Announcing Training Camp Lineup
Training Camp 2021
Centering the Student Experience
Spring has sprung and summer will be here before we know it, and with summer comes our annual Training Camp! Training Camp is 20 hours of professional development for educators designed to bring our partners together for learning, reflection, and community-building, and to prepare teachers for success in running our Lifecycle Programs in their schools. As we do every year, we’ve selected a theme for Training Camp related to the most pressing challenges facing our partners as they strive to build more equitable, more inclusive school cultures.
After a year of isolation, uncertainty, and constantly shifting instructional strategies and expectations, there is no question that the greatest challenge our partners are grappling with is identifying and meeting the diverse needs of all children in this highly charged, nearly-post-pandemic world. Therefore, this year’s training camp theme is Centering the Student Experience, and we’ll examine the theme from a variety of angles with an overarching goal of promoting disability inclusion and disability pride.
Keynote Speakers
Cartoon style image of two people in a wheelchair accessible bathroom stall, one sitting in a power chair and one sitting on a bucket. A microphone sits on the toilet seat and on the toilet handle and both are gesturing towards each other.
Podcast co-hosts and disability rights advocates Emily Ladau and Kyle Khachadurian will open Training Camp with a keynote presentation on the impact of the educational system on the formation of their identities as people with disabilities. Growing up, Emily attended public schools and Kyle attended a private school for students with disabilities. Their personal experiences differ and overlap in fascinating ways, and all teachers in attendance will have something to learn from their lived experience. The keynote will help our partner educators evaluate their roles in students’ lives and the impact of the systems within which they operate on the development of student identity and disability pride.
Educator Panel
Training Camp will also feature a moderated panel of diverse, disabled educators reflecting on their professional experiences and the benefits and ongoing systemic challenges of inclusive education.
Four side by side headshots of people standing and sitting, all smiling.
Breakout Sessions
Training camp will also offer an array of on-theme breakout sessions:
Rights-Based Thinking: Experts from Access Living will present on normalizing student needs and giving students the agency and tools they need to be self-advocates and peer allies.
Encouraging Advocacy: Because students will be returning to school with an array of challenges created and exacerbated by the pandemic, attorneys from Equip for Equality will host a session on the rights of students with disabilities, common violations of those rights, and strategies for advocating for compliance.
Anti-Ableist Approaches: Dr. Jen Newton, assistant professor of special education and viral inclusive education blogger and social media influencer, will reprise her popular session from 2020, providing next-level instruction on building safe, inclusive, anti-ableist classrooms and setting high expectations for all students.
Educator and Student Mental Health: A team of social workers will present on the array of implications of COVID on educator and student mental health, including strategies for supporting students and building strong relationships to ensure their comfort in the classroom.
Curriculum Training
As we do every year, our program staff and partners will train on our curriculum and values, best practices in co-teaching and universal design, and strategies for leveraging our classroom programs to influence and impact the larger school community.
Training Camp is open to all interested educators at any partner school implementing one of our Lifecycle Programs. There is no limit on the number of educators from each school who can attend. To learn more about our Lifecycle Programs and become a partner, please contact Katy at katy@thenoraproject.ngo. The deadline for partner school registration for the 2021-2022 school year is June 1st. You can learn more about all of our programs on the Sign Up page on our website.
Training Camp 2021 is presented by the generosity of Jaclyn and Steve Maletzky and the William Blair Foundation. Additional sponsorship opportunities are available. Please contact Deana at deana@thenoraproject.ngo for details.