Session 6: 2:30 - 3:20

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PAVILION (Continued) Necessity is the Father of Invention - **2 Block Session**
Featured Speakers: Richard Ellenson, Parent and CEO of Blink Twice with Tom Nurse, Parent and MetDESK Specialist
As parents of children with cerebral palsy, Richard Ellenson and Tom Nurse have faced the challenges of helping their children become more independent and integrated in the world. These challenges gave Richard Ellenson the determination to help not only Thomas, his son, but other children with similar challenges. Richard has worked with the NYC Department of Education to create a new inclusion model in the city, worked with many of the country's key organizations to elevate expectations of individuals with disabilities, and invented the Tango, a new AAC device that offers a truly innovative approach to communication. Tom Nurse has been an advocate for his daughter, Shelby, a 17 year old high school student, throughout her life and school career. What led these fathers to understand the depth of their children's abilities - and demand that their rights be respected? What obstacles did they stare down? Who assisted them in overcoming each obstacle as it came along? And where are they now? This session will be one of sharing the difficulties, as well as celebrating the triumphs, as Thomas and Shelby and their fathers have learned to communicate more effectively and confront the challenges facing individuals with disabilities.
Room 124 Technology for Visually Impaired & Blind - for Here or to Go?
Rachael Trinkowsky, Florida Reading & Vision Technology
In this session we will explore the advantages of the Mountbatten Learning System (MBLS) as a tool for promoting Braille Literacy. We will explore the features and benefits of this device, including using it as a Braille writer, navigating within a document, performing math calculations, features for sighted parents and instructors, Braille graphics and much more.
Room 210 (Continued) And This Year's Award Goes To.... The Inclusion Tools That Simplify Your Life! - **2Block Session**
Bill Schulte, Local Assistive Technology Specialist (LATS), Collier County Public Schools
Sheri Wiseman, Local Assistive Technology Specialist (LATS), Collier County Public Schools
This session will demonstrate the hottest inclusion tools. We'll review the best of the best and give you time to play with some products that can provide you with curriculum on demand. Best of all, many of these new tools come with incredible teacher management and automatic record keeping systems. With the increasing demands on your time and the call for data, these are the must-haves to meet the needs of your students. Resources and materials will be provided so that you can begin using them the very next day!
Room 215A
Exhibits Open - Community Agencies and Organizations
Come and explore the range of community agencies and organizations devoted to educating, empowering, and including individuals with disabilities through the use of assistive technology.
Room 217 Using United Streaming in the Classroom
Suzanne Banas, Lead Teacher, Richmond Heights Middle School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools/dt>
Anna Martin, SPED Teacher, Richmond Heights Middle School, Miami-Dade County Public Schools
United Streaming is an internet based video storehouse featuring segmented videos and support materials appropriate for classroom use. United Streaming has created curriculum guides, teacher support lessons, related readings and black line masters to be used with the videos. Participants will see how to use these videos in all aspects of curricula as well as with various learning styles of students.
Room 218 Post Secondary Options for Student with Disabilities
Joanna Lindsay, Assistant Director, Disability Resource Center, Florida International University
Camille Davidson, Coordinator, Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and Technology (FAAST)
Sylvia Perez, MSW , Director of Adult Services, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired
Students with disabilities who transition from the high school environment to college encounter the challenge of adjusting to a varying degree of new responsibilities and laws. This transition often leads to miscommunication between the high school staff, students and their parents. In addition to understanding the differences between IDEA and ADA, students must also learn to navigate campus life, site accessibility, new technology, and learn how to advocate for themselves in brand new settings. In this session, we will begin to identify some goals in regards to how to identify options, incorporate transition skills and promote self-advocacy for this population.
Room 312 Planning Instruction and Tracking Student Progress in the Connected Classroom
Trinette Morris, LeapFrog
More and more, educators are trying to differentiate instructional activities for the specific standards that individual students need to master to keep moving ahead. New technologies can enable educators to identify the right activities for each student's needs, based on relevance to specific state standards, and then measure student progress against those standards as the student completes a plan of activities.
Room 317 MusiCan
Theresa Petrucelli, United Data Technologies
Introducing MusiCan®, a suite of CD-Rom products created to teach music to children in an exciting interactive environment! Children embark on an exciting musical adventure enriched with superlative animation, graphics and sound, engaging songs, and excellent interactive games. Activities are developed to give children an in-depth knowledge of the main musical elements including rhythm, pitch, dynamics, texture, pulse, tempo, structure and timbre.