Racial Justice in Special Education: A Panel Discussion

Racial Justice in Special Education: A Panel Discussion

Date and Time:  Thursday, July 23, 2020;  7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Location:  Online (Zoom)

Cost: Free

Registration is Required:  When you register, you will receive a confirmation email containing your link to join the webinar. Check your junk email if you don't see your confirmation email immediately.

On Thursday July 23, xMinds invites parents, educators, and other stakeholders to participate in our online panel discussion about the experience of special education students of color in schools. 

This panel will discuss the challenges families of color experience in the public special education system, including disproportionality in identification of disabilities, in educational placements, and in use of disciplinary actions.

How can you, as a parent, know if your child has been unjustly placed in an environment that is too restrictive or if your child has been improperly tested, secluded or restrained? What are your rights as a parent?

Join us to learn what you should know about these critical issues and what you can do to address these disparities. 

Moderator, Kim Pinckney-Lewis:  xMinds Advisory Council member and doctoral candidate in the Instructional Design & Technology program at Old Dominion University. Her research interests include exploring the intersections between adult learning theories, special and differently-abled populations, digital-age technology demands, assessment and evaluation best practices, and maximizing knowledge transfer. She is also the proud mother of a child on the autism spectrum. 

Panelists:

Selene Almazan:  Legal Director for the council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA). Ms. Almazan maintains a private practice focusing on parent and student representation in special education matters, including least restrictive environment, and has extensive experience training families, teachers, school administrators, attorneys and advocates on legal issues related to special education law as well as disability discrimination issues. 

Joy F. Johnson:  a Behavior Specialist, Inclusion Specialist, and Autism Advocate who partners with organizations, individuals, and families to improve the lives of autistic people. Ms. Johnson has spent years working in clinical settings, non-profits, and schools, and is herself diagnosed with autism. She holds a Masters in education, a Masters in psychology with a specialization in ABA, and is currently a PhD candidate.

Cheryl Poe:  Director of Diversity Issues for the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint and founder of a special education advocacy organization that provides resources, information, and workshops to parents and professionals with a special focus on addressing needs of Black and Brown children and those from lower-socio economic status.

Dr. Delarious Stewart:  Manager of School Psychology in the District of Columbia Public Schools and provider of mental health counseling in private practice.  Dr. Stewart's long career has included, among other things, work in the media as Communications Director for the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus; 15 years work in Mississippi as a leader in school improvement; and academic and authoring popular articles on adolescent behavior, special education, teaching Black boys to read, school discipline and dyslexia.

Candace Strickland:  Adjunct professor at Montgomery College and former longtime itinerant resource teacher in special education for Montgomery County Public Schools (MD).