Presenter Biographies : Meaghan Davis ( she / they ) is a passionate cocreator of liberatory spaces , committed to reimagining higher education by pushing the boundaries of what is possible . Currently , she is working at SUNY Farmingdale to cobuild a transformative first-year experience that centers students as they navigate the awesome , critical , and formidable transition to college . In 2024 , meaghan completed their doctoral dissertation , Cocreating Liberatory Spaces in Higher Education , positing the Model for Liberatory Spaces in Higher Education . meaghan is also a proud UCONN husky , and a dedicated basketball fan .
Kiara Moran ( she / her ) is a first year PsyD student in the School-Clinical Psychology Program at Pace University . She is passionate about understanding and addressing generational trauma in children and adolescents , particularly within underserved communities . Outside of her academic work , Kiara enjoys reading , with The Empyrean series currently at the top of the list of her favorite books .
Monday , April 7 , 7:00 – 8:00 pm Eastern Including Neurodiverse Students in DEI
Session Description : When we consider Diversity , Equity and Inclusion in Education , neurodiverse students are often overlooked . Educators are aware of DEI and the “ inclusion ” component for these students but often are not aware of strategies to address the “ Diversity ” and “ Equity ’ components of DEI specific to this population . As a learning specialist , part of my role is to educate the school community on best practices for teaching neurodiverse students . Sharing strategies with educators to help support neurodiverse students is an essential part of DEI .
Session Objectives : 1 . Identify why neurodiverse students should be included in DEI initiatives . 2 . Create strategies for instruction to ensure that neurodiverse students are included and identified as part of DEI . 3 . Apply shared support strategies for neurodiverse students with colleagues at school .
Themes : Instructional strategies for advancing DEI and strategies for addressing challenges to advance DEI
Audience : PK-12 educators , staff and administrators
Presenter : Dr . Jessica Jefferis , EdD ( she / her / hers )
Presenter Biography : Dr . Jessica Jefferis is the Director of the St . Ignatius Academic Achievement Program at Lansdale Catholic High School . She is also an adjunct instructor and dissertation advisor at Gwynedd Mercy University and a proud member of Gwynedd ’ s 1st cohort in the Ed . D . Program . Her goal is to educate school communities on best practices for students with learning differences .