AASR Live

Please join us for An interview with Cheryl Poe: Black Collective Advocacy Network Conference.

Event Title: Black Collective Advocacy Network Conference

Uplifting Black Families in the Disability Community.
For Us By Us About Us

Date and time: August 11, 2023 -August 13, 2023
August 11, 12-6:00 pm
August 12, 2023, 8:30-6:00
August 13, 2023, 9:00 -12:00

Location: Virtual Event

Event Description: The Black Collective Network Advocacy Conference is a national virtual event that supports, acknowledges, and recognizes the needs of Black and Disabled students, family members, advocates, and professionals in the special education community.

We have created a space where the Black experiences, voices, and resources are shared to uplift Black families of children with disabilities.

For Us: We focus on the needs of Black children with disabilities.

By Us: We promote and uplift Black professionals in the disability & advocacy community.

About Us: We reject the current white supremacy narratives in the disability & advocacy community.

We will have nationally recognized experts such as Marie Davis-Pierre of Autism in Black; Attorney Keith Howard and the one and only Cheryl Poe

Registration Cost
Regular fee: $125.00

Link to purchase a ticket: https://whova.com/portal/registration/bcnac_202306/

About Cheryl Poe:

Cheryl Poe is the founder and Executive Director of Advocating 4 Kids, Inc a Special Education Advocacy organization that provides resources, information, and workshops to parents and professionals with a special focus on addressing the needs of Black and Brown children with disabilities.
She is the past board president of the National Allies for Parents in Special Education NAPSE, a national parent-driven organization that works hard to increase access and quality advocacy resources for special education families from underserved populations to improve educational outcomes.
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Mrs. Poe holds a Master of Arts Degree in Urban Education and Counseling. She also has completed over 15 credit hours of postgraduate hours in psychology. In June of 2004, she completed the Nation Group Psychotherapy Institute at the Washington School of Psychiatry in Washington D.C. in the study of Group Psychotherapy. Mrs. Poe completed a two-year term as the Student Outreach and Recruitment Committee Chairperson for the Mid- Atlantic Group Psychotherapy Society Board of Directors. She was awarded the Jefferson Cup for leadership in her role.

Mrs. Poe was the Chair of The National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (NAEAACLD) Parent Network. Mrs. Poe also served on the board of the Council of Parents, Advocates, and Attorneys (COPAA), where she helped develop strategic goals to address the needs of black people within the organization. Mrs. Poe also served as the Co-Chair for the Social Racial Equity Committee, where is she developed, created, and implemented activities to ensure the needs of Black and Brown Children were addressed and respected within the COPAA organization.

Mrs. Poe completed the inaugural The William & Mary Law Institute of Special Education Advocacy Summer Conference and the first annual class. Eventually, Ms. Poe become a presenter for the William & Mary Law Institute of Special Education Advocacy Summer Conferences.
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Join us for Trauma & its impact on individuals with neurodevelopmental differences with Jennifer Abbanat.

Jennifer says:
I am a wife and a mom to three neurodivergent kids (ages 20,18, and 15), each with their own unique needs and challenges. Two of my kids are autistic and two of my kids have Tourette’s Syndrome. All three have also had medical complexities, with my two youngest needing ongoing medical care for chronic illness since birth. I have had to learn how best to advocate and support each of them within the different systems of society (esp medical and educational systems) over the years by essentially creating their own individual “playbook.”

After less than 3 months of first grade, we chose to take our son out of school as they were not appropriately meeting his complex needs and in fact, were creating more distress for him.

I “unschooled” him for 9 years and allowed him to guide me as to what he needed both for his learning and development, but more importantly, his overall well-being as a human. I just wanted my son to be happy and experience joy! He has been an excellent tour guide!

He entered back into our public school in 9th grade through an Independent Study School where he will graduate high school in June. I truly believe every child can be, successful; no matter how that looks. Our kids need the adults in their life to be present, love them unconditionally and to never give up on them.
Despite the challenges over the years, I have found it vital to enjoy the ordinary moments that are often overlooked when families face extraordinary circumstances.

Through the years, I have taken to heart what Dr. Bruce Perry says, “People, not programs, change people.” This is one reason I started a local parent support group, something that didn’t exist when I was going through the early years and seeking helpful resources. I have also joined with a few other “moms” to bring support, resources and education on a larger scale to our community called Yolo Neurodiverse Network. Our focus is on the people who work with, care for and support neurodiverse people.

It can be very hard on families, but I never lose sight that my son experienced some very serious adversity early in his development, and that this is “why” we may see him struggle in areas of life. This guides me to understanding more about relational neuroscience, Attachment Theory, how early adversity can impact the developing brain, and how this impacts everything in his life. Trauma informed, brain aligned, neuroaffirming practices need to be the framework to appropriately support our kids in all settings and especially for those who have vulnerable nervous systems and developmental delays.

