Symbia Barnaby is a Healthcare Advocacy Team Co-Lead and Karissa Crawley is an Education Advocacy Co-Lead at Moms Against Racism Canada. They will talk about intersectionality, inclusion and impact. We hope you will be able to make it to see them speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – Facebook group members receive a good discounted rate and the first 100 purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Moms Against Racism Canada was created in 2020 as a safe, brave space for Moms, and those in mothering roles, to root out racist biases and learn how to raise anti-racist children.
We are inclusive to all “mother individuals” whether by birthing, biological, adoption, foster, surrogate, non-binary, two-spirited, LGBTQI+, godmothers, grandmothers, aunts, primary caregivers, educators, and all others who feel the term “mothering” describes their roles.
With compassion and bravery, we are committed to identifying and dismantling racism as we encounter it.
Presentation: Disability and Race: Intersectionality, Inclusion and Impact
This is the beginning of a series of conversations BCEdAccess will host through the next school year about our hopes and dreams for inclusive education. We hope you will be able to make it to join in the first part at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual conference held September 22 to 26 online, with recordings available if you’re a ticket holder and can’t make all ‘live’ sessions.
Tickets on Eventbrite now – members of the BCEdAccess Facebook groups receive a significant discount, and the first 100 tickets purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
“So often we create only from what we know. Let’s go beyond that and envision a school system that reflects our dreams -. a welcoming, safe and truly inclusive environment where everyone feels like they belong.” – Tracy Humphreys, Executive Director, BCEdAccess
Tracy has ADHD and is a parent to three amazing children with disabilities. An entrepreneur in her business life, she has also been an active volunteer in BC schools for over 20 years and was awarded the 2019 Victoria Community Leadership Award in Lifelong Learning for her work as the founder and chair of the BCEdAccess Society, advocating for equitable access to education for children and youth with disabilities.
Workshop: Dreaming Big About Education
What could an ideal education system look like? Let’s brainstorm together and imagine some ways we can include everyone from the start.
This will be the first session in a series of conversations through the 2021/22 school year, talking together about how to make education better.
What are some components of an inclusive and welcoming education system? What is working well right now? What are other jurisdictions doing that we would like to see in BC? What is essential for a system to work for all students across all identies?
Connect with Tracy and BCEdAccess on social media:
@BCEdAccess
@TracyCareQ
Read all the details about our conference here, and remember to share!
Lindsay Waddell is a Partner at Moore Edgar Lyster LLP and she will present about human rights and the law, things you should be aware of for your advocacy. We hope you will be able to make it to see her speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – members of the BCEdAccess Facebook groups receive a significant discount, and the first 100 tickets purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Lindsay (she/her) is a partner at Moore Edgar Lyster LLP where she practices human rights, labour, administrative, constitutional and professional regulatory law. She acts for individuals, public and private sector unions and professional regulators on a wide variety of matters. Among other things, Lindsay and her firm often act for families of children with disabilities in human rights cases against school districts.
Lindsay has extensive experience and particular interest in judicial reviews and appeals involving complex human rights, administrative law and freedom of expression issues. She is an experienced litigator who has appeared as counsel at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada, and in all manner of administrative tribunals. In addition to her litigation work, Lindsay also conducts independent investigations for institutional clients.
Lindsay is a respected leader in her field and is frequently asked to teach and present to audiences on a wide range of subjects including human rights, labour law, advocacy and ethical issues. She has volunteered extensively in the non-profit sector, including as a Board Member for West Coast LEAF and Family Services of Greater Vancouver, and now devotes much of her time to volunteering within the legal profession.
Among other things, Lindsay is Co-Chair of CLE BC’s annual Human Rights Conference and Co-Chair of the Human Rights Subsection of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association.
She is also a regular panelist for Lancaster House and teaches annually at the Canadian Labour Congress Winter School.
As a leading member of the bar, Lindsay enjoys mentoring as many young lawyers as her time permits. Outside of work, she can be found mountain biking and downhill skiing, usually in pursuit of her partner and their three young children.
Presentation: Human Rights and Your Child
Attendees will gain an understanding of the legal framework used to determine when accommodation of disability is required by law
Attendees will gain an understanding of the benefits and drawbacks of using the human rights system to advance the rights of children with disabilities
Attendees will learn about alternatives to advancing their child’s rights through the human rights system
Attendees will gain practical tips to assist them in advancing their child’s human rights
Jo-Anne Gauthier is the President of the BC People First Society and she will lead a panel of adult and youth self-advocates who will talk about the importance of self-advocacy. We hope to have children and youth as well as adults participating in this important conversation so bring your kids, and if you are a self-advocate we want your voice, here and at all the conference sessions! Come see the panel at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – Facebook group members receive a good discounted rate and the first 100 purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Jo-Anne Gauthier has been advocating for inclusion and accessibility rights for people in BC for over 20 years. She is the current President of BC People First, a provincial organization run BY self-advocates FOR self-advocates. As President, Jo-Anne is an integral part of the BCPF Advocacy, Fundraising, and Plain Language Committees – she is a tireless volunteer who leads by example and always prioritizes kindness. She has also worked on community projects for PosAbilities, Inclusion BC, and the UBC Centre for Inclusion & Citizenship. Jo-Anne spends her free time enjoying life on the south coast with her husband, getting outdoors to enjoy nature, and travelling as much as possible.
