PRESENTERS

DR. JULIE CAUSTON• HOST

A best selling author, inspiring speaker, and inclusion advocate, Dr. Julie Causton began her career as an educator and then 14 years as a tenured professor at Syracuse University. In 2012 she founded Inclusive Schooling, a premiere company solely devoted to delivering professional development which transforms schools and lives. She has spent the past 25 years nearly obsessed with discovering innovative practices and teaching others about inclusive education through her wildly engaging presentations.

DR. KRISTIE PRETTI-FRONTCZAK • HOST

A highly sought-after speaker, accomplished author, and educators’ educator. Dr. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak began her career as an early interventionist and then spent 16 years as a tenured professor at Kent State University. Since 2013 she has followed her true passion for designing and delivering transformative professional development. As a result, she has accumulated over 50,000 hours of helping educators and leaders work from a place of compassion, hope, and love in locations from Cincinnati to Singapore.

Dr. Bettina Love

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at the University of Georgia. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of education reform, anti-racism, carceral studies, abolition, and Black joy.

Click for more information

Dr. Bettina L. Love is an award-winning author and the William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Her writing, research, teaching, and educational advocacy work meet at the intersection of disrupting education reform and strengthening public education through abolitionist teaching, Black joy, and anti-racism. The aim of her scholarship is twofold: firstly, to advance how the field of education understands and critiques school reform and the systemic and structural racism of public education within the U.S.; and secondly, to advocate for abolitionist approaches in the field of education that seek new possibilities for educational justice. In the pursuit of making her scholarship a reality, she works with activists, communities, youth, families, and school districts to build communal, civically-engaged schools rooted in the aspirations of abolitionist strategies that love and affirm Black and Brown children. Towards that end, in 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network (ATN). ATN’s mission is to develop and support teachers and parents to fight injustice within their schools and communities. To date, ATN has granted over $160,000 to abolitionists around the country. She is also the creator of the Hip Hop civics curriculum GET FREE.

Dr. Love is also a founding member of the Old 4th Ward Economic Security Task Force with the Atlanta City Council. The goal of the task force is to bring guaranteed income and income stability to Black women residents living in Atlanta. In 2022, the Task Force launched the program In Her Hands, distributing more than $15 million to Black women living in Georgia. In Her Hands is one of the largest guaranteed income pilot programs in the U.S. As part of its 50th anniversary in 2022, the Kennedy Center named Dr. Love one of the Next 50 Leaders who are making the world a more inspired, inclusive, and compassionate place.

Dr. Love is a sought-after public speaker on a range of topics, including: abolitionist teaching, education reform, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, Hip Hop feminism, art-based education to foster youth civic engagement, and issues of diversity and inclusion. In 2014, she was invited to the White House Research Conference on Girls. For her work in the field of Hip Hop education, in 2016, Dr. Love was named the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In April of 2017, Dr. Love participated in a one-on-one public lecture with bell hooks focused on the liberatory education practices of Black and Brown children. In 2018, Georgia’s House of Representatives presented Dr. Love with a resolution for her impact on the field of

education. She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, PBS, Ed Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

She is the author of the books We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South. Her work has appeared in numerous books and journals, including Educational Researcher, Urban Education, The Urban Review, and the Journal of LGBT Youth.

 

Websites:

https://bettinalove.com – includes links to various booksellers to get your copy of her book:

https://abolitionistteachingnetwork.org

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BLoveSoulPower

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bettina.llove

https://www.facebook.com/ATN1863

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blovesoulpower

 

Elijah Armstrong

Elijah Armstrong is an epileptic who got his bachelors degree from Penn State in Education and Public Policy, and his Masters’ from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Education Policy and Management. He founded Equal Opportunities for Students in 2015, an organization meant to advance the rights of marginalized students in education. Elijah won AAPD’s Paul G. Hearne Emerging Leader Award in 2021, and used the funding to partner with AAPD and The Coelho Center to start the Heumann-Armstrong Award, an award for students who have experienced and fought against ableism in education.

Click for more information

Otto Lana

Otto Lana is an activist, entrepreneur, and Chief Inspiration Officer at Otto's Mottos. He is also a high school senior and lives in San Diego. He is an award winning poet, an accomplished film maker, actor, lyricist, and has been lending his voice as a self-advocate championing the rights of those with communication challenges since 2018. He was a Youth Delegate for the Department of Rehab in 2021 and was awarded the Harry Servidio Memorial Leadership Award for his work in advocacy and inclusion. He was the recipient of the first inaugural Heumann-Armstrong Award for Excellence for overcoming ableism in academia. He is an entrepreneur, designing and selling letterboards and apparel, doing all this while taking honors classes at Fusion Academy. 

