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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Using a constructivist grounded theory approach to interpret data collected through interviews, shadowing with field notes, and documents, this study begins to illuminate the role of an inclusive education coach working within an ongoing, successful district-wide systemic change endeavor to include students with extensive support needs (ESN) in regular education classrooms. The findings of this study begin with the experiences and qualities of the coach gleaned from interviews and shadowing experiences. Next, the preliminary theory that emerged from this study illustrates the coach's use of eight concurrent strategies that enable him to understand the context and build capacity at the classroom, school, district, and state levels of the education system to increase the membership, participation, and learning of students with ESN. Finally, additional implications derived from this study are discussed, which might assist districts in considering the use of coaching for systemic change.
Many adults with disabilities struggle with employment, college participation, and independent and community living post-high school, particularly people with disabilities who have extensive support needs. Improving professional development and support for special education teachers instructing youth and young adults with disabilities who have extensive support needs is a critical step to improving post-school outcomes. Therefore, to address this issue, we conducted a statewide survey exploring the professional development needs of special education teachers instructing transition-aged youth with extensive support needs. Our aims were to understand teachers' confidence in implementing evidence-based transition practices/strategies, training received, knowledge of community supports/opportunities, the extent to which teachers received training on those supports, and preferences for future professional development.
Despite the preponderance of scholarly literature advocating the benefits of including students with disabilities in general education, students with ESN continue to be educated in restrictive settings. Limited research exists on how to facilitate access to inclusive opportunities in these segregated self-contained settings, yet this is primarily where these students are educated. Additionally, educators of these students are often caught in the continuum; teaching in a system that is set to exclude their students while attempting to facilitate access. This qualitative research study used collective case study methodology to analyze this gap in the literature. Through semistructured interviews and related documentation, findings highlight the perspectives of special education teachers, including the supports, educational practices, and barriers they experience when providing access for their students with ESN. These findings lead to recommendations for future research & practice.
