Arizona State Virtual Conference
Feb. 15, 16, 17, 2022 from 2:00-6:30 PM MST
Thank you for attending the 2022 Annual State Conference as we celebrated the 100th Anniversary of the Council for Exceptional Children. This year our Virtual State Conference saw over 500 participants enjoy 40 sessions and visit with dozens of exhibitors. Everyone who registered for the conference can return to the conference app anytime to re-watch video recordings of all sessions or catch the sessions you could not attend live – what a #amazing deal! See login instructions for the conference app here.
2022 Keynote Speakers
Gregory J. Benner, Ph.D - Helen and Pat O’Sullivan Professor, University of Alabama
Dr. Benner has a knack for grassroots collective impact - getting whole communities including families, child welfare, mental health, and schools on the same page to meet needs of the whole child. In February 2018, he received the Presidents’ Award from the Northwest PBIS Network for his outstanding leadership of social and emotional learning and PBIS. He is co-founder of the Tacoma Whole Child Initiative and led implementation efforts for the six years of this transformative effort. He also served as Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Strong Schools at the University of Washington, Tacoma.
Heather R. Pierson - Legal Issues in Special Education: Case Law Review
Heather R. Pierson joined Udall Shumway PLC in 2009. She is a member of the School Law section, representing the firm’s education law clients throughout the State.
Ms. Pierson comes to Udall Shumway PLC uniquely qualified in the area of special education law. Prior to joining Udall Shumway, Ms. Pierson taught behavior disordered students. During her teaching career, Ms. Pierson was involved in the development and implementation of Individualized Education Plans (“IEP”) and behavior plans and attended several trainings on special education and regular education interventions and strategies. While in law school, Ms. Pierson provided in-home ABA services for autistic children under the age of three and participated in the Whittier Law School Special Education Clinic, which provided special education advocacy services for children with developmental disabilities. Additionally, Ms. Pierson earned her Master’s Degree in Special Education in 2004.
Ms. Pierson primarily focuses her practice on special education and disability related matters. She routinely defends school districts and other public educational institutions in matters related to disability law matters, such as special education due process hearings, Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) complaints, Section 504 due process hearings, mediation, and special education state complaints. She provides daily advice and assistance in matters related to special education, Section 504, the Americans with Disabilities Act, student discipline, personnel issues and student records. Ms. Pierson taught Contemporary Developments in Special Education Law through Northern Arizona University during the Spring of 2014. She has also given in-service workshops to district personnel on a wide range of special education and disability related topics and speaks at state-wide conferences.
Denise Lowell-Britt
I have been practicing law at Udall Shumway since 1987, have been a partner of the firm since 1993, and lead the firm's education law practice group. I am very pleased to devote my practice entirely to representing school districts, community colleges, charter schools and other public educational institutions.
I provide daily advice and assistance to school districts and other public educational institutions. I represent and defend educational institutions in administrative and court proceedings. I advise and represent clients in matters that include but are not limited to: personnel issues; special education; Section 504 and ADA issues; student disciplinary hearings; student records; contracts; policy development; governing board liability and open meeting and public records issues. I have extensive experience working with matters involving the EEOC, OCR, DOJ, and the Arizona State Department of Education.
In November 2006, I was named a Top Education Attorney in Phoenix Magazine and I have been repeatedly selected by my peers as a Best Lawyer in America in the specialty of Education Law, including the most recent selection for 2013.
I have been a regular presenter at State-wide conferences and conduct a great many in-service and training programs for school personnel on a variety of topics relating to education law. I have also authored articles for National and State publications on a variety of topics of interest to educators.
I am a member of the National School Board Association, Arizona School Boards Association and Arizona Council of School Attorneys and have also been an adjunct faculty member for Arizona State University, teaching graduate level Education Law classes for the College of Education, Division of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. I have been on the steering committee for the Arizona School Administrators Principal and the Law conference for approximately 16 years and have also been a regular speaker at the annual law conferences sponsored by the Arizona School Boards Association and the Arizona Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE). In March 2009, I was presented with the Laura Ganoung Award, which is CASE's highest award recognizing leadership in the area of special education.
Charles Haynes, Ed.D., CCC-SLP - MGH Institute of Health Professions
Dr. Haynes is Professor for the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders in the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences at MGH Institute of Health Professions. Dr. Haynes teaches courses in spoken and written language disorders and in language, culture and cognition for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology program and the Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) Program for Reading Specialists. In addition, he conducts research, mentors thesis students, supervises graduate students in the Institute's Speech-Language and Literacy Center, and is an Associate of the Hanson Initiative for Language and Literacy (HILL).
