had this incredible privilege of speaking with global experts, passionate parent and student advocates, and individuals with disabilities. Each conversation has brought us closer to our mission at SENIA International and has helped us create more inclusive, supportive learning environments for all students. These stories have inspired action, challenged assumptions, and reminded us that meaningful inclusion begins with listening. And to help us celebrate this milestone, I’m joined by someone who helped lay the very foundation of SENIA, Tanya Farrol. 

Tanya has been with SENIA since its earliest days in 2002 and now serves as our chairperson, a seasoned educator with more than 23 years of experience in international schools across Haiti, Egypt, England, China, and now she lives in Nanjing. Tanya’s commitment to inclusion has left a lasting mark. She’s hosted multiple SENIA conferences, led our scholarships and awards program, and played a vital role in SENIA Beijing’s leadership for over a decade. 

In today’s episode, we’ll reflect on the spark that ignited SENIA, explore how far we’ve come, and dream a little about where we’re headed. From Beijing to now Nanjing and beyond, Tanya’s story is one of deep dedication to global inclusion and building communities where every learner belongs. So now, on to the 100th episode! 

Well, hello Tanya and welcome to the podcast. 

Tanya: Hi, Lori. 

Lori: Hey, I am so excited because this is our 100th episode and I can’t yes, and I can’t think of a better guest to have than one of our founders of SENIA. So welcome. So this is happy hour. So I have to know what are you drinking? 

Tanya: Well, it’s morning here. So I’m drinking tea. So nothing exciting quite yet. 

Lori: No, that sounds good. I almost all of the podcasts that I record are in the morning. So I generally am drinking coffee. But tonight it is evening here and it’s our 100th episode. So I made myself a margarita. 

Tanya: Very nice. 

Lori: Yes. Yeah. It doesn’t happen often, but tonight it happened. So Tanya, take us back. Take us back to the early days of 2002. What inspired you and the founding group to start SENIA? 

Tanya: Well, as you know, we started in China and we found that there aren’t a lot of places to talk about or create that sense of belonging and make that connection with others. And so I think there was a real need for us to figure out how do we talk about disabilities in a productive way in a Chinese context. Just because we were working in little silos and there wasn’t that opportunity to really talk to other colleagues at our own schools. So it was determined that we should probably try to see if we can network with other people within Beijing, within Shanghai, Guangzhou, you know, within all of China so that we could talk about raising awareness and and talking about the China context. 

Lori: That’s really cool. How did you find each other? Do you remember? 

Tanya: Yeah, so we started off with just talking to mainly Beijing and Shanghai and also Nanjing because people sort of chat with each other, right? So through an organization called Akimis and that organization was fairly new and it’s for teachers to talk to each other, but we were able to go, there’s nothing really for us here. So can we like start up a group and so that started. 

Lori: Okay that’s great. In those early days what were some of the biggest challenges that you faced trying to build a community around inclusion? 

Tanya: Well as I said we had ACAMIS which was lovely but we weren’t able to reach any local community teachers so if we wanted to talk to anybody that was at a non -international school we just didn’t meet their needs right like there just that issue plus the language barrier as well and then sometimes we would go away and do these little conferences and talk about all the issues that were pertinent to us right then and there like IBO was putting in a new inclusion and access policy and trying to figure out how to incorporate that into some of our DP schools.  But what we found is when we went back home, sometimes it was like, oh, well, we can’t really change that. We felt like we didn’t have that much power. So we realized that by banding together, this was a way to move forward. 

Lori: Yeah. Right. Makes so much sense. And back then, you were SCENIC, correct? 

Tanya: We were SCENIC, yes. And there were very few services at all for external support. So it was very hard to get an Ed Psych. It was very hard to do OT. It was very hard to do speech and language therapy that was in Chinese or in English. There just wasn’t available. 

Lori: Yeah. Yeah. And so you held some conferences and networking events through the years. The first conference that I went to was actually in the Philippines. So it was the first conference that was outside of China. 

