Good Morning and welcome to the RU Sport Podcast. We have with us today Dr. Leidon Lashley,who is the founding director of the Early Childhood Center of Excellence. Isn't that what you call it?Correct.And you are based in?Good morning. I am Dr. Leidon Lashley, as Ingi said, and I'm based at the University of Guyana in South America.Guyana. I have to admit, and I'm not sure that everybody in Iceland knows much about your country, even though I do.Can you tell us a little bit about your country?So, Guyana was officially British Guyana for 152 years. It was a colony of Britain.And as such, it's under Guyana's shield.In South America, so it's British Guyana, surrounded by French Guyana, and Dutch Guyana, which is also called Suriname.And to the southwest, there's Venezuela. So it's in that shield.But Guyana identifies more with the Caribbean because it's the only English-speaking country in South America.So its education, socioeconomic partnerships are primarily with CARICOM, which is the Caribbean region.Okay. I mean, I have to say, I've been there a few times and I'm fascinated about it.It looks, it looks older than us. It looks like less developed, but it has something very special about it.Yeah. Guyana is unique in many ways. So Guyana has gained independence from Britain in 1966.So it is fairly young as an independent nation, but it's very diverse. It's culturally diverse. It's economically diverse.And it's also diverse in terms of how its population operates.So there are seven ethnic groups in Guyana.So there's Europeans, Portuguese, Chinese, East Indians, Africans.There's the native Amerindians, which there are nine tribes of Amerindians living in Guyana as well.What is also unique about Guyana is about 75% of its land is rainforest.That is untouched. It's tropical forests, untouched.We have the Forest Preservation Project.We have...We have one of the highest one-drop waterfall, the Kaitro Falls.Our biodiversity is unique. It's very extensive.We have some of the largest green anacondas in the world in Guyana.We have the black caiman, the largest bird, arpi eagle.So it's just a unique place to visit.I can completely concur.And if anybody ever listens to this, I can highly recommend visiting this place.And you talk about anacondas.I saw one.On the street.And everybody laughed at me because it looked so small on a baby.But to me it looked a huge thing.And I was glad I was standing on some elevated wall where it could not get even close to me.It's absolutely amazing to be there.It is.And most Guyanese are culturated to having, sharing space with the wildlife.But there are efforts to preserve and to protect them.While some persons may not be fully aware of what those are.And sometimes you might be, some persons might act a little uncaring and insensitive to them.But it's quite typical to see a snake during the average part of the day.Or a monkey or something along the side.I'm not sure this will be kind of attracting many tourists.But they're not going to be attacking you or anything.No, they're not going to be attacking.But you can see them.So you can see them.But in the populated part, let's say for instance, like in Georgetown, the capital of Guyana,you would not run into them like that.When you go off Georgetown, like off to the east coast of Guyana or across the Demerara Riverinto the more rural parts that are not centralized cities, you will encounter them more.And again, it's safe.The country has systems and protocols in place to keep you safe.While having that organic experience.I know.But back to you, Dr. Lidon.What's your...I mean, you're in Iceland now.But what...Once you were a young boy, in very short words, how did you get here?So I started in Guyana as a mathematics teacher.So I did my initial teacher education in mathematics education.Then I specialized in mathematics curriculum.Curriculum development and pedagogy for elementary mathematics.And then I relocated to the United Kingdom.As life...As I got older.And then I studied.I went back to school again.I studied special and inclusive education