Presented by Arizona TASH and AZWINS

12th Annual Inclusive Practices Institute Wednesday January 27th, 2016

8:00 am-8:30 am

Pick-Up Conference Materials & On-Site Registration

8:30 am-9:30 am

Welcome Address: Andrea O’Brien and Sherry Mulholland Keynote Address: Better Together Jennifer Kurth In her keynote address, Jennifer will remark on the status of special education 40 years after its inception in the US. Specifically, the founding principles of IDEA will be outlined, and then discussed in terms of progress in realizing those principles. The session will particularly focus on the intent of IDEA to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities through access to and progress in the general curriculum by means of a free and public appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Recent research describing the process in gaining access, improving outcomes, and educating students in the LRE will be described. Recommendations for practitioners and families will be included. At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to discuss: (1) the foundations of IDEA and (2) the impact of inclusive education on improving measurable outcomes for students with significant support needs.

Break

9:30 am – 9:45 am Breakout Rooms

Room A

Room B

Room C

9:45 am -11:00 am

Arizona Statewide Inclusive Coalition: What is forthcoming from the state Michael Remus

Helping All Students Succeed in Math Harold Campbell

YOUth Strand Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls

Room Lab (west of building) Positive Ways to Help Students with Challenging Behavior Part 1 Dan Davidson

Lunch and Keynote Address A World Where Everyone Belongs Barb Trader

11:00 am-12:00 pm

So much has changed in the world since TASH was formed 40 years ago! Barb will reflect on the past, talk about TASH’s impact on equity, opportunity and inclusion, and suggest a bold vision for the future – starting tomorrow!

Break

12:00 pm-12:15 pm 12:15 pm-1:30 pm

How does placement matter? Examining characteristics and outcomes of inclusive and segregated classrooms

IEP Advocacy Vanessa DiCarlo

YOUth Strand Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls

Positive Ways to Help Students with Challenging Behavior - Part 2 Dan Davidson

Jennifer Kurth

Break

1:30 pm-1:45 pm 1:45 pm – 3:00 pm

Guardianship for Individuals with Intellectual Disability: Trends and Issues Susan Marks

Inclusive Methods YOUth Strand to Support Speech Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls and Language Development at School Tara Weber

3:00 pm – 3:15 pm

Break

3:15 pm – 4:00 pm

Closing and TASH YOUth Presentation

Assistive Technology and the Core Ann Gortarez and Bruce Kennedy

Arizona Statewide Inclusive Coalition: What is forthcoming from the state Room: A Time: 9:45 am Presenter: Michael Remus This session will focus on what the State Department of Education is putting together for not only the state but what it can provide as technical assistance to the districts down the road. Michael will be sharing the definitions the state had determined for inclusive education and the start of a framework for implementing inclusive education. This session will be used to gather your thoughts of what should be done within the framework so he can take it back to the department and present to the state coalition.

Helping All Students Succeed in Math Room: B Day/Time: 9:45 am Presenter: Harold Campbell The new Arizona state standards are mandating that all students, regardless of disability, need to be exposed to grade level standards. In addition the vast majority will take their grade level state assessment. This session will focus on the best research based techniques to help students reach and indeed succeed at grade level. We will discuss best practices, the use of manipulatives, apps and curriculum to help all students succeed in math.

TASH YOUth Room: C Day/Time: 9:45 am Presenter: Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls Positive Ways to Help Students with Challenging Behavior - Part 1 Room: Lab Day/Time: 9:45 am Presenter: Daniel Davidson, PhD, BCBA-D This first session of the two-part sequence on challenging behavior will explore helpful and not helpful relationships between teacher/student and parent/child, and ways to improve those relationships as a necessary part of positive behavior intervention plans. Example motivations for both adult and child will be described.

How Does Placement Matter? Examining Characteristics and Outcomes of Inclusive and Segregated Classrooms Room: A Time: 12:15 pm Presenter: Jennifer Kurth In addition to the keynote, Jennifer will present her recent research in schools documenting educational practices. Specifically, she will present findings from research with SWIFT outlining the characteristics and practices of inclusive K-8 schools and compare those findings to research in self-contained high school classrooms serving students with significant cognitive disability. The practices and characteristics of both will be compared using specific examples; recommendations for greater inclusive education to improve student outcomes will be included.

IEP Advocacy Room: B Time: 12:15 pm Presenter: Vanessa DiCarlo In this session, participants will leave with strategies to advocate for their child, and key components to developing an effective comprehensive IEP. Get a unique insider view on what works, what doesn’t and why. A perspective blending both understanding of educational programing, and legal underpinnings of evaluating if your child is receiving free and appropriate education, will leave you will some great advocacy skills.