Click for more information

Ottos loves the outdoors too. The coastline is his Zen. Whether it's hiking trails or swimming in the ocean, the beach is definitely his happy place. Oh and he has Autism and Apraxia by the way. He says these are diagnoses that describe him but do not define him. His goal is to change the face of Autism and Apraxia. He has a great life and a bright future and wishes to lead by example giving parents and disabled individuals hope to fuel their own moonshots.

Website: https://www.ottosmottos.com/

Blog: https://www.ottosmottos.com/blog-1

Shop: https://www.ottosmottos.com/shop-letterboards

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/otto_types/

Sherrill Knezel

Sherrill Knezel is a  Listener, Graphic Recorder, Educator, Illustrator, Artist who creates a better world by using visuals to uplift and amplify generative, inclusive, and transformative work being done in community.

Click for more information

Hi, I'm Sherrill.

MY MISSION

I work to create a better world by using visuals to uplift and amplify generative, inclusive, and transformative work being done in community.

As a graphic recorder, I use images and text to capture the heart of your conversations, presentations, keynotes, meetings, and brainstorming sessions. Wherever people gather to share ideas.  I help increase engagement, clarity, communication, and connection in your organization through listening, synthesizing, and drawing out the conversation in the room.

MY STORY

I have been a lifelong doodler and drawer in the margins. My background is in Studio Art/Art Education and I have a Master of Arts in Teaching. Insatiable curiosity as well as my love of drawing and listening led me to pursue graphic recording in 2014.  As I learned more about the field of visual practitioners and the benefits of using visuals to enhance comprehension, recall, and connection, the teacher in me kept wondering, “Why aren't we teaching this in schools and beyond?!” My first foray into graphic recording was at faculty meetings and I knew right away that I would become an advocate for visual meetings from then on! Visuals help us connect on a human level and can change the energy in a room when all voices are heard and reflected in the drawings.

I love leading workshops on visual note-taking, visual literacy, and graphic recording and am passionate about empowering others to think, work, and communicate visually.

My passion is supporting organizations that are having conversations around generative and transformative change, visioning, connection, building trust, and gaining clarity. Visuals bring creativity, warmth, and humanity to virtual and in-person meetings.  My work is informed by an inclusive, social justice lens and I work with individuals and organizations to create a better, more just world.

Let’s work together to amplify your impact and create positive change!

Website: https://www.meaningfulmarks.net/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/meaningfulmarks

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/SherrillKnezel

Dr. Joyce Carr

Dr. Joyce Carr has been a special education teacher, building and district administrator for over 30 years in the New York State public school system. She started her career in a self-contained secondary classroom and has witnessed firsthand the impact that inclusive education and opportunities can have for students with disabilities and their families. 

Click for more information

Over the years, Dr. Carr has questioned how services and supports are provided to students and how we as educators can change the educational experiences for all students through inclusive practices. Dr. Carr has also taught courses regarding inclusive practices at the college level for inspiring teachers in hopes that with the knowledge and tools they will become part of the new normal in presuming inclusion.

 

Jaylee Swanson

Jaylee Swanson is in her 4th year as the Director of Special Education at East Moline School District.. She has always been drawn to the field of special education and advocating for individuals with disabilities. Jaylee started off as a special education teacher at the middle school level, quickly transitioned into administration and is currently pursing a doctoral degree in education. 

Click for more information

 In addition to Jaylee's professional career, she is a wife, mother of two toddler boys, and coach. She is a proud graduate of Western Illinois University and on the path to receiving her Doctoral degree from WIU. Her research study focused on how collective teacher efficacy and teacher attitudes towards inclusion correlate with inclusive educational practices within Illinois elementary schools. Jaylee is a life-long learner and learns and grows every day! 

Shelley Moore

Shelley Moore is a highly sought after teacher, researcher, consultant and storyteller and she has worked with school districts and community organizations throughout both Canada and the United States. Her research and work has been featured at national and international conferences and is constructed based on theory and effective practices of inclusion, special education, curriculum and teacher professional development.

