A critical component of any successful work program is the development of strong community relationships. This presentation highlights the process of establishing and maintaining community connections. These relationships are the key for transition to competitive employment. Through recruitment, job placement, and performance review and maintenance, the Bethlehem Area School District establishes and maintains these connections with local businesses. Case students will highlight challenging and successful examples of partnerships in the community.

In this short, interactive workshop, you’ll learn not only the four personality styles, but also which one you prefer to use! Having trouble getting through to a student? Wonder why some educators can work together effortlessly on a committee while others can’t even get started? Maybe it’s a simple matter of conflicting personality styles.

Kevin Carey, artist, art therapist, special education teacher and survivor of traumatic brain injury, shares his strategies for integrating expressive arts activities into the classroom setting. Simple and enjoyable art making sessions will help your students express emotions, relieve stress, and gain empowerment. No art training necessary!

A unique partnership between university students, high school students with disabilities, and community service organizations resulted in positive learning outcomes for all parties. Through time spent making active contributions to others in need, the friendships and understanding of each others’ worlds became evident. Replication strategies will be offered as handouts.

People on the Autism spectrum display an unusual pattern of sensory perception and reaction. In this research-based presentation, you will learn how processing difficulties in five sensory areas can contribute to disruptive behaviors. You’ll come away with classroom-friendly activities to address these needs, leading to better student behavior and learning.

Presenters will report on the results of a survey sent to Pennsylvania school district superintendents measuring their familiarity and implication of Gaskin settlement.

This presentation will discuss the development, implementation, and on-going changes needed to create and operate a community-based classroom. The frame of reference will be the community-based classrooms (BRIDGE and STAIRS programs) operated by IU 08.

Women have an 85% chance of facing their elder years single, widowed, divorced or separated; but a majority of them are in the dark when it comes to finances.  "Smart Women Finish Rich" is designed specifically for women. The seminar is based on the best selling book by David Bach, and it will arm you with seven simple steps to help you achieve financial security and fund your dreams.

Would you like to be more influential in your life? Would you like to have greater impact on your students’ learning? Wondering where all of the policies, procedures, regulations, and paperwork come from in special education that impact on your ability to teach at times? How do decisions get made that impact the lives of teachers and students? How can you influence the decision makers, is that what advocating is?

This workshop will discuss basic information about public policy and advocacy as well as teach simple strategies on how to influence decision makers whether in local schools or districts, or at the state and federal levels. You will learn tools to advocate for change with focus on legislative happenings at the state and federal levels.

Going through the coursework and graduating does not guarantee anyone a job. This session will teach student the dos and don’ts concerning resumes, portfolios, and interviewing skills.

This workshop provides the audience an overview of the KidTools Software System and information about its use in a home-based, resource, and general education setting. Presenters will provide artifacts and tips for implementing the software as well as efficacy data. The audience will receive copies of the KTSS super CD.

Traumatic brain injury, the "Hidden Epidemic," is the leading cause of disability among children. The BIA-PA, under contract from the PA Dept. of Health, has developed a TBI School Re-entry Program utilizing regional mini-teams. This session will cover prevalence of TBI in PA, school reentry planning, and PA's new program for ongoing education of professionals and families for student success.

New scholarship definitions and commitment to community engagement have produced several research-within-practice efforts within a teacher education program. Examples and strategies will show participants how both service and teaching experiences, combined with focused data collection, can forge future teacher attitudes and skills while concurrently exploring important special education research questions.

The Raider’s Java Wagon, established in 2006, affords Life Skills students the opportunity to develop entrepreneurial and job skills through the development and implementation of a school-based coffee service. This presentation will describe the procedures used to establish the program, information regarding funding sources, and the partnerships that were established to make it successful.

This workshop will convey the knowledge learned through the multifaceted Reading Apprenticeship Program. Information such as helping with misbehaviors, engagement time of students, and social interaction in the classroom will be discussed.

