With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays it’s important to remember that a key event for student services and special educators will be taking place just two weeks into the coming new year. The 2010 Every Child Counts Symposium will be held in Monterey Jan. 13-15. The theme this year is "Thriving in a Changing World."
The ECC Symposium offers excellent keynote speakers, including special education and 504 issues consultant Julie Weatherly; Richard Lavoie, special education administrator; and comedian and musician Taylor Mason.
Weatherly is the owner of Resolutions in Special Education Inc. in Mobile, Ala., a consulting business designed to assist educational agencies in avoiding special education legal disputes.
For more than 23 years, Weatherly has consulted with and represented educational agencies across the country in their efforts to comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504. In June of 1996, she appeared on "60 Minutes" to discuss the cost of meeting the legal requirements of the IDEA.
Weatherly provides train-ing of school staff and parents, extended school year services and procedural safeguards and procedures. In 1998, she was honored by Georgia’s Council for Exceptional Children as the state’s Individual who had Contributed Most to Students with Disabilities.
Richard Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs since 1972. He holds three degrees in special education and has served as an adjunct professor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities, including Syracuse, Harvard and Georgetown.
He has made numerous national television appearances and serves as a consultant on learning disabilities to several agencies and organizations. He has delivered his message to more than 500,000 parents and advocacy organizations, including the Learning Disabilities Association, Council for Exceptional Children, and Children with Attention Deficit Disorder.
Comedian, musician, ventriloquist, entertainer and actor Taylor Mason is described as a throwback and an iconoclast, a popular "G" Rated comedian in an "X" Rated world. He can entertain the broad sensibilities of people from all walks of life and, at the same time, touches on the commonalities and issues that bind everyone as families, neighbors, friends, communities and a nation. He teaches, motivates and enlightens audiences even as he has them roaring with laughter.
The ECC Symposium will also offer a wealth of legal information in areas of public education that perhaps need it most. The very popular Legal Issues Panel is back, offering attendees an opportunity to submit written questions the panel will then address.
A new feature of the symposium is called "The Attorneys Are In!" Attendees will be able to sign up to meet with attorneys one-on-one to discuss legal issues pertaining to their districts. Attorneys from the Gutierrez Law Group; the Dalton Law Group; Lozano Smith; Miller Brown and Dannis; Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud and Romo; Best Best and Krieger; and Fagen Freidman and Fulfrost have all graciously agreed to meet with attendees.
These legal offerings alone could more than justify the cost of registration, as a legal consultation could actually cost more than the event. And there will also be an entire strand of sessions devoted to potential cost savings for districts, dubbed "Generating Dollars from Cents."
Together with these excellent offerings, there will be two-and-a-half days packed with sessions on just about every aspect of student services and special education, making this a "don’t miss" event for anyone working in this area of education.
For more information, contact Sue Periera at (800) 608-ACSA or speriera@acsa.org.
Those looking for lodging for the symposium should call the Monterey Marriott Hotel at (800) 266-9432 to make a reservation.