Cal-TASH 40th Anniversary Conference
Los Angeles March 4-5th 2023
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A story of Inclusion by Tia
Tia Nelis is the Director of Policy & Advocacy for TASH. Prior to her position at TASH, Tia served as the Self-Advocacy Specialist at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center within the Institute on Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois Chicago. She is a past chairperson of the National Organization of Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered. She founded and successfully promoted People First of Illinois, where she served as president. Tia, a long-time member of TASH, has received the Burton Blatt Award, awarded by the Illinois TASH chapter, as well as the Elizabeth Boggs award from the President’s Committee.
Where We Are in Transforming Educational Services for Better Outcomes: A Call to Action by Diane Ryndak
Diane Ryndak, Ph.D., is Professor of Special Education in the Department of Specialized Education Services at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Principal Investigator on an OSEP Leadership Development Grant (Project LEAPS). She had been the Principal Investigator on a sub-contract for The TIES National Technical Assistance Center on Inclusive Practices and Policies, and Co-Principal Investigator on an IES Research Project studying the impact of malleable factors on long-term outcomes for students with significant disabilities. Previously she was a Professor at the University of Florida for 19 years, and Chair of the Department of Specialized Education Services at UNCG. Her work focuses on teacher and doctoral level preparation, with a focus on collaborative teams meeting the complex needs of students with extensive and pervasive support needs (e.g., severe cognitive impairments; autism; multiple disabilities) through the use of evidence-based practices that result in access to grade-level general education curriculum, contexts, instruction, and classmates. Additionally, she works with state departments of education and school districts to facilitate sustainable systemic reform, multi-tiered systems of support, and specially-designed instruction in general education contexts to improve outcomes for all students. She has served multiple terms on the Executive Board for TASH; is on editorial boards for several professional journals; and has completed Fulbright Research related to inclusive education in Poland, where she continues to work with colleagues at universities and in the schools.
Special Sessions:
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Cal-TASH Spring Virtual Series in 2022
Keynote Speakers
Town Hall Webinar
38th Annual Cal-TASH Conference
Together for Justice, Inclusion & Community
March 5-6, 2021 Virtual Format
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37th Annual Cal-TASH Conference
Focus on the Future: Fulfilling the Promise of Inclusive Lives
March 6-7, 2020 in Sacramento, CA
Adiba Nelson
Author, Screenwriter, Performer, Activist, Wife, Mother, Daughter, and most recently, subject of the Emmy winning documentary,The Full Nelson.
Often referred to as “inspirational,” Adiba wrote and self-published her first children’s book in 2013, after not being able to find a children’s book that adequately and appropriately represented her daughter (African American, with special needs). Since then, she has independently sold over 3,000 books, won an award (Royal Dragonfly, Honorable Mention - Best Children’s Book - Topic: Disability), led numerous workshops for educators and education professionals/ paraprofessionals, and partnered with Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona to introduce a new inclusion patch program, Girl Scouts for ALL (which has now been replicated in California and Texas).
Adiba is trying to change the world, and from the looks of it, she has no intentions of stopping until she does. When she’s not ironing her cape, you can find her moonlighting as a *mostly* decent mom to her incredible daughter Emory, debating her husband over who has the better Netflix feed, or checking Expedia, looking for the least expensive 4-day beach getaway.
Town Hall:Intersectionality: Poverty, Race, and Disability
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Ari Ne'eman
Ari Ne'eman is the author of the forthcoming book THE RIGHT TO LIVE IN THIS WORLD: The Story of Disability in America(Simon & Schuster 2020). From 2006 to 2016, he served as President and co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the leading national advocacy organization run by and for autistic adults speaking for themselves. From 2010 to 2015, he served as one of President Obama's appointees to the National Council on Disability. He currently serves as CEO of MySupport.com, an online platform designed to help connect seniors and people with disabilities with workers who share their values. He is also an advisor to the American Civil Liberties Union and a variety of other groups on disability policy.
Featuring Richard Rosenberg, Noel Scott, Barbara Ransom, and Zachary David Miller