straight from the masters to the PhD level.And I worked in the reach to academy school system in the United Kingdom for a number of yearsin the field of special and inclusive education.And I started to do a comparative analysis in my mind as to what's needed in Guyana.What's happening in terms for students with disabilities and other forms of diversities.And then I took a whole different...So I did not completely abandon maths and maths pedagogy.But I started focusing on how that can transform the lives of students with disabilities.Students with other forms of...Because we have some students in Guyana with some sociocultural uniquenessthat is specific to the global south where Guyana is positioned.So I started focusing primarily on that.So I returned to Guyana.Started practicing as an education officer in that field.So an education officer is like a school inspectorwho checks to see that students are being included.Students are given the opportunities they needso that they can achieve and function as best as they possibly can in the existing system.And I felt that was making quite the impact that I actually aspire to see happening.So my professor from the University of Guyana, Dr. Michelle Semple-McBean,who initially had the idea for the Early Childhood Centreand was working on it for almost a decade,asked me to join her.And I did.And we re-conceptualized what the University of Guyana Early Childhood Centre of Excellence can beto include a primary focus on students with disabilities,students with unique sociocultural specificities,students with neurodivergence,and just students who have commodified identitiesbecause that's a lot in Guyana.And just focus on students who are marginalized,who are displaced,and we just expanded that focus.So we got funding from the Caribbean Developmentalist,Development Bank,to the tune of 161 million Guyana dollarsto build the structure and to establish the space.And we got funding from UNICEFthrough the Basic Needs Trust Fund in Guyana.That's the Ministry of Finance in Guyanafor funding the furnishing, funding the learning resources,and just general startup operation costs.The Ministry of Education in Guyana came on boardand they pay the teachers,they provide instruction,instructional materials,instructional resources,and they provide guidance and support as neededas we provide way forward for themto be more inclusive and practicalwhere disabilities is concerned.This sounds very impressive,but before we go into the Centre of Excellence,can you tell us, like, in your mind,disabilities,what do you include in that broad termof children with disabilities?So,it's quite unique for Guyana in that sensebecause let's look at it this way.Guyana still doesn't have an official definitionfor what a disability is.It's a functionally evolving term,but in the laws,it defines disability and special educationusing the UK 2001 code.And that code has evolved a lotin the other parts of the world that use it,but we still own onto it.But in terms of research and practice,we define disability as anythingthat presents a barrieror an obstacle for a childaccessing general educationas the way it is designed.Anything that requires us makingany sort of reasonable adjustmentor modification or accommodationto ensure that that childis included in any education opportunity.So, we work with that definition,but officially on the booksince the establishment of our Disability Act of 2010,we,officially the UK code,2001 code,that definition is what's on the books.So, you could be dealing with all impairment,visual impairment, hearing impairment.All impairments, yeah.So, a typical Guyanese classroomcan have a childwith multiple impairments in those.The key thing is that weare catching up in terms of screening,assessment and evaluation,but there are a significant percentageof the disabled,the population that are undiagnosed,unscreened.So, there are students with impairmentsfunctioning in the classroomwho are just seen as not copingbecause there isn't an official screeningor teachers just make reasonable