About Us
About Us/Joaquin's Story
Once upon a time in a land not too far away, there lived a brother and a sister who loved each other very much. Each day, the sister went to school and learned many new things. But her brother was not allowed to go to school because he had a disability. This saddened the girl very much. Until one day, a new law was passed that said that all little boys and girls could go to school, even if they had a disability. This made the girl very happy.
A little yellow bus picked up her brother for his first day of school. At school, the little girl could hardly sit still until it was time for recess. She ran to her brother’s playground, eager to play with him. But when she got there, she was stopped by a big metal fence. The teacher stood on the other side of the fence with the girl’s brother and told her that she had to go to her own playground. The girl asked if her brother could come with her to her playground. But that wasn’t allowed either.
That experience planted a seed of desire for creating a world where all people truly have the same opportunities. And there is where our journey begins.
Joaquin Carson has survived segregated education, social isolation, and lack of understanding amidst his communication attempts. The experience of being disabled by his environment, more than his autism, continues to inspire the work of his sister.
Joaquin has lived in a state institution twice in his lifetime due to mistaken judgments about his personhood and lack of dignifying responses to his existence. This physical institutionalization is a reflection of the ways in which society has mentally set Joaquin and others like him apart as abnormal, damaged, and unworthy of life quality. Joaquin is powerfully breaking through those assumptions.
Joaquin has been repeatedly denied opportunities to live an inclusive life. His family and friends have been advocating for him within a system that is deeply rooted in an “institutional mindset.” And one day soon, Joaquin will live in his own home, near his family, in an environment where he can contribute to the lives of others by doing some of his favorite activities in life (like walking, picking up trash, raking leaves, and making friends smile), and where he is appreciated as a valuable member of his community.
Joaquin continues to educate us in a most profound way.
Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed., is an educator, author, disability rights advocate, and a consultant and speaker specializing in inclusion, and diversity as it relates to disability. Diana’s passion for disability and diversity appreciation stems from her brother’s experience of growing up being misjudged, excluded, and DISabled.
Diana teaches Disability Studies through the San Diego State University Foundation and is also an elementary school teacher in the Chula Vista Elementary School District, holding two special education credentials and a bilingual credential.
She serves on the Board of Directors of Disability Rights California, and is the author of Foundations for Ability Awareness, Teaching Ability Awareness to Children and Youth, and All the Muchos in the World, a bilingual picture book for children.
Through her speaking, writings, and trainings, Diana guides both children and adults in exploring the subject of disability and inclusion, societal attitudes around disability, and the impact of those attitudes. Empowering inclusion and total diversity appreciation is her goal.