In June 2013 Dr. Haynes was inducted into the International Academy of Researchers in Learning Disabilities, and in 2012 received the Nancy T. Watts Award for Excellence in Teaching – the highest prize given to a faculty member at the MGH Institute. He was inducted into the International Dyslexia Association’s Hall of Honor in 2009 and received IDA's Margaret Rawson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.
Dr. Haynes served as a teacher, Research Coordinator and Director of Speech-Language Services at the Landmark School from 1979-1991, where he and colleagues developed one of the nation's first language-based curricula for children with dyslexia and expressive language impairments. He earned his Ed.D. degree at Harvard University in Reading, Language, and Learning Disabilities.
2022 Sessions & Presenters
1:30 - 2:00 | Vendors | Vendor Showcase - Visit with the Vendors! Learn about Products and Services |
TIME | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION | PRESENTER |
---|---|---|---|---|
2:00- 3:15 |
HLP | Collaboration | Fostering The Retention Of Special Education Staff Through Colloaborative Processes | Dr. Melissa McCusker and Panel |
HLP | SEL Practices | SEL For All!- SEL Implementation Through An MTSS And Equity Lens | James Bock, M. Ed. | |
HLP | Instruction | School Safety Drills and Autism | Jeffrey P Snyder | |
Legal/ Policy | Legal/ Policy | A Grassroots Approach to Reimaging and Revising District Discipline Policy | Seth Aleshire | |
5 | ||||
3:15- 3:30 |
BREAK | |||
3:30- 3:45 |
Welcome | WELCOME & MEMBERSHIP & AZCEC/AZCEC 100th Year Celebration | Kim Peaslee & Carrie Brandon | |
3:45- 5:00 |
Keynote Speaker | Dysregulation | Practical Social and Emotional Learning Strategies for Youth with Mental Health Concerns | Dr. Greg Benner |
5:00- 5:15 |
BREAK & AWARD VIDEO LOOP | |||
5:15- 6:30 |
STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION A TITLE | PRESENTER |
HLP | SEL Practices | Real World Social & Emotional Learning Strategies: Advancing Equity in Every Interaction | Dr. Greg Benner | |
HLP | Assessment | 5 Powerful Strategies to Make Your Instruction More Explicit | Barbara Steinberg, M.Ed. | |
HLP | Instruction | Is Controlled Text Really Necessary? Stages In Reading Development That Direct Instruction | Cheryl Anthony, MS Ed. | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Safe “Containers” Put A Lid On Dysregulation | Debi Neat, M.Ed. | |
HLP | Instruction | Visual Supports to Promote Compliance with Bedtime Routine in a Child with Autism and Sensory Dysregulation | Juliet Hart Barnett, Ph.D. | |
HLP | Instruction | Employer Needs Assessment in Developing Career Readiness Curriculum for Detained Youth | Kristin Robertson, MA, BCBA | |
HLP | SEL Practices | High Leverage Practices for Teaching Social Behaviors | Qwaye Bright | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Brain Science: Relationships and Regulation in the Classroom | Sharyn Weinheimer, M.A., NBCT | |
8 |
1:30 - 2:00 |
Vendors | Vendor Showcase - Visit with the Vendors! Learn about Products and Services |
TIME | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
---|---|---|---|---|
2:00- 3:15 |
HLP | Assessment | Tying it Together: My Future AZ and the Transition Planning Process | Amanda Nolasco, M.Ed |
HLP | SEL Practices | SEL and Mental Wellness: A Blueprint to Foster Schoolwide Inclusivity and a Positive School Climate | Dr. Kurt Hulett and Panel | |
HLP | Collaboration | Us Against the Agenda: How the Facilitated IEP Process Helps Prevent Conflict | Heather Schlemmer, M.A. | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Providing Group Social Skills Training To Increase Self-Regulation For High School Students | Sylvia Cohen, Ph.D. | |
4 | ||||
3:15- 3:30 |
BREAK | |||
3:30- 3:45 |
AWARDS | AWARD PRESENTATIONS | Trish Alley | |
3:45- 5:00 |
Keynote Speaker | Discipline | Discipline: Driving Us all Down the Road to Think | Denise Lowell-Britt & Heather Pierson |
5:00- 5:15 |
BREAK & AWARD VIDEO LOOP | |||
