Programs & Sessions
October 12, 2011 Pre-Conference Worshop
Creating a Culture of Inclusion: A Cultural Perspective of Disability Diversity
The culture of an environment can impact achievement, participation, self-concept, and assumptions about ourselves and others. For learners with disabilities, understandings about disability influence a student's identity, learning and life-long outcomes. A program/organization’s culture creates and sends messages about disability, messages that impact the outcomes of many children. As providers consciously construct cultures that welcome all children in their programs, they can consider socially responsible language, implement Universal Design for Learning strategies, and integrate positive messages about disability. The focus of this workshop will be to educate professionals on ways to integrate “disability culture” into children’s learning experiences in out-of-school settings.
Presenters: Andrea P. Dinaro, M.S., M.Ed., and Heath K. Brosseau, M.Ed
Keynote Speaker
Micaela Erin Connery, Unified Theatre, Inc.
Inclusion -- A Teenage Dream
At the age of fifteen, Micaela sought to make inclusion a reality in her high school by starting an inclusive youth-led theater group, Unified Theater. Nine years later, driven by her belief that teens can be game changers in the movement towards full inclusion, Micaela works with teen leaders across the country as they implement Unified Theater initiatives in their own communities. She'll share her first-hand experience with inclusive programming led by teens for teens and how she has supported young people as they change their communities for the better. Through the stories and the experiences of some of the thousands of incredible young people who have participated in Unified Theater, Micaela will explore self and peer-advocacy, the necessity for equal treatment in inclusive programming, and the unique and powerful way teens are able to bring their classmates of all abilities together as one.
Featured Speakers
Patrick Hayes has been active military for 3 ½ years. He is much more able to enter into a verbal dialogue with others and is far more outgoing than his parents had ever imagined possible. They consider Patrick to be their success story. He is who he is because of early intervention and acceptance. He is a true inspiration of strength and knowing what he wants and not letting anything stand in his way. Patrick and his parents will share their journey of acceptance, advocacy, meaningful participation, and service to the country.
Patrick, born in 1988 at just 4 pounds, overcame negative odds and from the beginning demonstrated a mind of his own and a strong determination that is still evident today. After spending his early years in Military Child Care Centers and Family Child Care Programs . Patrick attended civilian and military schools. Before starting ninth grade, he was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. Graduating in 2007, Patrick decided he wanted to join the armed forces. With his diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome and records stating Autism, he was required to undergo extensive testing to ensure that he was eligible to serve. He successfully completed Army Boot Camp and Military Police “A” School, has had one successful deployment to Iraq, and continues to serve in Fort Riley, Kansas today.
Teresa Hayes-Williams has worked at all levels of the military child development programs and is currently employed with the Marine Corps’ Children Youth & Teen Programs in Okinawa, Japan. As an educator and a concerned mother, she relentlessly researched, argued, requested, and forced observations and finally a diagnosis for Patrick’s Asperger’s Syndrome. Today, Teresa works with various children with disabilities within the MCCS’ Child, Youth and Teen Programs to ensure that their needs are met as well.
Jon R. Williams joined the Marine Corps in 1972 and retired in 1993. As he assisted Teresa in advocating for Patrick, it was tough for him as a Marine to think that something was different or wrong with his son. Jon quickly learned that the best support was not to be a disciplinarian and force Patrick to change or conform, but to be more accepting of his uniqueness. Jon now works as a Community Health Nurse working with the Child, Youth and Teen Programs, Okinawa, Japan.
Thursday and Friday Break-Out Sessions
Inclusion by Synergy
The 2010 KIT Leadership Award winning Kids Country tells their story of Inclusion by Synergy, a story of inclusion blooming in a multi-site school age care program. Kids Country serves over 800 children in 20 sites, ages 3 - 21. Synergy is the combined effort being greater than parts. Having recognized a long-term absence of inclusion, Kids Country used synergy to create a new and better story.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify processes and resources for recognizing need, beginning, supporting, growing, and advocating for inclusion in school-age care programs. 2. Write an action plan for supporting and advocating for inclusion.
Presenters: Dawn Butler and Kristi Fate, Kids Country, Lee’s Summit, MO
Mentoring for All
Partners for Youth with Disabilities’ has been expanding mentoring opportunities for youth with disabilities for 25 years. This workshop will provide an overview of the compelling power of mentoring and outline best practices for mentoring youth with disabilities, including considerations for programming, recruitment, and mentor training and support.
Learning Objectives: 1. Articulate the definition and benefits of mentoring for youth in general and youth with disabilities in particular. 2. Integrate components essential to supporting youth with disabilities such as etiquette and communication, disclosure, transition to independence, and bullying. 3. Apply mentoring best practices to other youth support contexts.