Panel:
This panel will include youth and adult self-advocates sharing their experiences in the education system and outside of it
You will learn:
-self-advocacy skills
-advocacy work advice
-how to make space for your child/youth/adult’s self-advocacy as a parent
This will be Wiyé.nox/Luke Dandurand’s fifth time presenting at our conference! We always learn so much from his workshop and we hope you will be able to make it to see him speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual conference held September 22 to 26 online, with recordings available if you’re a ticket holder and can’t make all ‘live’ sessions.
Tickets on Eventbrite now – members of the BCEdAccess Facebook groups receive a significant discount, and the first 100 tickets purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
“Part of my goal and what I currently do for work full time is let people know about the success, pride and passion of my Kwantlen family and what has been accomplished through our community.”
Wiyé.nox/Luke Dandurand
Wiyé.nox ‐ the man of sound. A name earned and gifted from the Elders of Kwantlen First Nation and his hereditary chief Marilyn Gabriel, for his extensive background in music and capabilities of public speaking. Part of my goal and what I currently do for work full time is let people know about the success, pride and passion of my Kwantlen family and what has been accomplished through our community.
Workshop: The Kwantlen 7 Laws
You will learn:
Strength, resiliency, and working together.
In the largest middle school in the province of British Columbia, Yorkson Creek Middle School has found a way by working together through goals through the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language in finding one heart and one mind. Connecting community, the outdoors, oral traditions and finding our allies and advocates. Students strive to find moments of silence during their week even when distractions, sounds and noise are easy to come across with over 1,200 people in the building on a daily basis. With the understanding that Aboriginal teachings outdoors in a circle by the water and the trees is just as valuable and equal from the books or technology that helps shapes their lives. This idea is one that is simple, but the most profound when they take the moment to sit down and listen to what mother nature and the First Nations teachings have to say. Participants will also take part in an activity that involves the power of silence and resiliency.
Connect with Luke on social media:
@LukeNative
Read all the details about our conference here, and remember to share!
Andree Gacoin is the Director of Research for the BC Teachers Federation. She’ll be sharing information on how classroom teachers make use of different kinds of assessments to support students. We hope you will be able to make it to see her speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – Facebook group members receive a good discounted rate and the first 100 purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Director of Research, BC Teachers Federation – She/Her
Dr. Andrée Gacoin is Director of the Division of Information, Research and International Solidarity at the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation. Her research focuses on developing a unique, in-depth and contextualized exploration of education in BC from the perspective of teachers. She has a wide range of experience leading educational research and program activities in diverse communities, including work in Gabon and South Africa. Her work foregrounds research as advocacy to uphold and strengthen an inclusive public education system.
Workshop: A classroom perspective on assessment
You’ll learn:
Understand the purpose of classroom assessment
Understand the different forms of classroom assessment that teachers use
Understand how teachers use assessment to better understand student needs
Understand the purpose of “large scale assessments” and the context of these texts in BC
Will have Q and A
You can follow the BC Teachers Federation on Twitter and Facebook @BCTF
Karla Verschoor is the Executive Director of Inclusion BC, an organization of which BCEdAccess is proud to be a member. She will be discussing and sharing the film series they created with the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship to raise awareness about the exclusion of students with developmental disabilities and to offer key information and possible pathways to success for students, families, and schools. We hope you will be able to make it to see her speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – members of the BCEdAccess Facebook groups receive a significant discount, and the first 100 tickets purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Karla Verschoor has been with Inclusion BC since 2006, when she joined the organization as a volunteer coordinator. Over the years, Karla has worked in various leadership roles as an advocate, strategic planner and now as Executive Director. Karla has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta where she studied Political Science and Government and a Certificate in Dialogue and Civic Engagement from Simon Fraser University. Karla lives in Vancouver with her husband and daughter. When she’s not working Karla enjoys volunteering at her daughter’s school and with her local neighbourhood house.
Presentation: Sunday Keynote – Film Series Disrupting Misconceptions and Forging Pathways for Students with Developmental Disabilities
Inclusion BC and the Canadian Institute for Inclusion and Citizenship are proud to share a series of four films on inclusive education. Centred on the voices of students, educators and families, the films explore how we can make our schools inclusive and welcoming of all learners.
Brittany Mathews is the Research and Reconciliation Coordinator for the First Nations Caring Society and will share information on how the FNCS has advocated for legal rights in education for First Nations children and youth. We hope you will be able to make it to see her speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – Facebook group members receive a good discounted rate and the first 100 purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Brittany (she/her) is Michif and a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta. Her family more recently comes from St. Paul, Alberta with ancestry from St. Francois Xavier, Manitoba. She grew up in the Bow Valley of Alberta and moved to Ottawa to pursue an undergraduate degree at the University of Ottawa. Brittany is passionate about the role kinship and family plays in the empowerment of Indigenous women and communities. She is dedicated to elevating the stories and contemporary realities of Indigenous peoples through community organizing and creative outlets.
