2020 Evidence for Success Disability Conference

Program Information

This year’s conference offers an exciting program including four (optional) Sunday preconference workshops covering diverse topics including school based AT service delivery, concussion, AAC and a hands-on AT Maker session for adapting toys and switches.  More than 70 concurrent breakout sessions on Assistive Technology, Education, Employment/Transition and Community Inclusion are scheduled for the general conference on Monday and Tuesday.

 

Our passionate and knowledgeable featured speakers include Arizona Superintendent of Public Instruction Kathy Hoffman, Representative Jennifer Longdon, Attorney Jonathan Martinis and AT Expert Gayl Bowser.

 

FEATURED SPEAKERS

 

Kathy Hoffman (Welcome Remarks)

 

Kathy Hoffman was elected Arizona State Superintendent of Public Instruction in November 2018 and assumed office in January 2019. Superintendent Hoffman has spent her entire career working in public education, first as a pre-school teacher and then as a speech-language pathologist. She began her career in the Vail School District in Southern Arizona before joining the Peoria School District.

 

Her experience as both an educator and advocate for students with disabilities informs her vision for public education. Throughout her career, she has fought tirelessly for equal access to high-quality public education regardless of a student’s race, gender, or zip code. She asserts that only through committed investment and inclusive policies can Arizona bring its public schools from the bottom to the top of the nation’s school systems. Superintendent Hoffman firmly believes that Arizona’s future starts in our schools.

 

 

Jennifer Longdon (Opening Presenter)

 

Representative Jennifer Longdon is an elected member of the Arizona House of Representatives who is an outspoken advocate for people with disabilities and strengthening laws to curb gun violence.

 

Representative Longdon is one of two elected members of the Arizona House of Representatives serving Legislative District 24 which covers Central Phoenix and South Scottsdale. She is a Phoenix-based speaker, writer, and activist. Jennifer worked for three years as the content coordinator, chief writer and editor of LivAbility magazine, an Arizona-based quarterly lifestyle magazine.

 

Active in community engagement projects, Jennifer previously served as Chair for the Phoenix Mayor’s Neighborhood Advisory Council, the State Independent Living Council of Arizona, Arizonans for Gun Safety, and Public Impact Advisory Panel to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation. She has been profiled in AZ magazine, the Phoenix New Times, the Washington Post, Salon, Mother Jones and Rolling Stone. Jennifer is a TEDx and Ignite presenter.

 

She is the recipient of numerous community awards including the MASK UNITY award (2013), City of Phoenix Impact Volunteer Award (2013) The MLK Celebration I Have a Dream Award (2014) and the National Association of Social Workers, AZ Chapter Citizen of the Year (2014).

 

Jennifer was paralyzed in a random shooting in 2004.

 

Jonathan Martinis Esq., J.D (Closing Plenary Presenter)

Jonathan Martinis is the Senior Director for Law and Policy for the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University, leading its efforts to ensure that older adults and people with disabilities have access to the services and supports they need to lead independent, inclusive lives. He is based in Washington DC.

In 2013, Jonathan represented Margaret “Jenny” Hatch in the “Justice for Jenny” case – the first trial to hold that a person has the right to use Supported Decision-Making (SDM) to make her own life choices instead of being subjected to a permanent, plenary guardianship. Since then, Jonathan has led SDM projects in New York, Ohio, California, Virginia, Vermont, and the District of Columbia. He has also educated and trained thousands of older adults, people with disabilities, families, and professionals across the country on SDM theory and practice.

 

Gayl Bowser, M.Ed. (Preconference Workshop Presenter)

Ms. Bowser is an independent consultant who focuses on the creation of effective, legal and high-quality service systems that encourage integration of technology into educational programs for students with disabilities. Formerly the Coordinator of the Oregon Technology Access Program (OTAP) and the State of Oregon’s Specialist in Assistive Technology, Gayl currently provides consultation, training and technical assistance throughout the United States and internationally. Gayl Bowser is a teacher by training and a founding member of the Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT) Consortium and serves on the QIAT Leadership Team. Her most recent book, with Penny Reed, is Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services.