adjustmentbased on their pedagogical experiencesand so forth.And in general, in your country,do you have resources to help them?Can they go on social benefits?If they're, you know,is it some system that catches them?Yes, Guyana,through the Ministry of Human Servicesand Social Security,has the disability welfare sectionthat focuses on disability support.So, there's a disability grant.There's inclusive supportfor parents of children with disability.There's disability fundingfor accessibilityif the parent need a vehicle.The child has mobility challenges.They can have duty-free access.There is the National Commissionon Persons with Disabilitythat does support them.There's support work.There's community-based rehabilitationthat provides all kinds of support,financial.While all these are in place,the extent to which they reachall persons with disabilityis still evolving.Okay.It sounds familiar story, actually.We might think here in Icelandwe are evolved in this,but I think your issuesare very much the sameas our issues here.And before,before you really start to explain to usthe Centre of Excellency,I mean,was it really a need?Like, did you identifysomething lacking in your societythat your Centre of Excellencywould really,could help the society withby bringing this forward to the table?So,there has always been a needin Guyana from theonset for disability support.So,it started,historically,segregation was a practicein Guyanafor an extensive period of time.So, there was segregationin terms of education,there was segregationin terms of societal functioning.But then as Guyana grewinto an inclusiveand functional space,there was still that social stigmabehind persons with disability.Because Guyana being highly religiousand highly traditional,historically,many persons used to still seea disabilityas an omen,as a sin,as an uncertainty,as a ancestralpunishment for somethingbefore they actually realizedthat it could bea medical condition,a biological condition,or just a social,a sociocultural challengein the learning environmentthat is constituting a barrier,or just a barrierin terms ofhow you constitute learningor how you think aboutlearning and socialization.So, before we actuallygot to that level,there was still the social stigmaand persons used to isolatetheir children with disabilities.They never really used to wantto have them includedin education,setting or in social spacesbecause this stigmawas kind ofa major barrierin that regard.But as awareness spreadand as opportunitiesbecome availableand as personsstarting to seethat inclusivenessand equityin terms of educational opportunitiesand experiencesare beneficial for everybodyand as a fast-growing economydue to petroleum discovery,they realizethat we needhuman resourcesin every aspectand the awarenessthat persons with disabilitieshas the capacitysometimes to contributemore to the socioeconomicdevelopment of Ghanathan somebodywho is considered neurotypicalhas been spreadingand has been reproducingacross societyand more spacesare being made availablefor students with disabilitiesto explore their aptitude,their skills,just their general development.So, coming backto the early childhood centers,we started thisas an early childhood spacebecause there wasn't anyon campus.There wasn't anywithin the proximityof the campusthat is disability inclusiveand there was generallynone across Guyanain that regard.So, there werewhat is calledthere were special schools.So, like there wasthe David Rose Schoolfor the handicapped,there wasSt. Barnabas Special School,there were special schoolsthat were justfor persons with disabilityand not an inclusive school.So, that needwas justa great needin the country.So, Dr. Semple-McBeanand I,we started toconceptualizehow the early childhoodcenter of excellencewill workby being inclusive.So, 50%of the spaceat the early childhoodcenter of excellenceis reservedfor personswith disabilities,persons withdisplacement experiences,persons withcommodified identity,just personswith all sort ofaccumulated vulnerabilitiesin the community.And the other50% is foruniversity