TIME | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION A TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
5:15- 6:30 |
Legal/Policy | Legal/Policy | Year in Review | Heather Pierson, J.D. |
HLP | Instruction | Wearable Technologies for Active Learning and Sensory Regulation with Dignity | Anani M. Vasquez, M.A.E. | |
AZCEC | Celebration | It's A Birthday Party! Learn about CEC 100th Birthday & Arizona CEC's Birthday Celebration | Joan McDonald, Lorrane McPherson | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Sex Trafficking In The Schools: Recognizing Teen Victims And Identifying Prevention Strategies | Dominique Roe-Sepowitz MSW Ph.D. | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Using ACEPP and CEEDAR Resources To Support Dysregulation, Discipline And Dyslexia Through HLPs | Kathleen Puckett | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Using Community Circles In The Classroom To Teach Prosocial Skills | Leighanne Downing, LMSW, MSW | |
HLP | Instruction | Building Resilience In Mathematics By Developing Relationships And Establishing Rigor | Rob Hilliker, Mdiv MATH | |
6 |
1:30 - 2:00 |
Vendors | Vendor Showcase - Visit with the Vendors! Learn about Products and Services |
TIME | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
---|---|---|---|---|
2:00-3:15 | HLP | Collaboration | Observation, Coaching, and Professional Learning: A Cycle of Professional Growth | Benjamin Sullens, M.Ed, NBCT |
HLP | SEL Practices | MTSS and the Neurosequential Model | Jessica Vocca, M.A. | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Resilience | Sandy Ortiz | |
3 | ||||
3:15-3:30 | BREAK | |||
3:30-3:45 | AWARDS | AWARD PRESENTATIONS | Trish Alley | |
3:45-5:00 | Keynote Speaker | Dyslexia | Let’s Catch Kids Before They Fail!: Early Detection and Intervention for Dyslexia | Dr. Charles Haynes |
5:00-5:15 | BREAK & AWARD VIDEO LOOP | |||
TIME | STRAND | TOPIC | SESSION A TITLE | SESSION PRESENTER |
5:15-6:30 | HLP | Instruction | From Talking to Writing: Strategies for Helping Struggling Writers | Dr. Charles Haynes |
HLP | SEL Practices | Tools and Strategies for Positive Behavior in the Classroom | Christy Hegebush MLS | |
HLP | SEL Practices | Using Teaching Interactions to Explicitly Teach and Generalize Coping Skills | Danielle Gonyea, BCBA, LBA | |
HLP | Instruction | Ready Set Focus! Facilitating Sensory Self-Regulation in School-Age Children | Jenny L. Clark, OTR/L | |
Legal/Policy | Legal/Policy | Witness? I Think NOT! Tips To Keep You Off The Witness List | Lorie A. Gerkey, Esq | |
HLP | Instruction | The Truth about Dyslexia Fonts! AT Tools and Strategies That Work | Mary Keeney, MA, CCC-SLP | |
HLP | Instruction | The Gift of Productive Struggle: Structuring Learning Environments Where All Learners Thrive | Rob Hilliker, Mdiv RDG | |
7 |
2022 Registration
Keynote Sponsors
I Can Do It Award Sponsors
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Conference Exhibitors
2022 Exhibitor Application
Thank you to all sponsors and exhibitors at our 2022 Annual State Conference.
For over 30 years, AZCEC/AZCASE has provided a wonderful opportunity to exhibit your business, services and support for special education students, teachers, principals and administrators in Arizona. Our conference attracts almost 500 educational decision makers from across the state - help us make an impact in education!
2022 Sponsor/Exhibitor Packages
Email Jessica for more information
2022 Registration
Early Bird Conference Rate:
- CEC Member - $59
- Team of 3 - $59 each
- Non-Member Rate - $79
Conference Rate after January 24, 2022:
- CEC Member - $79
- Team of 3 - $79 each
- Non-Member Rate - $99
Annual General Meeting - Feb. 17 @ 6:30 PM MST
- Join the AZCEC and AZCASE Annual General Board Meeting immediately after the conference. The board meeting is OPEN to all members.
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Agenda available in February
Questions?
Please email all conference questions to: AZCEC.conference@gmail.com