FK: Friday Keynote: Taking a Dive Into Deep Culture: The Transformative Power of Indigenous Pedagogy,
presented by Martina Whelshula (bio)
Mother/Daughter cultural consultants and training duo, Dr. Martina and Cree Whelshula, have pulled their collective knowledge and experience together to pursue their passion for Native American cultural vitality and healing. Daughter Cree, a national Indigenous language/culture specialist, and mom Martina, a national consultant/trainer own a consultant business with a mission to offer unique and transformational experiences for Indigenous communities, and those who serve them, by providing innovative training and creative health and wellness content aligned with Indigenous values and worldview.
Cree Whelshula’s professional and educational experience is a unique blend of Tribal language/culture revitalization, early childhood education, and a passion for mental health. Cree feels her background as a language immersion teacher, early childhood teacher, college instructor, and program manager is invaluable in her work because she has first-hand experience working with young children and their families in various learning environments. Cree took her knowledge and experience to a national level, serving Tribes through the Administration of Native Americans - Native Language Community Coordination Center. As Training/Technical Assistance Director she provided specialized language training and technical assistance.
, Swan Innovations LP
For nearly a century Native American students have experienced the poorest educational outcomes in Washington state and nationally. These outcomes are deeply rooted in the hundreds of years of ongoing colonization; which includes the 150 years of public Indian education since the boarding school era. The emergence of neurobiology has shed light on what Indigenous people have always known; that culture is a protective factor and builds resilience in Indigenous children. This keynote presentation describes what deep culture is (beyond clothes, food, songs, etc.) and what happens in the brain and body when taught through a deep cultural context. Native American cultural values, practices and behaviors can enhance brain and epigenetic function which can supercharge learning experiences for all.
Age Group Addressed: All age groups
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
Conference attendees should be able to understand the underlying root causes of poor educational outcomes for Native American students.
Conference attendees should be able to describe ways in which culture is a protective factor for Native American students.
Conference attendees should be able to explain how deep culture can enhance brain and epigenetic function for Native American students.
FA1: Supporting Multicultural Parents of Youth with Developmental Disabilities,
presented by Rachel Nemhauser, The Arc of King County
Raising a child with a developmental disability is a unique experience, and oftentimes requires specialized support from community professionals. Please join Rachel Nemhauser from The Arc of King County, along with a multicultural panel of parents of children with disabilities, as they explore their experiences, both good and bad, and the supports they need.
Age Group Addressed: All age groups
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the emotions and feelings that parent experience while raising a child with an intellectual and developmental disability.
Participants will understand the impact of culture and language on the experience of parents, and on the support they need.
Participants will walk away with concrete strategies for more effectively supporting parents of children with developmental disabilities.
10:30 AM - 12:00 PM Friday - Morning Session
FA2: Lessons Learned About Caregiver Coaching and Telehealth,
presented by Jenn Black, A Step Ahead in Pierce County
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many early intervention practitioners to alter their service model from in-person direct provider to screen-based remote services. In this facilitated discussion participants will have the opportunity to discuss caregiver coaching strategies and implementation. Presenter Jenn Black will use audience experiences to exchange lessons learned, implementation challenges, strengths and strategies for the return of in-person services related to caregiver coaching (as described by Rush & Shelden, 2020) and telehealth.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3
Who Should Attend: Therapists, Home Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators, Teachers
Learning Objectives:
network with early intervention practitioners
participate in discussion about implementation of caregiver coaching practice via telehealth in response to pandemic
share challenges and strengths of caregiver coaching practice
generate ideas to maintain fidelity of caregiver coaching practice upon return to in-person service
This is an Intermediate session. Participants need to be early intervention practitioners during the pandemic (March 2020 to present)
FP1: The Transition Process: From Early Intervention Services to Age 3,
presented by Whitney Stohr (bio)
Whitney Stohr (she/her) JD/LLM, is the Leadership and Independent Living Program Manager at The Arc of Snohomish County, as well as a coalition leader, community activist, writer and speaker. She is a passionate advocate for medically complex children and children with disabilities and their families and is a leader in advocacy around caregiving policy. Through her work, she seeks to engage and empower family caregivers to speak up and share their stories. She is a "Medical Mom" and family caregiver herself, who lives in Lynnwood with her husband Jason, four-year-old son Malachi, and their two dogs.