Click for more information
 
 

Originally from Edmonton, and now based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Shelley Moore is a highly sought after teacher, researcher, consultant and storyteller and she has worked with school districts and community organizations throughout both Canada and the United States. Her research and work has been featured at national and international conferences and is constructed based on  theory and effective practices of inclusion, special education, curriculum and teacher professional development.

Her first book entitled, “One Without the Other” was released in July 2016 to follow up her TEDx talk hosted in Langley in January 2016. Shelley completed an undergraduate degree in Special Education at the University of Alberta, her masters at Simon Fraser University, and is currently a SSHRC funded PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia. To learn more about Shelley’s research, take a look at her graduate profile.

 

Jonathan Fields

Jonathan Fields is a dad, husband, award-winning author, executive producer, and host of two of the top-ranked podcasts in the world, Good Life Project® and SPARKED™. He is also the founder of a series of companies focused on human potential, currently serving as CEO of Spark Endeavors, where he developed the groundbreaking Sparketype® Assessment, which has been tapped by over 700,000 individuals and organizations to identify, embrace, and cultivate work that makes people come alive. His prior book, How to Live a Good Life, introduced the world to the Good Life Buckets, and his latest bestselling book, SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work That Makes You Come Alive, is both a rally cry and a field guide to reclaiming work as a source of meaning, joy, and possibility. Jonathan’s work has been featured widely in the media, from The New York Times, FastCompany, and the Harvard Business Review to Oprah Magazine, Parade, Reader’s Digest and many more.

Click for more information

 

Jonathan Fields—the Good Life Guy—delivers insights that spark purpose, possibility, and potential.

On a decades-long quest to discover what makes people come fully alive, Jonathan is an award-winning author, Webby-nominated producer, business innovator, and host of one of the world’s top podcasts, Good Life Project. The Wall Street Journal named Good Life Project one of the top self-development podcasts, and Apple featured it on-stage during its legendary annual product event. Jonathan is featured widely in the media, including The New York Times, FastCompany, Entrepreneur, Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, CNN, The Guardian, O Magazine, SELF, Allure, Outside, Elle, Vogue, Fitness and thousands of other outlets.

In addition to writing award-winning and bestselling books like SPARKED: Discover Your Unique Imprint for Work that Makes Us Come AliveHow to Live a Good Life and Uncertainty: Turning Fear and Doubt Into Fuel For Brilliance, Jonathan has founded several companies with a focus on maximizing human potential. The most recent is Spark Endeavors, where he is the chief architect and driving force behind the world’s first purpose, engagement, and flow archetypes–the Sparketypes®. This powerful tool has been tapped by over 600,000 individuals and organizations, generating more than 30-million data-points and a rapidly growing body of stories, use-cases, applications, and insight-based solutions to help transform how we work, lead and live.

On the live or virtual stage, Jonathan captivates with eye-opening ideas, stories, and science. He draws not just from his own experience, but also the wisdom of the many global visionaries he’s interviewed, along with insights from the vast data-set generated by the Sparketype Assessment. It all adds up to a rare ability to take audiences on a joyful journey of discovery. Jonathan’s unique insights and solutions inspire people to put what they learn into action.

Website: https://tonyferraiolo.com/

Podcast:https://www.goodlifeproject.com/podcast/

SparkType: https://sparketype.com/

 

Darlene Hanson

Darlene Hanson is a Licensed Speech and Language Pathologist based in Southern California. She specializes in working with individuals who have complex communication needs and provide support for their team and families. Her professional experiences have included work in public schools, private practices, and as a Director of Communication Services for a Non-Profit. 

Click for more information
Darlene Hanson is a Licensed Speech and Language Pathologist based in Southern California. She specializes in working with individuals who have complex communication needs and provide support for their team and families. Her professional experiences have included work in public schools, private practices, and as a Director of Communication Services for a Non-Profit. Darlene works to serve her clients and help them and their families achieve daily and lifelong goals! She takes care of each of her clients and invests her time and efforts in their specific needs. Her heart for this community is rooted in her desire to show people who they can be in this world and empowering them to embrace their strengths!