Tanya: Yeah, it was in 2010, and that’s when I knew that it was going to be so much more than our little small network, because yes, the conferences before were like 20, 30 people, then 60 people. And when we moved outside of China, and we broadened into the Philippines, I was like, oh, I can, like, this was going from, this was needed in other places. 

And that sense of belonging, that sense of connection and creating awareness around disabilities was so important, not just in China, but also in Southeast Asia at that point in time. So that’s when I sort of realized, oh, other people, places need this networking and this type of support as well. 

Lori: Yeah, well, I remember meeting you in the hotel lobby at at the conference and just Introducing myself and talking to you and Reed Rhodes who is another founder, correct? 

Tanya: Yeah Yeah, Reed Rhodes was came a little bit later, but yeah and just being so excited to be in a room or in an exciting event where All of the people that were there thought the same as me, you know believed Yeah, yeah feeling of coming home right these people you don’t have to explain yourself again. You know the acronyms, you’re talking about the same thing. You have the same mindset it just, It’s just a wonderful place. These conferences have been over all the years I’ve been going to them have just been so, it makes me feel such a sense of safety that I can talk about the issues that pertain to my context in a safe space with my friends and my colleagues. So I’ve like, when you asked me before, like at one point, how, why do we ever start something like this? Is that feeling of belonging, that feeling of home, that feeling that you’re not gonna be judged for what you’re gonna ask and a safe space to talk about all the real issues and how have other places move forward. So getting ideas as well. 

Lori: Yeah, and I’m sure it was important then, you know, you talked about your challenges, but also just share your share those challenges together and Also your frustrations because you know back in 2002 all the way through… Well now I mean we still are in a point where Inclusion isn’t all always accepted at international schools and you know, people have all their different views on it so Well, they agree can’t like like that’s that’s exactly it. 

Tanya: So It’s a yeah, like I said the feeling of home the feeling that you this is the place to be and the place to share Your ideas and thoughts. 

Lori: Yeah. Yeah Well, and then you know, I guess we should mention that after after the Manila conference. That’s when we formed our first board the following year. 

Tanya: Yes, we did. So in 2010 was when we went to the Philippines to Manila. And then 2011 is when the board was formed. And it was also the beginning when we started thinking about how to give back and provide awards and scholarships. So it was beginning of a lot of things for us. 

Lori: And then there was another turning point in 2018 where do you remember we went on a retreat? 

Tanya: I do. 

Lori: Talk about how, you know, it wasn’t just Southeast Asia that needed the support that we needed to think a little bit bigger just because there were so many local chapters at that point. 

Tanya: And people were asking for a space to talk about disabilities in a productive way. And then we were able to sort of go, okay, so how can we provide more support, more awareness, how can we live up to our vision and mission of creating an inclusive world and providing resources and that connection for people? And that’s when things started to take off and we started thinking not just grassroots, but a little bit more grassroots plus and plus and plus. So very proud of the accomplishments of SENIA so far. 

Lori: Yeah. I mean, you have literally seen it evolve from eight people to this global community that we have. And it’s fantastic that when somebody leaves, say a lot of international teachers will leave their schools and move to a new school and they’re like, what, there’s no SENIA here? What am I gonna do? And so we’re like, you can be the change. And so they’re setting up those, there’s SENIA local networks in their own communities to make sure that inclusion is talked about because it is still so important and finding and developing their own safe spaces to have these conversations. 

Tanya: Yeah, it’s really exciting to watch it grow. Just today, I saw a social media post from the Sanya Korea chapter saying we’re back together. We’re Getting the gang back together and we’re going to start, you know, and so it’s just that Momentum and excitement. That’s really fun to see.

Lori: So well, I want to recognize if I’m putting you on the spot here I’m wondering if you can name some of the founders I’ll try And if Tanya forgets you because I didn’t give her any pre -warning about this Um, well, we’ll do some research and add you to it 

Tanya: Okay, so Revelyn Fabisak, Linda Vartel, Kirsty Kelly, Sandra Helmink, myself and I believe there is one lady called Diana and I can’t think of her last name and then I can’t remember everybody. 