TASH YOUth Room: C Time: 12:15 pm Presenters: Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls (Continued) Positive Ways to Help Students with Challenging Behavior - Part 2 Room: Lab Time: 12:15 pm Presenter: Daniel Davidson, PhD, BCBA-D This second session of the two-part sequence on challenging behavior will cover ways to expand on the positive relationship between teacher/student and parent/child, to set high expectations and help both parties move toward improved behavior and a higher quality of life.

Guardianship for Individuals with Intellectual Disability: Trends and Issues Room: A Time: 1:45 pm Presenter: Susan Marks Dr. Susan Marks will present an overview of the history of guardianship policies for individuals with intellectual disabilities along with an overview of national policies. The purpose of this presentation is to share how the history of guardianship policies are changing and what professionals need to consider when discussing and exploring options for guardianship to better align with principles of self-determination and the vision of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

Inclusive Methods to Support Speech and Language Development at School Room: B Time: 1:45 pm Presenter: Tara Weber Presenting methods that General Education teachers can use within the classroom. Sharing ideas, methods and techniques that support oral motor control, language development and positive social communication. Explore simple techniques that can make a world of difference in individual students.

TASH YOUth Room: C Time: 12:15 pm Presenters: Mariah Harvey and Marcia Karls (Continued) AT and the Core: Assistive Technology that supports access to Reading, Writing, and Math Room: Lab Time: 1:45 pm Presenters: Ann Gortarez and Bruce Kennedy Assistive Technology comes in many forms; from low to high tech! Come to this session to learn about AT that will help students access core subjects: Reading, Writing, and Math. This fast paced session will include demonstrations of AT that can be easily accessed on-line, apps that support core subjects, and hands-on items with methods and strategies you can do today to help your students access the core.

Presenter Bios Harold Campbell, Math Specialist with the Arizona Department of Education, Exceptional Student Services Division, has spent more than twenty years in the field of mathematics. He has taught all grades from kindergarten through college. He has served in every math capacity from classroom teacher to Department Head, to Math Coach and District Math Specialist. Harold has presented at Regional, State and National conferences. Harold earned his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Mathematics and his Master’s Degree in Education. He has a passion for teaching, logic puzzles, and can solve a Rubik’s Cube in less than 3 minutes.

Daniel P Davidson, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA, earned his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in 1984, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) and Licensed in Arizona. He has served as direct support provider, school principal, residential services administrator, consultant, university instructor, advocate and policy shaper, in order to improve the lives and services of people with disabilities and challenging behavior. Currently, Dan directs the PBISAz (http://pbisaz.org/) to build the capacity for Arizona to support schools/districts/charters that strive to implement positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS). He also consults with schools, provider agencies and families, and he teaches positive parenting classes http://www.danielpdavidson.com. Dan has devoted his career to understanding (and helping others understand) the challenging behaviors of those they support.

Vanessa DiCarlo, M.ED., Special Education Advocate and Educational Consultant. She has recently joined Susan Marks and Advocates, PLLC- A Law Firm for Disability-Related Issues. Ms. DiCarlo graduated from Northern Arizona University, where she received a master's degree in Special Education with an emphasis in inclusive practices, positive behavioral supports, and autism. Ms. DiCarlo worked in typical education settings, in addition to special education settings creating system wide change; and advocating for the inclusion of students with disabilities into typical classrooms by individualizing services such as curriculum modifications, behavior plans, and assistive technology. Collaborating with various behavioral health and statewide agencies, she advocated for coordinated services for students. Ms. DiCarlo has presented at national and statewide conferences on a variety of disability-related topics, while also consulting with the ADE Support Cadre, and NAU by supervising masters-level teachers in the internship phase of their program.

Ann Gortarez, Assistive Technology Specialist with ADE, began her work in the world of Assistive Technology first as an instructional assistant for students with moderate to severe disabilities, then as a special education teacher; where she worked with many different types of AT and AAC from low to high tech, both in and out of the classroom. Her experience with students’ use of AT showed her how barriers for students with disabilities could be removed or minimized and how students could achieve greater autonomy through the use of AT. She joined the Arizona Department of Education Assistive Technology Team in the spring of 2012. She is also a Project SKIES alumnus! Mariah Harvey, Middle School Spanish Teacher and Advisor, Social Justice Activist. Mariah Harvey has been active in the education community of Tucson for many years. Deeply impacted by the academic teachings of her Chicano studies courses years ago, she began to pursue a degree in education, focusing on the empowerment of youth through reflection and critical consciousness, political activism, and hip hop and poetry. She is currently a middle school educator and is completing her Masters work in Secondary Education

Marcia Karls, Deer Valley USD Educator, believes that education and quality of life are key for a person’s growth and success. Marcia advocates for all people of all abilities to have access to learning, growing, and succeeding in their lives. I have been a part of TASH for the past five years. I am always looking for opportunities to inspire and educate others. TASH is a great organization and I am glad to be a part of this year’s AZ TASH conference.

