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This popular event designed for post-secondary schools has been presented to over 5,000 students and professionals over 25 years. Learn from parasport community experts about accessibility and inclusion in sport, recreation and physical activity for people of all ages and abilities. Great discussions and networking opportunities, and continuing education. Provincially-recognized Intro to Inclusive Participation Level I Certification included.

Join us for this 2 Part Webinar Workshop - chose to register for the FULL DAY or for either the AM or PM presentations.

Without research we would not have an understanding of what works, how it works and why it works when it comes to inclusive education. This webinar will be a research panel consisting of five experts in the field of inclusive education. Topics range from supporting students with diverse needs, education for adults with disabilities and student mental health. Following a brief overview of the current research each panelist is conducting, the researchers will engage in a directed panel discussion regarding current trends in inclusive education research, how to apply research in practice and answer any questions from the audience. The intention with this research panel is to introduce you to the current research occurring across the province in the realm of inclusive education and to provide you an opportunity to ask the experts any questions regarding inclusive education practices.

Learning Objective: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to identify and understand current trends in inclusive education research and how to apply them in their practice.

Workshop participants will:

• Gain an understanding of the current research happening across Ontario in different areas of inclusive education.
• Learn about how to translate current inclusive education research into practice.
• Have the opportunity to ask distinguished scholars in the field questions about inclusive education and their research.

About the Presenters

Dr. McNamara is an educational psychologist interested in studying young children with learning and reading disabilities. Currently his research involves working with various agencies across to Province to develop and implement literacy intervention programs for vulnerable readers. Dr. McNamara also leads his LD Research Team in a number of applied research projects aimed at better understanding reading and reading disabilities. Dr. McNamara is currently the principal investigator on a SSHRC Insight Grant funded initiative to study Reading Rocks – A literacy approach to support and motivate vulnerable readers. Dr. McNamara currently teaches at Brock University.

Dr. Whitley’s research and teaching are driven by a dedication to improving the school experiences of students with exceptionalities. She is particularly interested in documenting, identifying influences on, and developing interventions related to psychosocial and mental health functioning. She draws on a variety of methods and data sources in my research, including analyses of small student focus groups and modeling of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth. Dr. Whitley currently teaches at the University of Ottawa where she aims to best prepare future teachers of inclusive classrooms and further develop the skills and knowledge of graduate-level learners.

Jordan Shurr, PhD is an associate professor of special education and the director of the Add*Ed Research group at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. Previously, Dr. Shurr has worked as a special education teacher and an assistive technology consultant and has recently served as president of the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, of the Council for Exceptional Children. His research focuses on teaching and inclusion for students with significant support needs including both the support and training of teachers and evidence-based instructional practices. For more info: www.jordanshurr.com

Dr. Kathryn Underwood is a Professor in the School of Early Childhood Studies at Ryerson University. Through critical disability theory as a starting point, Dr. Underwood is interested in how society responds to and constructs childhood in social institutions. Ultimately, her research asks questions about care, social constructs, and institutions, with growing emphasis on the unnatural divide between public and private relationships. Dr. Underwood’s work has interrogated equity and disability issues in early childhood studies, family-school relationships, special education, inclusive early childhood education and care policy and practice. Dr. Underwood’s research interests are in human rights and education practice, particularly with regard to disability rights and inclusive education. The focus of her research has been on how constructions of disability in education and early childhood program contexts are used to organize children. She is particularly interested in intersectional identities of all disabled children. She has also conducted a number of studies that focus on parent viewpoints and the work of families to engage with institutions.

Dr. Chelsea Temple Jones (pronouns: she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Child and Youth Studies. A queer, white settler spoonie, Dr. Jones holds a Ph.D. in Communication and Culture from Ryerson and York Universities and an MA in Critical Disability Studies from York University. She completed a Mitacs postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Regina’s Vocally Oriented Investigations of Create Expression (VOICE) Lab—a studio space for disabled folx who communicate in various ways, and not always through speech. She currently holds a SSHRC Insight Development Grant that continues her study of the ways in which ableist, colonial gestures of “giving voice” face resistance from young, disabled adults engaged in disability justice.Dr. Jones’ qualitative research focuses on disabled children’s childhood studies and takes intellectual disability as a cultural phenomenon. Her work is deeply engaged in disabled, Deaf, mad, and crip-informed arts-based research methods informed by her earlier position as a Research Associate at Re•Vision: The Centre for Art and Social Justice at the University of Guelph. An award-winning teacher and journalist, Dr. Jones is a former Instructor of research methods courses at Ryerson University’s School of Disability Studies and is the co-founder of the transdisciplinary podcast, “Podagogies: A Learning and Teaching Podcast.” She brings storytelling into all of her courses and works with students to create intellectual partnerships that value collaboration through a broad, ever-changing understanding of how we might engage in accessible knowledge production. Dr. Jones currently teaches at Brock University.

Young caregivers sought for Brock study

Research participants are needed for a Brock University (Ontario) study that examines the plight of children and youths acting as caregivers for family members who are sick, disabled, substance abusers or facing similar challenges.