ABSTRACT. Employment is a key pathway to inclusion and independence for adults with disabilities. Supported employment (SE), developed in the 1980s, and customized employment (CE), emerging more recently. Both services promote competitive integrated employment but differ in foundations, processes, and policy contexts. This presentation reports findings from a systematic review comparing SE and CE across four domains: (1) theoretical principles, (2) intervention processes, (3) employment outcomes, and (4) policy factors. Findings clarify distinctions and overlaps, highlight gaps, and inform strategies to strengthen pathways toward integrated employment, advancing both policy and practice for individuals with disabilities.

ABSTRACT. Climate change and Extreme Weather Events as triggers for forcing millions to leave their homes and habitation is an alarming reality in every continent. Climate refugees as an official category of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) is yet to be recognized by the States. Among this category of IDPs the Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) are most vulnerable. This paper is a humble attempt to share field experiences as gathered through interactions with differently abled persons among the climate migrants located in South Asia to understand how inclusive climate resilient plans and early warning mechanisms should be developed in near future.

ABSTRACT. This presentation explores how evidence-based practices (EBPs) and transition predictors can be strategically implemented to improve academic achievement and post-school outcomes for students with disabilities. Grounded in current research, we will highlight high-leverage instructional strategies, such as explicit instruction, self-determination skill-building, and technology-assisted learning. Also, we will review predictors for post-school success such as inclusion in general education, work-based learning experiences, and family engagement.

Participants will gain insight into how these practices intersect to create equitable, future-focused pathways. Case examples will illustrate how schools can integrate EBPs into transition planning, ensuring alignment with students’ strengths, preferences, and career goals.

ABSTRACT. The Inclusive Education Roadmap (IER) is a structured, evidence-based implementation package developed by the TIES Center for inclusive education systems change. Based on implementation science, the IER achieves reform through a collaborative local action planning process responsive to a location’s priorities and current initiatives. This presentation explores the IER’s foundational assumptions (e.g., decentralized authority, teacher roles), its ongoing adaptation in Malaysia, and valuable perspective from African scholars regarding its underlying models. We discuss how the IER’s contextually sensitive process holds significant promise, offering a practical framework for other countries seeking to cultivate inclusive futures aligned with their unique national context.

ABSTRACT. Studies on nursing education indicate an overemphasis on developing students’ technical competence, which undermines the cultivation of core humanistic values. This study explores the infusion of the Gross National Happiness (GNH) values as pedagogical tools in nursing education, particularly in the first-year nursing class, focusing on GNH values and four immeasurable qualities with the Constructive Alignment (CA). The research draws on lesson plans, lecturer reflections, students’ log books, and viva scores to assess the GNH-inspired pedagogical relevance and practicality. The study highlights that innovative integration of GNH into teaching practice can foster technical competence and instill humanistic values in students.

ABSTRACT. This initiative focuses on empowering youth with special needs through a sustainable, inclusive curriculum that integrates teacher training, assistive technology, and creative art. By equipping educators with the right tools and sensitization strategies, the program enhances skill development and opens pathways for meaningful job opportunities. The curriculum promotes independence, creativity, and emotional well-being. Assistive technologies are embedded to support diverse learning needs, ensuring accessibility and growth. This holistic approach fosters long-term impact by building a skilled, empathetic community that supports inclusion and empowerment, making education a powerful catalyst for lifelong transformation and societal change.

ABSTRACT. This presentation highlights practical strategies for promoting inclusion of children with Autism in both educational and community settings. Drawing from experiences at Mountain of Joy Foundation, it showcases how structured learning, play, and social activities can be adapted to support meaningful participation. The focus is on creating environments where children with Autism feel valued, capable, and connected. By sharing successes and challenges, this session aims to inspire educators, caregivers, and community members to embrace inclusive practices that nurture the potential of every child.

ABSTRACT. This interactive workshop introduces the Family Alignment & Collaboration System (FACS), an adaptive approach for establishing continuity between home, school, and community for neurodivergent learners. Participants will review a customizable, research-informed resource addressing high-leverage domains; family priorities and goals, student motivators, instructional supports, communication methods, sensory preferences, self-help skills, and behavior strategies. Through guided role-play, participants will practice using parent-friendly language to co-develop supports with families and exchange peer feedback. By session’s end, educators will leave with a practical resource and replicable process for initiating family–teacher alignment that supports all diverse learners.

ABSTRACT. This workshop will explore the current teacher practice/belief of the importance of teaching multiple strategies to improve reading comprehension. This is especially true for struggling readers and students with disabilities. In this workshop, we will constructively explore and understand the role of strategies, but also factors and skills that are equally, if not more beneficial, to improving reading comprehension. These other skills are largely ignored or abandoned in favor of strategy learning. Participants will have the opportunity to understand these factors/skills and collectively plan for incorporating them into their daily teaching routines.