Lori: Well, it’s very impressive. And thank you to the eight. We need to start calling you the senior eight. 

Tanya: Maybe. 

Lori: Yeah, so well, what are some, you know, looking back through the many, many years that you have been part of this organization, what are some moments that really make you especially proud of what SENIA has become? 

Tanya: I think that there were some pivotal moments and the pivotal moment was like the founding of the board, like finally we had a sense of direction and didn’t just rely on, you know, the goodwill of different schools to put on these conferences. And it allows us to talk about things like awards and scholarship and think beyond just doing a conference for people that wanted to come, right? Like, so it was a little bit more thinking about others and how we can still promote our mission and vision. And that’s when, you know, the mission and vision just became even grander. And so I think that was really, really pivotal. 

I think that the newsletters have been really great for advocating and also getting information out there. The expansion of the local chapters, you know, when they started moving outside of… of China it was impressive and then we started moving outside of Asia and we had I think at one of the conferences we had somebody come as far away as um as I want to say it was like Dubai or something like that they came from really far away and I just remember oh my gosh people want this in other parts of the world um and uh so it just it’s like how it evolves sort of naturally yeah but it was um every step was again keeping in tune with our you know our grassroots but then trying to figure out how can we reach more people that can’t maybe come to a conference uh and then in the last couple of years I would say you know we have your podcasts we have um the SENIA Academy, which is just reaching newer and newer groups of people and training people to talk about disabilities in a structured way. And that’s really helped because it provides better services for students in the classroom, which, you know, is was one of our what is part of our mission, right. So to advocate and to learn and connect. And I think that we are definitely working hard towards our mission and keeping that going. 

Lori: Yes, always. I know it sounds almost fake and cheesy, but Andrea Lilis, the deputy executive of SENIA and I wake up every day and that’s our first question to ourselves. How will we live SENIA’s mission today and that kind of starts our day and moving forward so wonderful yeah it’s it’s it’s a good way to ground yourself for sure so let’s think back to if you could give yourself one piece of advice as a founder what would it be? 

Tanya: well you know how you put me on the spot about the names, I really wish we would have documented more yeah but there would have been photos and videos of all the good work that was done just because we we didn’t realize what we were doing was revolutionary right we didn’t realize it was going to that SENIA was going to become this big organization. Uh, we were just doing it because we needed that sense of connection. We didn’t want to work in a silo anymore. No one at our schools understood us because we’re, and so it was, it was more, I wish, I really wish we would have had more photos, more videos, more just documenting of everything. But we just, we just didn’t really good point. Yeah. Just something small and something little for us. And, um, and which resonated with a lot of people. 

Lori: You had no idea. And I think probably even when I joined back in, I think it was 2010, yeah, uh, I remember thinking this is specifically for learning support teachers, SENIA. But what I didn’t realize is SENIA is for everyone. And everyone can learn and benefit anyone who who wants to support children? You know comes to send you,  So it’s been really cool to see the evolution of people who come to the conferences over the years It’s it’s it’s teachers. It’s specialists. It’s general education teachers administration parents You know caregivers, so it’s just really expansive now.

Tanya: Yes, I agree, and then there’s also the That still that grassroots part with the local Chapters because like you know you can do things in in the local language You can meet the needs of that specific context which might be different from like a Chinese context is definitely different from, you know, a Brazilian context, you know, so having that and being able to talk about the challenges that sometimes happens. Like we have challenges at our school, just with importing testing materials, which is, you know, is difficult and we’ve been helping some people through it right now because it is different in China, right? 

Lori: Yeah, that’s why I’m really happy about our Might Network because people can ask those questions and, you know, they might have be struggling in China with this, but they can reach out and somebody might answer from Ecuador saying we’ve had the same issue. We can help. You know, this is how we did it. So, yeah, that’s been really fun. So that’s just a little plug for the Might Network because we would love to have more and more people on and engaging with conversations because I think it’s really helpful. 

