Celebrate the Future


Touch the Future/Transition and SERID
 Conference and Expo 2008
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SPEAKERS

 

Dr. Mary E. Morningstar, Ph.D.Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Pre-Conference Workshops
9:00 am - 12:00 pm  Innovative Transition Practices - GDOE (Session 1 of 4)
1:45 pm - 4:00 pm  Innovative Transition Practices - GDOE (Session 2 of 4)

Thursday, October 23, 2008
WORKSHOP I
9:00 am - 10:15 am  Innovative Transition Practices - GDOE (Session 3 of 4)
WORKSHOP II
10:30 am - 11:45 am  Innovative Transition Practices - GDOE (Session 4 of 4)

MARY E. MORNINGSTAR, PH.D.

Dr. Mary E. Morningstar is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Kansas and Director of the Transition Coalition, a research and training center for the transition to adulthood and secondary special education for youth with disabilities. The Transition Coalition is designed to maximize transition professional development at national, state and local levels through online training and technical assistance.

For the past several years, Dr. Morningstar has co-directed the KU Secondary/Transition Masters Program, the KU TranCert, (an online graduate certificate program in transition), and the KU Secondary Education and Transition Program, a 4-year doctoral training program designed to promote leadership in secondary school reform and transition policy development.

Mary teaches several classes related to secondary education and transition including vocational training and employment, interagency and community services, and a week-long transition summer institute. Her research interests have focused on teacher education, online instruction, and supporting young adults with disabilities and their families during the transition to adult life.

Dr. Morningstar has been involved in statewide inservice training and staff development regarding transition from school to adult life for over 20 years. She was the Training Coordinator for the "Kansas Systems Change in Transition Project" at the University of Kansas. She is actively involved with statewide training of professionals and family members regarding issues in transition including interagency collaboration, compliance with federal regulations regarding transition, school-business partnerships, and the role of families during transition planning.

Prior to her position at KU, Dr. Morningstar was Director of Full Citizenship, Inc., a nonprofit organization that helps persons with disabilities and their families to lead full, rich lives with many choices for living, working, contributing, and participating in their communities.

Prior to moving to Kansas, she worked as a teacher for students with moderate and severe disabilities. Through the active involvement of families, her programs have reflected functional, community-based practices with an emphasis on inclusion in the mainstream of school life. Mary has been an active advocate for all persons with disabilities based on her experiences as a sibling of a brother with disabilities.

Dr. Morningstar received her Ph.D. in Special Education through the Beach Center on Family Studies and Disability at the University of Kansas in 1995.

 

 

Richard K. Pimentel
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Opening Keynote 12:30 - 1:00 pm

RICHARD K. PIMENTEL
Senior Partner
Milt Wright & Associates, Inc.  

Music Within

Richard Pimentel offers a powerful keynote presentation on how we all have the ability to make a difference by tapping into the qualities of leadership in each of us. By highlighting his life story, captured in the movie about his life story “Music Within”, he focuses on leadership not by what we know, but rather by who we are and what we do. With every interaction you have the opportunity to inspire belief, action and change. This presentation will inspire you to tap into your music within to make a difference and to build a legacy for the future.

 

 


Joy Smiley ZabalaWednesday, October 22, 2008
Pre-Conference Workshops
9:00 am - 12:00 am  Accessible Instruction Materials: What do they have to do with AAC?
1:45 pm - 4:00 pm  Get Sett for Success with AT in Post-School Environment

JOY SMILEY ZABALA, Ed.D, ATP
Assistive Technology and Leadership  
Email: joy@joyzabala.com
Web: www.joyzabala.com    

Joy Smiley Zabala, Ed. D., ATP, is the project manager of the AIM Consortium, a fifteen-state project headed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) and funded by a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs of the U. S. Department of Education. The goal of the AIM Consortium is to improve the quality, availability, and timely delivery of accessible instructional materials to K-12 students with print disabilities. Dr. Zabala is the developer of the SETT Framework (http://www.joyzabala.com/), a founding member of the QIAT Community and facilitator of the QIAT List (http://www.qiat.org), a past-president and current newsletter editor of the Technology and Media Division (TAM) of the Council for Exceptional Children (http://www.tamcec.org/), and a strong supporter of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and AT as complementary supports for student achievement.

Dr. Zabala is a general and special educator who has spent over 25 years working with students, families, education agencies and others across North America and abroad to expand the use of assistive technology (AT) as a means to increase the communication, participation and productivity of people with disabilities. She is the developer of the SETT Framework (http://www.joyzabala.com/), a founding member of the QIAT Community, the facilitator of the QIAT List (http://www.qiat.org), a past-president and current newsletter editor of the Technology and Media Division (TAM) of the Council for Exceptional Children (http://www.tamcec.org/), and a strong supporter of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and AT as complementary supports for student achievement. She received her B.A. in Education from the University of Florida, her M.Ed. from Florida Atlantic University, and her Ed.D. from the University of Kentucky.

 

 

Anil LewisFriday, October 24, 2008
Plenary 8:30 am - 9:45 am

ANIL LEWIS
President National Federation of the Blind of Georgia
315 West Ponce de Leon Avenue
Suite 603
Decatur, Georgia 30030
(404) 371-1000 ext. 23
Alewis@nfbga.org

Click here to read the February 2008 Atlanta Journal Constitution article on Anil Lewis

“If I can just help someone along the way…”

A native Atlantian lost my sight to Retinitis Pigmentosa in 1989. I was employed for six years as a Job Placement Specialist at the Center for the Visually Impaired. I developed a job placement program for people with disabilities as the Manager of the Disability Employment Initiative with Randstad Staffing during the Atlanta Olympic and Para-Olympic games. And I was employed for seven years as the Client Assistance Program (CAP) Counselor/Advocate for the Law Offices of martin and Jones.

