Guest Chat Speakers
Below is a listing of our esteemed colleagues
who agreed to participate in a Question-and-Answer format
as our Guest Chat Speakers.
This list is in descending chronological order and includes both future and past speakers.
Future Chats
Past Chats
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Date: May 28, 2008 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Transition: Part C to Part B |
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Speakers: Marilyn Hibbard & Carole West |
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Program Specialists, |
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Florida Department of Education |
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Marilyn
Hibbard is a Program Specialist in the Bureau of
Exceptional Education and Student Services within the
Florida Department of Education (DOE). She has
responsibility for the school district Prekindergarten
Program for Children with Disabilities (ages 3-5),
statewide. She is also the contact for the Technical
Assistance and Training System (TATS) project, the
Children’s Registry Information System (CHRIS) project,
and Child Find through the Florida Diagnostic and
Learning Resources System (FDLRS) project. She also
serves as the 619 Coordinator for the state of Florida.
In addition, Marilyn assists school districts in
transition planning for children moving from Early Steps
at age three to the school district. Prior to joining
DOE, Marilyn served as a teacher and administrator in
Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. She has worked in
special education for over 25 years with children from
birth to adults with all exceptionalities. |
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Within the Florida Department of Education (DOE), Carole West is a Program Specialist in the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS) and Liaison to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part C Early Steps program administered by the Department of Health, Children’s Medical Services. She has responsibility for activities and technical assistance related to transition of children exiting Early Steps at age three. Carole has worked for over 30 years in early childhood as a teacher, administrator, and consultant. Prior to her work with programs for children with disabilities and their families, Carole worked in DOE with Migrant Education and Title I Programs. |
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Date: March 26, 2008 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Med Waiver / APD | No transcript available yet | |
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Speaker: Debbie Hengstebeck, APD |
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Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities |
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Date: January 23, 2008 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Starting a Support Group |
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Speaker: Terry West, Support Group Leader |
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Hand of Angels, Inc. - www.hand-of-angels.org |
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Date: December 13, 2007 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Positive Behavior Support |
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Speaker: Meme Hieneman, Ph.D., Project Director |
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Positive Family Intervention Project, USF St. Petersburg |
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& Lead Author of: Parenting with Positive Behavior Support: |
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A Practical Guide to Resolving Your Child's Difficult Behavior |
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Meme Hieneman directs the Positive Family Intervention Project at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg with Dr. Mark Durand. The PFI project is a multi-site research program focused on preventing the escalation of behavior problems in children with developmental disabilities aged 3-5 through parent education in positive behavior support. (For the Project website, click here.) |
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Meme has co-authored numerous articles and chapters on positive behavior support and conducted research on factors affecting the implementation and outcomes of community-based intervention. She is the lead author on a new book entitled “Parenting with Positive Behavior Support” published by Paul H. Brookes. Meme has taught both graduate and undergraduate courses in behavior management and has delivered hundreds of workshops and presentations. |
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Meme has worked with children with severe behavior problems and their families and support providers for over 20 years. Prior to her work with the PFI Project, Meme was Co-training Coordinator for the Rehabilitative Research and Training Center on Positive Behaviors Support, Director for Florida’s Positive Behavior Support Project, a technical service provider at the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities, a behavior specialist for a school district, and a group home manager. Meme was a board certified behavior analyst for 18 years and is now in the process of renewing that certification. |
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Date: November 28, 2007 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Family Survival |
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Speaker: Mark Keith, Training Coordinator |
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Small & Rural District Outreach Program |
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Mark is the Training Coordinator for the Small and Rural District Outreach Program. He provides services to assist small/rural districts with the needs and issues of parents and families of children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and/or Blind/Visually Impaired. These services include providing workshops and trainings for parents, staff and other professionals who work with the families, as well as handling information and referral requests. Mark also is the editor of the two Directories of Services for Families that are published by Outreach. He also maintains Outreach's webpages. |
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| For the 18 years before joining Outreach, Mark has worked for Fairfax County Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Rehabilitative Services, the Virginia Department of Mental Health, Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Services, and SunTrust Bank developing programs, managing projects and designing training. His family has also served as a special needs mentor family for numerous 2nd year residents from the Medical College of Virginia. Mark currently serves on the FDLRS NEFEC advisory board. He is also the scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 885. The troop is made up of students from the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, one of which also happens to be his son. | ||
| The Question-and-Answer session will focus on stress-related issues that often surround families of children with disabilities. Unrelieved stress can have very strong negative impacts on these families. Recognizing these stressors and understanding how to cope with them as part of a family are critical issues. Areas of discussion may include: identifying the stresses that can exist in a family and why they are there; how they can impact the family; and how families can work to cope and overcome these stresses. The session will also emphasize the need for parental involvement, and the importance of participation both parents, as well as how one parent can help a more reluctant parent to become more involved. | ||
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Date: October 17, 2007 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
| Topic: Conflict Resolution |
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Speakers: Kathy Burton, Program Specialist |
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& Patricia Howell, Dispute Resolution Program Director |
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Florida Department of Education |
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Within the Florida Department of Education, Kathy Burton is a Program Specialist in the Bureau of Exception Education and Student Services, and Patricia "Trish" Howell is the Dispute Resolution Program Director within ESE Program Administration and Quality Assurance. |
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| This Question-and-Answer session will address the topic of Conflict Resolution within the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) Process and may include information on specific aspects of resolution including mediation, resolution meetings, state complaint procedures, and/or due process under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA). | ||
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Date: August 15, 2007 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
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Topic: Planning for the Future: Special Needs Trusts |
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Speaker: Tom Nurse, MetDESK Specialist |
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with MetLife's Division of Estate Planning for Special Kids |
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Tom Nurse is the father of two children, one of whom is a teenaged daughter who has Cerebral Palsy. In addition to his title of MetDesk Specialist, Tom also holds the title of Financial Advisor with New England Financial and is a Registered Representative with New England Securities. |
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| This Question-and-Answer session will address the topic of planning for the future for parents of children, teens, and adults with disabilities, and may include information on Special Needs Trusts, designating trustees, funding a trust, the role of other relatives (grandparents), and considering alternative strategies. | ||
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Date: July 18, 2007 | Time: 1:00pm - 2:00pm |
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Topic: Early Steps/Early Intervention |
Sorry, no transcript available | |
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Speaker: Sue Cannon, State Parent Consultant |
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Children's Medical Services / Early Steps |
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| This Question-and-Answer session will address the topic of early intervention and the Early Steps program for infants and toddlers with disabilities and/or special needs. | ||
Past Informal Chats
We do not post transcripts of our informal chats,
but these were the topics discussed:
| Date | Time | Topic |
| 5/15/08 | 7p-8p | Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) |
| 4/17/08 | 10a-11a | Appropriate Evaluation |
| 3/20/08 | 1pm-2pm | Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) |
| 2/21/08 | 7pm-8pm | Parent & Student Participation |
| 1/17/08 | 10am-11am | Individualized Education Program (IEP) |
| 12/13/07 | 7pm-8pm | "Open" Chat |
| 11/8/07 | 10am-11am | Coping with Everyday Life |
| 10/27/07 | 11am-12pm | Letting Go of the Past |
| 10/11/07 | 7pm-8pm | Transition from High School |
| 9/27/07 | 10am-11am | Writing IEP Goals |
| 9/13/07 | 7pm-8pm | Related Services |
| 8/23/07 | 10am-11am | Positive Behavior Supports |
| 8/9/07 | 7pm-8pm | Emotions and Coping |
| 7/26/07 | 10am-11am | Communication in the IEP |
| 7/12/07 | 7pm-8pm | Parent Participation |
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