In February 2023, I will be completing the Traumatic Stress Studies 7mo course with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, through the Trauma Research Foundation and in 2021 I completed Dr. Dan Siegel’s 6mo course in Interpersonal Neurobiology. I have also completed over 100 hours of professional development in trauma, special education and advocacy, behavioral health, Poly Vagal Theory, neurodevelopmental disabilities and differences, and the many therapy modalities that can help support an individual in the trauma healing process, ie, play therapy, expressive arts therapy, somatic experiencing therapies, and importantly therapies that focus on body up approaches rather than top-down cognitive approaches.

In addition to the Traumatic Stress Studies course, I am also in a 10-month LEND Trainee program (Leadership in Education of Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) through the University of California, Davis at The MIND Institute.

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Please join us for "Welcoming Neurodivergence: Utilizing Picture Books to Support Acceptance & Belonging" with Connie Persike, M.S., CCC/SLP.

Connie Persike, M.S., CCC/SLP, is a highly experienced Speech Language Pathologist and Educational Consultant. She has 20+ years of experience in educational settings and holds a certificate in instructional coaching, positive education, and applied educational neuroscience.

She served as a member of the multi-state work group to help develop the Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts. Connie is a published writer for Autism Parenting Magazine and writes for Exceptional Needs Today. She created an innovative process to assess student behavior, which deviates from the traditional behaviorism approach and aligns with current relational and neuroscience while maintaining a trauma-sensitive and neurodiversity approach.

Connie works from the guiding mission that Connection + Collaboration = Endless Possibilities.

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Join us for "Putting out the fire: Dissecting and dismantling the dynamics of restraint and seclusion." with Dr. Arielle Silverman.

Arielle is a disabled activist and a social scientist who is passionate about improving public understanding of life with disabilities.

Professionally, she has spent fifteen years conducting research on the social psychology of disability. Personally, she has spent a lifetime learning and teaching with fellow members of the disability community.

An excerpt from Just Human:
"The most important thing I have discovered as a leader, a supervisor, an educator, and even an aunt, is that respect must be given before it can be received. When we offer respect and compassion to our children, our students, our employees, and others under our authority, we can bring out their full potential. What we get back is not just compliance and cooperation, but a real, mutual, human connection."

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Join us for "Creating Safe, Secure, Trauma-informed Environments: An Interview with Dr. Sandra L. Bloom."

Dr. Sandra L. Bloom is a Board-Certified psychiatrist, a Temple University School of Medicine graduate, and currently Associate Professor, Health Management and Policy at the Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University. For the past forty years, Dr. Bloom has done pioneering work in the field of traumatic stress studies. From 1980-2001, Dr. Bloom served as Founder and Executive Director of the Sanctuary programs, inpatient psychiatric programs for the treatment of trauma-related emotional disorders and during those years, was also President of the Alliance for Creative Development, a multidisciplinary outpatient practice group. Dr. Bloom is recognized nationally and internationally as the founder of the Sanctuary Model. Since 2012, Dr. Bloom has also served as Co-chair for the Philadelphia ACEs Task Force (http://www.philadelphiaaces.org).

In 2020 Dr. Bloom introduced a new online organizational and clinical approach called Creating PRESENCE (https://www.creatingpresence.net). Creating PRESENCE is for creating trauma-informed, trauma-responsive, and trauma-resilient organizations.

Dr. Bloom is a past President of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies. Dr. Bloom originated and has written a series of books on trauma-informed care: Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies, published in 1997, with a second edition in 2013; Destroying Sanctuary: The Crisis in Human Delivery Service Systems, published by Oxford University Press in 2010 and Restoring Sanctuary: A New Operating System for Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, published by Oxford University Press in 2013. Dr. Bloom has authored and published dozens of chapters and articles as well as S.E.L.F.: a Trauma-Informed Group Psychoeducational Curriculum. All of these can be found on her website (https://sandrabloom.com).

Dr. Bloom is a founder and currently Chair, Board of Directors for the national organization, CTIPP – The Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (https://www.ctipp.org) - whose goal is to advocate for public policies and programs at the federal, state, local, and tribal levels that incorporate up-to-date scientific findings regarding the relationship between trauma across the lifespan and many social and health problems. CTIPP was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for 2019 from the American Psychiatric Association.

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Please join us for “Solutions to end the school-to-prison pipeline an interview with Leonard Webb”

Mr. Webb retired from law enforcement to focus on improving the education outcomes of students and improving relationships between administration, teachers, parents, and students. He is focused on directly addressing the school-to-prison pipeline by providing equity-based solutions, bringing accountability to school leaders while increasing attendance and decreasing suspension/ expulsions. His work with schools and the community led to him being appointed by Governor Hogan (Md.) to the Juvenile Justice School Board for the State of Maryland.

He offers a unique perspective on the School-to-Prison Pipeline as well as solutions. He spent 19 years as an adjunct professor at Potomac State College of West Virginia University and 27 years with the Federal Bureau Prisons counseling men. He has seen both ends of the pipeline. He has seen young people enter his office in prison and people with similar demographics enter his college classroom. Leonard supports criminal justice and educational reform, but he has learned that investing in young people’s “off hours”, building relationships, and supporting SEL (social-emotional learning) are pragmatic and consequential ways to end the school-to-prison pipeline.

