Council for Exceptional Children 2023

Sessions

Transition Help is Here! The APH CareerConnect Job Seekers Toolkit — Olaya Landa-Vialard, Richard Rueda, Billy Parker, and Marianne Haegeli

Wednesday, March 1 3:30–4:30 p.m.

The APH Job-Seeker’s toolkit (JSTK) curriculum.  Teachers, parents, students, and rehabilitation counselors can use this FREE online curriculum resource for transition age and those that are seeking employment to prepare for entering the workforce. The JSTK curriculum is available for free in a learning management system in partnership with NSITE. Participants will be able to: 

1. Identify how to guide a student through the APH JSTK curriculum with the use of an on-line learning management system.
2. Implement skills identified in the APH JSTK curriculum as part of the learners’ IEPs as part of the purposeful instruction of transitional skills needed for successful transition from school to work.
3. Implement a meaningful transition plan that is organized and tiered by skill to prepare students for the world of work after high school.

Wayfinding Experiences for Youth: A Mixed-Method Investigation of Campus Exploration — Amy Parker, Martin Swobodzinski, Elizabeth Schaller, Denise Snow, Dani Kala, Kate Almon

Friday, March 3, 2023 9:15 AM–10:00 AM

College campuses are notoriously complex to navigate, particularly for students with visual impairments. In this mixed method study, we present insights from diverse youth with visual impairments on what wayfinding tools supported their successful navigation on an urban college campus. Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the tools that young adults with visual impairments find supportive for wayfinding.
2. Articulate the importance of supportive wayfinding experiences as a part of transition to community, college and career settings.
3. Engage in meaningful planning with O&M Specialists, family members, youth and teams to support inclusive wayfinding experiences on campus settings to build confidence and competence for youth with visual impairments.

NIMAC + Bookshare + National AEM Center = Student Success! — Nicole Gaines, Lisa Wadors Verne, Cynthia Curry, Alice Wright

Friday, March 3, 2023 9:15 AM–10:00 AM

The National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC), Bookshare, and the National AEM Center are three OSEP-funded projects that work together to help ensure that students with disabilities in K-12 receive the accessible formats they need to succeed in school. We’ll discuss how we work together supporting states, districts, and students/families. Participants will be able to:

1. Understand the role of the NIMAC and how it supports state systems for providing AEM.
2. Understand how Bookshare serves students and how to register students to receive materials.
3. Understand how the National AEM Center provides resources and tools to parents, teachers, and other service providers to support the provision of AEM and AT to students.

Music Education for All — Laura Zierer

Friday, March 3, 2023 1:00 PM–1:45 PM

Engage all students in music education. Learn the basics of music braille: What it looks like and why and how to teach it to your students. Come with an open mind so we can fill it with a variety of out-of-the-box solutions to teaching this code and involving students! Participants will be able to:

1. Learn the basics of teaching the music braille code and why it’s important.
2. Learn strategies to aid in the teaching of the music braille code that can be applied immediately.
3. Gain insights on how to make music education accessible to all students.