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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Many autistic adults express dissatisfaction with their K-12 school experiences and face social rejection more often than their non-autistic peers. However, autistic youth’s voices are rarely included in educational research or policy-making. In this study, we examined autistic people’s perceptions of ableism in American K-12 school systems through interviews with 19 autistic adolescents and adults in a qualitative, community-participatory study. We found seven major themes in these interviews: Erasure Conformity Isolation Oppression Hidden curriculum Misaligned school priorities Authority Our research highlights the systemic barriers autistic people face in educational settings that either go unnoticed or are intentionally ignored. We examine the impact of said barriers on outcomes and experiences that extend beyond the classroom. Specifically, we examine these themes’ negative impacts on identity formation, self-advocacy, and self-acceptance for autistic student
Traditionally, AAC researchers have defined topics for investigation. However, it is important to include AAC users in research to ensure that it addresses their needs and priorities and that it results in increased awareness and uptake to improve outcomes. This scoping review aimed to identify whether AAC users have been involved in the research conducted to address issues related to adults with cerebral palsy who use AAC, and, if so, in what types of studies. Through a systematic search, only 34 data-based studies from the last twenty years were identified that focused on adults with CP who used AAC. Nine of those studies involved an AAC user in at least one research process (conceptualization of the problem, determining research methods, collecting study data, analyzing study data, and disseminating study findings). To improve the outcomes of research, there is an urgent need to involve AAC users in studies conducted to understand and support their needs.
I am interested in partnering with individuals with disabilities to inform research directions within the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) community. I have a deep interest in disability justice, self-determination, and the transition into adulthood for individuals... Read More →
Friday December 6, 2024 5:45pm - 7:15pm CST
3RD Floor - Storyville HallHyatt Regency, 601 Loyola Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70113
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.
