Episode 109: Bilingual DRP Podcast: Apoyando a los estudiantes con discapacidades [Supporting students with disabilities]

Interviewer: Jasmine Lopez

Interviewees: Jennifer Biggers 

Language: English & Spanish | Bilingual transcript available

Description:

In this special bilingual episode—the first ever in Spanish on the Docs With Disabilities Podcast—we explore the intersection of disability, culture, and education through the lens of a powerful personal and professional journey.

Jasmine Lopez sits down with Jennifer Biggers, M.Ed., a first-generation Latina Disability Resource Professional at the University of California, Riverside. With warmth, vulnerability, and insight, Jennifer shares how her identity as a Honduran-Ecuadorian American, former special education teacher, and parent of autistic children informs her deeply empathetic and culturally responsive approach to supporting disabled learners.

Together, they discuss:

• The unique challenges and strengths of Latinx and first-gen students with disabilities
• How stigma around mental health shows up in Latinx communities—and how to push back
• Strategies for building trust between students and DRPs
• Culturally relevant resources for learners and families
• Why representation in medicine (and DRP offices) matters more than ever

This episode is a love letter to students navigating multiple marginalizations—and to the professionals working to ensure they thrive. Whether you’re a student, educator, clinician, or ally, you’ll leave this episode with new insights and a deepened appreciation for the power of culturally grounded support.

🔗 Bilingual transcript 

Bio:

Jennifer Biggers is a disability specialist at the Student Disability Resource Center at University of California-Riverside. Jennifer works with students with psychological disabilities, chronic health conditions, and learning disabilities. Jennifer has ten years of experience of working in the K-12 setting with students with disabilities as a teacher and an administrator. Jennifer’s expertise lies in post-secondary transition readiness and has taken this experience to UC-Riverside to develop programming for first year, transfer students, and students acquire a disability during their college experience. Jennifer currently oversees the SDRC Peer Mentor Program, Time Management Workshop Series, Accountability Study Groups, and SDRC Bootcamp for new a transfer students.

University of California-Riverside Campus is No. 1 in Social Mobility (U.S. News & World Report, 2019) and No.1 Most Transformative Colleges

Keywords:

Disability Resource Professionals (DRPs), Medical Education, Bilingual education, Latinx students in medicine, First-generation college students, Mental health stigma, Intersectionality, Culturally responsive support