NYC DIR® Conference
March 5, 2021
Hosted by the Rebecca School in New York City
Live Online!
The Foundation for Interacting:
Using Relationships to Stay Connected Through Change
Hosted by the Rebecca School
Friday March 5, 2021
9:00AM - 3:30PM US EST (New York Time Zone)
Live Online
Professionals $50 USD
Parents, Students, and Self-Advocates $40 USD
*Otter.ai automatic transcriptions available for the opening session, keynote, and select workshop sessions (indicated with a * below)
Lydia X. Z. Brown
Keynote*
Lydia X. Z. Brown is a disability justice advocate, organizer, educator, attorney, strategist, and writer whose work has largely focused on violence against multiply-marginalized disabled people, especially institutionalization, incarceration, and policing. They have worked to advance transformative change through organizing in the streets, writing legislation, conducting anti-ableism workshops, testifying at regulatory and policy hearings, and disrupting institutional complacency everywhere from the academy to state agencies and the nonprofit-industrial complex.
Lydia co-leads the project on disability rights and algorithmic fairness at the Institute for Technology Law and Policy at Georgetown University Law Center, teaches for Georgetown University’s Disability Studies Program through the Department of English, and supports the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network’s public policy advocacy. Additionally, Lydia founded and directs the Fund for Community Reparations for Autistic People of Color’s Interdependence, Survival, and Empowerment, which provides direct support, mutual aid, and community reparations to individual autistic people of color. In collaboration with E. Ashkenazy and Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, Lydia is also co-editor and visionary behind All the Weight of Our Dreams, the first-ever anthology of writings and artwork by autistic people of color and otherwise negatively racialized autistic people, published by AWN. Click here to read more.
Conference Description
When faced with change, how does one maintain physical and emotional regulation? Through the fundamental principles of DIRFloortime®, practitioners continue to utilize the power of relationships with both students and their families in order to further support developmental growth and learning through a hybrid program. During this one-day conference, participants will understand how DIRFloortime® can be used across the disciplinary domains, through virtual and in person learning with students of all ages.
Breakout sessions will address a range of themes demonstrating how the foundations of building relationships through the DIRFloortime® model support students to expand their abilities across developmental capacities. Through these trusting relationships, students are able to build a strong foundation necessary for learning and development.
Presenters from the Rebecca School, self-advocates, and the ICDL community will show how following a student’s passion can both build strong relationships and accomplish discipline-specific goals. This conference is open to self-advocates, professionals, and parents/caregivers.
Agenda and Times
9:00 - 10:00AM
Conference Opening Remarks and Presentation
10:15 to 11:30 AM
Concurrent Workshops A
12:30 - 1:45 PM
Concurrent Workshops B
2:00pm-3:30pm
Closing Keynote Lydia X. Z. Brown
Conference Opening Remarks and Presentation
Tina McCourt, LCSW, MSEd, SAS, SDA
Director, Rebecca School
Opening Remarks
Jeffrey Guenzel, MA, LPC,
CEO, ICDL
"Values and Vision: DIR as a Foundational Agent of Change"
Workshops
There will be two sets of concurrently running workshops during the day. You will be able to pick one from each group to attend. The choice will be made after registration is complete.
Concurrent Workshops A
Attunement as the Base of the Developmental Ladder
Colette Ryan, MSEd-DIRC, IMH-E
"Thank You for Being a Friend": How One Group Used Games to Foster Friendships and Stay Connected Throughout the COVID-19 Pandemic
June Ilowite, MS, OTR/L
Morgan Weissman, MS, OTR/L
It Was Never Really About Handwriting: Utilizing the DIRFloortime Methodology as a Foundation for Shared Experiences
Lindsay Altman, MS, OTR/L
Rebecca Fried, MS, OTR/L
Neurodiversity-Informed Care
Dr. Alex Klein, PsyD
The Power of Relationships: Thriving Amidst a Pandemic*
Coleen Vanderbeek, Psy.D., LPC
How Did I Regulate My Emotions as a Non-Verbal Autistic Child
Emile Gouws, Board of Directors of ICDL, Vice Chair of Autism South Africa
Concurrent Workshops B
Staying Connected Through Change: Supporting Relationships Through Reflective Supervision
Caroline Kaplan, MS, OTR/L
Lauren Morizi-Walsh, DPT
Using the DIR Model To Help Students Build Friendships During COVID-19 Pandemic*
Josh Noble, LCSW, Supervising Transitions Coordinator at Rebecca School
Stephanie Gillman, MSW Intern, and TA at Rebecca School
Katie Koester, MSW Intern at Rebecca School
Ryan Noack, BA. Internship Coordinator/ Head Travel Trainer at Rebecca School
Tai Chi and OT: How an Occupational Therapist Led Tai Chi Group Utilized DIRFloortime Strategies to Promote Executive Functioning, Praxis, and Sense of Self Among Neurodiverse Adolescents
June ILowite, MS, OTR/L
Rachael Donnelly, MS, OTRL/L
Melody, Lyrics, and Connection: A Musical Relationship From A to Zoom
Stacey Hensel, MA, MT-BC, LCAT Rebecca School
Following The Child's Interests to Sustain Engagement in a Virtual Speech Therapy Session
Daria Brown, MA, ICDL Senior Advisor, and Parent Advocate, Affectautism.com
Sabrina O'Keefe, Speech Language Therapist
Enriching Sensory and Motor Experiences During COVID to Enhance Relationships and Strengthen Capacities
Robbie Levy, MA, OTR/L