OCTOBER 8, 2025

2-6 PM

(3 OPTIONAL FOR AN EXTRA FEE OF $75)

DDEL Preconference: Culturally Sustaining and Intersectionally Conscious Family Engagement

This interactive session will explore the critical role of culturally sustaining family engagement in creating equitable and empowering learning experiences for children and families recognizing the valuable cultural, social, and linguistic assets that families bring to the table. The session will include a panel of family focused researchers and two embedded workshops: Dismantling Stereotypes Using Self Determination and Self Advocacy. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Identify and articulate the diverse forms of capital (e.g., familial, social, navigational) individuals bring to self-advocacy and self-determination processes.
• Develop and implement interactive strategies that empower individuals to recognize and leverage their background experiences as strengths in planning for self-advocacy and self-determination.
• Design interventions that foster intersectional awareness, addressing the unique needs of individuals and their families with diverse needs and identities.
• Critically analyze and adapt existing resources to be more inclusive and reflective of diverse individual populations.

Division of Learning Disabilities Pre-Conference: Illuminating Pathways for Successful Transitions

Wouldn’t it be nice if post-secondary transitions for students with learning disabilities (LD) was as easy as turning on a light switch? Preparing students for successful transitions is challenging and extremely important work that builds from strong specialized instruction with special education. The work you do is important, and we want to make it easier for you by helping to provide evidence-based instruction to build foundational academic skills. In this workshop members of CEC’s Division of Learning Disabilities will share information about academic (and other) interventions that support transition by teaching students with LD with evidence-based practices.

The impact of a LD doesn’t stop once a student graduates high school. Well-developed transition plans not only fulfill legal obligations, but also set students up for a lifetime of success. In this session members of CEC’s Division for Learning Disabilities outline ways to create strong transition plans for students with LD with specific attention to how students’ intersectional identities (e.g., ADHD, anxiety, racial identity, primary language difference, giftedness, LGBTQ+) can impact transition planning and success. We address considerations for students transitioning to postsecondary education or workforce and discuss changing landscape of higher education disability documentation.

We promise to provide practical information that you can take back to your classroom or district. We appreciate what you do for students and are grateful that you are willing to spend your valuable time with us.

DADD Preconference: It's a Balancing Act: Integrating Academics and Transition for Students with IDD

This pre-con session will address the tension educators feel between prioritizing academic instruction and transition planning for secondary-aged students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) by advocating for a balanced approach that prioritizes both to enable meaningful student success. Participants will learn about the history of instruction for this population, exploring how the separation of academic and transition education has now shifted towards inclusive education for all students with the blending of both. Session attendees will develop strategies for inclusive, standards-based academic instruction across the core content domains (i.e., math, literacy, social studies, and science) while simultaneously learning how to identify and integrate key transition elements such as self-determination, vocational exploration, career readiness, and more within academic instruction. Additionally, this session will highlight various evidence- and research-based practices aligned with both domains that effectively meet the diverse needs of transition-aged students with IDD. Through this interactive discussion and application-based session, attendees will gain practical insights into strategies for achieving a harmonious integration of academic rigor and transition skill development, ensuring students are prepared for successful post-school outcomes.