Meet Your Host
Dr. Diana Fannon
Diana is the founder of DisabilityEdPros and the host of the Inclusive Schools & IEPs Summit. With 24 years of experience in public schools, as a teacher, school psychologist, director of special education, she now helps families navigate special education, systems, and inclusion with greater confidence and clarity.
As both a parent of an autistic child and a person with a disability herself, Diana brings a unique blend of professional expertise and lived experience to her work. She is passionate about helping families and educators move beyond compliance to create schools where all students experience meaningful participation, belonging, and access to learning.
Meet Your Speakers
Martha Ni Fhlatharta
Understanding behaviour through a nervous system lens
Martha is a neurodiversity-affirming, trauma-informed paediatric Occupational Therapist with over 8 years of experience working in a wide range of mainstream and specialist school settings.Â
Martha works alongside schools to advocate for environmental adaptations, sensory and movement-based strategies, and a regulation-first approach to support every child to thrive. She loves supporting families in understanding their children’s needs better and in a way that encourages children to be their most authentic, joyful self.
Laura Petix
From Behavior to Belonging: Supporting Kids Through Connection and Understanding
Laura Petix is a Filipino American, neurodivergent pediatric occupational therapist, author, and nationally recognized voice in sensory processing and nervous system–informed behavior support. She is the founder of The OT Butterfly, a leading education platform trusted by hundreds of thousands of parents, educators, and clinicians for translating neuroscience into practical, real-world strategies. With a background spanning clinical practice, research, and large-scale digital education, Laura is known for making complex sensory science accessible, affirming, and actionable.
Katie Plunkett
Building Belonging Every Day: Inside an Inclusive Classroom
Katie Plunkett is an elementary educator and the creator of Kid Talk, where she shares practical, child-centered strategies to help parents and educators better understand children's behavior, communication, and development. With years of experience teaching students with a wide range of learning needs, Katie is passionate about creating inclusive classrooms built on connection, curiosity, and strong partnerships with families.
Kid Talk Substack •  Instagram
Courtney Aseltine
The Language of Low Expectations: Turning School Language Into Advocacy.
Courtney Aseltine is a special education advocate, former educator and administrator, and the founder of Special Education Advocacy of the Carolinas. With 8 years of public school experience and 5 years as a professional advocate, she has supported families at hundreds of IEP meetings and is passionate about helping parents navigate the special education process with confidence.
Courtney is also the mother of two children with disabilities and has spent over a decade navigating special education and 504 services as a parent herself. Her personal and professional experiences give her a unique perspective on the realities families face both inside and outside the IEP meeting room.
Jessie Mewshaw
Access Through Understanding: Helping Kids Learn the Language of Accommodations
Jessie is a pediatric speech-language therapist serving neurodivergent populations in Chapel Hill, NC & surrounding areas. She graduated from Towson University with her M.S. in 2014. Jessie has worked as an SLP in community-based settings, NC Public Schools, therapy clinic & now private practice. She has experience working with children 18-months through young adulthood. Prior to becoming an SLP, Jessie worked with disabled & non-disabled children & adults in the U.S., South America, & Australia. Jessie is dedicated to providing therapeutic services, consultative services, & trainings/education that support the neurodiversity movement, foster acceptance, & advocate for inclusive supports throughout the community. Jessie is an ADHDer & parent to neurodivergent kids.
Briana Drimmer, Ed.S. LEP
Student-Centered Special Education: From Evaluation to IEP & Beyond
Briana is starting her 10th year as a school psychologist, is a Licensed Educational Psychologist, and a former kindergarten teacher. She runs the instagram account @educationallypsyched which is a community where educators and parents can learn together about school psychology, special education, and supporting diverse learners. Briana is passionate about creating and providing resources that are succinct, easy-to-follow, and functional. She prioritizes child-centered care, cultural awareness, and age-appropriate transparency in all parts of her work.
 Briana's Teachers Pay Teachers •  Instagram Â
Dr. Vaish Sarathy
Why complex academics needs to be on your agenda (and IEP) this year!
Dr. Vaish Sarathy (Vaish) is an educator, speaker, and disability education advocate. She helps students with disabilities access, learn and master age-appropriate academics.