staffand studentswho could also behaving childrenwith disabilitiesbut it's generallyfor staff and studentsthe other 50%.So, this makes upthe entire populationand they come togetherin an inclusive settingat the early childhoodcenter of excellence.So, it's basicallya schoolfor young childrenwho is designedfrom the beginningas an exclusiveinclusive school.As an inclusive school, yeah.You know, this makes methink a lot aboutour systemhere in Icelandbecause we haveexcellent schoolwho arespecial schoollike they are here aroundand they are really,really good.And then we havethis ideathat some of the schoolsthey havespecial divisionwhereyou canbe as asafe havenwithin theinclusive systembut they aremostly designedasmainstream schoolsand they arethey try to fit insome kind ofinclusivenessin itor they have a special schoolwhich actuallyI really like themthey are goodbut your centeris designedfrom the beginningto be inclusive.Okay, that isthat is whatI was so impressed aboutwhen I first visitedyour center.And inIcelandic termthis would bea kindergartenor what we callleikskolibut it didn't looklike any normalquote-unquotekindergarten.It looked almostlike alive lab.You know,you werehow do I describe it?It felt likeI was jealous.It's likeyou managedto create thisand this mustimpact the societya lot.It gives youa lot of opportunitytostudyto become betterand everybodywho joins youthey know thatthis is a deal.Yes.So just as you'vedescribedthe situation issimilar in Guyanain terms ofour mainstream schoolshave an inclusivespacefor personswith disabilityas a safe havenas a placefor you toexperienceand learnbut it's withina mainstream environmentso it's in anenvironment that wasdesignednot to beinclusivean environmentthat was designedfor neurotypicalchildrenwho are toreach a certainbenchmarkin order togain accessor to haveopportunitiesthat arepresent therebecause they aredesignedfollowing anableistthought processand anableistpedagogicalorientationbut from theinceptionthe University of GuyanaEarly ChildhoodCentre of Excellenceis a laboratoryschool.It's registeredwith theInternational Associationof LaboratorySchoolsand it has beenan active memberfor the lastfive years.I sit on theresearch communityand theinclusiveinclusivecommitteeas wellbut from theonsetthe spacewas designedto bea learningand researchinstitute.So with thatsaidwe teachbut we alsoresearch whatwe teachand we don'tresearch whatwe teachin terms ofexploring theresearch thatis out therewe researchit activelywe studythe pedagogywe usewe studythe studentsresponsewe studythe experiencesand then wemodifyand then westudy again.So it'san activeresearch siteso theEarly ChildhoodCentre ofExcellencehas twounit.Unit onewhich is achild developmentunit wherethe studentsare placedto havetheirinclusiveexperiencesrooted inplay-basedpedagogyfrom thebookThe Sociodramaticsof Playwritten byDr.Michelle SempleMcBeanand myselfand then ithas unittwowhich isresearchand teacherdevelopmentand that'swhere theresearchfocusprimarilyon researchininclusiveeducationresearchinplay-basedpedagogyand disabilityresearchinculturalbarrierstoeducationresearchand curriculumrigidityat theearlychildhoodleveland theseare justsome ofthe areaswe'veexploredin thelastfiveyearsandthispublicationcan befoundon thecentre'swebsitebut itcan alsobefoundon myresearchpageor Dr.SempleMcBeanResearchGatespagebut thekeyfocusin allof thisis weareresearchtopracticeand practicetoresearchandparentsunderstandthisfrom thetime thechildrencomethechildrenareactivelyinvolvedinresearchthechildrengetinvolvedinresearchandtheyparticipatefrom thetime