Website: https://www.aacconnections.org/home

FB: https://m.facebook.com/aacconnections

Elizabeth Vosseller

Elizabeth Vosseller has worked with individuals with complex communication and sensory-motor differences since 1995. Elizabeth developed a passion for clinical training through her work as a professor. In 2013 she began using Assistive Technology to educate and teach students the purposeful motor skills to Spell to Communicate (S2C).  Elizabeth enjoys teaching parents, educators, caregivers, and other professionals to support nonspeaking individuals through S2C.

Click for more information

Jackie Gimmarco

Jackie Giammarco is the Curriculum Supervisor for Professional Learning & Special Content Areas at a large district in Pennsylvania. She has served as educator, inclusion facilitator and many other roles throughout her inclusive career.

Click for more information

Read an ASCD article by Jackie Giammarco and Kate MacLeod: https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/stem-empowerment-starts-with-inclusion 

Tim Villegas and The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education

The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, Inc. (MCIE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the success of all children and youth in their school communities. Our mission is to be the catalyst for the meaningful and successful inclusion of all students in their neighborhood schools. Tim Villegas is MCIE's Director of Communications, leading MCIE communications through blogs, podcasts, social media, webinars, and product development. 

Click for more information

Throughout Tim's prior sixteen-year career as a special education teacher, Tim advocated for the inclusion of learners with significant disabilities in general education classrooms and systems change in schools and districts; and spent three years as a district-level program specialist supporting learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), emotional and behavioral needs, and intellectual disabilities. He founded Think Inclusive, now MCIE’s official blog.

Email List: MCIE_JOIN_US (mailchi.mp)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inclusionmd 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inclusionmd/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/inclusionmd 

Podcast: Podcast | Think Inclusive 

Alex T.

Alex T  is a rising Sophomore.  He is 16 and attends a public school in Virginia where he is fully included with accommodations in general education.  Alex is a nonspeaking, apraxic and autistic student who spells to communicate.  He and his family had to strongly advocate to have the support of a dedicated Communication Regulation Partner (CRP) and full inclusion.  In Aug 2022, Alex received the Arc of Virginia’s Catalyst for Change Award and has been included in Virginia’s I’m Determined Summit for the past three years and hopes to return next year as a Youth Leader.

Karamo

Emmy nominated host and Culture Expert on Netflix’s international hit series Queer Eye, Karamo is lauded for his ease and natural comfort in relating to different types of people, Karamo is tasked with making over the hearts and minds of the individuals they help on the show; by helping them to confront and grow beyond internal and external issues. Karamo draws from his work in social services to show how he both discovered and learned to explore his many different “identities”. Whether as a black man, openly gay man, a son of immigrant parents, a Christian or a single father; Karamo strategically utilizes the strength of his numerous identities to achieve success – and teaches others to do the same.
Click for more information
Emmy nominated host and Culture Expert on Netflix’s international hit series Queer Eye, Karamo is a ‘sympathetic talk therapist wrapped inside a life coach and zipped into a fast fashion bomber jacket…” according to The New Yorker. A lifelong dream and achievement, Karamo is launching his daytime talk show, The Karamo Show, in Fall 2022 produced by NBC Syndication. The show will tape in Stamford, CT and will premiere in more than 90% of country. Lauded for his ease and natural comfort in relating to different types of people, Karamo is tasked with making over the hearts and minds of the individuals they help on the show; by helping them to confront and grow beyond internal and external issues. Karamo draws from his work in social services to show how he both discovered and learned to explore his many different “identities”. Whether as a black man, openly gay man, a son of immigrant parents, a Christian or a single father; Karamo strategically utilizes the strength of his numerous identities to achieve success – and teaches others to do the same.

Judy Heumann

Judith (Judy) Heumann is an internationally recognized disability advocate. She served in the Clinton and Obama Administration and was a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation. Judy's story was also featured in the documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” a 2020 American award winning documentary film produced by the Obama Higher Ground Production. In 2020, she published her memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” written with Kristen Joiner. There is also a Young Adult version called “Rolling Warrior.” Judy is now the producer of The Heumann Perspective, a podcast and YouTube channel that aims to share the beauty of the disability community.

Click for more information

Judith (Judy) Heumann is an internationally recognized disability advocate. She served in the Clinton and Obama Administration and was a Senior Fellow at the Ford Foundation. Judy's story was also featured in the documentary “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution,” a 2020 American award winning documentary film produced by the Obama Higher Ground Production. In 2020, she published her memoir “Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist,” written with Kristen Joiner. There is also a Young Adult version called “Rolling Warrior.” Judy is now the producer of The Heumann Perspective, a podcast and YouTube channel that aims to share the beauty of the disability community.

