189: Breaking Barriers: Disability, Education, and Inclusion for First-Gen Students with Victoria Bracamonte

Victoria Bracamonte

Welcome back, everyone to another episode of the Grad School Femtoring podcast. This is your host Dra. Yvette. Today we have an episode on the topic of breaking barriers and what you need to know about disability, education, and inclusion as a first generation student. Our guest is Victoria Andrea Bracamonte.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

She has a bachelor's degree in English language arts secondary education, as well as a master's degree in education. Her current research focuses on evaluating how the use of assistive technology devices through our academic curriculum grants students the opportunity to evidence academic improvement. She advocates for educational spaces which propels student growth, demonstrate awareness of their needs, and value their individual journeys to success. As an educator with a disability, she uses her own experiences to evidence the significance of sharing our story, and practicing self advocacy to navigate the educational system. Welcome so much to the podcast, Victoria.

Victoria Bracamonte

Thank you so much for having me. I'm just thankful to be in this space today.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I am so thankful to have you here too. I would love for you to get us started by sharing a little bit more about who you are, what you do. And if you're open to it, sharing a little bit more about your background and backstory. I'd love to hear more about how you became who you are today.

Victoria Bracamonte

Of course. Well, let me start off by saying my journey in education started about seven years ago, when I decided that I wanted to provide support for students who had difficulty in academics- either at the primary level, but also those who were transitioning from secondary school over to college. At that time, I decided that I was going to offer tutoring services and I started to talk to people from my community, and say, this is what I have to offer. I remember one of my first students was a fifth grade student who had a learning disability. Through time, and about three years of just strategy development, he demonstrated a lot of improvement and he was able to transition into regular ed.

Victoria Bracamonte

That was kind of that moment where I said, I understand the importance of strategy development and actually getting to sit with students at an individual level. But it was when I started to sit with them myself that I recognized- this is the key factor that also helped me in my journey. I was born premature. As a result of that, there was an obstruction of oxygen to the brain, which caused the cerebral palsy diagnosis- spastic cerebral palsy, it's more specific, which is characterized by muscle rigidness. My right hand, it didn't have movement. So I started school having difficulty holding a pencil and doing all these activities like cutting.

Victoria Bracamonte

I remember one of the strategies that my occupational therapists used was having me do letter formation in shaving cream. That's when I understood how important it was to not only have the correct strategy, but also have the correct tools. I remember I also had special scissors. So that's kind of what started at the college level my interest for assistive technology. And my research isn't just that, how to use the assistive technology and combine it with proper strategies. I think the misconception is, you give students a laptop. And if they have a writing difficulty, there's this expectation for us to improve.

Victoria Bracamonte

Of course, that's going to happen. But there's also the need to use the correct strategy. Like for example, you gave the students a laptop. But you have to answer all these supplemental questions. How much do you expect the student to write on a daily basis? How are you going to teach grammar? So my premise is strategy and tools need to coexist in order for them to be effective. That's where my research lands. What type of technology is useful? In my master's project, I evaluated Asperger's Syndrome, dyslexia, and cerebral palsy.

Victoria Bracamonte

One of the things that I always communicate in the education fields is to make sure that we have the correct definition of what equity is. Because in the education field, we sometimes think if we give every student a laptop, that's equality. The real equality factor is to give the student the laptop, but have that conversation. Besides the laptop, does the student need another tool to be successful? And also think about supplemental input from other professionals. Does the student have communication with a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a behavioral therapist?

Victoria Bracamonte

The goal of teachers should be to take the input from all professionals, and then be able to make a comprehensive plan of teaching that is unique to that student. Of course, it's going to take time. It's going to take a lot of investment. But in the long run, it's going to be effective. So that was basically my journey. I remember that there was nothing that stood alone. There was a lot of parental support, specifically from my grandmother. She was my advocate. She has raised me ever since I was three.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Wow.