theyhavetheawarenessthattheycancontributeandit'slikemosttimechildrendon'tfullyunderstandwhatresearchisandtheimpactbutwhenyoutellthemthingslikeokaysowearelearningfromyouandwhatyousayandwhatyoudoishelpinginGuyanaandwiderintheinternationalassociationoflaboratoryschoolintheCaribbeantheyareexcitedandbecausethewaysomeoftheexperiencesareorganicallydesignedutilizingorganicresourcesfromGuyanathechildrengettoconnectpatrioticallytoGuyanalikewhenweusethenationalfloweraspartofanexploratoryexperienceintheenvironmentandwhatiscalledboardplayandthingslikethatthatarelikeculturalfolkloresinGuyanabutthenstudentscanseethemcomealiveinascientificwayandseechildrenwithdisabilitiesbeanactivepartofthisandshapingthepedagogicalexperiencesthestudentswhoareneurotypicaltendtogetmoreinvolvedandwhatwe'veobservedoverthelastfiveyearsisthatmosttimesourneurotypicalchildrenattheearlychildhoodspacetendtobeveryprotectiveofthosestudentswhoareneurodivergentintermsofiftheteachersaresharingresourcesandyoumightneedtomodifyresourcesforaparticulardisorderorimpairmentneurotypicalfiveyearoldmightsayyouhaven'tprovidedforhimasyetthat'sachildwithadisabilityandyoumightseeexperiencesliketheywilltaketheirresourcesandgivetothemsoit'sjustasgrownandbecomethatspacethatchildrenfeelverycomfortablechildrenwanttobeatandtheywanttocontributesotheywilllikeatthepointnowprofessorfromSyracuseUniversityisatthecenteras avisitingprofessorandhe'sstudyingclimatechangeandearlychildhoodexperiencesbecausehe'sgoingthroughaveryhightemperaturesveryhotandthey'restudyingthoseimpactontheexperiencesofchildrenwithdisabilitiesandthey'retoseethechildrenbeingthatexcitedtotalkabouthowtheyfeelinthelearningenvironmentlet'ssayaroundnoonwhenthesunisatitscentralpeakinGuyanabeingsoclosetotheequatorandatropicalcountrysowhenwetalkaboutbeinghotit'sextremelyhotandhavingtheexperiencetolearnfromthechildrenastohowtheyfeelwhenitgetsextremelyhotintheclassroomit'sjustameaningfulengagementaswellinthatregardI canreallyunderstandandbelievethatandwewillputthelinkstoyourcenterofexcellenceinthispodcastsoeverybodycaniftheywanttostudyfurtherbutcouldyoudescribelikeatypicaldayforthechildreninyourcenterofexcellenceliketheyarriveandlikewhathappenslikewhat'sgoingonSothetypicaldayatthecenterstartsatsevensothechildrenstartarrivinganytimeaftersevensoby730you'llhaveabout30%ofthepopulationthereandbyquartertoeightyou'llhaveabout100%ofthepopulationthereandthat'sbecauseoftrafficandallofthatHowmanydoyouhavethere?Sowehaveahundredwehaveacapacityfor120butcurrentlywehave109andthatisbecauseoftheamountofchildrenwithdisabilitieswehaveaccommodatedandtheirrequirementintermsofspaceformobilityintermsofresourceswecouldn'thave120andhavethemhavethatinclusiveexperiencesowehave109fulltimebutwealsohaveanother32thatcomesinonaparttimebasisfortheexperiencesthatwecouldnotprovideonafulltimebasisforthembecauseofspaceandaccommodationsothetypicaldaywillstartsotheteacherswillsetuptheenvironmentsothisismodifiedeverydaysoeachclasswillsetupfourlearningstationsmatchingfourdifferentinterestsfordifferentneedsandthechildrenwilljustcomeinandtheywillgotoastationoftheirchoicebutthere'salsoastationthatissetupwithnothingwheretheycangoandplacefromavailablelearningresourcesandmaterialsintheclassandsetupastationifnonedoesn'tmatchtheirinterestssothere'sthefreespacesetupforthatsoforthefirsthourofthedaythat'swhathappenedyouwatchtheirinterestsyouseewhattheywanttogetinvolvedinandthenafterthatfirsthouryouhavethefirstbitofmeaningofwhatissowhenlet'ssayforinstancewe'regoingtoexplorelet'ssaywatertodaysoyou'llhaveeachcornereachlearningstationas adifferentexperiencerelativetowaterandeachchildwillindependentlygotoastationoftheirchoicebutyou'llhavechildrenwhomaynotfeelindependentlymotivatedtogotoastationandsothere'swhereyouhavetheinclusivepractitionerwhowouldencouragemotivatethemnotbytellingthemtogotoastationbutbygoingwheretheyareandstartthelearningexperiencethereandtheinteractionthereandthatwilltriggerthemselectingsomethingoftheirsortorthatmightbetheirexperienceandtheteacherbuildsthelessonoutfromwherethestudentisatthemomentandthatcontinuesforthedayamajorpartofthedayisplaybasedpedagogyandit'splayinsuchawaythatit'smeaningfulforlearningsotheteachersagainwilllayouttheresourcesbutthenwehavefourspecialroomsthatarenotdirectclassroomsowehavethespecialactivityroominwhichyouhaveresourcesinabundanceandtheyarenotjustpackedlikealibraryorsofortheirsetupinlearningcentersandplaystationsandthechildrencangotheretheteacherscantakethemorifachildintheclassroomishavingasensoryoverloadeachclasshasacodeandthechildcanjusteitherpressthebuttonifthat'sthecodeforthatclassortwofingertaponthedeskandtheyareallowedtogotothatplaceandjustexplorethere'salsotheliteracyroomwhichisnotjustlikealibraryit'sanoldplaystationagainfordifferentexperiencesandresourcesoutsideoftheclassroomtheycangothereifyourememberwhenyouwereatthecenterthedesignthere'sagardentothecenterthatisaccessedfromeveryclassroomandeveryclassroomcanseeitsothere'sexperiencessetupinthatgardenaswellsoit'scalledsensorygardensotheycangothereaswellthere'sthemusicroomandthedayitjustevolvesalongtheneedsofthechildrenwhilemaintainingtheprimaryfocusofwhateverconceptwewanttoexploreforthatdayforthatweekthedayendsatfivebutsometimeswhenfiveendswehavecryingsowehavethereversewedon'thavethecryingatinreallyengrossedinanactivityandthenmommyordaddymightbereleasedalittleearlyfromworkandtheyarrivearoundfourthirtyinsteadoffiveorquarterpastfourandthenwehaveanepisodeofI'mnotreadyIdon'twanttogoandthenifthere'sinsistencethatyouhavetoleavethenthere'sthecryinginthatsothetypicaldayisbuiltaroundthechildsoourcurriculumisnotfixeditevolvessowemighthavehadastructuredplanfortheweekandthenwenoticeinthefirstdaythatchildren'sinclinationistowardssomethingelsewecompletelymodifybecausewehavetheteachersandwehavetheresourcesandtheministryofeducationgivesusthefreedomtodothatasalabschoolattheuniversityofGhanaAgainI'mimpressednownotonlyonthechildrenthemselvesbutthepeoplewhoworktheremustbeimpactedbythechildrenandalsolikethesocietyarounditmustbeimpactedhighlyandthirdlyI don'tknow ifyou wantto answerthisquestionallin arowbuttheremustbemorechildrenthanthosewhogetinwhowouldliketogetinhowisittodotheinterviewandhavetosaynotosomebodywhodoesn'tgetinthatmustbequitetrickybutIdon'tknowwheretheywanttostartsoI'llstartfirstwiththeimpactonthesocietysotheearlychildhoodcenterhasnowbecomelikeabeaconinthesocietyit'sbecomelikeabeacononthecampussowhenIsaidthatwehaveprofessorsinvariousfieldswhousethecenternowastheirwayofgivingbacktothechildrenortheirwayofconnectingwithchildhoodsoourchemistryprofessorshaveachemistryclubonthecenterwhichtheydoeveryfirstandthirdThursdayofthemonthandtheycomeanddoexperimentswiththechildrenwithdisabilitylikethelastexperimenttheydiddiffusionandosmosisusingskittlesthingsthatthechildrenhaveandthoseexperiencesenrichtheexperiencesofchildrenwithdisabilitysotheentireuniversityparticipatestheprofessorsinartfineartsandeducationcreateartexperiencesintheyardforthechildrentoparticipateinthestudentsstudyingartandenvironmentalsciencehasanecologyclubforthechildrensoit'sjustbecomeanintegratedimpactforsocietysowehaveasummerprogramsowhenthegeneralpopulationleavefortheirsummervacationwehaveasummerimpactprogramforchildrenwhodidn'tgetinfortheentireyearandaspartofimpactthecenterprovideexperiencesandguidanceforteachersacrossGuyanasoschoolsfromacrossGuyanawouldcomespendthedaywithusteacherswillcomespendtheyhaveexchangeexperiencessotheycanlearnandourteachersarealwaysthrilledbecausemostofourteacherscomefromthemainstreamschoolandthenwehadtoretrainthemintermsofhowpedagogyoperateattheearlychildhoodcenterandtheyarehappytogetinvolvedinthatbutthentheyaresomewhoareveryresistanttotransformationsotheytakea littlelongertogetintothatbutthenwhentheyseetheimpactonchildrentheycomealongsointermsofimpactaswellwehavewecanonlyaccommodate120andmaintainchildsafetyprotocolsandsafeguardingprotectionsandsoforthbutcurrentlyourwaitinglistisalmost2000thelasttimeoursecretarycheckedshe wasprocessingtheonlineapplicationshewaslikeokayyouhaveabout200waitingfrom2024andshewasgivingmethenumbersandyouhaveanother100andsomethingonthewaitlistfrom2025andyoustillhaveabout800applicationsthathasn'tbeenprocessedsoit'sthatdemandingandit'sthatchallengingtomeettheneedsbutthethey don'thavethepedagogicalexpertsliketheuniversityofGuyanatodirectlyreplicatetheexperiencesandtheresearchbuttheyarecopyingandreplicatingthelearningexperiencesandthedesignoftheclassroomandengagementand