As the creator of the Non Linear Education method, Vaish blends scientific rigor with lived experience to re-imagine what's possible for learners with complex disabilities.
Her work is shaped by her journey parenting Sid, her non-speaking autistic teen with Down syndrome - who is a published poet and author.
She believes that an Equal Education is the birthright of every child.
Laura Westbrook, MS OTR/L
Stronger Together: Relationship as the Catalyst for Unfolding Regulatory Capacity
Laura is an occupational therapist, owner of a private practice, The Affective Collective, and training leader for the International Council of Development and Learning (ICDL). Laura's career experience has included supporting families and children through outpatient pediatrics, the natural environment, school and daycare settings, the NICU, and pediatric acute care. She is a lifelong learner with passions in DIR Floortime, sensory processing, and regulation. Above any training, the families and children she works with are her biggest teachers. Laura's favorite part about her work is getting to bear witness to the gleam parents and children get when they find ways to connect meaningfully.
Justin H. Dove, EdS, NCSP, LEP
From Rhetoric to Reality: Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices in Today's Schools
Justin H. Dove's professional journey has enabled him to serve students in Ohio, Georgia, and California for over fifteen years. Most recently, he supported Mirman School, an independent institution for intellectually gifted children in Los Angeles, California, for four years. Justin now works in private practice, offering presentations, evaluations, advocacy, counseling, and empowerment coaching services through his company, PEACE ED. In all that he does in education, he endeavors to embody and uplift the words of Dr. Charles A. Barrett, “It’s always about the children.
Breea M. Rosas, Ed.S, NCSP, LEP
Elevating Support: Integrating Neurodiversity Affirming Practices as the New Best Practice
Breea Rosas a Nationally Certified School Psychologist, and a Licensed Educational Psychologist. She is the founder of Neurodiversity Affirming School Psychologist, LLC. She actively shares her expertise through professional development, having presented at numerous conferences nationwide, as well as various school districts and organizations. Her commitment to advancing the field is demonstrated by her forthcoming book, Essentials of Strength-based and Neurodiversity Affirming School-based Evaluations, which is currently in preparation. Breea helps educators and families move beyond traditional models to build truly inclusive, supportive, and empowering environments.
Amber Moore
Beyond the Scores: Understanding Educational Impact, Meaningful Participation, and Connecting Assessments to Real Life
Amber is a School Psychologist with 10 years of experience in working with children from preschool to twelfth grade. She manages the social media page, @therelatableschoolpsych, to explore updated information and best practices within the field of special education. She has also created resources that thousands of colleagues rely on which aim to simplify complex language into clear usable and everyday language that support families but also save them time without cutting corners. She is passionate about being student centered and neuroaffirming and research based in language and practices..
Instagram  •  Amber's Resource Drive
Leroy Smith
Revealing Curricular Barriers That Harm Neurodivergent Students of Color
Leroy used his skills in music, education, empowerment, and advocacy to educate students from historically marginalized communities as a career special education teacher, curriculum development specialist, instructional coach, and education advocate for 14 years.
Leroy’s work as a special education teacher and intervention leader led to high academic outcomes for an entire school’s student population in mathematics. In August of 2020, Leroy founded Realized Solutions, LLC to support educational organizations with removing curricular barriers and redesign learning to increase the academic outcomes of neurodivergent students of color.Â
Simon AireyÂ
Neurodivergent Refusal: Shifting to Real Engagement
With over 25 years of classroom experience, Simon brings a unique dual perspective to inclusive education. As an autistic teacher currently teaching four days a week, his consultancy is rooted in the lived reality of modern UK schools. Through Neuroaffirming with Simon, he bridges the gap between neurodivergent theory and practical staffroom application. Simon specializes in transforming school environments and policies into spaces where neurodivergent students and staff don't just survive, but thrive, providing strategies that are tested, realistic, and deeply rooted in lived experience.
Lisa Baskin Wright
Supporting Nervous System Needs in the Educational Setting
Lisa Wright is a former teacher and parent to an autistic young adult. She supports families through the IEP process and helps parents and caregivers feel more confident at the IEP table. Lisa takes a collaborative approach that focuses on getting curious about the learner and what kind of an environment they need to thrive. She is neurodiversity affirming and centers the lived experience of the child.