 

 

 

PRECONFERENCE WORKSHOPS – SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2020

Workshop A: The Changing Roles of AT Teams – Gayl Bowser – 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (Full Day)

Description: This pre-conference workshop will be of interest to you and your education-based AT services team, if you answer “yes” to one or more of the following questions:

  • Do you wonder how to provide or develop AT services that are equitably distributed for low and high incidence students?
  • Does your team or agency use a “one size fits all” service design?
  • Do you struggle to integrate data collection to monitor AT use and effectiveness into your routine practices?
  • Are you looking for new and innovative ways to provide accessible professional learning opportunities?
  • Are you struggling to provide equitable support to multiple school district AT teams?

During this workshop, Gayl will challenge you to develop a proactive team vision of how to address the changing role of AT teams at the district, state and/or regional level. We will use a Universal Design model to focus on multiple means of providing AT support to your professional constituents. Interactive activities will offer you an opportunity to analyze your current service model, focus on improving service delivery, use more online tools to increase efficiency and data collection, build agency-wide capacity, and work with other program leaders to enhance administrative support. We will also focus on practical strategies such as professional development to build capacity, the use of remote services to leverage time and expertise, and outreach to key partners. Participants will hone their AT service delivery redesign and gather input from others to create a 3-year plan for change.

Workshop B: AT Makers Toy Hack Workshop – Matthew Levac – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Half Day)

Description: Organizations such as Makers Making Change and ATMakers have given legitimacy to the growing trend of connecting those in the MAKER community with the field of assistive technology (AT) and aptly calling it the AT Makers movement. Being able to create custom AT solutions can help to ensure that the unique needs of individuals are met in a personalized way. It can also help to avoid any delays in the AT process when it comes to funding equipment, as it is far more cost effective to create these solutions in-house. This workshop will focus on adapting a battery-operated toy and assembling a 3D printed switch.

 

Never soldered before? No problem! Creating AT is the best way to learn basic MAKER skills such as soldering and electrical circuitry as well being introduced to 3D printing materials.

 

Participants will:

  • Understand how to operate and use a soldering iron to connect wires and circuits.
  • Identify which toys are best to adapt and complete a toy hack.
  • Understand the process of finding and obtaining 3D printed switches.
  • Compete a 3D printed switch build.

 

Workshop C: School of Hard Knocks: Addressing Concussion in our Classrooms and Communities – Dr. Susan Wolf – 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. (Half Day)

Description: Since 1 in 10 youth who suffers a concussion experiences symptoms that last more than 60 days, gaining an understanding of the frequency and consequences of concussions (mild traumatic brain injury – (mTBI)) is an important step in beginning to raise awareness about the long-term effects of concussion and its associated neuro-impairments. Once a youth sustains their first brain injury, they are 8 times more likely to sustain another one and that has significant implications for risk management. These facts point to the reality that education professionals are in a unique situation. With knowledge and accurate information, educators and related-service professionals have the capacity to detect and identify post-concussive effects in students, to share that knowledge and to raise awareness about the long-term outcomes for youth with mTBI. Knowing what concussions are, how they are identified and treated, and how best to manage the student who has sustained a concussion can lead to better outcomes after injury. By understanding brain-behavior relationships and looking for “disconnects”, participants can learn first-hand how to assist youth (and adults) to manage post-concussive impacts and to return more effectively to daily life: learning, playing and working after brain injury.

Session content includes cutting edge research related to injury rates, screening for assessment and evaluation, referral mechanisms, and discussion regarding classroom and campus-wide interventions incorporating the latest professional guidelines. Participants will leave with screening tools and intervention tip sheets that address the 10 areas of critical functioning that are most directly impacted after one sustains a concussion. Content will also address the need for primary prevention efforts to reduce potential injuries and relative risk in school-related activities and events. Local and statewide community resources as well as updated, online resources will be provided to all participants.

Preconference Workshop D: Dare to Dream – Jane Odom & Candice Steel – (10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.)

Dare to Dream is an intense, interactive workshop that, for the first time, is designed specifically for people with Complex Communication Needs who use AAC devices and their supporters.  It starts with a dream, which is developed via a guided process, drawn in detail by a support person, and shared with the group. Dreams are nonnegotiable. The Dare to Dream process does not end with being bold enough to dream and to share the dream with others. This is just the beginning. The workshop will be followed up with an included, one-year action plan for turning their dreams into future realities.

