Carmen White is a writer who spent her childhood falling off horses and raising baby goats. 
Carmen studied Creative Writing at BYU-Idaho and writes books about her many adventures—be it real life or imaginary. 
She now lives in North Carolina where she’s raising two more outdoor loving/bookworm hybrids just like herself.

What Does Inclusion Mean?

What Does Inclusion Mean?

We say the word ‘inclusion’ a lot but, as with most words we use often, sometimes the actual meaning slowly becomes lost. So, this is what inclusion means to me and my daughter.

 

Inclusion means people talk to her, even if she doesn’t make eye contact or answer back. Just because she’s wearing her headphones doesn’t mean she isn’t listening and just because she doesn’t talk or look you in the eye doesn’t mean she’s not learning from you.

It means our house is a little quieter, and I find myself apologizing when I talk too loudly. It means I let her know when I need to turn the blender or the vacuum on. But it’s also understanding that not all loud noises are bad. Our pet parakeets? Not too bad. Family dance parties? VERY fun—the louder the better.  In fact, sometimes my little girl gets rather loud herself.  Sometimes I’m the one telling her she needs to stop squealing so loudly or that she needs to turn down the tablet. Inclusion at home means respecting each other’s needs and helping each other feel comfortable and safe.

Being included means it's okay to stop whatever we’re doing and dig into our backpack to get a comfort animal, a snack, some stickers, or headphones. Because we all need help, not just sometimes, but every single day. And we should all be able to have and use the tools we need to feel calm, safe, and capable of being our best selves

 Inclusion means being invited. It means everyone is invited to reading time at school even if we can’t sit still today, or if it’s hard to put our favorite toy away.  Invite her. Even if baby girl would rather focus on something else or is feeling too shy to join a big group today, it feels nice to be invited because being invited means you’re loved and wanted. And if the answer happens to be ‘no thank you,’ then inclusion means that ‘no’ is respected.

 

Inclusion can mean a lot of things and it can change someone’s entire world. At its best, inclusion means loving teachers who take the time to learn about meltdowns and sensory needs from reliable sources so that they can help a struggling student. It means speech therapists who accept sign language, speech devices, and any other mode of communication that let non-verbal children communicate their needs, thoughts, and dreams.

Inclusion isn't a one-time 'service project' or a one-time task to check off and 'get it over with'.

Inclusion is every day, all the time.

Today it meant a loving stranger who didn't criticize or judge me when I asked for help. But instead, took the time to write down her daughter’s birthday party schedule so I could go through it over the next few days with my little girl and we can make a plan on how to handle food we don’t like, cats who might walk against our legs, and games we have never played before. It means someone took the time to help my little girl feel safe and confidant about going to her first ever party.

It takes a little extra time, and it takes a little thought. But in the end, inclusion means true and real acknowledgement, acceptance, and respect.

I Like My Headphones

I LIKE MY HEADPHONES

 

NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON AND OTHER ONLINE RETAILERS

I am so happy to announce that after months and months of work, "I Like My Headphones" is available on Amazon and the e-book copy will be popping up on various other online retailers over this next week.

This book holds a special place in my heart. The words started coming to me one Sunday as I watched my four-year-old struggle to make it through her children's church class for the very first time. She did great, as did the other children until the noise got overwhelming and I gave my daughter her headphones to wear.

Immediately I watched a wall came up. Her little classmates stopped interacting with her. It broke my heart. They weren't trying to be mean, but they didn't know what to do. They didn't know if something was wrong with her, didn't know if they should be worried, or if they could still approach her.

As a parent, this experience added to my growing pile of worries as I try every day to give my daughter the tools and confidence she needs as she goes out into the world. So, feeling inspired, I started this book. More than anything I wanted to write a story that normalized headphone use in a fun and empowering way. It touches on how headphones help people with sensory needs, and how a person is more than the tools they use. Like my daughter, the little girl in this book likes to play, learn, and make friends. And she likes her headphones.

My hope is that this book will help children, parents, and teachers support the sensory needs of those around them in an accepting and empowering way. 

 

BUY ON AMAZON

 

I like My Headphones Announcement

 

 

 

 

A new, inclusive picture book about sensory awareness.
Coming this fall!

Writing Activities: Creating Characters

 

Characters are basically the most important part of any story. So, when Luna Grey and I teamed up to do a web comic together, one of the first things she started doing with my script was figure out characters!!

 

This is an example of a few versions of our main character,  Monica, in Ghost and Girl. She’s a girl who, instead of getting haunted by scary ghosts, does a little bit of haunting of her own. Deep down she’s resourceful and strong, but a little afraid of some things going on in her life at the moment. It was tough to choose which design we liked best, especially since Luna did such an amazing job. I liked number 3,4, and 5 and I thought number 2 was really cute. In the end, we decided to go with a design very much like number 5. Sometimes it’s hard to tell why certain characters resound with you and your story, they just kind of come into your mind and start unpacking their bags and setting up house in your head.

I think some of the best characters come from mixing something really important to you and something new and exciting together in one person. These two things can come together in one new and interesting person for a story. The qualities they have that are like my own helps me connect to them, and the qualities that are different keeps them fresh and exciting. For me, writing is often about discovering. Sometimes I even discover things I didn’t know about myself through my characters.

So, try out this writing activity. Sketch out a character you’ve never met before and list two things about them.

1. Something you have experience in/something you care about—like an event or belief in your life.

2. Something you’re not so experienced with. Something that might scare you, or something your character might be good at but you’re not. This helps you explore new things and think deeply about who your character is.

 

Sometimes discovering a new character can be quite the journey, but it’s always exciting!

Below is a sheet to print if you want!

And if you want to meet my newest character, You can meet Monica here in "Ghost and Girl"

 

Name______________________________ Something about them I can relate to:   Something about them that is NOT like me:   Something they are good at:   Something they are bad at:

Sketch