In this new monthly blog series, Circles USA Chief Learning Officer Kris Alexander will share insights on her learning journey, sources of inspiration, and what excites her about her work. The column will offer a behind-the-scenes perspective on the learning curve that drives growth and progress at CUSA as we continually deepen and enhance our mission of building community to end poverty.
One of the coolest aspects of Circles USA (in my honest opinion) is our focus on youth and children. When you attend a weekly meeting, it’s not just you who benefits—your entire family does too!
Circles offers a youth curriculum for all ages, covering topics such as goal-setting, financial literacy, emotional health, and compassion. During weekly meetings, young people have the opportunity to come together with dedicated adults to explore these subjects and more while their family members participate in Matched Circles or cohort training. The intentional friendships formed within our community extend beyond Circle Leaders and Allies to include children, fostering cross-socioeconomic and multigenerational connections that can positively influence a young person’s life.
My love of this is twofold: Our initiative is reducing poverty along multiple generational lines simultaneously, and we are supporting everyone who walks in the door—not just those experiencing poverty, but also our volunteers and their families. Even for individuals who may not have children or families of their own, Circles provides the opportunity to be part of a broader “multi-gen” network where they can foster positive community growth in many ways, including equipping youth to navigate life more confidently. Everyone in the Circles community is uplifted, no matter their current circumstances. This includes individuals with varying exceptionalities, disabilities, and additional support needs.
Before we continue, here's a closer look at some key terms:
Varying exceptionalities is a newer term that refers to the diverse range of abilities and challenges people may encounter outside of typical developmental trajectories. According to one McGraw Hill text, this may refer to students who "receive special education for a variety of reasons, including sensory and physical handicaps, intellectual limitations, communication and behavioural disorders, and other problems that affect learning. These conditions may be mild or severe, chronic or acute, and contained or pervasive (Bohatyretz & Lipps, 1999)." It highlights that individuals can have unique strengths or needs in many aspects of life, including cognitive, emotional, sensory, or physical.
Support needs refers to the support and accommodations required for an individual to grow, learn, and thrive. These needs can vary based on many factors including physical disabilities, developmental delays, sensory impairments, emotional and behavioral challenges, and more.
Special education refers to the current system designed to support youth with disabilities, especially in school, but can also be used to include other programs and accommodations for young people.
Disabilities describe physical, cognitive, mental, or sensory impairments that significantly impact a person's life. The challenges faced by individuals with disabilities are dramatically amplified by limiting social and economic factors (e.g., standardized testing that measures only one aspect of intelligence; architecture and city planning that is difficult to navigate for individuals who are blind, deaf, or have limited mobility; public transit seating designs that accommodate only certain body types; and crowded grocery stores with overstimulating bright lights and loud music.)
In summary: varying exceptionalities provide a broad view of human diversity, support needs and special education refer to specific accommodations and the systems that offer them, and disabilities describe specific impairments that affect daily living.
The contributions and insights of people with varying exceptionalities should be highly valued and actively sought out from childhood onward. Many individuals with disabilities have a remarkable way of perceiving and interacting with the world. It’s essential to recognize that all individuals with disabilities—regardless of the cause—are unique and deserve to thrive in an accessible world. We must also examine how systemic inequality perpetuates preventable disabilities.
When Circles USA’s National Coach, Addie and I began researching the interconnections between disabilities and poverty, it didn’t surprise us to learn that individuals with disabilities and families with disabled children are more than twice as likely to experience poverty. Disability causes poverty.
In addition, research shows that the majority of disabilities are preventable. They’re often caused by factors like poor nutrition; unsafe living and working conditions; limited access to healthcare and vaccinations; inadequate sanitation and hygiene; insufficient maternal care during pregnancy and childbirth; lack of education about the causes of impairments; and the effects of war, conflict, and natural disasters. The impact of these factors is not felt equally by people of high-income as those with low income. Poverty creates disability.
It’s a devastating and cyclical relationship. Poverty and disability reinforce and generate one another, leading to deeper vulnerability, systemic oppression, and isolation. Breaking this cycle requires recognizing the unique challenges faced by the individuals within it and creating pathways for inclusion, access, and opportunity that dismantle systemic barriers and foster real community.
All young people, with or without disabilities, are impacted by this cyclical relationship. Youth experiencing poverty and youth of color are disproportionately placed in special education or isolated learning environments, compounding racial segregation with ableism. This discrimination against already marginalized communities perpetuates poverty and limits education, resources, and opportunities. For children with varying exceptionalities, the divide is even starker: lower-income youth with disabilities are more likely to be placed in separate classrooms compared to their higher-income peers who are more often integrated into mainstream classrooms.
To complicate things further, states aren’t required to report data on education, disability, race, and socioeconomic status collectively. This lack of analysis makes it harder to study and address the complex intersections of these factors. As someone who has worked extensively with children I’m disappointed by these hurdles our youth face, but unfortunately not surprised.
My journey to Circles feels like a full-circle moment, as my first career involved working with individuals with varying exceptionalities, primarily autism. The relationships I formed during that time profoundly shaped my understanding of the invaluable skills and perspectives that everyone contributes. Beginning my professional life in this field continues to impact my understanding of our world, belief in the importance of diverse perspectives, and the beauty of inclusive communities.
Cultivating this awareness in our society requires making positive investments in the well-being and education of youth with varying exceptionalities, especially those experiencing poverty. This is one of the reasons why Circles is so committed to diversity and inclusion: we recognize that these various identities intersect and overlap in many different ways. We work to ensure our spaces are open and welcoming to everyone, including youth with varying exceptionalities and their families. When we treat every youth as the unique individual they are, we can more fully meet their needs and create a place for them to belong.
Which brings me to the heart of the issue: every child is a gift. Sometimes, we can get so focused on challenges and concerns that we miss the incredible contributions they offer just by being themselves. At Circles, our primary job is to love and respect each young person exactly where they are. Yes, we teach them some amazing skills and concepts that will equip them to thrive, but our number one priority is to build supportive communities where they belong and are recognized as the gifts they are.
This is the power of intentional friendship and community. It’s how Circles transforms families, one connection at a time.
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