, The Arc of Snohomish County, with Vanessa Allen (bio)
Vanessa Allen, Family Engagement Coordinator on the Early Support for Infants and Toddlers Program (ESIT). She runs the Parent Institute for Engagement (PIE) Program where she coordinates opportunities and trainings that support the interests and personal development for parents of families that have received Birth to Three Services. She mentors and encourages parents to become strong leaders for their children, families and within their communities.
She is actively involved in the disability community —parent, speaker, and advocate. She is a mom of three children, one who was blessed with Down Syndrome. You can follow Ezra’s journey on Instagram @downwithezra.
Darci is the Spokane County Informing Families Coordinator and most importantly Zoe's mom. Zoe is 19 and experiences developmental disabilities. Zoe participated in and benefited from Part C services and is now receiving Part B services.
Michelle Williams has been the Parent to Parent and Parent Coalition Coordinator in Kittitas County since 2005. Her adult son Gerik, who has epilepsy and autism, is the reason she is so passionate about helping families navigate disability services for their loved ones. She has lived in Kittitas County since 1985, having moved there to complete her degree in Business Administration from Central Washington University. Along with her husband Rolf, she helps run the family business, Jerrol's, and was honored to receive the 2019 Governor's Committee on Disability Issues and Employment Small Private Employer of the year award.
, Kittitas County Parent to Parent
For the parents and families of children receiving Early Intervention, the months leading up to a child’s third birthday can be filled with anxiety and confusion about what comes next. The transition process from Early Intervention is often misunderstood by families. This can lead to feelings of powerlessness, frustration, or lack of engagement in the process. However, family participation in transition is crucial if we are to create a transition plan that best meets the needs of the child. This presentation will provide families and caregivers with the information they need to better understand the purpose and timeline of transition and why their involvement in the process is so important.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 3, Adults
Who Should Attend: Home Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators, Interested Professionals, Students, Parents, Foster Parents, Relative Care Givers, Administrators, Therapists
Learning Objectives:
Provide a timeline of events for parents/families leading up to and through transition from Early Intervention services
Define key terms and explain the various steps of the transition process, such as Transition Conference, Transition Plan, IEP Evaluation, etc.
Explain the important role of parents/families in the transition process
Provide parents/families with the background information they need to feel more confident and prepared to engage in the transition process
Share the family perspective with FRCs and Early Intervention/School District providers so that they may better support parents/families in the months leading up to transition
FP2: A Collaborative Approach-Supporting Limited-English Families: Care Teams, Families, & Interpreters,
presented by Sarina Murrell (bio)
Sarina Murrell is a multilingual medical speech-language pathologist with 15+ years as an educator and 10+ years’ in the field of speech-language pathology, working in medical operations for cleft-lip/palate, children’s hospitals in NICU/PICU and outpatient feeding clinics, autism centers, home-based early intervention and public schools across the US, Ecuador, and China. Sarina is the founder and director of The Airplane Spoon - a private practice for babies, children, and parents in feeding, communication, and coaching.
, The Airplane Spoon
Effective communication between different languages naturally presents inherent challenges. This is even more true when supporting children who come from other home languages/limited-English families. Collaboration between the child, family, other members of the care/education team, and interpreters is critical. This course will provide insight to best practices for equitable services for all individuals (regardless of home language), how to best collaborate with families (directly and with interpreters), and how to educate ourselves on linguistic and cultural biases and differences to better inform our professional and individual approach to language diversity.
Age Group Addressed: All age groups
Who Should Attend: All
Learning Objectives:
-Explain the various components (quantity, dialect vs accent, cultural implications, etc.) related to our world’s and the US’ language profiles
-Self-evaluate biases & attitudes towards language differences
-Develop a plan to collaborate more effectively with interpreters and families
