One Day Special Seminars

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Advanced Attorney Seminar: Is Rowley Dead or Dying?
This one day seminar is designed for attorneys who have participated in the Advanced Attorney Skills Pre-Conference Workshop. This seminar will focus on the standard for FAPE in light of IDEA 2004 and NCLB.   Participants will work together to develop effective litigation strategies that advance the interests of our clients. Current case law and evidentiary issues will be discussed. Participants will receive materials to review before the workshop.
Intended Audience: Open to experienced attorneys
Seminar Leaders: Michele Kule-Korgood, Esq. and Jonathan Zimring, Esq.
Limit: 25 participants

The Pragmatics of Post-Secondary Transition
Pragmatics of Transition is a practical look at the transition process aimed at advocates.  The first portion of the training will review the need for transition services for people with disabilities as well as the basic legal requirements for transition.  We review the domains of transition such as education, employment, recreation, and life skills.  The seminar will then spend time unpacking two of these domains – education and employment – exploring the types of options available as well as advocacy concerns.  The final section will look at incorporating goals for these areas into the IEP of the transitioning student.
Intended Audience: Open to all attendees
Seminar Leaders: Eileen Crumm, Ph.D., M.P.A., Nina Ghiselli, Psy.D., and Wendy Byrnes
Limit: 50 participants

Friday, March 6, 2009

Compensatory Education:  Getting Back to Even
Compensatory education is a vital remedy for students with disabilities who have been denied appropriate services over time.  This new advanced level all-day session for experienced attorneys will explore the law of compensatory education and types of compensatory education services available by circuit. Participants will work together to develop effective litigation strategies involving a wide range of potential types of compensatory education relief.  Current case law, evidentiary issues, and settlement strategies will be discussed as well. 
Intended Audience: Open to experienced attorneys
Seminar Leaders: Dawn Smith, Esq. and Jodi Siegel, Esq.
Limit: 40 participants

Conducting Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) and Designing Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs): Basic Elements and Effective Practices
When students exhibit challenging behavior, the result can be not only interference with learning, but also removal from the general education classroom and recommendation of a more restrictive placement.  A functional behavior assessment allows the team to develop a behavior intervention plan designed to (a) teach the student new skills and “replacement” behaviors, (b) rearrange the environment to eliminate the need for the student to resort to challenging behavior, and (c) prescribe emergency procedures to ensure safety and the de-escalation of dangerous behaviors. In this session, the presenters will explain how to conduct and write useful FBAs, design effective BIPs, write meaningful IEP goals, and evaluate the effectiveness of such plans. Possible suggestions for due process preparation will also be discussed.
Intended Audience: Open to all attendees
Seminar Leaders: Carol Quirk, M.Ed. and Kirsty MacIver, M.S.
Limit: 50 participants

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