Presentation: Jordan’s Principle: Putting Children First
Learn about the past in the spirit of reconciliation.
Link Jordan’s Principle to substantive equality and child rights.
Learn about the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal orders and their impact on Jordan’s Principle.
Will have Q and A
You can follow the First Nations Caring Society on Twitter @CaringSociety
Suzanne Perreault has delivered this popular presentation at every one of our conferences so far. Her IEP presentation is a can’t-miss opportunity with much needed information! We hope you will be able to make it to see her speak at AdvoCon2021, our 7th annual education advocacy conference held September 22nd to 26th online!
Tickets on Eventbrite now – Facebook group members receive a good discounted rate and the first 100 purchased receive a care package delivered to their house!
Suzanne is a mother of 3 and a Langley School District Trustee. She is also the former Administrator of a Private Vocational School, and has worked as an SEA and a TEDx Talk speaker. She currently works as a Youth & Woman’s Counsellor in Langley, British Columbia, is a public speaker and the recent President of the Langley DPAC for 3 consecutive years. She has been attending to various committee’s such as SD35’s Inclusive Education working committee, Emergency Preparedness and has been nominated for both the Fraser Valley Diversity Award & BC Excellence in Autism Awards. She has successfully worked alongside educators & parents creating positive changes in school climate as well as parent engagement based on focusing on the communication process as it interfaces with the journey having a child with needs. She has advised and worked on committees with the BCCPAC, the BCEdAcess Task Force and other agencies to help promote educational change in areas of Inclusion, wellness, leadership, motivation and parent engagement. Her primary focus is the success of the student by virtue of bridging educators and parents.
Workshop: IEPS – What You Need To Know
You will learn:
-The IEP Planning Cycle
-The importance of language
-Advocacy and IEPs
Suzanne is on Twitter @DecisionTree007
Read all the details about our conference here, more information is being added every day!
AdvoCon is volunteer driven and is for everyone—self advocates, parents/guardians, educators, administrators and supporters of inclusion. BCEdAccess is proud to be providing captioning, ASL interpretation and Active Listeners during every presentation and workshop.
From September 22nd to 26th, 2021, over 150 attendees from around BC will gather virtually for our seventh annual, and second fully virtual education advocacy conference. The conference will feature BC speakers with a passion for activism and educational equity, including presentations by the First Nations Caring Society on Jordan’s Principle and Lindsay Waddell on human rights for children and youth in education. In addition to accessing the livestream, during which attendees can engage with presenters in real time, ticket holders will also be able to view recordings of the conference after the live streams have ended.
AdvoCon is always well-attended by parents and guardians, self-advocates, teachers, school trustees, educational assistants, psychologists, principals, inclusion agency representatives, and other professionals. Why? AdvoCon provides attendees with opportunities to learn practical information, earn professional development credits, and interact and network with peers, mentors, and sponsors.
As a non-profit organization led by volunteers, we look to the community to support our annual advocacy conference. AdvoCon is a great opportunity for businesses and organizations to reach our audience and let them know that you share their values. Our membership and follower base has grown significantly over the past few years, we’re reaching more people now than ever:
The private BCEdAccess Facebook group has over 3,700 members and is very active with upwards of 10 posts per day, all of which receive significant engagement
We have a significant amount of followers on social media with over 4,000 followers on Facebook and 2,500 followers on Twitter
Our mailing list reaches over 1,000 subscribers
On average, our blog posts have 3,000 visitors within 24 hours of being published
Last year’s virtual AdvoCon had 170 attendees and we are expecting higher numbers at our 2021 conference due to our increased remote events throughout this past year
We welcome financial and in-kind contributions from like-minded and supportive organizations.This year we have expanded our sponsorship options to include a Supporter tier beginning at $100.00 and Program Sponsor tiers for sponsoring specific accessibility services including Captioning and ASL Interpretation. Additionally, the benefits included in each tier have been updated from the previous years’ sponsorship packages. Check out our 2021 Sponsorship Package here and learn more about the benefits of each opportunity, or reach out to us at development@bcedaccess.com to ask questions and discuss your options.
If you are an individual interested in supporting AdvoCon, here are some additional ways to show your support:
Do you know a local organization or have connections with a business in your community that may be interested in supporting AdvoCon? Have them take a look at our sponsorship information here or contact us at development@bcedaccess.com for more information.
We are always thrilled to accept donations from individuals. If you are interested in supporting this event, you can donate here and please be sure to select AdvoCon on the form to direct your donation towards the event.
2021 has been a pivotal year for our organization as we have recently been granted Charitable Status by the CRA. Charitable tax receipts will be issued to the name and email provided in the sponsorship agreement or at the donation link. BCEdAccess is proud to be a registered charity.