ABSTRACT. Although identified as a critical factor for educational outcomes, limited evidence exists regarding the role of collective teacher efficacy (CTE) in the context of inclusive education. Following PRISAM guidelines, this systematic review fills this gap and identifies the correlates of CTE. Continuous professional development, supportive school culture, and effective leadership contribute to the development of strong CTE beliefs. CTE fosters positive attitudes, effective teaching practices, collaborative work culture, and collective commitment towards students with disabilities. These findings underscore the transformative potential of CTE in school reforms, and provide evidence-based insights to education stakeholders invested in advancing inclusive school cultures.

ABSTRACT. This panel will examine the critical role of systematic instruction strategies—task analytic instruction, system of least prompts, and constant time delay—in supporting students with extensive support needs to access grade-aligned ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies. Panelists will share research evidence, classroom applications, and lessons learned from implementing scripted curricula and teacher-led adaptations. By highlighting both study findings and practitioner experiences, the session will explore how embedding systematic instruction into curricular materials can promote fidelity, teacher professional development, and equity of access. Participants will gain practical insights into scaling these strategies to strengthen outcomes across multiple academic domains.

ABSTRACT. Disability affects not only the individual concerned, but also indirectly affects family members and caregivers. School-to-work transition is a major concern for families. The social stigmas while bringing them into inclusive set ups create obstacles for social inclusion. A hope for families and caregivers to cope with the impact of disability, providing emotional support to enhance well-being and ability to support their child. Effective solutions and action plans for rehabilitation, employment, livelihood and respectful living for the special needs individual by believing in ‘be the change you want to see in others’.

ABSTRACT. Although some research has explored the stress faced by parents of children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) (Ilchena et al., 2023), little is known about fathers' specific experiences. To address this, we collected qualitative data with men raising children with FASD (n=8) from across Canada. Their insights offer a deeper understanding of the unique challenges and strengths fathers face in caring for and advocating for their children. By highlighting their unique roles, we seek to inform educators and service providers so that the needs and contributions of all family members affected by FASD are acknowledged and better supported.

ABSTRACT. The INSPiRE project presents a novel theoretical framework addressing teacher preparedness at the intersection of inclusive education and rural/remote (RnR) contexts. Through a rapid scoping review and systematic analysis of policy documents, this research revealed significant gaps in conceptualising preparedness for RnR inclusive settings. Employing thematic analysis across traditionally siloed fields, the study identified contradictions, unsupported directives, and previously unrecognised preparedness dimensions. This test-of-concept presentation contributes an innovative, holistic framework that integrates inclusive education principles with rural/remote realities, providing foundations for future empirical research and informing teacher education programs supporting educators in geographically and socially complex contexts.

ABSTRACT. In Malawi t/l resources are limited and class sizes large. Significant numbers of students with SEN do not receive the assistance needed to achieve success resulting in failure then dropping out. There are also few opportunities for rural youth, especially with SEN to access vocational training.

Programs initiated:- Homework Centre Program - secondary school students volunteer, are trained as Peer Educators and 3 afternoons a week tutor primary students needing assistance. Student Scholarship Program - enabling vulnerable children to complete primary and secondary school. Inclusive Vocational College providing access to courses in Professional Cookery. Tailoring, Housekeeping and Carpentry.

ABSTRACT. An inclusive educational environment is one in which every learner possesses both the opportunity and the capacity for self-advocacy. The Self-Advocacy Programme promotes such inclusion by ensuring equitable access to assistive technologies, fostering awareness of their effective use, and empowering students to advocate for their own learning needs. This presentation examines two inclusive international schools in Singapore implementing the programme through systematic integration of assistive technology and professional development for staff and students. It also explores factors contributing to the programme’s success and ongoing challenges, proposing this model as a replicable framework for advancing inclusion in diverse educational contexts

ABSTRACT. Transition-aged youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (TAY-IDD) often lose opportunities for self-determination and legal rights to make decisions as they reach adulthood. Supported decision-making (SDM) provides a solution by allowing trusted supporters to help TAY-IDD make informed choices. Currently, few SDM tools are accessible to racially and culturally diverse families. The purpose of this project was to identify, through focus groups with TAY-IDD, parents, and educators, types of decisions important to TAY-IDD, how they are currently made, and the supports needed to use SDM. We will present culturally responsive modifications to existing SDM models based on the findings.