Victoria Bracamonte

She was the one that taught me you're supposed to advocate for yourself. You're your own voice. If you need something, make it known, because that's the way that you're going to know what you're capable of. Just communicate your needs and make yourself heard in a very polite way. But make sure that your voice is heard, because there's other people that might need to also hear from your experience. So I learned that to be very powerful. In the process of wanting to advocate for myself, I also learned what my voice and what my needs were, and during specific periods in my life. So advocacy was a very important part of my journey in order for me to get into higher education. That accompanied me through the rest of my journey - talking to Disability Services, the Learning Center. I remember, one of the things that I struggled a lot with in college was typing, just because the muscle movement in my right hand does still at some point give me some challenge. So I had to really be an advocate for - can I have a typist help me transcribe what I speak?

Victoria Bracamonte

That challenge gave me the ability to discover how good of a communicator I could be, because I didn't have a chance sometimes to look at my paper until after. But I was communicating my ideas just by speaking all the time. So you learn the abilities, and you discover your critical thinking capacities, and everything that you're able to accomplish through challenges itself. That change in perspective really helps you to become more aware of your way of thinking, but also more aware of how you can better advocate for yourself. That's how I would describe a lot of my journey- having that support from my grandmother, advocacy, proper communication with educators, and other supplemental staff, I think, was critical for me to experience success and be able to even bring this research forward and really discover what the implications of successful assistive technology are in the classroom, and the effects that that has on academic achievement.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Thank you so much for giving such a detailed response. I appreciate that you shared both about how you grew up and your experience getting support through your grandma, through the team of different specialists who helped you. But then also what you learned in terms of tools and strategies and just the support that's a very individualized type of support that disabled students need. I wanted you to maybe expand a little bit more on- in terms of the differences between K through 12 and to college, because I know that that transition can be a barrier, especially when you go from K through 12. You might have a team. You might have an occupational therapist, a physical therapist and other folks who might be supporting you. You might have an IEP.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Then you go to college, and all of a sudden, it's different. There's a disability services office or Accessibility Services Office, and like you said, you might be handed a laptop and not 100% receive the support you need unless you know how to advocate for yourself. Can you expand a little bit more about that transition or even your own personal experience? I know you mentioned some of your struggles- for instance, with typing like you said. But how has your journey going to college influenced your trajectory? And what was that transition like for you?

Victoria Bracamonte

Initially, it was very scary, to put it in one word- because I didn't know how I was going to thrive in this environment. Everything just looked- the campus was huge. I had to think about all these elements. How was I going to navigate campus? How was I going to get to class on time? I think one of the things that really made a difference for me was that my campus is very open to having campus tours. Even when I was doing my search for a campus, I knew that accessibility was really important for me. And I was very blessed to be able to go into a campus that had signs, and there wasn't a lot of distance between classrooms.

Victoria Bracamonte

But also, there was this system available where I could call campus safety, and they can give me a ride from one class to another in a golf cart. These accessibility factors were really important for me to be able to know about so that I would be able to advocate. One of the things that I did was I got to know my campus. But I also got to know the people around campus that I knew could be a resource to me- ven before I started going to actual class. I started to ask questions about the Disability Resource Center, the Learning Center. What were the implications in order to be able to get their services? What type of paperwork did I need to take in order to do verification of disability, and what services were available?

Victoria Bracamonte

One of the things that was helpful- and I think that continues to be helpful in any context- is early exposure and early preparation. Even though that can be scary, the early exposure and the getting to know the people that are on the campus that you want to be part of is a really important aspect, because there's going to be people on that team that are going to be critical to your success. So the more that we become immersed in that- I remember I had my first college tour in eighth grade, because I was part of the AVID program. That tour of that campus was the day I said, I'm determined that I'm going to go to college. I don't know if it's here. But I know that I love the environment. I know that I love to learn and I know that I want to be a part of it.

