Handouts will be posted before the Institute.
NOTE: Click once on a Handout link to open or download it (your browser may automatically download to your computer). Handouts will open in a new browser tab.
“I have been impressed with every aspect of the program and highly recommend this program for all educators and parents of children with special needs.”
Resources and Links
Forum descriptions and Handouts
| Day | Forum | Handouts | Topic | Presenter | Description | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tuesday | General | Keynote | General - Keynote 1 | Keynote Tues: Keynote Handout | Universal Design Daily | Dr. Paula Kluth (Author, Educator, Advocate, Consultant & Researcher; Chicago, IL) | This keynote, “Universal Design Daily” centers on the role of “teaching up” and presuming both competence and complexity. Paula will explore the need to focus on student strengths, passions, and interests. Paula will also talk about the need to design lessons that are responsive and dynamic. This presentation will provide points of reflection, practical strategies and will feature ideas to help all teachers better respond to the diversity that exists in their classrooms every single day. |
| 2 | Tuesday | 1 | A | Group 1 - Forum A | A: UDL Hacks | UDL Hacks: Ideas for K-12+ Classrooms | Dr. Paula Kluth (Author, Educator, Advocate, Consultant & Researcher; Chicago, IL) | UDL doesn’t have to be overwhelming! So many teachers are enthusiastic about UDL, but short on time and resources. This forum is for any educator who wants ideas for integrating the principles of UDL into daily lessons and learning spaces immediately. Some of these high-impact ideas take no time at all and others require only minutes to implement. Featured hacks include showing “this and that”, adding “built-in” breaks, and offering assistive tech. to all. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High & Post-Secondary Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Related Services Providers; Parents; Paraprofessionals; Consultants). |
| 3 | Tuesday | 1 | B | Group 1 - Forum B | B: Building the Social and Emotional Skills | Building the Social and Emotional Skills of Preschoolers with Autism | Sue Erickson (Early Learning Technical Assistance & Implementation Specialist; CESA 12) | Do you struggle to determine what supports your preschoolers with autism need in order to participate with their peers in an inclusive environment? Join us to: Explore the evidence-based practices of Visual Supports and Social Skills Training; Share resources to further your learning; Plan for how you will implement this new information. (Target Audience: Early Childhood Level; General Educators; Special Educators; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists; Teams). |
| 4 | Tuesday | 1 | C | Group 1 - Forum C | C: Comprehensively | Comprehensively Supporting Students with Intellectual Disabilities at College: An Update from UW- Whitewater LIFE After Four Years of Inclusive Service | Dr. James Collins, Sara Athorp & Katie Sorensen (Faculty & Staff; UW-Whitewater) | This forum will provide an overview of supports being provided to facilitate success and integration of young adults with intellectual disabilities at UW-Whitewater. Transition planning for non-traditional college-bound students will also be discussed, as well as characteristics of successful students in the UW-W LIFE Program. (Target Audience: Middle, High School and Post-Secondary Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Parents/Families; Coaches/Teacher Leaders/PSTs; Teams). |
| 5 | Tuesday | Action planning | Action planning | Action planning | Action Planning steps Action Planning guidelines | Action Planning Tools for Inclusive Education | Dr. Kim Beloin | |
| 6 | Tuesday | 2 | D | Group 2 - Forum D | D: Assistive Technology | Assistive Technology - Where Do I Go to Get Information and How Do I Apply My Learning? | Kathy White (Co-Chair of AT Forward; CESA 2) | This forum will share the resources available in the state that can help with learning and keeping up in the field of AT. We will look at feature matching, the AT Forward Project, the Micro credential process and actionable steps you can take to learn, use and apply AT knowledge. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High & Post-Secondary Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Parents/Families; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists; Coaches/Teacher Leaders/PSTs; Teams). |
| 7 | Tuesday | 2 | E | Group 2 - Forum E | E: Connecting with Families | Connecting with Families: Ideas from Families and Community-Based Organizations | Molly Cooney, Cheryl Funmaker, Shanice Baquet, Elsa Diaz-Bautista, Hector Portillo & Stefanie Primm (Disability Advocates throughout Wisconsin) | It’s essential to partner with families to support students with disabilities to be successful at school, but schools sometimes struggle to do this. Join this forum to hear from leaders of community-based organizations that support families of color on ways to effectively communicate with families and facilitate school meetings so that families feel welcome and an equal member of the team. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle & High School Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Parents/Families). |
| 8 | Tuesday | 2 | F | Group 2 - Forum F | F: Alternatives | Alternatives to Exclusionary Practices | Eva Shaw & Katie Berg (DPI Consultants; Madison) | Positive behavioral interventions and supports must be considered by IEP teams when addressing behaviors that interfere with a student’s learning or the learning of others. This forum will discuss beliefs, systems and practices that support inclusive strategies for addressing behavioral needs including: Interrupting bias, shifting adult mindsets, building healthy relationships, building proactive positive approaches, and understanding the response cycle. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School and Post-Secondary Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Parents/Families; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists; Coaches/Teacher Leaders/PSTs; Teams). |
