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to the home of the Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas!

The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas provides accurate and current information, resources and support for people with Down syndrome, their families and the community.

Vision: People with Down Syndrome - valued and included.

Learning Together, Focusing on Possibilities Fall Conference

The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas' annual Fall Conference was held on Saturday, October 22, 2011, at the Crowne Plaza Suites in Dallas with over 100 educators, parents, and professionals in attendance.

Lisa Kirby-Lisa was our keynote speaker and continued her workshop Brain-Based Learning and Differentiated Instruction throughout the day. Participants left with new tools and strategies for optimizing students' academic performance in the inclusive classroom.
Click here to download a copy of Lisa's presentation materials.

Robin Abels-What IPAD and other Technology Can Do for You and Your Child: Ongoing research is proving the benefits of the latest technology for improving the lives and educational experiences of children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Attendees got the chance to explore the latest technological advances and how they enhance the lives of children by improving communication, focus, and other areas of learning.

Jane Georges-Making Math Accessible for All Students: Participants learned engaging and exciting methods for practicing the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL ) which support accessibility to real life, practical mathematics for all students. Making Math Stick for Elementary Students & Making Math Stick for Secondary Students: These sessions explored the latest in brain research and research-based instructional strategies which can significantly impact memory and the learning and application of mathematics.

Kim Voss-From Low Tech to High Tech: Begin Teaching by Design: Participants learned to effectively use media, layout, images, and text as described in Kim's award-winning book Teaching by Design: Using Your Computer to Create Materials for Students with Learning Differences. Let's Talk Boardmaker/ Boardmaker Plus! Participants received a tutorial on Boardmaker and learned how to manage their own images to best create their own Boardmaker library of images. They also experienced Boardmaker Plus! including talking and moveable buttons and learned how to create a simple activity using the amazing features of Boardmaker Plus! Negotiating boardmakershare.com: Participants learned how to negotiate boardmakershare.com by creating their own account, searching the thousands of Boardmaker activities created by others on hundreds of topics, and uploading their own Boardmaker activities to share. Who Said I Have to Talk to Prove I Can Read? Participants explored the use of technology for designing a systematic approach for teaching reading without requiring the ability to speak.
Click here to download a copy of Kim's presentation materials.

Debbie Wilkes-Promoting Student Interdependence through Collaborative Transition Planning: Families who have adult children with disabilities are shocked to find that their child does not qualify for services through vocational agencies such as the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) and therefore employment is not an option. In this session, participants found out how this pitfall can be avoided and learned the strategies that should be taught from middle school and beyond so that ALL people can work. Increasing Responsibility and Independence: Is your student/child dependent on you or other adults to complete a task? Does he or she wait to be told what to do? Participants in this session learned strategies to increase independence and enhance the natural maturation process. Individual Goal Setting for Middle School and Beyond: All individuals need to have the skills to set goals, develop a strategy to achieve the goal, evaluate if the strategy is working, and make necessary alterations. This session explored the rationale behind individual decision-making and provides participants with tools to help their students/children set and achieve goals.
Click here to download a copy of Debbie's presentation materials.

The Down Syndrome Guild of Dallas would like to thank all who made this year's Fall Conference a huge sucess.

Congratulations to the 2011 Educators of the Year
Outstanding School of the Year:
Creative Playday, a ministry of First United Methodist Church of Allen

Outstanding Educator Team of the Year:
Melanie Beiling, Tamye Roberson, & Amanda Mullens at Liberty Elementary School in Lewisville ISD

Outstanding Educator of the Year:
Brittany Gullett at Castle Hills Elementary School in Lewisville ISD