Victoria Bracamonte

The early immersion instilled the hunger in my journey. And once you have the hunger for it, then you go after the resource. Resource and hunger to be there, and that yearning to make a difference is what's going to keep us going. But I think just exposure, that's the very short answer. To be able to know how you're going to navigate something, you need a roadmap. And in order to be able to create that roadmap, you need to understand surroundings. That's what I did. I communicated my story early on. There was times where, if the professor that I had for class didn't know about my struggles, two weeks before the class would start or a week before or even a few days before I would email my professor. I would introduce myself and say- hi, my name is Victoria. This is my major and I'm going to be part of your class. I just wanted to say, these are some of my needs. Please communicate with me if you need me to prepare in alternative ways.

Victoria Bracamonte

Or even- another thing that's really important is to cultivate maybe face to face conversations through office hours. While written communication - when it's done well- can be a good source of communication, I think face to face conversations are really powerful. Because the professor is getting to know you on a more personal level, but you're also advocating through a different form of communication. So you're just elaborating on something that's probably already written. Just starting with having your roadmap and then early communication. If early communication happens, it keeps the communication flowing throughout the semester. And also being open about what's going on in your life, because one of the things about disability is something can be perfectly fine on Tuesday, and then Wednesday comes, and nothing is fine.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Oh my gosh. Tell me about it. Really quickly- sorry to interrupt. We had to reschedule our recording, because of me getting flare ups and not feeling well. And you understand.

Victoria Bracamonte

Yeah, I completely understand and I just appreciated the openness. She was like, when I'm not feeling well today. I think that's important - vulnerability- in a context when we're also asking for help. Although it's scary, and although it can be uncomfortable, it's going to really offer the other person that's trying to help you an understanding of what you're going through. Maybe not to the depth that - obviously- we're experiencing it, but they're gonna have enough understanding to know that you need assistance. So communication that is clear, that is early, that is up hand, and exposure are really the elements that are going to help propel your transition from the K through 12 environment to the college level forward. I think those are the elements that really helped me.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I feel like you just gave these really, really great tips that are not always- not everybody knows about this. Not everybody knows- I should probably communicate with my professors early. They might wait until the first week or until the first assignment. And the way that you said it - sending an email in advance, communicating your needs, even meeting with them face to face- all of that is really good advice that unless someone tells you, or unless you've been advocating for yourself for so long that you develop that skill, it can be hard for students who may be- if they develop a disability while they're in college, or maybe they realize it late in life. I appreciate anytime that you share very specific advice and strategies and tips, because those are the things that I know people are going to be writing down, or jotting down these ideas for things for them to advocate for themselves too.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I know that the disability or disabled community is big and expansive, and everybody's experience is very, very different. But have you found at least- either through your experience or through your research, and even through what you're studying with regard to assistive technology- what are some common barriers that you've noticed that disabled students experience specifically in higher ed- in college or grad school? Since this podcast focuses on first gen, if you can tie it into how those issues sometimes get compounded or more complicated, when they're first gen? Because the example of the tips earlier of- sometimes when you're first gen, you don't know that you're allowed to email your professors in advance. That to me is one example of how it complicates things. But going back to common barriers in higher ed or anything that you've noticed from your experience or your research?

Victoria Bracamonte

Firsthand, being first gen - at least for me - I remember I knew that I wanted to go to college, but I struggled with filling out applications and things like that. I remember we had this little room at my high school that was called the college center, I think it was. That little room became my best friend. I remember I became really close to the counselors that were inside, because they were the ones that I was like- well, it says college and there's a bunch of college flags around the room. So they might be able to...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

They all have the college flags.

Victoria Bracamonte

Yeah, that's literally how I started to go into that room. I remember I would connect and be there, and have conversations. I remember I would come sometimes at 6am- it would already be open. I would go in there and work on my apps while a lot of people were just coming into school or preparing for first period. So if I had a question about financial aid- which was one of the hardest things, because I'm like, I hope that I'm completing this correctly. I remember there was availability for those questions as well. But when it came to the concept of disability, there was a lot of questions like, how can we best adapt you? Because I remember, I had a one on one assistant from sixth grade to 12th grade. So how are you going to navigate college without your assistant?

