Welcome to the official website for the 2024 TASH Conference!
Each year, the TASH Conference brings together our constituents to share resources and success stories, learn about field-driven best practices, and network within a community engaged in shared values. The Conference is attended by passionate leaders, experts, and advocates from every corner of the disability community. Conference attendees are influential in their fields and communities, and play an important role in the provision of services and supports for individuals and organizations around the world; and include professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; self-advocates, adult service providers; students, family members, and many others. This year’s conference theme is Celebrate Together: Let the Good Times Roll!
Click on the "Registration and More" tab for additional information about our Conference location, registration, reserving a guest room, sponsorship and exhibitor opportunities, and more! The full Conference schedule is now available for viewing. Registered attendees will receive an invitation to log in and create a personalized schedule.
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This presentation will focus on practical methods researchers can use to include individuals with intellectual disability in qualitative research. This requires reconceptualizing the communication difference. Some challenges impede the inclusion of those individuals in qualitative research that mainly uses interviewing. For example, expected methodological issues and challenges include sampling, informed consent, and participant fatigue, as well as the quantity and quality/credibility of the data. Solutions to address these challenges will be discussed point by point. Additionally, strategies to facilitate hearing voices from participants with intellectual disabilities will be covered, including dyadic interviewing, visual/audio methods, and accessible focus groups. Finally, helpful tips for interviewing people with intellectual disabilities will be presented, focusing on building rapport and trust, effective questioning, triangulation, and interview scheduling.
Last year, I had the privilege of presenting with a group of students who had never seen inclusive practices, this year my university extended my grant funding to continue this line of research. Through university support, we are taking students on a study abroad trip to the Czech Republic, where inclusive opportunities are minimal. The purpose of this research is to allow undergraduate pre-service teachers to experience a variety of placement settings both in the United States and the Czech Republic. Additionally, data will be analyzed across two cohorts of students who are visiting inclusive placements for the first time. Pre-service teachers will complete a pre- and post- reflection on their experiences. Additionally students will record their initial reaction to a variety of placement sites to see differences and changes their perceptions during the semester. These video and written reflections will be analyzed qualitatively for themes.