Presenter: Kaela Vronsky, Partners for Youth with Disabilities, Boston, MA
Camp Expedition: Facilitating Recreation for Children with Autism
This panel presentation will describe the results of a two week summer camp program designed to support children with autism to engage in camp activities with typically developing peers. Camp Expedition staff made the necessary adaptations and accommodations to ensure that the children with ASD enjoyed a successful camp experience. Having successfully finished its second year, other camps around the country have expressed an interest in creating similar programs.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify ideas, tools, and activity/resource information from community, professional, and family members about setting up a summer camp. 2. Learn staff training techniques.
Presenters: Billy Hanna, MA and Juli Miller, California Polytechnic State University, Central Coast Autism Spectrum Center, San Luis Obispo
A Fully Inclusive Performing Arts Experience for Middle and High Schools
Explore how to facilitate meaningful inclusion in a student-led theatrical program. The session will cover: 1) Teaching teens how to be student leaders that facilitate inclusion, 2) Exploring ways of adapting theatre (and other programs) to accommodate different abilities, 3) Discussing the ways in which meaningful relationships develop between students with and without special needs, and 4) Examining the necessity and benefits of a program that treats every member as a complete equal.
Learning Objectives: 1. Define what “Student Leadership” entails when the program is an inclusive one. 2. Realize the benefits of programming that does not label students differently based on ability. 3. Make accommodations in a theater program to make it inclusive to students of all abilities.
Presenter: Micaela Erin Connery, Unified Theater, Inc., Hartford, CT
Using Group Process to Include Children and Youth in Planning Programs.
It is common to hear school age child care providers make statements like, “I don’t have time to plan”, or “We have to do what the company tells us to” when asked about program planning and curriculum. The North Carolina Division of Child Development is implementing new regulations in July 2011 that includes requiring children in school age programs to participate in planning and implementation of activities. This workshop will assist participants to learn strategies to use group process to involve children/youth in planning the program and to gain experience in activity planning to meet the needs and interests of their children/youth.
Learning Objectives: 1. List 3 group process techniques that can be used to engage children in program planning. 2. List 3 different types of resources that can be used for program planning. 3. Demonstrate at least 2 group process techniques that can be used to include children and youth in program planning. 4. Complete an Activity Planning Form using ideas generated during the session.
Presenter: Janet George, Raleigh, NC
Adaptive Play
Play is an amazing tool that can be used to heal, exercise, relieve stress, and create an overall positive self-image. More and more children, young adults, and adults are not playing or getting out of their homes and enjoying the outdoors. This interactive session will teach you fun cooperative play games that can be used in any situation. You will learn how to adapt these games by changing rules, equipment, and outcomes to fit the needs of your group participating so everyone can be successful.
Learning Objectives: 1. Know and understand how to lead games while adapting and modifying a situation. 2. Brainstorm how to use cooperative play games in their own agency.
Presenter: Jennifer Spane, Pierce County Parks and Recreation, Lakewood, WA
The Importance of Student-Teacher Relationships in Inclusion
The session will discuss research results on the student-teacher relationship with students who are diagnosed with autistic like behaviors. Participants will hear two students with Asperger’s syndrome share their experiences in inclusive settings. The session will also provide information from the perspective of the students’ parent.
Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to identify main components of a successful inclusion based program.
Presenters: Erica Howell, Amanda McClure, Alex Mclure, Matthew Mclure, Fullerton, CA
Community-based Social Behavior Development and Inclusion Programming for Kids and Teens Diagnosed with ASD
The Community Coaching Center provides community and inclusion training for individuals with autism that have a broad range of behavioral and communication support needs. CCC provides a goal oriented, community-based instruction and inclusion curriculum utilizing a variety of evidence-based practices to teach skills needed to be included in the community.
Learning Objectives: 1. Define skills used in successful community inclusion. 2. Discuss practical sensory management strategies. 3. Analyze behavioral triggers in real life settings.
Presenters: Tina Waters, MA and Larry Caouette, MS, San Diego, CA
Video-Based Training to Improve Social Facilitation
This session will present an effective and efficient video-based model for training staff in using naturalistic behavioral social facilitation strategies with an emphasis in positive, child-directed, and environmental strategies. The presentation includes training strategies for administration, facilitation strategies for staff, and social interaction strategies for children with and without disabilities.
Learning Objectives: 1. Using video examples and role playing with hands-on materials, observe, identify, and apply four critical strategies for facilitating social interaction between children with ASD (and other disabilities) and their typical peers in the natural, inclusive environment. 2. Assess the implementation accuracy of the four critical strategies. 3. Apply video feedback strategies for training supervisees/direct staff to fidelity.