| 9 | Wednesday | General | Keynote | General - Keynote 2 | Cross Out the Dis and Embrace the Ability | Sydney Badeau, Ashley Mathy, Julie Burish, Marion Holmberg (Disability Advocates; Throughout Wisconsin) | This Keynote will feature a panel presentors in which these four panelists will share their personal experiences with Inclusive Education, Community Inclusion, Advocacy & Activism. Sydney and Ashley are young adult self-advocates & community activists who are Wisconsin leaders in self-determination and disability advocacy. Likewise, Julie Burish and Marion Holmberg are both Wisconsin parents of young adults who have a disability and many abilities. Julie & Marion have been advocating & collaborating with local and state-wide stakeholders for equitable public education and inclusive community practices for their children & others. | |
| 10 | Wednesday | 3 | G | Group 3 - Forum G | G: Universal | Universal Designed Classrooms: A Gallery Walk of How UDL Transforms Learning | Becky Charbonneau, Mark Thompson, Mike Nikson, Andrew Jagow, John Henney, Marisa Kluth, Chris Zablocki & Jessica Beaudry (Educational Staff; Sheboygan Falls School District) | Sheboygan Falls has been on a 9-year journey with Universal Design for Learning. In this forum, you will step into the UDL Teacher Leader’s Virtual Environment and see how they design for all learners from accessibility to predictable supports that help build expert learners. (Target Audience: Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Teacher Leaders/PST/Coaches). |
| 11 | Wednesday | 3 | H | Group 3 - Forum H | H-1: College - Slide deck H-2: College - Handouts H-3: College - Sample schedule | Is College Right for This Student? | Kate Dvorak (Life & Career Studies Program Coordinator at Lakeland University; Plymouth) | Lakeland University is launching an Inclusive Postsecondary Education (IPSE) program in fall 2023! The Life and Career Studies program is an inclusive program for students with intellectual disabilities. Students will live on campus in the residence halls with other undergraduate students, participate in inclusive classes, engage in cooperative education opportunities (employment) and complete coursework in independent living and community engagement that align with the goals in their person-centered plan. (Target Audience: Post-Secondary Level; Special Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Parents/Families). |
| 12 | Wednesday | 3 | I | Group 3 - Forum I | I: Listening | Listening to Families to Impact Student Outcomes | Cheri Sylla (WSPEI State-wide Coaching Coordinator) & Caroline Rossing (WSPEI, CESA 3) | In this forum, learn about the practices that engage and elevate family voices as a way to build relationships and create an environment where all families feel like they belong and can support learning to improve outcomes for all learners. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School and Post-Secondary Levels; General Educators; Special Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Parents/Families; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists; Coaches/Teacher Leaders/PSTs; Teams). |
| 13 | Wednesday | 4 | J | Group 4 - Forum J | J-1: Integrated Experience - Full Slide Deck J-2: Integrated Experience - Slide Deck with note-taking lines J-3: Integrated Experience Resource Website | The Integrated Experience | Katie Berg (Supporting Neuro-diverse Students State-wide Coordinator; Milwaukee) | Participants will deepen their understanding of how educators' behavior impacts the student’s learning. They will walk away with techniques to change their own practice in supporting student behavior by utilizing proactive supports and environmental design. We will be changing the lens we look at behavior through, in order to overcome the challenging behavioral issues we deal with daily. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle & High School Levels; Special Educators; General Educators; Administrators; Counselors; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists; Parents; Teams). |
| 14 | Wednesday | 4 | K | Group 4 - Forum K | K: Top 10 Ways | Top 10 Ways to Rock Regular Ed. Co-Teaching | Amy Eichstaedt (General Ed. Co-Teacher; New Berlin) | In this forum, the presenter will share her top 10 ways for serving as an effective general education co-teacher. Learn how to approach co-teaching so that all students benefit. (Target Audience: Elementary Level; General Educators). |
| 15 | Wednesday | 4 | L | Group 4 - Forum L | Inclusive Practices Begin with Collaborative Comprehensive Evaluations | Dawn Merth-Johnson (DPI Consultant; Madison), John Heilmann (Faculty; UW-Milwaukee) & Alyssa Wojtyna (Speech/Language Pathologist) | In this presentation, we will describe how implementing best practices in assessment leads to IEPs that serve students within inclusive settings. We will illustrate how SLPs and other special educators can complete comprehensive evaluations with an inclusive mindset, which leads to IEPs with functional goals provided within the classroom and other natural environments. Aligning assessment practices with these guidelines can be a springboard for school-wide systems changes towards inclusive practices. We will describe how SLPs and other educational leaders can develop relationships with an equity mindset to lead school-wide initiatives promoting inclusive practices. (Target Audience: Early Childhood, Elementary, Middle, High School Levels; Special Educators; Administrators; Speech Language Therapists; Occupational Therapists; Physical Therapists). |
This Institute offers a wealth of opportunities to further develop your inclusive practices. Consider the following recommendations depending upon your role/position and interests.
Recommended Forums for Administrators: A, D, E, F, H, I, J, L & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Elementary-level Special & General Educators: A, D, E, F, G, I, J, K & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Middle-level Special & General Educators: A, C, D, E, F, G, I, J & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for High School-level Special & General Educators: A, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, L & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for EC-Primary Special & General Educators: A, B, D, F, I, J, L & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Paraprofessionals: A, D, E, I, J & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Parents: A, B, C, D, E, F, H, I, J & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Those Interested in Co-Teaching: A, D, G, J, K & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Those Interested in Emotional, Social & Behavioral Support: B, F, J & Team/Individual Planning
Recommended Forums for Those Interested in Transition: A, C, D, F, H, I & Team/Individual Planning