Website: https://judithheumann.com/

Podcast:https://judithheumann.com/heumann-perspective/

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCB7pemkbDQYezB6PeDFXTvg

 

Pat Raddel

Patrick G. Radel is a member of the law firm of Getnick Livingston Atkinson & Priore, LLP, located in Utica, New York.  He received his law degree summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School, where he was the Executive Editor of the Buffalo Law Review. From 2002 to 2004, Mr. Radel served as confidential law clerk to the Honorable William M. Skretny, United States District Judge for the Western District of New York.

Click for more information

Mr. Radel is passionate about the rights of people with disabilities and has been honored to represent families of students with disabilities at CSE meetings, in due process proceedings, and in federal court. He is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, the United States District Court for the Northern and Western Districts of New York, and in the courts of New York State. Mr. Radel is a member of the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), New York State Bar Association, and Oneida County Bar Association. He is a Fellow of the New York Bar Foundation and he is a frequent speaker on the legal rights of students with disabilities. He lives in New Hartford, New York with his wife, Mary Snyder Radel, Esq., and their three sons.

Website: https://www.getnicklivingston.com/patrick-radel

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pgradelesq 

Resources:

 

 

Dr. Kate MacLeod

Dr. Kate MacLeod is an educator, author,  researcher and consultant who is committed to supporting schools, teachers, paraprofessionals and families to meaningfully and successfully include all learners. 

Click for more information

Kate is a former high school special education teacher in New York City and now works with administrators, educators and families around the country to create more inclusive practices for all students. Her research and writing are focused on understanding the culture of inclusive schools and best practices for supporting students with complex support needs, including those with challenging behaviors. She lives in Maine with her husband, two dogs, a cat, and a flock of chickens. 

Books: https://inclusiveschooling.com/books

Janice Fialka & Rich Feldman

 Janice Fialka, LMSW is a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and award-winning social worker and advocate on issues related to family-professional partnerships. Her writings on partnership, family-child relationships and creating Circles of Support are published in numerous textbooks, journals and newsletters for families, advocates and professionals.
 
Rich Feldman, often known as Micah & Emma's dad or Janice's husband, has been active in social movements, critical thinking and visionary organizing for almost 5 decades. He works with the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership in Detroit and facilitates tours of Detroit titled:  “From Growing our Economy to Growing our Souls.”
Click for more information
Janice Fialka, LMSW is a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and award-winning social worker and advocate on issues related to family-professional partnerships. Her writings on partnership, family-child relationships and creating Circles of Support are published in numerous textbooks, journals and newsletters for families, advocates and professionals. Her most recent publication, What Matters: Reflections on Disability, Community and Love chronicles their son, Micah and his community's groundbreaking journey of full inclusion (www.throughthesamedoor.com).  Special education pioneer Ann Turnbull praises her book, “If I could recommend a single book about family life and disability to families and professionals, hands down it is What Matters.” 
 
Rich Feldman, who is often known as Micah & Emma's dad or Janice's husband has been active in social movements, critical thinking and visionary organizing for almost 5 decades.  Rich was a UAW member, an elected Local official and recently retired from the international Staff of the UAW.  In 1988, he edited the book: End of the Line:  Autoworkers and the American Dream and recently wrote a chapter in the newly released book:  Why Detroit Matters: Decline, Renewal, and Hope in a Divided City.  He works with the James and Grace Lee Boggs Center to Nurture Community Leadership in Detroit and facilitates tours of Detroit titled:  “From Growing our Economy to Growing our Souls.”
 
 

Additional Resources   

Website: danceofpartnership.com 

Website: throughthesamedoor.com

Webinar: 1 hour Webinar Janice and her daughter Emma  recorded on cultivating circles of support.  https://thinkcollege.net/events/think-college-webinar/intentional-inclusion-cultivating-circles-of-support

Ava Guardado

Ava Guardado is an apraxic and autistic, nonspeaking high school student from California. She was not included in public school during elementary or middle school so she sought inclusive placement in private school where she was successfully included in all classes, graduating from middle school as Salutatorian.  Her local public high school denied her access to a communication regulation partner and her communication method of choice, so she is currently attending an accredited California private high school that is willing to accommodate communication needs. She earning straight A’s in honors classes.