EmbraceAbilities Community of Practice (CoP) Focused on Low Incidence Disabilities (DHH/VI) (5 Day Event) 01/14/2025 - 05/20/2025 Event Dates: 01/14/2025 | 02/18/2025 | 03/18/2025 | 04/22/2025 | 05/20/2025
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
The EmbraceAbilities Community of Practice (CoP) coaching sessions offer an engaging virtual platform where educators and administrators collaborate on enhancing inclusive practices for students with extensive support needs. Through expert-led sessions, participants will explore strategies for improving academic rigor, fostering inclusive mindsets, addressing specialized classroom needs, and building community partnerships. These sessions, scheduled monthly from January to May 2025, aim to empower educators with actionable insights to promote equity and student success in diverse learning environments.
The intentional effort to integrate students into general education classes demonstrates the idea that all students benefit from learning and growing together, including students with low-incidence abilities.
Guiding Question How do we address the unique learning and support the needs and demands of the specialized classroom?
These coaching sessions are led by
Rhiannon Aragues, DHH teacher, SBCSS Kristen Danhour Standke, Sr. Program Specialist, LACOE Nic Frank, Coordinator III, VI EP, LACOE
Rhiannon Aragues is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience in interpreting , specializing in teaching deaf and hard of hearing high school students for the past four years. Currently, she also teaches American Sign Language at the community college level with 12 years of experience, fostering cultural awareness and language acquisition. With a commitment to creating a hands-on learning environment, Rhiannon empowers students to become confident learners and navigators in a predominantly hearing world. She believes in providing rich, engaging educational experiences that open doors to new opportunities for all students.
Kristen Danhour-Standke is a Senior Program Specialist on the EmbraceAbilities project at the Los Angeles County Office of Education. As one of seven Special Education Resource Leads (SERL) in the state, EmbraceAbilities focuses on building capacity for the inclusion of students with extensive support needs. Prior to EmbraceAbilities, Kristen was a Teacher of the Visually Impaired where she collaborated with school site staff and supported a caseload of students with visual impairments by providing instruction, resources, Braille and large print, and assistive technology, mentored fellow teachers and recorded an educational podcast on best practices for supporting students with visual impairments. Kristen holds a B.S. in Chemistry from UCLA and an M.A. in Special Education from CSU Los Angeles.
Event Details
Audience
COE and LEA administrators and educational leaders
Facilitator(s)
Marcia Reily Kristen Danhour Standke Jovan Jacobs
Partners
The California Department of Education (CDE); California Collaborative for Educational Excellence (CCEE); and The TIES Center.
