In Episode 8, we were able to record live at the 2024 El Dorado Charter SELPA Inspiration to Action Symposium. Our theme was The Power of Hope, and I got to sit down with keynote speaker and disability rights advocate Jennifer Wolfsheimer, as well as our morning speaker, best-selling author and professor Dr. Emad Rahim. Hundreds of educators from across the state were in attendance on location in San Diego, and the SELPA was able to recognize and celebrate several amazing schools, and educators for their innovation and dedication to creating hope and bright futures for their students.

Dr. Emad Rahim, PMP, OMCP, A-CSM, CMgr - FCMI 

Lifecycle Capacity Consultant - Nonprofit Lifecycles Institute 

Website: www.EmadRahim.com  

Website: www.Inclusive360LLC.com 

Featured: Huffington Post and Post Standard  

Jennifer Wolfsheimer, MS, JD 

Senior Program Associate (WestEd) 

Linkedin profile: www.linkedin.com/in/jennifer-wolfsheimer-9a52a87 

For Episode 7, Moises and Jeremiah sit down with Diana Pastora Carson, the keynote speaker for the upcoming El Dorado Charter SELPA "A Time to Thrive" Symposium in Sacramento on Friday, January 27th, 2023. Diana speaks on the topic of inclusion and provides practical tips on how listeners can serve as allies for individuals with disabilities in their fight for equal rights and access. Diana also shares important inclusion resources and provides tips on how listeners can shift from inspiration to action for individuals with disabilities in their fight for equal rights and access.

To register for the SELPA’s in-person A Time to Thrive Symposium in Sacramento on 1/27/22, visit the link below: 

https://edcoe.force.com/edcoeevents/s/lt-event?id=a4Q3l000000OCSiEAO 

To learn more about Diana’s work, please visit the following links: 

https://www.dianapastoracarson.com/ 

TED Talk Link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruXB3lbiD3U 

(Podcast) Beyond Awareness: Disability Awareness that Matters

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/beyond-awareness-disability-awareness-that-matters/id1599152885 

Additional Resources

Author Paula Kluth (many titles) 

Disability Visibility by Alice Wong 

Care Work by Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

Black Disabled Art History by Leroy Moore 

The Pretty One by Keah Brown 

Being Heumann by Judy Heumann 

Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution (documentary film) 

Phoenix Rising (documentary film series) 

Think Inclusive with Tim Villegas (podcast) 

Jeremiah records live at the annual Charter SELPA Leadership academy in Sacramento CA and interviews a panel of leaders from across the state on new initiatives at their schools, their improvement plans for the new school year, and key takeaways from the conference. Next, he sits down with conference presenter Jasmine Vance from System Improvement Leads, a CDE and CCEE collaborative project between EDCOE, WSGV, and RC SELPAs. Topics include the science of school improvement, and prioritizing change efforts for maximum impact. 

Show Notes and Resources 

To Learn more about our panelist schools, visit:  

Urban Charter Schools Collective: http://urbancsc.org/ (Sacramento area) 

Howard Gardener Community School: www.hgcschool.org (Chula Vista, San Diego) 

Olive Grove Charter: https://olivegrovecharter.org/ (Central Coast, Santa Barbara or SLO County) 

To access data protocols, training videos, and other resources from System Improvement Leads, visit www.systemimprovement.org or email info@systemimprovement.org 

El Dorado County Office of Education: www.edcoe.org 

West San Gabriel Valley SELPA: https://www.wsgvselpa.org/ 

Riverside County SELPA: https://rcselpa.org/ 

For more El Dorado Charter SELPA webmodules, training videos, and resources, visit our online learning center at http://charterselpa.org/online-learning-center/ 

To access Rachel De Bruin’s curated transition resource padlets, or sign up for upcoming workshops visit:

www.abilityeducation.org

Padlet code: workshop

Visit the California Transition Alliance website at http://www.catransitionalliance.org to access transition tools and resources for teachers, parents and educators.

Additional resources:

-California Career zone https://www.cacareerzone.org/

-California career center https://www.calcareercenter.org/

-Transition California https://www.chapman.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/thompson-policy-institute/transition-initiative/index.aspx

-National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: https://transitionta.org/

-Workforce Innovation Technical Assistance Center: http://www.wintac.org/topic-areas/pre-employment-transition-services

-Disability Benefits 101: https://ca.db101.org/ca/situations/youthanddisability/planning/program.htm

-JAN: Job Accommodation Network: https://askjan.org/

To learn more about the Bright Spots podcast and El Dorado Charter SELPA, visit the website at charterselpa.org.

To access resources for ELs and students with disabilities from Imperial County SELPA and the grant-based EL resources referenced in the episode, visit https://www.icoe.org/selpa/el-swd

For more information about San Diego Global Vision Academy, visit SDGVA.org

California Practitioner’s Guide for Educating English Learners with Disabilities (CDE)

San Diego Area Writing Project: Provides year-round professional learning in all content areas with a focus on writing, equity, and teachers teaching teachers.

Project GLAD: "evidence-based practices that help design classrooms and lessons where language comes alive through content."

SDSU CGI Collaborative: "The goal for students is to develop rich informal mathematical thinking and innate problem-solving abilities. Teachers learn how mathematical thinking develops and how to guide children toward deeper, more sophisticated levels of understanding."

Imagine Learning: "Imagine Language & Literacy is an adaptive learning solution that accelerates reading and language proficiency for students in grades PreK–6. Designed to supplement core literacy instruction, Imagine Language & Literacy provides instruction and practice in all four domains of literacy—reading, writing, listening, and speaking."