Working with his or her support person, each participant then develops one or two objectives that can lead to or is a piece of their dream. Objectives must be both positive (leading to or a piece of the larger dream) and possible (can be accomplished in one year). Through group interaction, each participant’s objective is finalized based on being both positive and possible, including (1) resources needed, (2) important places to go to, and (3) people needed to help them accomplish the objective.

Finally, working with their support person, each participant identifies and commits to implementing the first steps to be taken when they return home. This includes enlisting a coach and identifying how they will “meet” with the presenters monthly online for one year.

The Dare to Dream process has been conducted throughout the United States, at two ISAAC conferences (Montreal and Australia), and in Australia India, Israel, and South Africa.

Note: This workshop requires a separate registration form and is limited to 20 teen or adult AAC device users, plus one support person each, who will be an active participant throughout the day. A limited number of AAC professionals will be permitted to watch and observe the process.

June 8-9, 2020 Conference Sessions (Check back for updates, dates and times)

 

CONCURRENT BREAKOUT SESSIONS (By Session Titles)

NOTE: Breakout sessions listed below are categorized broadly by content area. Sessions applicable to multiple content areas are listed more than once. Within each category, sessions are organized according to whether the primary focus is assistive technology or innovative practices in disability disciplines.

AAC (Augmentative & Alternative Communication)

Assistive Technology

  • Alexa, Do You Understand AAC?
  • Applying Sensory Strategies to Support Communication for Children using AAC (poster session)
  • Bridging the Gap Between No-Tech/Low-Tech and High-Tech AAC
  • Coding Core: Teaching Language with Coding, Robots, & AAC Devices
  • Creating Meaningful and Differentiated Opportunities for Choice Making
  • Discover the Power in Your Story with AT and Creative Media
  • EagleEyes and Camera Mouse – Eye and Head Tracking Mouse Replacement Systems
  • Eye Gaze Technology for Emergent Communicators
  • Four Blocks: Supporting Acquisition of Literacy for People with Complex Communication Needs
  • Once Upon A Time: There was a Whole New Way to Look at AAC
  • Supporting AAC Users with Complex Communication Needs and Behavioral Challenges Across Settings
  • Tips and Tricks for Snap Core First

 

COMMUNITY INCLUSION 

Assistive Technology

  • Adaptive Skiing in Northern Arizona: Lessons from a Successful and Growing Program
  • Automotive Accessibility Solutions
  • Can Accommodations Drive Design for the Masses?
  • Comprehensive Literacy in Action
  • Demystifying Web Accessibility
  • EagleEyes and Camera Mouse – Eye and Head Tracking Mouse Replacement Systems
  • Go Baby Go: Combining Creativity and Assistive Technology to Support Independent Mobility (Poster Session)
  • Home Modifications 101
  • Makers Making Change: Arizona Chapter
  • Tools and Strategies for the Disorganized Student

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • AZ ABLE Accounts: Groundbreaking Accounts that Protect Benefits and Build Financial Security
  • Just How Safe? Analyzing Sexual Abuse Among Arizonans with Disabilities
  • Reframing “Nothing About Us Without Us” in Cultural and Linguistic Competency
  • Supported Decision-Making: A Less Restrictive Alternative to Legal Guardianship
  • Technology First: Enhancing Systems; Increasing Access
  • Voting Project: Learning about Barriers to Voting

 

EARLY INTERVENTION

Assistive Technology

  • Go Baby Go: Combining Creativity and Assistive Technology to Support Independent Mobility (poster session)

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • How Instrument-Based Technology Can Lead to Better Childhood Screening (poster session)
  • Hózhó: Promoting Sleep Health Among Navajo Caregivers
  • Understanding Navajo Parents’ Beliefs about Cradling and Early Mobility Practices

 

 

EDUCATION (K – 12)

 

Assistive Technology

  • Accessible Math for Early Learners
  • Apps for Academic Success!
  • Augmented, Virtual and Mixed Reality in Special Education
  • Comprehensive Literacy in Action
  • I Can Read That! / The Write Stuff!
  • Making the Most of Assistive Technology in Classrooms and the Workplace
  • On Time, On Task, & Organized: Using Technology to Build Executive Function Skills
  • Structured Discovery Methodology
  • Tools and Strategies for the Disorganized Student
  • Using LessonPix to Create Social-Emotional Supports for Learning
  • Virtual Reality in the Special Needs Classroom
  • Wild and Free up in the Clouds!