Participants will identify skills required for social competency. The core deficits of high functioning autism and their impact upon social competency will be illustrated through the use of video segments. Participants will investigate instructional strategies and identify resources for teaching social competency and emotional regulation skills to individuals with high functioning autism.

It is our job as parents, educators, and administrators to recognize and understand why maladaptive behaviors may occur. This workshop will review the contingencies surrounding why behavior (both positive and negative) occurs and present strategies for reducing those behaviors while understanding the function of such behaviors.

This Panel, moderated by a PA Special Education Appeals Review Hearing Officer, shall provide an inside look at how legal professionals practicing in the field of special education approach the numerous stages of special education dispute resolution. A Parent Attorney, School District Attorney, Due Process Hearing Officer and Appeals Review Panel Hearing Officer, shall detail their professional preparation for the resolution of a dispute concerning the appropriate education of an eligible child, during the various stages of due process: e.g., IEP meetings, preheating conferences, settlement discussions, mediation, due process hearings and appeals.

Students with learning disabilities are often included in regular education classes and need supplementary aids and services. This one-hour lecture will present ideas on how teachers can incorporate all types of assistive technology, from high to low tech, into a classrooms to assist students with learning disabilities.

This presentation will focus on the roles and responsibilities of schools, funding sources, adult service providers, and students with disabilities and their families. A review of these roles and responsibilities taken from the book authored by the presenters (Growing Up: Transition to Adult Life for Students with Disabilities, 2007) will be discussed at different stages of students’ transition.

This session is held at every PACEC Convention to allow for the voting of the new PACEC student officers for the 2008-2009 year. All students have the chance to be nominated and elected as a new officer. Each school present will receive one vote as to who they feel can do the best job.

Participants will learn what Pennsylvania’s Model of Early Intervention is and will be given strategies to begin to implement the approach in their work with children and families in the community, Participants will learn how to use community activities and experiences to support IFSP (Individual Family Service Plan) and IEP (Individual Education Plan).

The focus of this session is to share ideas and strategies to help make elementary mathematical concepts understandable for children with special needs. Participants will be involved as learners in experiencing various strategies and also be asked to share strategies they use that have made a difference for students.

This session will provide teachers with the "how to" knowledge of taking progress monitoring data and write robust present levels of performance and meaningful goals for IEPs.

To successfully transition students, not only do we need to bring employers and agencies to the table, we need to ready our students to be successful employees through actual work experiences. The programs that we are going to share encompass academic training, pre-vocational skills training, jobs brought into the classroom and community-based experiences.

The Council for Exceptional Children Journal (Spring 2007) recently recognized that video modeling met the criteria as an "evidenced-based" practice and as a worthwhile tool for educators and professionals. This session will provide an in-depth analysis of video modeling and how to implement these concepts in the classroom.

This presentation will define community-based instruction, examine prerequisite skills and highlight empirically supported teaching practices for implementing a community based instruction program for secondary-aged students with developmental disabilities.

"What Employers Want from Job-Training Programs" will provide a list of expectations provided by employers regarding job-training programs for high school students with disabilities. Strategies that will help high school students with disabilities meet success through job training will also be presented. Although the information stems from a qualitative research project highlighting employers’ perspectives on programs for high school students with emotional disturbances, the emergent themes could apply to students with various disabilities as well.

Penny Pardoe, Berwick Area School District

Caitlan Siggins, PASCEC President

Michelle Kirias, 1^st Year Teacher

The purpose of this one-hour demonstration is to provide college students who are about to graduate with information that will help them in their job search process. The presentation will present information on how to create an impressive cover letter and resume, how to dress for the interview, the stages of the interview process, and typical questions asked during a job interview.

An inclusive mathematics program for students having low academic achievement and developmental disabilities is presented. Key features of this response-to-intervention practice for teaching number concepts and operations to students with disabilities include benchmark screening, progress monitoring, and tiers of instruction. Performance outcomes are presented for students with and without disabilities.