Victoria Bracamonte

A lot of people, the first question that they had was, how can we better serve you? Actually sitting down with myself and saying- really, how can they? How can I answer that question? I think for me, the part that was difficult was self analysis, where I had to sit with myself and say, what is it that I need? In regards to time to get to class- even the most basic thing like, how am I going to carry my bags? How much time do I need between classes, so that I have enough time to get there or that I have enough time to walk or go to the caf? Answering the things that appear- I don't want to use the word little- but answering the small puzzle pieces are going to lead you into knowing what the big questions are.

Victoria Bracamonte

I remember there was a point where I knew one of the things that I'm going to need is I'm going to need extra time for exams. That question started when I was like, how am I going to write papers? How much time am I going to need in between papers? So when I wrote my first paper, and I realized that something that would take 45 minutes for another person took me about an hour and a half, or almost two, then I knew that I was going to need extra time for exams. So the questions that collide is you're figuring out things from college by yourself- or at least for my case, because I was first gen, I was trying to just figure everything out. Like, how do you waive college application fees? And I was also trying to figure out, how am I going to get help?

Victoria Bracamonte

These are two questions that always come together. And by you, or by me, answering all these questions, we can then answer to other people that are asking- how can we better serve you? A lot of people are also interested in the implications of your disability specifically. What I mean about that is- there's a lot of people that have cerebral palsy. But because it's such a multifaceted condition, just because three people have the same diagnosis on a paper, it doesn't mean that the three are affected exactly the same way. So I think some of the roadblocks that are happening sometimes is that a lot of people- and I think unintentionally- they say, you have cerebral palsy? Oh, I know, someone that has it.

Victoria Bracamonte

So you're like, yeah. But that person is that person, and I'm my own person. Could you actually sit with me so that I can tell you what the implications of how I live through that condition are?

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes.

Victoria Bracamonte

I think that's one of the biggest roadblocks- having to communicate the idea that it's a different experience for everyone. The next part of it is- a lot of it that I found in the research was financial, because not every student has the financial ability to be able to acquire assistive technology- especially if it's the high technology, like synthetic speech devices and things like that. So one of the things that I want to communicate my research and that I actually have available is a webpage that I'm still finalizing, that has available this listing in different cities of foundations that can help financially for students that are trying to obtain these devices.

Victoria Bracamonte

I would say that the biggest roadblocks are awareness of where assistance can be found, and also, how we not only communicate our specific implications of the disability that we go through, but also how others perceive it, because it's under the same name. So I think it's really important for us to break the barriers by having these conversations that are as transparent as possible, because sometimes people don't ask the question- at least for me, I remember there was a time where I had the opportunity for one of my communication classes to do an informative speech. I did an informative speech on cerebral palsy, and the room just went quiet. Because sometimes people have questions, but they don't ask them, because they're not sure if the person is open to answering the question. I think everybody can do this at their own pace and at their own comfortableness. But I think it's important to gradually move into openness.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yes.

Victoria Bracamonte

Because we're going to be communicators of what we need as much as we're open.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yeah.

Victoria Bracamonte

So the degree to which we're open is the degree to which we understood. I think that's really important- awareness of where this assistance is available, financial assistance. Also open communication and being willing to answer the questions- like I said, at our own pace. But like making sure that we're gradually making a process into that progression. The more questions that we answer, the more we're going to inform people that are possibly not going through disability- or people that are possibly be going through it and need that guidance. Because we have upcoming generations that are going to need the guidance that we wish we had at a given time. We're going to be those vessels that say, we have these resources for you. But the way that that's going to be made known is if we're open and we have communication that's effective.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I feel like that's a very complicated conversation to have about openness when it comes to disclosing disability, because on the one hand, you have folks who have visible disabilities where there is no option. Then there are folks with invisible disabilities where they may or may not choose to disclose because of fears of discrimination, you name it. But then, when you don't disclose or if you're trying to get support, it's hard to get support if people don't have the information necessary to provide you with adequate support. So I'm just thinking about that as you said it- trying to move towards being more open. Because I definitely 100% agree, although I know it's a very personal decision. Everyone, like you said, their comfort level is different.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