ABSTRACT. This interactive session invites participants to explore how evidence-based practices (EBPs) and transition predictors can be woven into meaningful strategies that support students with disabilities. Through guided discussion, we’ll examine high-leverage instructional approaches—explicit instruction, self-determination skill-building, and technology integration—and their impact on academic and post-school success. Together, we’ll unpack predictors like inclusive education, work-based learning, and family engagement. Case examples will spark dialogue on aligning transition planning with students’ strengths and goals. Participants will leave with actionable insights shaped by collaborative conversation and shared experiences, fostering equitable, future-focused pathways for all learners.

ABSTRACT. When we engage in creative opportunities with each other, we actively live inclusion. Moving beyond words, we find ways through mark making, exploring materials and making art together to create connection, belonging and understanding. Creative methods of expression offer the opportunity to listen differently and hear the authentic person thereby countering societal assumptions around disability.

This poster will share how a group of post secondary students, faculty and community members created an art drop in space that allowed for everyone to participate, make personal and collective choices, explore thoughts and feelings, and create meaningful community connections through art making.

ABSTRACT. Over the past two decades, the effort to support students in improving their mathematics performance has mainly focused on identifying Evidence-Based Practices (EBPs). While EBPs have shown effectiveness in controlled settings, their impact diminishes in real-world settings due to a lack of implementation fidelity — the degree to which programs are delivered as intended. The present research aims to address the gaps in rural mathematics intervention fidelity research by exploring how rural context factors influence the implementation of mathematics intervention, examining the current fidelity support systems, and understanding the current state of implementation fidelity.

ABSTRACT. Developing independence in daily living skills is a critical component of preparing adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for adulthood. This session examines evidence-based instructional methods—including task analysis, video modeling, and reinforcement strategies—to teach self-care, money management, and community participation. Through real-world examples, participants will gain insights into scaffolding supports that promote autonomy while respecting individual strengths and needs. Special attention will be given to collaboration with families, transition planning, and culturally responsive practices. Attendees will acquire practical tools to design and implement skill-building interventions that enhance quality of life and long-term outcomes for adolescents with ASD.

ABSTRACT. This session will provide practical strategies for integrating speech-generating devices (SGDs) into daily routines for students with autism. Participants will learn how to model functional communication, and create natural opportunities for students to use SGDs across classroom and community settings. Case examples will highlight how teachers and therapists can collaborate to promote requesting, commenting, and social interaction through device use. Emphasis will be placed on fostering independence, reducing frustration, and encouraging peer engagement.

ABSTRACT. This project highlights accessibility measures developed for "Alpha", a student production from Trinidad and Tobago, staged at the Toronto Fringe Festival (2025). It piloted layered narrative access supports, including text-based tools, narrative mapping aids, and contextual supports designed to address disability, cultural, and linguistic inclusion. Grounded in principles of universal design, these measures provided multiple means of engagement and representation, demonstrating how access-centred design can cultivate inclusive futures in live theatre. As a low-tech, cost-effective, and replicable model for developing regions, this project illustrates how inclusive practices in theatre can foster equitable participation in storytelling and cultural spaces.

ABSTRACT. In the United States, General Education, School Counseling, and Special Education professionals have shared responsibilities for preparing all students, including students with disabilities, for adult life. Often-occurring systemic barriers (e.g., time, money, scheduling) tend to lead to siloed and duplicative efforts, that still leaves gaps needing to be addressed to prepare students for adult life. To address these barriers, we have engaged in collaborative design (i.e., co-design) with interdisciplinary professionals to engage in bottom-up and top-down approaches to enact meaningful, feasible change within a large, urban school district. We share results and reflections from 2 years of co-design.

ABSTRACT. Early intervention is critical for promoting developmental outcomes and inclusive opportunities for children with disabilities, yet barriers vary widely across countries. This poster examines international perspectives on obstacles to early intervention, including systemic, cultural, and policy-related challenges, and highlights strategies and policies implemented to support inclusion. Attendees will be invited to contribute their perspectives via a QR code, allowing ongoing data collection to inform current trends and future IASE events such as the dialogues. Drawing on current literature, the poster aims to foster dialogue, identify best practices, and support global efforts toward equitable, inclusive education for all children.

ABSTRACT. This study investigated future planning among 9th— and 10th-grade students living with mild intellectual disabilities in Hungary. The students and their special educators completed questionnaires to understand the realistic and unrealistic aspects of the plans. Many features of the plans set by students were less well-founded than expected. Special educators had difficulties answering many questions about their students’ potential future, indicating a need for education in this area. Results highlight the importance of incorporating future planning into education and treatment sessions, creating "teaching moments" when the opportunity and need arise, thereby facilitating the successful inclusion of these students into society.