Presenters: Suzanne Robinson, PhD and Janice Myck-Wayne, EdD, California State University Fullerton
Theme Camps with a Mission: Enhancing Resilience through Self-Awareness
Learn how to develop adventure camps that help youth with and without disabilities understand and grow their unique abilities. Using the great outdoors as the backdrop, the presenter shares how to mentor teambuilding and leadership among youth, while promoting service before self. This presentation helps define the specific considerations for hosting camps that help youth understand the magic of self-empowerment.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify ways to help youth with and without disabilities find their unique abilities. 2. Plan activities that give young people opportunities to learn and practice resiliency skills for success.
Presenter: Del Mucci, Hulburt AFB, Florida
Promoting Positive Conceptions of Disability
“I just want to be normal.” “I want to be independent.” “At least I’m not like THAT!” “Is it okay to have a disability?” Ideas about normalcy, independence, hierarchy, and claiming disability show considerable impact on young people. This session aims to provide child development and youth program professionals ways to think about normalcy and independence as they promote positive conceptions of disability and a wider view of possibilities for the futures of young people with disabilities.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify two influences on how children and youth think about disability. 2. List two ideas people commonly use to make sense of disability. 3. Write two strategies you can use in your own program to promote positive conceptions of disability and create a safe space for youth with disabilities.
Presenter: Suzanne Stolz, EdD, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Partnering with Families
When children come to your program they come attached to a family unit. Learning to create partnerships with children’s families will help you provide the best service to all children. Learn to communicate successfully with parents, how to set up your relationship for success and what to do when challenges arise.
Presenter: Wendi L. Garrison, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Respectful Accommodations
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) addresses the necessity of making accommodations for children with disabilities so that they can participate in community programs. This course provides an overview of the philosophy of inclusion, insight into what constitutes a “respectful accommodation” and practical techniques to use immediately in your program.
Presenter: Janet George, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Success with Challenging Behavior: ADHD
Chances are you serve children with ADHD every day in your existing programs. Come learn how to help these bright and creative children to be successful in your program. Explore myths about children with ADHD and discover what to look for as you design accommodations for children with ADHD in your program. Learn to prevent challenging behaviors with positive support strategies to help all children be successful.
Learning objectives: 1. Identify possible visual distractions for a child with ADHD. 2. Describe observation signs or signals depicted during a role play. 3. Collaborate with a partner to apply 3 accommodations to a scenario
Presenter: Nili Matthews, CTRS, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Supporting Military Children through Deployment
Deployment creates unique challenges for children, youth, and families. Professionals working with children and youth may notice behavioral changes that can result from changes in routine, absence of a parent, and all the emotions that can accompany deployment. This session highlights strategies that military providers have used and found beneficial in supporting children of various ages.
Learning Objectives: 1. Identify stressors for children in military families. 2. Identify ways infants, preschool age, school-age and teens express stress, depression, frustration and fear. 3. Identify ways to support children in each age range who are experiencing stress in your program.
Presenter: Selena Rauenzahn, BCBA, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Inclusive Yoga
Learn to use yoga poses in your program to help children with and without disabilities improve their concentration, balance emotions, relax and improve physical health. This session is geared toward people who work with children ages 5-10.
Learning Objectives: 1. Design an activity using yoga poses to promote calm and focused children. 2. Lead a relaxation session using a prop or guided imagery. 3. Apply a social story technique to help children transition.
Presenter: Kelly Jacobson, RYT, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Creating and Sustaining Inclusive Out-of-School Time Programs
While leadership considers issues of increasing and sustaining access to meaningful opportunities for all children to participate in community programs, reflection and re-examination of organizational practices and policies is crucial. This workshop will explore differences between leadership and management, and will describe specific leadership skills that support transforming organizational cultures and systems to ensure equity and diversity. Participants will review a work plan that can support developmental changes in an organization’s journey to authentic inclusion.
Learning Objectives: 1. List 4 areas of reflection that precede change process 2. Design list of potential stakeholders critical to organizational change process 3. Describe 5 steps in a strategic plan to support and sustain inclusive programming
Presenter: Mary Shea, EdD, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
Accommodations for Children with Developmental Disabilities
Using two case studies, this workshop infuses real life examples to share the information early childhood and school-age care providers need to support children with developmental disabilities in inclusive programs. Workshop participants will explore asking parents the right questions, areas where a child with a developmental disability may need support, and accommodations to promote communication and behavior through group activities.
Learning Objectives: 1. Brainstorm questions to ask parents. 2. Identify areas where a child with a developmental disability may need support. 3. Apply accommodations to promote communication and positive behavior to a case study
Presenter: Alissa Marotto, MS, Kids Included Together, San Diego, CA