You mentioned a couple of things, like in your college experience, how for you it wasn't just the first gen struggle that a lot of us have of figuring out- how do I apply? How do I get financial aid? I don't want to mess up. But then added to that is - how do I make sure they advocate for myself so that I can get the support I need to survive and thrive in college? And then you added an extra element, which is the whole class status and how some folks with disabilities may have access to even more resources because they have the financial means to do so.I think that's a really good point, especially when you're talking about the assistive technology that you do research on.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

You mentioned a website you're working on. If you have it ready by the time this episode gets released, or even if it's after the episode gets released, shoot me a message so we can add it to the show notes, so that folks can check it out. I'm already so excited about that. I want to hear you tell us a little bit about your research, because I think that is really, really interesting just for folks who are not familiar with the use of assistive technology- like what they are, what do they look like, how do they support different individuals. What can you share about that, and how disabled students can use them to advocate for themselves better or to get the support they need?

Victoria Bracamonte

Assistive technology can be divided into three categories. The first category is high level, or high tech. The second category is middle tech, and then the third category is low tech. High tech would be like machines used for synthetic speech. Let's say that we have a nonverbal student that needs a form of expression and communication. There's these machines that are activated through eye gaze technology. That's also the way the mouse is activated on the computers. So we have these very high end technology devices. That can really enable the nonverbal student or the student that needs to further expand their vocabulary to have this communication device that grants them a voice in the classroom. So these technology types are very crucial.

Victoria Bracamonte

But even in my research, what I found is that when you have a student that uses these devices in your classroom, you have to be aware of the time that you give them for a response. Some of these devices will take up to three minutes to compile the student response. So you ask the student a question or you ask- let's say you're in a context where you're in a whole class discussion, and you want to give the student a chance to have a conversation and a chance to engage. You ask the question. You need to consider that- yes, you want to give other students time, but also factoring the extra time that the student needs, not only to think about the response, but also to compile it through the device.

Victoria Bracamonte

Just being aware of when we have students that use these devices, we have to understand that sometimes our lessons might take longer. So what are the implications of that? And us being able to make those adaptations that say, okay, I might not get through as much in the lesson as I expected, because I'm trying to create this environment that is inviting for the student and that is safe. But what I do know is that what I do get through will really not only allow me to teach the student, but also inform me about the student. Because when we hear them speak in class, when we hear them contribute to a discussion, we really know what their learning process is. And are they grasping material? What do I need to review for these students?

Victoria Bracamonte

And what we do when we make the time to listen to the student is we inject confidence, because we allow them to develop their social relationships with peers as well. And we teach- there's this machine that is used for also synthetic speech. So one of the strategies that is talked about is have the students that's using the machine pair up with another student that does not use the machine and teach that other student to use cues. Like if I use one finger, that's because I'm going to allow my peer to have an attempt to compose a response. When I lift it up again, I'm going to hear his response and I'm going to also be thinking about mine and then respond.

Victoria Bracamonte

So what we're doing is also we're team building, because we teach students that everybody has different abilities and different skill levels, and that we can work together with all of our peers in any context in order to be effective learners. There's a lot of things that come into play when we place these technologies in the classroom. You're giving the other student a voice, but you're also giving the other students that don't use these devices values to be to become team players, which is something that's really important also in the workforce once they leave the classroom. And one of the things that we have to keep in mind is we're preparing students for things beyond the classroom, and for them to be successful even after they leave. That's for high tech.

Victoria Bracamonte

Middle tech is it has some level of technology, but it's not as advanced as these machines. It can be like a talking calculator for a student that's maybe hearing impaired and still needs that guidance also in pronunciation of words. So sometimes the talkie calculator can be useful for individuals with dyslexia. If they have difficulty with number pronunciation and they want to insert particular equations, they have talking calculators. They have things like mouses that have specific hand shapes for specific individuals that struggle with grips.