Tanya: Definitely. I agree. 

Lori: Yeah. So what do you think is the most important thing for people to understand about SENIA’s mission today? 

Tanya: So the SENIA mission is about connecting, learning, and advocating for one another. So I think that the most important thing is that by joining SENIA and becoming part of SENIA, you become a part of a friendship group, a group of colleagues that will talk about things that are important to you in the classroom, important to you as parents, important to you to live your life, live your life. And I think that I’ve made so many lifelong friendships that I only see these, I see people at the conferences and that connection is just like no other conference I’ve ever been to. 

And I think that with our mission, that for me personally, the connection and that sense of belonging has always been key And that’s what I. Yeah. 

Lori: Yeah. 

Tanya: Yeah. Yeah. 

Lori: Well, like I said, we met in the hotel lobby and it was just like every year I was so excited to see you and Erickson Perez, who was a former chairperson, or Kate Balsamo, another former chairperson of the board. And you know what I love is listening to you and one of our directors, Meggy Schaum, talk about is it F1? Is that what it’s called? 

Tanya: Yeah, F1. 

Lori: This is great. So you’re not wrong when you mention friendships. 

Tanya: Yes, for sure. 

Lori: So now let’s we’ve looked back a lot. Let’s look toward the future. When you look at the future of SENIA, what excites you the most? 

Tanya: So, I think that our vision is a huge vision and to live in an inclusive world and where everyone is valued and belongs. And I think that the future is hopefully that. 

And it’s hopefully that we can be a small part of that, that SUNY can be a small part of that through creating more local chapters, more SUNY Academy offerings, of courses to take for training and up -skilling, more people on Mighty Network sharing ideas. And if we provide these resources if we have these communities that we’re building up Then we will live in an inclusive world and we will we will have reached not just our mission But also our vision and so that’s what I’m hoping for for the future 

Lori: Well, me too. That is awesome. Let’s go for the vision Well, finally Well, maybe not finally. I mean we we can chat but if you were to create a signature cocktail or mocktail that describes the work that SENIA does What would it be named and what’s in it? 

Tanya: Okay, so when you asked me this question, I had to think long and hard, but here it goes. Inclusion and fusion. Okay, so it’s a mix of orange juice, pineapple and cranberry juice. Just looking at the variety of offerings that we have at the at SENIA, and also the variety of people that we have the diversity that is in our membership. So and you can create variations on that. So I like that idea. Yeah. Sweet sugar syrup. So a little bit of sweet sugar syrup just for some sweetness and some happiness and joy. As well as some lime juice, lime juice, which brings us some brightness and optimism for the future which we definitely need and then sparkling water which is the fizz or the celebration that we celebrate whenever we’re at a conference we celebrate you know whether it’s award winners or just being together in a space and we’re we have the little dances at at the conference that’s right and then mint leaves and flowers just you know to give it that little special flair so that would be my my mocktail inclusion and fusion I love it so now we all need to go to our local bars and suggest that drink right great it’s not a real drink so right yeah sounds good 

Lori: Well, Tanya, thank you not just for being here on the podcast, not just for being our chairperson of SENIA, which is a huge undertaking, and we appreciate you daily, but for being one of the fabulous eight or whatever I called you, the SENIA eight, thank you for founding this organization. 

Tanya: Without all of you, you know, we would not be here today and it’s, I feel honored to be here with you, but like I said, just in the right place at the right time and didn’t know that it was going to become what it is today and I’m very grateful that I’m still part of our mission, our SENIA mission and vision, and I love working with all of you and You are my SENIA family. So I’m very happy very happy to still be part of this group 

Lori: All right. Well happy hundred episode. 

[ Outro music plays ]

Thank you for joining us for today’s show. For more information including how to subscribe and shownotes, please head to our website. That’s SENIAinternational.org/podcasts. Until next time… cheers!