#AdvoCon2019 – Call for Proposals

BCEdAccess 2019 Annual Conference March 29th and 30th

BCEdAccess Society, as an organization of parents, guardians and allies, supports the rights of children and youth with disabilities and complex learners to achieve equitable access to a quality education in accordance with international human rights law, and full inclusion and participation in their schools and communities.

Our 4th annual parent advocacy education conference will take place March 29th and 30th, 2019, in the lower mainland of BC. This event will gather families and allies of students with disabilities and complex learners to continue our conversations, learn strategies and seek solutions to achieving equitable access to education in BC.

Sponsorships and exhibitor tables available! 

As an exhibitor and/or sponsor you can reach:

• 1600+ members of our ‘secret’ Facebook group (members and topics are very active)
• 2000+ subscribers of our public Facebook page
• 300+ subscribers of our mailing list
• 3000+ followers of our blog & website
• 100+ participants who attend our conference every year

Interested?

Contact us 

Call for Proposals – Advocacy: Access to Education

This conference is an opportunity to inspire and educate parents and guardians as leaders in their communities and to drive progress by sharing information and resources, and connecting with other advocates and activists striving for inclusion and equity in education, and creating a larger community seeking to advance rights for children and youth.

**Update** We are mainly seeking workshops for Friday, March 29th and 5 minute speakers for the Friday evening Struck by Inclusion event now. Please fill out the form below and add any questions you may have!

Possible session types may include:

• Workshops: 60 minutes interactive, participatory, planned to integrate participants as much as possible
• Transformational talk/presentations: 4-5 minute structured Lightning Talk presentations (may be filmed and shared on social media) – think inspiration on inclusion, presented in any format – speaking, singing, art, dance – be creative!
• 4-5 minute talks by self-advocates on their experiences in the education system
• 20 minute TED-style talks (may be filmed and shared on social media)
• 60 minute Online workshop/webinar: interactive, participatory workshop
• Student panel: Seeking self-advocate students with disabilities willing to participate in a Q&A style panel, and a self-advocate or other facilitator willing to work with students to assist them in preparing and to ask questions and facilitate conversation at the conference

We invite proposals for workshops and presentations (see session types above) from self-advocates, parents and guardians, and other experts, around some of the themes identified by our membership. We also welcome other ideas fitting to the them of Equitable Access To Education, or to our mission as a whole:

• What IS working? How are schools/districts innovating to move inclusion forward?
• What does effective inclusion look like? Perspectives and case studies for parents and educators, tangible examples of programs from around BC
• Behaviour is communication – how to help schools and districts understand aggression and what it really means coming from a child
• EAs and other supports – what can I ask for to support my child’s right to equitable access to education?
• Starting an
• How to communicate productively within potentially adversarial relationships
• Advocating for Indigenous students with disabilities
• School Act, Hewko, Moore and more – legal underpinnings of inclusive education
• Mental Health
• Exclusion – what’s happening in BC and around the world, and what we can do about it
• Advocating for LGBTQ2S+ students with disabilities
• Who is who and what are they supposed to do – in schools, at the District, at the Ministry of Education, and other Ministries and agencies – how do the systems connect?
• Transitions through the years (home to preschool, preschool to K, etc.)
• Working through school refusal
• Media training
• From the school level to Section 11 and the Human Rights Tribunal – how to escalate if you can’t get what you need at the school level

We are interested in presentations that:

• Use inclusive language
• Make every attempt to address students with disabilities and complex learners within an intersectional context (First Nations and Indigenous communities, LGBTQ2S, etc)
• Promote evidence-based practices
• Promote the advocacy and issues common to families served by BCEdAccess
• Do not engage in promotion of products or services within the presentation (there are opportunities to book a table outside the presentation space for this purpose if you wish)

Please submit your workshop or presentation proposal by filling out this form:

If you have questions about this call for proposals, please contact Tracy Humphreys, bcedaccess@gmail.com 250-858-5165

Deadline for Proposal Submissions: February 1st, 2019

Deadline for electronic submission of presentation materials: March 7th, 2019