Victoria Bracamonte

The low tech is the one that's little to no technology at all. That would be pencil grips, different types of scissors. There's tabletop scissors, where you just put the little loop on top of the table, and then you grab the paper. Then you have to just press a button in order for it to start cutting. So you have different shaped scissors. That's basically the different distinctions between technology. The very high level, the middle level- which means maybe some technology, but it's not as complex. And it doesn't require as much financial investment there- still to some degree, but it's not as expensive. Then there's the low tech, which is maybe sometimes a student will only need that- like I remember, one of the things that I struggled with was that I had a very- because of the stiffness, my grip. Once I would grab on to that pencil, it was so hard- the way that I would grab onto it that I would do callouses on my thumb. So one of the things that they used was a pencil grip.

Victoria Bracamonte

Sometimes it'll be that simple innovation of using a pencil grip or an eraser that's not on top of the pencil. Those little things. Part of my research also talks about the spacing between the lines on the paper. There's some students that have cerebral palsy that do have spastic, and so they're only able to hold the pencil in an upright position. So each letter is very huge. If you're expecting them to do a write up, you have to provide the wide lined adapted paper. So being aware of where these resources are is very important. Certainly, once I am done compiling everything, I will definitely share with you that website because I think these are all things that will be useful for teachers to know that these things are available, so that once they maybe come across a student that needs them, they know where to and how to adapt it and how to apply it to their unique lesson needs.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Where would things like special software, like dictation software or software to record and transcribe maybe lecture notes - where would those types of tools fall under? Do they fall under any of those categories?

Victoria Bracamonte

Right, they would fall under high tech, because you still need a particular software in order for it to work. But now, they might be borderline between high tech and middle tech because now we have things like for example in a Mac, you can press the microphone version and it'll start - it already has that dictation.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

I use it all the time.

Victoria Bracamonte

And Microsoft Word. That's already considered middle tech, because you don't necessarily have to go out there like before and buy Dragon speaking. That was one of the...

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Dragon dictate.

Victoria Bracamonte

Yeah, Dragon dictator or Dragon Naturally Speaking. You don't have to go out there and buy the CD. You can actually test out and see if the features that are already on these computers - or on Microsoft Word- to see how effective those are for you. So it would kind of be borderline between high tech and middle tech.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Yeah. Because of my chronic illnesses- one of them impacts my vision, so sometimes my vision can get blurry. I have found that these types of accessibility features- both on my laptop and also on my phone - of reading things out loud have helped a lot. That's why I was curious. I was like, where do those things fall? But I wouldn't have thought that it could be high level depending on whether you need that special access to it. So that's really, really interesting and I appreciate you sharing- also the differences in between the different levels, because I wasn't familiar with that. And I think that a lot of the listeners may not know. It just helps to differentiate between the different types of technology and devices that people can use.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

And I found, I think that the more people learn not just to support others, but they might find that some of these tools are actually quite helpful for a lot of folks. Even if they don't necessarily need to rely on it, they might find it helpful for themselves. I think it's a win win to learn about these technologies and tools. You already kind of mentioned a little bit of this. You started to mention how students can be more of a team player and to support their disabled peers in classroom settings, and what professors can do to accommodate students. I'm wondering if there's anything else that you want to share about how maybe able bodied folks in higher ed can promote more inclusive and accommodating environments?

Victoria Bracamonte

I think this pretty much goes back to the concept that I initially talked about openness. I always return to this, because I remember during my undergrad, when I was doing my student practices- the certain hours that I was required to do as part of my practice. I would walk into the classroom, and the first thing I would say is, hi. My name is Miss Bracamonte. Back then, I had a different last name. But I would mention my name, and they would look at me like they wanted to ask and they were hoping that I would talk about it. So one of the first things that I would say is, you guys can ask me any question that you guys want.