Her approach is collaborative, neurodiversity-affirming, quality of life centered, learner-centered, and accommodation (not compliance) focused.
Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC
When Behavior Is Actually Overwhelm: Supporting Regulation Without Exclusion
Dr. Destiny Huff, LPC, is a late-diagnosed Autistic and ADHD mental health therapist, non-attorney special education advocate, speaker, and trainer specializing in neuroaffirming practices in education and mental health. Through Destiny Huff Consulting, LLC, she supports families, educators, and schools in creating accessible, strengths-based supports for neurodivergent learners. Dr. Huff is the co-host of *The Affirming Village Podcast* and has presented nationally on topics including neuroaffirming IEP practices, disability advocacy, trauma-informed care, and inclusive education. As both a professional and parent of neurodivergent children, she brings lived and clinical experience to her work, centering autonomy, accessibility, and meaningful inclusion.
Lindsay Crain
How Inclusion Gets Lost in Translation: What Parents Ask For and What Districts Prioritize
Lindsay is the Head of Content and Community at Undivided, where she helps educate, support, and empower families navigating disability and special education. As the parent of a teenager with multiple disabilities, she brings both lived experience and deep expertise to her work, with a particular passion for creating more inclusive schools, communities, and systems of support.
A respected advocate and leader, Lindsay has worked at the local, state, and national levels to advance inclusion and strengthen family engagement. She recently completed a fellowship through the California Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (CA-LEND) program at Children's Hospital Los Angeles and previously served as a national representative on the Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD) Council on Leadership in Advocacy.Â
Kelsie Reed
The Deficit Trap: Shifting to Strength-Based IEP Supports
Dr. Kelsie Reed is a nationally certified school psychologist and author who specializes in strength-based education practices. She currently serves elementary and middle school students in Prince George's County Public Schools, Maryland. As the founder of the Strength-Based Collective and co-author of Hacking Deficit Thinking, Dr. Reed is passionate about moving schools away from deficit-focused approaches, especially when working with students from racially minoritized and neurodivergent backgrounds. She is also the author of My Strength-Based Workbook: For 7-10 Year Olds and the upcoming book, Essentials of Strength-Based and Neurodiversity Affirming School-Based Evaluations. Whether working with educators or families, Dr. Reed is dedicated to providing actionable strategies that help adults shift their perception and unlock every child's true potential.
`Grainne Carney
A Scenic Route to the Same Destination: Understanding Gestalt Language Processing
Grainne Carney is a Gestalt Language Processing parent advocate and a late-identified dual processor. She is passionate about ensuring that all speech-language pathologists and educators receive training in Gestalt Language Processing so that children are better understood and supported.
Leila ToigoÂ
Beyond Inclusion: Why Belonging Matters Most
Leila Toigo is the founder of Sprinkled Spectrum, a community dedicated to supporting families raising autistic children. As the mother of two autistic children and an autism advocate, she shares resources, encouragement, and practical insights with a large and engaged community of families.
Maria Davis-Pierre
Inclusion Through a Cultural Lens: Supporting Black Autistic Students in School Communities
As the parent of two autistic children, and being autistic herself, Maria understands firsthand the isolation, shame and stigma that often accompanies an autism diagnosis. Armed with that knowledge, she uses her professional expertise to connect with and empower Black parents of autistic children. Through Autism in Black, she also provides essential training to organizations so they can more effectively serve the Black disability community.
A dynamic, in-demand speaker, Maria has conducted many powerful workshops and lectures on topics related to autism including autism in the Black community, the intersection of race and disability, and self-care.
Her work has gained national acclaim with features in Forbes, The New York Times, USA Today, BET, Parent magazine and on PBS. Maria has also collaborated with Microsoft.
Lisa Mihalich Quinn, M.A., M.Ed., EMBA, ATACP
Adapting Without Lowering the Bar: Grade-Level Access for the Learners Schools Find Hardest to Include
Lisa is a licensed special educator with nearly 20 years of experience making academic content accessible for neurodiverse students and learners who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), letter boards, and other forms of multi-modal communication. A former Maryland public schools teacher, she is the founder of Reach Every Voice, an organization advancing communication access for nonspeaking and partially speaking learners.
