First hour: Breaking news from Afghanistan; Discussing the staffing crisis for direct support professionals
Second hour: Schools navigate emotional outbursts about maskingWe begin the first hour with breaking news from Afghanistan, where sources say 13 people were killed in an explosion at the Kabul airport. We're joined by Ellen Smith, executive director of Keeping Our Promise. The organization helps Afghan interpreters who served the U.S. military come to the U.S. on Special Immigrant Visas. Smith weighs in on the situation in Afghanistan and the state of the evacuation. Our guest:
- Ellen Smith, executive director of Keeping Our Promise
Then, leaders from organizations that provide services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say they are dealing with a staffing crisis. Direct support professionals provide assistance to people disabilities, helping them live and work in their communities. Leaders say there was a staffing shortage prior to the pandemic due to inadequate funding, and now the issue has reached a crisis point. This hour, we discuss the role of direct support professionals, the state of staffing for their field, and the impact the shortage has on people with disabilities. Our guests:
- Marisa Geitner, president and CEO of Heritage Christian Services/DDAWNY
- Patricia Dimento, direct support professional with People, Inc.
- Angelica Perez-Delgado, CEO of Ibero-American Action League
- Kevin Scott, former direct support professional and now staff member at Ibero-American Action League
- Rebekah Meyer, project administrator at RMAPI
This story is reported from WXXI’s Inclusion Desk.
Then in our second hour, a strong majority of Americans support masking in public schools, but at school board meetings across the country, angry parents opposed to masking have been shouting at board members and even some of the students. We discuss how schools are trying to navigate the charged atmosphere. Our guests:
- Joseph Henderson, school board member with the Saranac Lake Central School District
- Brooke Binkowski, managing editor of the website Truth or Fiction
- Nicolas Fallone, 2020 graduate of the Webster Central School District
- Samantha Fallone, rising senior at Webster Central School District
