Each year, the TASH Conference brings together individuals with significant disabilities and their allies 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 advocates, leaders, and subject matter experts from every corner of the disability community. Conference attendees play an important role in supporting individuals with significant disabilities to overcome various barriers in order to live their best lives. Central to this work is the premise that individuals reach their optimal potential only when they are given the opportunity to live, work and thrive across the lifespan in the same communities we are all members of. The conference is intentionally designed to support the interests of professors and researchers from leading institutions; those involved in local, state, and federal governments and public policy; special and general educators, and school administrators; home and community-based service providers; students, family members, and most importantly, self-advocates with lived experience.

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Educational Technology (OET) and ISKME are hosting the #GoOpen Initiative’s one-day virtual convening. The event will occur on Zoom and is free of charge.

Program highlights for the half-day agenda include a keynote conversation facilitated by OET’s Ji Soo Song, and featuring Angela DeBarger, Program Officer, Education, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Jemelleh Coes, Director of Teacher Leadership at Mount Holyoke College and former Teacher of the Year, Georgia; and, Lisa Petrides, CEO and Founder of ISKME. Also on the program are a series of lightning talks inspired by the new #GoOpen Pledge, break-out discussions, and a presentation from OET’s Kevin Johnstun.

EvaluATE webchats are an opportunity for small groups of ATE evaluation community members to come together to share and learn from each other in real-time. Anyone interested in evaluation is welcome to attend. Participants are encouraged to turn on their webcams and join in the conversation, offering a great opportunity to network.

This webinar is the first of two sessions highlighting accessible technology on smartphones and tablets for persons with disabilities. In this session speakers will highlight mobile apps used by persons who are blind or have low vision. The session will include apps used for way finding, social media and more. The session will also explore built-in accessibility features of iOS and Android operating platforms. There will be time following the presentation for questions.

Using qualitative data in an evaluation can lead to a deeper understanding of why and how a project works. Quotations and stories can share participants’ lived experiences in their own voices. Still, qualitative information can be difficult to integrate effectively into an evaluation report. In this webinar, presenters will share strategies for increasing the trustworthiness and transparency of qualitative data, as well as data visualization and design suggestions for communicating qualitative data to multiple stakeholder groups.

Presenters: Lyssa Wilson Becho, Emma Binder