I am currently the President of the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) of Georgia, and also serve on the NFB National Board of Directors. I am the Chairman of the board of Directors for the Georgia Disability Law and Policy Center of Georgia, an a board member of the disability Link Center for Independent Living Board of Directors. I have also served as President of the Statewide independent Living Council of Georgia board of directors. I am an active board member of various other disability rights organizations. And have received numerous civic and leadership awards, most recently, a Distinguished Leadership Award from the Community Leadership Association, and the Paul G. Hearn Advocacy Award presented by the American Bar Association.

I obtained my BBA in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State in 1993, and completed my graduate studies and obtained a MPA in Public Policy at the GSU Andrew young School of policy Studies in 2003. I am most proud of being a father to my wonderful ten-year-old son.

With a working knowledge of most disability law and policy, and extended experience in advocating for the rights of others, I am committed to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities through working to remove barriers of ignorance, and creating equal opportunities for all. My personal mission is simple. I want to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

Volunteerism - Honors - Awards
-  National Federation of the Blind of Georgia President
-  Statewide Independent Living Council Board President
-  Disability Law & Policy Center Board Chairman
-  Center f/t Visually Impaired STARS Volunteer/mentor
-  DisabilityLink Center for Independent Living, Board Member
-  Business Enterprise Co-Op Board member
-  American Bar Assoc. 2004 Paul G. Hearn Advocacy Award 2004
-  GSU Torch Bearer of Peace Award 2003
-  NFB Dr. Kenneth Jernigan Scholar 2002
-  Kurzweil Foundation Scholar 2002
-  JBS foundation Scholar 2002
-  GSU Outstanding Alumni Award 1997
-  United Way of Atlanta Most Requested Speaker 1992
-  GSU Student Support Services Academic Achievement Awards 1992
-  GSU Student Government Association Appreciation Certificate 1990
-  Mortar Board Senior Honor Society Outstanding Leadership Award 1990
-  Minority Engineering Certificate of Honor 1983
-  Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities 1983
-  National Achievement Scholarship Certificate of Achievement 1982

 

 

NANCY O'HARA

Friday, October 24, 2008
Transition Luncheon Keynote 8:30 am - 9:45 am

Nancy O’Hara is currently the Director of the Division for Special Education Services with the Georgia Department of Education. She has been an educator for 30 years working with students with disabilities at all grade levels. Ms. O’Hara worked in Newton county Schools, Clayton County Schools and Georgia State University before joining the Georgia Department of Education. At the DOE, Ms. O’Hara has served as the consultant for students with intellectual disabilities, autism and as a coordinator for compliance as well as the Associate Director. Ms. O’Hara has managed three federal grants on transition with Georgia State University and has spent many years working with adults with disabilities to assist them with independent living and employment.

 

Sherry Norfolk

Friday, October 24, 2008
Transition Luncheon Keynote 8:30 am - 9:45 am

SHERRY NORFOLK

Storyteller Sherry Norfolk is an internationally acclaimed performer, consultant, author, teaching artist, workshop leader, and keynote speaker.

Sherry combines her belief in the power of story with an inborn talent for teaching. Her infectious enthusiasm and dynamic energy revitalize audiences and empower participants in her classes.

Holding a B.S. in Elementary Education and a Masters in Library Science, Sherry Norfolk has been a professional storyteller since 1981. She uses folktales from around the world in a non-didactic way to teach universal values, elevate understanding and acceptance of other cultures, and enhance literacy skills. Sherry served as a consultant on Turner South's "Stories to Learn By" initiative. Sherry's dedication to and deep interest in children and family literacy have been recognized with national awards from the American Library Association, the Association for Library Service for Children, the National Association of Counties, and the Florida Library Association. Professional associations find Sherry to be a lively and inspiring keynote speaker.

Sherry has performed at schools, libraries, festivals and conferences in Hong Kong, Anchorage, the Bahamas, Honolulu, Grand Canyon National Park and hundreds of points in between. She tells stories with a style that is distinctly her own, full of rhythm, motion, multiple voices, and opportunities for interactive participation. Audiences of all ages find joy, humor, and pathos in her storytelling performances.

Sherry Norfolk is co-author of The Moral of the Story: Folktales for Character Development, 2nd Ed. (August House, 2006), with her husband, Bobby Norfolk. Sherry & Bobby have also published five of the popular Anansi Ghanian folk tales. Sherry is the co-author of The Storytelling Classroom: Applications Across the Curriculum (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). All are great resources for teachers, librarians and parents.

For more information on Sherry Norfolk please visit www.sherrynorfolk.com

 

 

Ed Busson

Saturday, October 25, 2008
Closing Plenary - Brave New World and TRS Regulations
11:30 to 12:30 am

ED BOSSON

Ed Bosson is best known as “Father of VRS” where he first pioneered VRS in 1995-1996 with two trials in Texas. He is considered a highly respected veteran in Relay Service issues. He worked for Texas Public Utility Commission for 18 years, and he now is retired. During his work at the TPUC, Relay Texas (relay service) had a long list of “firsts” that set precedence for other states to emulate. Last May he received an honorary doctorate from Gallaudet University for his “extraordinary achievements”. He has numerous national, state, and city awards over the years.