Bruce Kennedy, MA, MPA Assistive Technology Specialist with ADE, has provided hundreds of training presentations at school sites and professional conferences including Closing the Gap; Assistive Technology Conference and The Arizona Transition Conference. He has worked with people with disabilities for over 35 years, in the classroom, in the community, developing residential programs and employment opportunities while advocating for individual rights and inclusive policies. He has worked in public education, served as an area administrator with the Arizona Division of Developmental Disabilities and as a Rehabilitation Counselor and Program Specialist with the Rehabilitation Services Administration. Bruce joined the Arizona Department of Education – Assistive Technology Team in July 2007. He has completed degrees in Special Education, Psychology, and Public Administration from Arizona State and Northern Arizona Universities and completed post graduate certification in Counseling & Rehabilitation at the University of Arizona. Susan Marks, JD, PhD, Attorney at Law Dr. Susan Marks is the managing attorney for Susan Marks and Advocates, PLLC- A Law Firm for Disability-Related Issues. Dr. Marks is a professor of Special Education at Northern Arizona University where she teaches in the Special Education teacher preparation program and coordinates the graduate certificate in Autism. She teaches courses on Positive Behavioral Supports and Inclusive Education. She is an Autism Specialist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). Dr. Marks received her Ph.D. from the University of Oregon in 1995 and has worked in the field of Special Education and developmental disabilities for more than 35 years. During those years, she worked in residential programs, rehabilitation programs, and school programs, with a specific focus on autism and individuals with complex needs. Her advocacy interests led her to pursue a law degree, which she completed in December 2014. She was admitted to the State Bar of Arizona in May 2015 and to the Navajo Nation Bar in November 2015.

Michael Remus has been a general education teacher, special education teacher, school principal, school board member, college instructor, special education director for a school district, state special education director and is also the parent of four children, two of whom have disabilities. Currently he is Director of Special Education for Sedona-Oak Creek, Arizona. Michael is also involved in the advocacy movement as a parent having been the national Arc president, a member of the President’s Committee on Intellectual Disabilities and many parent organizations as well as professional organizations in the field of education. Michael is passionate about building all schools to be a community for every student. Michael has received many awards for his work regarding inclusive practices. These past few years he has received the national TASH award as the Most Promising Administrator for Inclusive Practices, Educator of the Year from the National Down Syndrome Congress, the Joleta Reynolds Service to Special Education from LRP and many awards from different states. Barb Trader, Executive Director of TASH, a progressive grassroots organization that advances the inclusion and human rights of people with disabilities who are most likely to be segregated, institutionalized and abused. Barb was in direct service as a recreation therapist for 17 years in parks and recreation, public schools, and nonprofit agencies. An activist by nature, she facilitated the inclusion of athletes with disabilities in the Georgia State Games and formed a wheelchair division for the Peachtree Road Race, the first major race in the country to include wheelchair users, serving as race director the first 10 years. The 1996 Atlanta Paralympic Games were the first to be held in the United States as a part of the overall Olympic celebration, due in part to a grassroots effort led by Barb and local ADAPT leaders that gathered 40,000 signatures in less than 10 days. She was a founding board member for the Paralympic Organizing Committee and an integral part of the bid process and served as the vice president for youth and community programs. She has authored and launched several national programs, including Paralympic Day in the Schools and Express Diversity! both aimed at helping school-aged youth understand that disability is a natural life experience. Prior to coming to TASH, she worked in program development and director roles for the national headquarters’ offices of VSA arts and Easter Seals.

Tara Weber, SLP, is a licensed and certified Speech Pathologist. She has been providing therapy in southern Arizona schools for 20+ years from preschool through high school. She is on the Governor's Committee for Traumatic Brain Injuries and a committee member for SLP licensing and standards in AZ. She does support training for Headstart in AZ, in-services throughout the country for oral motor skills, autism and behavior management, and is a consultant for many AZ Districts on inclusive practices for Speech and Language.