soforthjusttoensurethatchildrenacrossGuyanagetsomesimilarexperiencesalsoattheearlychildhoodlevelteachersfromourteachertrainingcollegeteachersfromearlychildhoodtrainingspacecometoobservepedagogyattheearlychildhoodcenterandthatmakesanimpactandit'snotjustinGuyanawehadBarbadosspendaweekstudyinghowwedothingsatearlychildhoodcenterofexcellenceastheywanttoestablishtheirsaspartoftheirtransformingeducationinitiativeSt.LuciawasthereaboutamonthbeforeBarbadosbecausetheywanttobuildonebutBarbadosisaheadofthembecausethey'vealreadybuiltthespacebuttheywanttocopythepracticereplicatethepracticebutSt.LuciaisnowstartingandtheywanttoensurethattheystartjustaswedidfromthebasesotheycameandstudiedthataswellwehadtheBahamasandsomebodytoobserveaswellsoit'sspreadingacrossthetheexperiencegoesglobalsoin2026thisyearinAprilinFinlandwereceivedtheawardforinclusivityintermsofpedagogicalapproachandresearchforschoolintheinternationalassociationoflaboratoryschoolswealsohaveBelizestudyingusatthemomenttoenhancetheirexperiencesthereforchildrensotheimpactisverymeaningfulit'sverywideandIt'sokaywecangiveyourchildsomepart-timeexperiencesonaThursdayonaTuesdayoronanotherdayorduringthesummerwhenwehavethetimeorwecanvisityourchild'sspaceorvisitanotherearlychildhoodcenterthat'snotoperatingatourlevelandwecanmodeltheexperiencesforadayortwosothatteacherstherecancopyandtrytoensurethatit'sreplicatedinthatregardsandsometimesit'sverydisappointinganotherchallengeinthatregardsisthatourearlychildhoodspacestopsatagesixtoeightsothenthechildrenhavetotransitiontogeneralmainstreamprimaryschoolwhiletheytransitionwellandtheyexcelthetransitionfrominclusivespacetoaspacethatisageneralmainstreameducationischallengingforsomeofuswithdisabilitiesandduringthefirstweektheyhavetobeallowedtovisittheearlychildhoodcenterafterschoolsomanymainstreamschoolsfinishataroundtwop.m.sotheygettocomefromtwotothirtytoaboutfivejusttohavejustafreeexperienceuntiltheyfullytransitionintotheirmainstreamsettingbutmostofthemdoexceptionallywellinthemainstreamsettingbutsomeofthemwhentheyleavetheearlychildhoodspacetheyhavetogotothespecialsettingsbecausetheyjustcan'tcopewiththemainstreamschoolbecausetheyaren'ttailoredtoprovidetheexperiencesthattheearlychildhoodcenterofexcellenceprovideforthechildrenokaysoyoustillhavesomechallengestosolvelikewehaveinIcelandsoyeahwearealltheresomewhereonthepathIguessonethingInoticedwhenIcamevisityouandwhenIhavevisitedyouallthetimeisthatyoudon'thaveitdoesn'tseemyouhavestructuredorganizationaboutsportforchildrenwithdisabilitiesandthat'swherelikemaybeIcelandisstrongerthanyouarebecauseI'mstilljealousofthisearlycenterofexcellencybutwearestilltryingtoimproveourenvironmentparthereinIcelandabouthowweincorporatechildrenwithdisabilitiesintosportandoneofthethingsthatiswhatreallyconnecteduswhenI wassearchingoutforpeoplewhocouldhelpmetoruncampabilitieswhichisabrainchildofLaurenLiebermanfromBrockportUniversityinNewYorkbutI'mrunningithereinIcelandandIgotsomefundingtoreachouttoGuyanacouldyouimaginethatthiscampabilitieswherewearetryingtointroducesportforchildrenwithdisabilitiescouldechoorspeaktoyourearlychildhoodcentersowearealwayslookingforopportunitiesforenhancedexperienceforchildrenandearlychildhoodcenterofexcellenceandoneofthoseneedsisphysicaleducationsportbecausewhileweprovideaplaybasedpedagogythatiscenteredaroundphysicalactivitythatdirectinvolvementinsportstheopportunitiesaren'tfullythereyetattheearlychildhoodcenterofexcellencebecausewedon'thavetheexperienceinthatregardsinthefacultyofeducationattheuniversityofGuyanawheretheearlychildhoodwasbirthedwedon'thaveadegreeinsportsscienceasyetwearenowworkingonthatwedon'thaveabachelor'ssowehavetheneedallaroundinthatregardssoconnectingwithyouandtheuniversityofReykjavíkhereinIcelandgivesusthatopportunitytonowexplorenotonlyintermsofpracticebutintermsofresearchintermsofyourknowledgeinthisareaandyourlegacyofeffectivepracticetoshapehowwenowget onboardwiththisandgiveourchildrenthisexperiencewearehopingthatwiththiscollaborationandthispartnershipit'sarewardingexperienceforthechildrenintermsofgettingthemfullyinvolvedwehaveasportsdepartmentattheuniversityofGuyanaandaspartofthisgrantthetwopersonsthatwillcometolearnarefromthesportsdepartmentandwearehopingthatwhentheknowledgearetherethatwecanmodelmightnotbeabletoreplicateitexactlybecausewearenowstartingwearenowlearningbutitgivesusthisnovelopportunitytogivethechildrenthatexperienceespeciallysincesportsis