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • Analyzing Dynamics Affecting the Role of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments.
  • Educating the Educators: The Ripple Effect of Train-the-Trainer Efforts
  • Effective and Inspired Instruction: Using High-Leverage Practices to Create Meaningful Learning Opportunities
  • Empower EVERY student with Microsoft Learning Tools
  • Java and Jammies – Webinar series on High Leverage Practices
  • Precision Teaching: Pinpointing Decisions
  • The Skills That Matter: Embedding Social/Emotional Competency Instruction and Practice

 

EMPLOYMENT

Assistive Technology

  • AAC Ambassadors
  • Dreams Realized
  • Making the Most of Assistive Technology in Classrooms and the Workplace

 

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • American Indian and State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: Successful Partnerships for Vocational Outcomes
  • AZ ABLE Accounts: Groundbreaking Accounts that Protect Benefits and Build Financial Security
  • Beacon Encore: Customized Employment in Arizona
  • Breaking the Barriers to Employment
  • Comparison of Culturally Responsive American Indian VR Processes and State VR Processes (poster session)
  • Disability Benefits 101 (DB101) as an Employment Tool
  • Implementing Employment First in Arizona
  • Tempe’s BEST Program – Building Employment Supports and Training

 

 

NATIVE AMERICAN TOPICS

 Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • American Indian and State Vocational Rehabilitation Programs: Successful Partnerships for Vocational Outcomes
  • Comparison of Culturally Responsive American Indian VR Processes and State VR Processes (poster session)
  • Hózhó: Promoting Sleep Health Among Navajo Caregivers
  • Native American Youth with Disabilities: Mental Health and Transition
  • Transition Planning: AIVRS Collaborating with the State VR and Schools to Coordinate Transition Services
  • Understanding Navajo Parents’ Beliefs about Cradling and Early Mobility Practices

 

SERVICE DELIVERY

Assistive Technology

  • Assistive Technology Research You Can Use
  • Demystifying Web Accessibility
  • Developing an Assistive Technology Committee in your School or Clinic
  • Leading the Way to Excellence in AT Services

 

TRANSITION/POST SECONDARY

Assistive Technology

  • Pump the Brakes: Merging Assistive Technology & Transition Planning
  • Why Are Accommodations Different After High School?

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • Assisting Youth and Adults with Their Employment Goals from Beginning to Infinity
  • Lessons Learned from an Online Intervention with Families of Transition Age Youth
  • Native American Youth with Disabilities: Mental Health and Transition
  • Recommendations for Post-Secondary Transitions for Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Family Experiences (poster session)
  • Support Inclusion Practices in College for I/DD Students – An Integral Framework
  • Transition Planning: AIVRS Collaborating with the State VR and Schools to Coordinate Transition Services
  • U-Night for Transition: Building Knowledge for Parents and Skills for Youth

 

VISION AND HEARING

Assistive Technology

  • Arizona Talking Book Library – BARD – Beyond the Basics
  • Structured Discovery Methodology
  • Telecommunications Inspiration for the Deaf, DeafBlind, Hard of Hearing and Speech-Impaired
  • Which Method of Realtime Captioning is Appropriate?

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • Analyzing Dynamics Affecting the Role of Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments.

 

POSTER SESSIONS

Assistive Technology

  • Applying Sensory Strategies to Support Communication for Children using AAC
  • Go Baby Go: Combining Creativity and Assistive Technology to Support Independent Mobility

 

Innovative Practices in Disability Disciplines

  • Applying Sensory Strategies to Support Communication for Children using AAC
  • Comparison of Culturally Responsive American Indian VR Processes and State VR Processes
  • How Instrument-Based Technology Can Lead to Better Childhood Screening
  • Recommendations for Post-Secondary Transitions for Autism Spectrum Disorder Based on Family Experiences (poster session)