Victoria Bracamonte

The first question was most certainly to be like, why do you use that? They didn't know the proper name to it, so I would like teach them the proper name. I would say this is called a walker, and this is why use it. And I would share my story in a way that was age appropriate to that class. So I think one of the ways that you can do it is teaching a lot of- I think it's important for us to teach our students also emotional awareness and just cultivating principles. Even if we start with a phrase every morning that cultivates that understanding. Like if we have students practice- my neighbor is valuable, and things like that. Have students rest on those principles throughout the week. And how can students practice kindness, because I think it all starts with emotional awareness.

Victoria Bracamonte

For them to understand- yes, your peer might have a disability, but they still have emotions. So anything that we say or anything that we do can impact their hearts. If we cultivate a classroom that has that posture, we make students- or not make, but we champion students forward that are put into having an awareness of what they say and what they do. If we cultivate that environment of respect, then we're going to be able to better cultivate learning. I think everything starts with a solid foundation. If we address our relationships- our student teacher relationships and our peer to peer relationships and make sure that they're solid, respectful, caring and aware, then we're going to be able to then move into successful learning and into successful inclusion. When students have those principles of care, they see their peer as just my friend- my friend, the one that I get to learn with every day. And we cultivate this environment where we all want to succeed, but we also all want to see others succeed as well. I think it's very important to not neglect the emotional awareness factor.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Thank you for bringing that up. I think that's something that I don't hear about enough when we're having conversations about advocacy and about inclusion - that emotional awareness. That is very, very important. And compassion is a big thing for me. It's a big part of my platform as well. I really believe that it is powerful to be compassionate, and especially self compassionate too. I wanted to ask- I know you have already started to share some advice. But is there any other advice you want to give to disabled students, specifically first gen students, first gen BIPOC students. Let's say there's someone listening out there who's like- yes, I'm disabled. I'm first gen. I'm a student of color. And they are navigating college for the first time. Maybe they're finding themselves struggling at this time. They need a little bit of pep talk or words of advice. What would you say to them?

Victoria Bracamonte

I would start off by saying, always remember why you're where you're at or why you wanted to be part of - let's say you're part of higher ed. Always remember why you decided that you wanted to start in the first place. Because one of the things that I can't promise is that there's not going to be days that are hard. You're going to have days that are going to be physically hard. You're going to have days that are going to be emotionally difficult. And you're gonna have days where even sometimes communication is difficult- where other people just, they're trying to understand, but maybe they just couldn't, or they missed what you were trying to say. Even on those hard days, just sit and remember why.

Victoria Bracamonte

I remember one of the things that was really helpful for me was the writing process, and me just being able to write what I felt. To have this space where you're able to self evaluate after your day, and say, what was good about today? And what are things that I can improve on? Even the way we see these things when we go through challenges. I found that rethinking and reshaping the way that I think about my difficult days has really helped my ability to just continue forward. Even the language that we use when we think about these things- instead of saying, what things went wrong today? Saying- what things can I improve on, or what things can be better next time? This can really help shift our perspective.

Victoria Bracamonte

I think that's one of the things that I would say- just remember why you started. And also be open to self evaluation, so that you understand what's working and what can be improved. Every day is a new opportunity to become better in our advocacy, in our communication, in our friendships, in our connections with professionals and the opportunities that we seek. And when you get an opportunity to be a voice and share your story, it's gonna be scary. It's going to be at first, but just know that there's someone else out there that might need from what you are carrying. From what you have to give, there's someone else out there that needs to hear it. So just be open to taking those opportunities and being able to seize those opportunities and saying, if there's somebody out there that saw this potential in me, it's because I have it.

Victoria Bracamonte

Be willing to walk in and really embrace those opportunities throughout your career. And don't be afraid, because all of us, even though we're facing things like disability, we have things to contribute to the community. So it's very important for us to take a stand and be strong and say, I'm going to use my voice, and I'm going to use thi- I want to say that it's a challenge, because a lot of times, it is very, very challenging. I want to say, take this challenge and say, I'm going to use this challenge to empower others- not only the ones that are going through disability, but also empower to create a community that is aware, that is accepting, that is willing to understand.