notveryinclusiveinGuyanaandtherestoftheglobalsouthwherepersonswithdisabilitygettoparticipateinsportsandsportingactivitiessothisisjustadireneedandafunctionandopportunityattherighttimenowthereisnothingtocopyexactlylikeaccordingtoLaurenLieberman'sguidelinesyoucanalmostdoitasyouwantaslongasit'scenteredaboutthechildrenthemselvesit'sallaboutsortofgivingthemandI'malsoreallybecausethisisclearlybilateralbeneficiaryforbothofusbecausetherearesomanythingsinyourcenterofexcellencythateventhoughIdon'thavetheresourcesatthemomenttoreplicateyoursexactlytherearethingsthereinyourideologyandyourprocessthatwecanevenreplicateinoursportsscienceapproachbecausewearealsotrainingteachersnotonlypuresportsscientistsbuttherewillbePEteachersinthefuturesomeofthemandsomeofyourapproachescanbeincorporatedintoourstudysoformypartI'mreallylookingforhavingyourstaffcomingoverhereinOctobertohelpusoutandI'malsoreallylookingforwardtoseeifIcancontinuelearningfromyouandthemandalsohopefullythatyoucantakesomethingfromusbecauseeventhoughwearequitedifferentinsocioeconomicstatusanddevelopmentphaseswe'restillfacingthesameproblemsandthewayyougoaroundsolvingthemcouldactuallyeventhoughwearequitedifferentreallyhelpsustothinkoutsidetheboxandhopefullyyoucanusethesamethingfromussoI'mreallylookingforwardtothiscollaborationhoweveritisandI'mjustafraidthatyouknowweteachyoutoomuchandyouwillstartbeatingusinthefieldofinternationalsportbecauseintheendI'malsoacoachandIwanttowinbutIhavenoproblemtosharemyknowledgewithothersofcoursethiswasnottooseriousbutI'veseentheathleticismofsomeofyourswimmersforexampletheytrainonlykindoftheytrainlessthanswimmersinIcelandbutwewilldefinitelystruggletobeatthemtheylooklikepowerhousesandifyoucanfindanindividualwithdisabilitieswho arethesamegenesorsamebuiltyouknowthepathislongthepathishardyouhavetoworkveryhardtogototheParalympicsbutwhywouldn'tyouyeahbecauseas Isaidresourcesforswimmingwehavetotakethechildrentotheaquaticcenterandthenyouhavetofollowaschedulebecauseit'soneaquaticcentersotrainingforswimminginthatregardislimitedbutGuyanais alandofmanywatersandmanychildrenintheirindigenousspaceslikethenativeAmerindiansinGuyanaswimmingis adailypartoftheirlifeonthecoastalregionthere'smanycreecanalslakesandsoforthandswimmingisjustadailyexperiencesomanyofneurotypicalpersonsnondisabledpersonsswimmingisjustaroutinepartoftheirlifeandbecauseGuyanaistropicalandterrainisvastsothere'smountainousterrainthere'sopensavannahthere'sjustaroomforalotofphysicalactivitiessoprovidinganopportunityforchildrentohavethatmeaningfulengagementintermsofitbeingsportsandbeingorganizedphysicaleducationwhichjustenhancetheirexperienceandabilitiestheyalreadypossessaspartofjustlivingandbeingapartoftheGuyanasocietysoyeahthiswouldbeagreatopportunityI'vespentadayinyourlabandmentallyI amcreatingascheduleandaschemeofhowmychildrencanreplicatesomeoftheactivitiesthatI'mseeingandallpersonswithdisabilitiesacrossGuyanaespeciallythosewhowanttoparticipateinParalympicswhatwecandotoenhancethoseexperiencessothebilateralbenefitsarealreadyspreadingandtransformingthoughtsandthoughtsthatarebeingtransformedbecometransformativeactionsespeciallyfromtheearlychildhoodcenterssowearelookingforwardtothisit'sanopportunitythatwehadn'tenvisionedyoufoundusandweareverygratefulthatyousoughtusoutbecausewhilewehadtheideaandwewantourstudentstogetinvolvedwehadn'taslightestthoughtofhowweweregoingtocommenceandwhereweweregoingtolooktoforguidanceandnowhavingthisopportunitywearetrulyhappyandthebenefitsarealreadytremendousforourchildrenandforouruniversitysobecausefromthisaswellwearegoingtoinfluencetheexperiencesofhowwetailorourphysicaleducationprogramaspartoftheteachereducationprograminGuyanaaswellsoit'sjustgreattohavethisopportunitysoundsgoodtomeitgoesbothwaysbutthankyouverymuchforspendingtimewithusthankyouforhavingmeandIlookforwardtohearingmorefromyouIlookforwardformoreengagementandlearningandthetimesofarinIcelandhasbeenverymeaningfulnotjustpedagogicallybutculturallyandeveryaspectofitandaboutlearningsocializingandjusthavingtheexperiencethatIwilltakebacktoGuyanatoshapethatexperienceI'mgladtohearthatsothankyouthankyouverymuch
