Lydia Dolch, Founder and Empowerment Coach
Lydia is an empowerment coach and certified educator for neurotypical, disabled, and neurodivergent students of any age, learning style, or location. She founded Open the Lid in 2019 as an accessible community for personal and social empowerment in a supportive community.
Lydia's work in Open the Lid’s Group Empowerment Classes focuses on teens through adults. She supports students in developing personal, organizational, and social strategies, through neurotypical and neurodivergent peer support including Autistic people, people with Down's syndrome, and Cerebral Palsy, Developmental disabilities, Social anxiety as well as Sensory Processing Challenges.
Lydia also hosts Individual Empowerment Classes for students and caregivers to help them prioritize and navigate school and community services and access public funding sources. She shares strategies for successful communication in the home, school, and public that, without the right tools, can show up as anger, overwhelm, and aggression. Lydia is a mother of four, an artist, and an educator specializing in meeting people where they are and helping them get where they want to be.
Qualifications and Experience
Lydia holds New York State professional certifications in Students with Disabilities and Art Education. In addition, Lydia developed a course on autism at the university graduate level, and is regularly invited as a dynamic speaker on a wide range of topics. These topics often touch on her experiences working in school, community and residential settings.
During an internship in Argentina, an 11 year old who had never uttered a word in his life, said Lydia’s name. From then on, she knew working with people would be her life's work.
When the opportunity to start a self-contained program for students with special needs arose, she jumped at the chance. Lydia quickly found opportunities for her students with intensive needs to access education with their neurotypical peers, transforming a self-contained model to a co-taught model. This continued to be a trend as she opened a new program for autistic students in the Ithaca City School District, worked in early intervention and taught in inclusive elementary and middle school settings.
Her most recent experience came in the form of a Traumatic Brain Injury giving her the real-life opportunity to experience what her students with sensory processing disorder go through on a daily basis.
Molly L. Hajjar, Facilitator
Molly comes to Open the Lid with a plethora of work in her bag. Molly is like the "Jack of all trades", having worked under different capacities in a variety of industries and arenas.
Qualifications and Experience
Molly, MPA, CTRS received her B.S. in Therapeutic Recreation from the University of Connecticut, and her Master of Public Administration from Ohio University. After completing her B.S., she worked as a recreational therapist (RT) for a residential rehabilitation center for children with developmental disabilities and adults with traumatic brian injury. Molly served in Grenada, West Indies, as a US Peace Corps Volunteer, working in geriatric health and social services. She has over 30 years of clinical and community-based experience as an RT, with much of her career affiliated with non-profit organizations, utilizing adaptive outdoor recreation and sports programs to support full participation and inclusion throughout the life-span. She recently taught at Ithaca College as a part time faculty in the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies and worked with the non profit, Bike Walk Tompkins in Ithaca, NY, providing education and advocacy to facilitate biking and walking throughout the city and county. She also serves as the volunteer training coordinator at Greek Peak Adaptive Snowsports in Virgil, NY..
Nicole Boyle, Facilitator
Nicole comes to Open the Lid with 12 years of experience of working with neurodivergent individuals across many different platforms ranging from being a community support professional to teaching in both inclusive and self-contained classrooms. She focuses on advocating for the needs of the individuals she works with, along with their families, as well as teaching them to self-advocate and communicate effectively in both verbal and non-verbal avenues, so that they feel empowered and independent in their journey to find their needs met.
Qualifications and Experience
Nicole has a Bachelor's degree in Inclusive Special Education from SUNY Cortland and an Associate's degree in Early Childhood Education. For the past 3 years she has been the teacher and case manager for a classroom serving students with autism. Prior to this she was a co-teacher in an inclusive Kindergarten classroom. She has designed curriculums, communication tools, visuals, trainings, and more to meet the vast needs of each of her students and their families.
Margaret Henry, Facilitator
Margaret comes to Open the Lid with 20 years of experience working with individuals in the community, schools and their homes, including neurodivergent individuals. She started working with children with autism at the age of 16, and discovered her desire to nurture and educate the future and those whose voices are uneasily heard. She focuses on understanding individuals to help them reach their full potential in their desired environment. She then is able to share this perspective with caregivers to help facilitate communication, so all feel heard, validated, and valued.
Qualifications and Experience
Margaret has a Bachelor's degree in History from Canisius College and a Master’s degree in Early Childhood and Childhood Education from Buffalo State College. She then combined her extra courses and assessments to obtain additional New York State Teacher’s Certifications for Students with Disabilities for Early Childhood and Childhood Education.
For the past 3 years she has been a Special Education teacher working within the inclusive model for Kindergarten to Grade 4. Prior to this she worked in self-contained classrooms for students with emotional behaviors, autism, and learning disabilities. She has planned curriculum and professional development, designed and implemented school-based sensory spaces, created unique and individualized material to engage students, managed CSE teams, and is an ear to listen and help mentor and guide when appropriate to meet the facilitators, and children and their families where they are at and then move forward toward success.
Kristen Brink, Facilitator
Kristen comes to Open the Lid with over a decade of teaching experience, Kristen brings a rich background in special education and literacy to her role. Driven by a profound passion that began at the age of 14, volunteering at a therapeutic horseback riding facility ignited her commitment to supporting individuals with disabilities. This early experience, combined with ongoing work with the same families over the years, has been incredibly fulfilling, allowing her to witness firsthand the remarkable progress and success of those she serves.
Qualifications and Experience
She earned her Bachelor's Degree in Special Education with a minor in Psychology and Master's Degree in Literacy from SUNY Cortland. Over the past ten years, Kristen has been serving students in a variety of settings including consultant and inclusive classrooms for children at the elementary level. In addition to her work within the classroom, she also serves as a Youth Recreation Director, where she designs and implements engaging summer programs for children. Her dual roles reflect her dedication to fostering growth and exceeding potential both in academic settings and through recreational activities. Her journey continues to be fueled by the joy of seeing individuals thrive and the drive to make a meaningful impact in their lives.
Carlan Gray, Facilitator
Carlan Gray has been supporting young adults for the last 20 years as a teacher, coach, and administrator in public schools. Her goals have always been to help students build self-advocacy in educational and social settings with a mind toward inclusivity and continuous growth in teaching and learning.
Qualifications and Experience
Carlan earned her B.S. from Cornell University before going on to graduate with a Masters in Education from Cornell University in 2005. Carlan has experience designing curriculum and experiences for every type of learner.
Kathryn Arnold, Facilitator
Kathryn joins Open the Lid with nearly three decades of experience supporting students and families in educational settings. Driven by a lifelong passion for helping others, particularly during challenging times, Kathryn brings a wealth of expertise and compassion to her role. Her dedication has been shaped by years of working directly with individuals of all ages, from pre-K to high school.
Qualifications and Experience
Kathryn has served in the Ithaca City School District for the past 28 years. Currently, she works as a special education teacher at Boynton Middle School, where she develops and implements individualized strategies to meet the diverse needs of her students. Previously, Kathryn facilitated Committee on Special Education (CSE) meetings for hundreds of students, a role that allowed her to collaborate closely with families and create meaningful education plans tailored to each student’s needs.
Her favorite part of this work has always been building relationships with students and their families, empowering them with the right tools and support to thrive. Kathryn firmly believes in the transformative power of education and looks forward to helping others on their journey toward growth and success.