Victoria Bracamonte

I think that's how we're going to cultivate change, when we rise up and we really commit to the opportunities that are given and the opportunities that come and just our overall communication. So just remembering our why, self evaluating, taking every day as an opportunity to learn, and moving forward with every opportunity. Your yes is going to help a lot of generations- not only the people that you're now seeing, but also people that are going to come in the future and listen to what you have to say. They're going to be empowered. So don't be afraid to take that step forward and say, yes.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

You shared so many gems. It's hard to really pinpoint all of them. But one thing that still stays in my mind is you said, every day is another day to get better at advocating for yourself. I think that's a powerful line. And then also just reminding people about how important it is to be self aware, to have space and time for self awareness and for self evaluation. That is so so helpful for anyone but especially for folks with disabilities. Thank you for your words of advice. I'm getting chills. We're getting close to wrapping up the episode. I wanted to ask you, if there's anything else that you wanted to share that maybe I didn't ask you, or that we didn't get to cover yet? Or any closing words?

Victoria Bracamonte

I think just for us to remember that we can continue to be a powerful voice in the spaces that we're a part of. And so continue to use that voice in order to communicate your needs. I think it has just been a pleasure to be able to be part of this space and be able to communicate my own experiences. Just remember that every part of our story is unique. And just like every part of our story is unique, our needs are unique. But when we come and we take the time to put each puzzle piece together, it creates this trail and this roadmap that facilitates a lot of the things that we're going to experience forward.

Victoria Bracamonte

I think one of the things that I just want to continue to mention is just take that step to know your surroundings. And what I mean by that is when you're about to be a part of something- whether it's a college campus, or whether it's a job opportunity- just really trying to get to know the environment. Let's say I get a call to teach somewhere, right? I always like to have a first impression of the place, like where are my exits, where are my entrances, and things like that. I think that's very powerful, even thinking beyond the college experience into a workplace, thinking - what is the extra tools that I might need? Being aware of like, where are there stairs? Is there an access to an elevator?

Victoria Bracamonte

I think all these questions and being upfront about the needs is going to really be useful in the workplace as well. So going and having tours of spaces, and always asking the question - can I see this space beforehand? Before I go and engage and be a part of it, would you mind me taking a look at it and seeing if this is the right fit? Even thinking about work wise. While we think these questions can present a challenge, you'd be surprised to know how many employers say, I'm happy to see how you're willing to engage in preparation beforehand. They actually see it as a plus, because they know that you have a struggle, but that you're making the effort to know the place that you're going to serve in order to be able to serve it effectively. Those things come as a plus, and they also help us as we prepare to engage in the workforce or to engage in educational facilities.

Victoria Bracamonte

Just don't be afraid to not only communicate the need, but also self evaluate your spaces and be prepared beforehand. But other than that, I'm just really, really grateful for this space. And I just hope that through my story and through the things that I shared, I was able to encourage people to just continue forward with their goals and their aspirations, and to really not give up no matter how hard the day, you have a goal to achieve. If I ever hear from anybody that's going to be listening to this podcast, I would love to hear that they're just continuing on and they're achieving their dreams, and they're becoming a powerful voice and powerful advocate in society and for themselves.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

Well, thank you so much, Victoria, for being on the show. One last question- for folks who were deeply touched by what you shared, who want to stay connected with you, is there any way that they can follow you or your work?

Victoria Bracamonte

Yeah. Primarily I share a lot of things about daily life, and I'm going to start to share a lot more things related to education on my Instagram platform, which is @Victoria.Braca. That's my Instagram profile. You might read about a little bit of everything every day. But if you just want to continue learning about my journey- and also if I get the opportunity to be in contact with folks that wish to continue following me, that would be a great pleasure. And if I could be a resource and support to anybody, I would gladly gladly do it.

Dra. Yvette Martinez-Vu

We'll make sure to add your Instagram to the show notes as well so that way folks can be in touch. Once again, thank you so much, Victoria, for coming on the show, for sharing your insights, your knowledge, your experience, so many gems. Muchas gracias. Thank you for coming on the show.

Victoria Bracamonte

Thank you. Muchas gracias.