Lisa's work centers on inclusion, equity, and reimagining systems that have historically limited access for the learners she serves. She challenges educators and families to shift from "this is how it's always been" to "what if we tried," opening new pathways for meaningful participation, and trains individuals, schools, and organizations across the U.S. and internationally in supporting these learners in inclusive settings.
ShaVanety Jones, SSP, NCSP
Seeing the Student: Access, Belonging, and Student Strengths
ShaVanety Jones, SSP, NCSP is a nationally certified, early-career school psychologist originally from Louisiana and now based in Washington State. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, cultural social dancing, spending time with loved ones, and bringing stories to life through community theater and improv comedy.
ShaVanety specializes in supporting gifted learners in grades 4–8 through her business, Fleuravida™, which takes an innovative approach by blending social skills training, executive functioning strategies, and performing arts to help students confidently transition into middle and high school. Fleuravida™ cultivates self-awareness, authenticity, and the confidence students need to step fully into their unique gifts.
Connect with ShaVanety here •  LinkedInÂ
Colleen Ashford MS SLP
Making Referrals within the IEP Process
Colleen is a bilingual speech-language pathologist and non-attorney special-education advocate serving her community through her private practice and engaging with the broader disability advocacy community through her instagram @theadvocate.slp and her podcast, "Unfiltered IEPs." As a public school SLP, Colleen advocated for her students inside the education system, but felt a pull to do more for parents who needed someone by their side in IEP meetings so she began taking courses in special education policy and IDEA. Now a private practice owner, she gets to serve in all her favorite ways, by providing culturally responsive early intervention, specialty services and advocacy for families at the IEP table. Through her page @theadvocate.slp she hopes to provide insights for school team members on how to advocate for their students from inside the school system.
Daphne Zacky, Ed.S., LEP
Finding Your Voice: Meaningful Parent Participation in the IEP Process
Daphne is a Licensed Educational Consultant, Licensed Educational Psychologist, and special education advocate with nearly 20 years of experience supporting students with diverse learning needs. She has worked across large public districts, charter schools, independent schools, and non-public settings, leading district-wide inclusion initiatives, facilitating professional development for educators, and ensuring IEP compliance. Daphne is bilingual and committed to bridging communication gaps and honoring the role of culture and language in student learning.
In her current role as a special education advocate and consultant, Daphne partners with parents to navigate the special education process. Rooted in empathy, equity, and collaboration, her work empowers families to become full participants in their child’s education. She believes that with the right support, every student can achieve meaningful academic success while growing into their full potential
Erin Forward
Beyond Compliance: How Connection and Play Support Communication, Learning, and Belonging
Erin Forward, MSP CCC-SLP, CLC is a speech-language pathologist and certified lactation counselor. Erin has advanced training in pediatric feeding and swallowing disorders, early language, AAC, and trauma, specifically for medically complex children. Erin is an Expert DIR®Floortime Provider and is a TBRI® Trained Practitioner. She graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a Bachelor's degree in CSD and Psychology and from the University of South Carolina with her Master’s in Speech Pathology.
Dr. Sara Leggett
Through Their Lens: What Educational Leaders Teach Us About Inclusion
Sara is an educational leader committed to building communities where people feel seen, connected, and have a true sense of belonging. With over fourteen years of experience in public education, She has served as a school psychologist, program consultant for students with intensive support needs, and special education director.
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Her leadership is grounded in socially just practices and a belief that inclusion must be embedded within systems, not left to individuals alone. She is especially passionate about developing inclusively conscious leadership and supporting educators in navigating the complex, human work of inclusion.
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Sara finds deep purpose in coaching special educators, mentoring teachers, and partnering with families to create environments where both adults and children can thrive.
Courtney Burnett
Assistive Technology (AT) and the IEP
Courtney Burnett, SLPA, B.C.A.S.E. is a board-certified Special Education Advocate with more than 12 years of experience supporting families navigating the special education process. Her work focuses on helping families understand their rights.Â
Courtney specializes in IEP review, advocacy strategy development, assistive technology and AAC support, and dispute navigation.Â
In addition to her advocacy work, Courtney is a Speech-Language Pathologist Assistant (SLPA) and the founder of Little Champions LLC, where she has supported hundreds of families through education, preparation, and advocacy support.