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An interview with Polina Shkadron, a trauma-informed speech-language pathologist, discussing the impact of stress.

Polina Shkadron is a trauma-informed speech-language pathologist with specialties in the areas of autism, ADHD, language, and literacy. She earned her Master of Art degree in speech-language pathology from CUNY Queens College where she held the position of Adjunct Lecturer for the past 7 years. She also has a Master of Science degree in Nutrition Education from American University, which has transformed the feeding therapy portion of her practice. Throughout the course of her career, Polina has earned four ACE awards from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association for her dedication to learning.

She coaches parents using play and brain-based research to foster understanding and deeper connections, laying foundational principles of development. Polina approaches each family dynamic from a holistic lens, acknowledging challenges, examining the environment, and focusing on promoting self-efficacy in the parent and the child.

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HELPme: Join us for an interview with Kerrie Ackerson the creator of an app to help students, staff, & families.

Now more than ever, students and staff need a comprehensive safety and wellness program that includes a pathway to anonymously connect with assigned helpers i.e. (Family Engagement Coordinators, School Counselors, Social Workers, School Nurses, and others).

The pandemic has affected millions of families and communities. Families have faced the loss of a loved one, social isolation, food insecurity, financial struggles, in-home neglect, abuse, and violence. Many are hesitant to seek help. Others don’t know where to turn to get help quickly and easily.

Introducing HELPme: A Healing-Centered Approach to School Safety
HELPme is designed to meet the needs of the school community by providing access and linkages to resources for basic needs, mental health, and family resilience while ensuring the privacy and dignity all people deserve.

Why HELPme?

We Know What Builds Child and Family Resilience

o The availability of educational funding and community resources has never been greater, but linkages and access to basic needs and other resources must be simple, discreet, and accessible to families, staff, and community members

o Linking caregivers to supports with dignity and privacy will increase trust, encourage engagement, and reduce re-traumatization

o Working with trusted solutions that emphasize positive engagement and support will yield more information, uncover more opportunities for early intervention, and help build family resilience

o If caregivers are struggling, kids must be trained, empowered, and encouraged to ask for and receive help to reduce adverse childhood experiences and developmental trauma

Delivered on our state-of-the-art platform, HELPme provides support and resources to students, families, and staff through a healing centered interfaceThe HELPme app by STOPit solutions trains all school users on the importance of asking for help. The recognition of asking for help as a critical life skill, and a safe way to practice asking for and receiving help from one’s first interaction with school.

Kerrie Ackerson is currently the VP of Government Affairs for STOPit Solutions—a very fancy way of saying “Find government money and access it to help kids.” She is the creator of the HELPme App, a mobile and computer app to aid students, staff, and families in getting support and resources while maintaining the dignity and privacy that all people deserve. Prior to joining STOPit, Kerrie worked for an education service agency in northern Wisconsin for 12 years with a focus on school safety. Kerrie’s career also includes working with mentally ill incarcerated youth and adults, running a county Division of Child and Family Services, working on juvenile justice and delinquency prevention funding and policy under three governors as the Juvenile Justice Specialist for Wisconsin, and being voted National Juvenile Justice Specialist by her peers. Kerrie is a proud foster and adoptive mother.

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Special Educator Karen Bures will share how she was able to reduce and eliminate the use of restraint and seclusion in her classroom.

Karen Bures is a special education teacher working with students who may display intense behaviors in Bend, Oregon. Karen started her career working in residential treatment care, transitioned into child welfare through the state, and then took a hiatus to be a stay-at-home parent. Once Karen’s children began school, she moved into the education field primarily to be on the same schedule as her children. Karen soon discovered that she was passionate about helping kids navigate the system. She began as an educational assistant in the behavior program before obtaining her special education licensure.
Karen continues to work to educate and coach other professionals in strategies that can effectively prevent the need for restraint or seclusions during moments of escalation. The presentation and interview will look at obstacles within the system as well as how Karen has fought to learn from her students and make change 

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Join us for a special interview with Jordyn Zimmerman. Jordyn will share her lived experiences as a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied effective communication and inclusive education. We will discuss Jordyn's experiences with school, as well as her experience with restraint and seclusion.

We'll talk about augmented alternative communication (AAC) and how AAC impacted her life.

Jordyn Zimmerman, M.Ed., obtained her bachelor's degree in Education Policy from Ohio University and her Masters of Education at Boston College. As a nonspeaking autistic student who was denied access to effective augmentative communication until she was 18, Jordyn has personal experience challenging the educational status quo, which is featured in the 2021 documentary, This Is Not About Me. Jordyn presently serves on the board of CommunicationFIRST, works as Director of Professional Development at The Nora Project, and is a current presidential appointee.

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