SPECIAL EVENT, Monday Evening
You're Revved and Ready to Excel, NOW...
TAKE A LAP AROUND IMMI –
COMPLIMENTS OF SAFEGUARD/IMMI
DINNER, TOUR AND TEST AT IMMI’S STATE OF THE ART TESTING FACILITY
Monday’s sessions will be capped by a memorable and enjoyable evening, compliments of IMMI/SafeGuard. Dinner and entertainment will be followed by a tour of the SafeGuard/IMMI facility and a special demonstration test. Buses will load at 5:30 to 6 pm and return to the Hyatt Hotel by 10 pm.
|

Read a copy.
Contact Information
phone: 703-288-4088
fax: 703-288-4089
|
Revved and Ready to Excel!
Transporting Students with Disabilities & Preschoolers
18th National Conference & Exhibition
February 27 - March 4, 2009
|
This is a preliminary program and is subject to change. Please check back frequently in case of program updates.
|
| |
|
| FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 |
|
| |
|
Registration Opens
(Registration
is open daily thereafter at 7 am) |
10 am
to 6:30 pm |
| |
| HANDS
ON TRAINING SESSIONS |
11 am
to 5:30 pm |
Friday's sessions are open to Roadeo contestants free of charge compliments of the sponsoring companies, Edupro Group, Q'Straint, Tie Tech and Sure-Lok.
Evacuation Training (in classroom) 11 am to 12:15 pm
Jean Zimmerman, PT, Supervisor of Occupational and Physical Therapy, Palm Beach County, Florida
Q'Straint Securement Training
in tandem with 12:30 to 2:45 pm
Jean's Evacuation Training (on bus)
Tie Tech Wheelchair Tie Down System Demonstration 2:15 to 3:15 pm
Sure-Lok Securement Training
& Certification 3:15 to 5:30 pm
A Certificate of Completion will be offered at the end of the training.
|
|
| |
|
| Early
Bird Hospitality |
5:30 to 6:30 pm |
| |
|
| Roadeo
Teams & Judges Meeting |
6
to 9 pm |
|
|
| SATURDAY,
FEBRUARY 28, 2009 |
| |
|
| PRECONFERENCE
BREAKOUT SESSIONS |
8 am
to4:1 5 pm |
(concurrent) |
| |
|
Breakout A
Basics of Special Needs Transportation 8 am to Noon |
|
| An
overview of legal and operational requirements for those new to
the field or attendees who wish a review of IDEA compliance issues
and best practices, including securement.
Pauline M. Gervais, Executive Director of Transportation,
Denver Public Schools; and Cheryl Wolf, Safety & Training Supervisor, Lafayette IN School Corp.
Head Start Ride Time Requirements:
How to Crack the Code & Balance the Act 1 to 2 pm
Head Start’s one-hour ride time limit is difficult in rural and large areas. And there is a balancing act between the social service part of providing transportation – with parents who are unprepared for the responsibilities of putting a young child on the bus – and the need to stay on schedule during the route. Here are ideas that may help.
Janice Graniero, EC Transportation Coordinator, Onslow County NC Schools
Session to be announced 2:15 to 4:15 pm |
|
|
|
|
|
Breakout B
So, What’s Your Point? Communicating
Effectively & Efficiently 8 to 9 am
This presentation considers various methods of communication (spoken, written, 2-way radio, emailing) and offers ways to help cut to the chase and get to the point, in a professional manner. Effective techniques that work, whether communicating with each other or with students, parents or teachers.
Charlene Majors, Training Specialist, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Suwanee GA
The Blossoming of Technology in Transportation 9:15 to 10:15 am
Computerized routing, pre- and post trip, GPS, it’s all there. What are the advantages and, yes, disadvantages of the techno revolution in the school bus industry. This routing specialist tells it like it is.
Zoe Horak, Route Coordinator, Falcon School District 49
Sensitivity Training 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
(classroom and on bus)
Limit: 30 attendees per session; repeated 2:15 to 4:15 pm.
This in-class and on-bus exercise is just what you need to get in touch with some of the obstacles and challenges for drivers and students.
Theresa M. Anderson, Central Director of Transportation, Jefferson County (CO) School District,
and Michelle Spradlin, Special Needs Coordinator, Douglas County (CO) Schools
Behavior Management: Helping
Drivers Avoid the Conflict Spiral 1 to 2 pm
Ruth LaJoie, Transportation Supervisor, Red Clay Transportation, Newcastle, DE
Sensitivity Training 2:15 to 4:15 pm
(classroom and on bus) Repeated from 10:30 am; see above.
|
|
SEPARATE REGISTRATION PROGRAM
Workshop A
CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS & INTERVENTIONS THAT WORK ON THE BUS
Segment A: Saturday
Working with Students Whose Behavior is
Complicated by Severe, Profound Disabilities
8 am to 11 am
This session covers students who are non-verbal, non-ambulatory, deaf/blind, self-abusive, etc.
Jo Mascorro, M.Ed., Consultant for Education, San Antonio
Interventions for Diffusing Bullying
Behaviors on the Bus 11:15 am to 12:45 pm
William Hoosty, President, WRH Consulting Group Segment B on Sunday, March 1, 1 to 5 pm, covers behavior interventions for students with autism. See Sunday schedule.
|
8 am to 12:45 pm continuing 1 to 5 pm on Sunday
|
| |
|
ROADEO COMPETITION view details
Observers, contestants and judges will be offered shuttle service to and from the roadeo site throughout the day. For more information on Roadeo teams and judging contact Maureen Arnitz at maureen arnitz@gananda.org |
9 am to 4 pm |
| |
|
ROADEO AWARDS BANQUET |
6 to 9 pm |
| |
|
| SUNDAY, MARCH 1, 2009 |
|
| |
|
| Roadeo Teams & Judges Debriefing |
7:30 to 8:30 am |
| |
|
| 3Rs for Drivers & Attendants |
9 am to Noon |
Sponsored by Thomas Built Buses
Continental Breakfast for session attendees, 8:45 to 9 am
Welcome: Craig Leonard, Thomas Built Buses
Co-Facilitators: Charlene Majors, Training Specialist, Gwinnett County Public Schools, and Faye M. Stevens , Executive Director, Pupil Transportation Safety Institute
Attendees interact to find answers to scenarios that depict some of the more challenging aspects of transporting children with disabilities and preschoolers.
Panelists (to be named) will comment on solutions offered.
This session is open to all Roadeo contestants free of charge. Full conference registrants are welcome to attend.
|
|
| |
OT/PT/TRANSPORTER CHAT ROOM
|
5:30 to 6:30 pm |
Facilitator: Jean Zimmerman, PT, Supervisor of
Occupational & Physical Therapy, Palm Beach County SD |
| |
|
YOUR STATE SPECIAL NEEDS ROADEO:
Getting Your Start, Then Going to the National
Maureen Arnitz, National Roadeo Coordinator, and Alex Robinson, Co-Chair, NAPT Special Needs Committee
|
5:30 to 6:30 pm |
| |
|
SEPARATE REGISTRATION PROGRAM
Workshop B
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY RESTRAINT
SYSTEMS: NHTSA'S NATIONAL TRAINING
Workshop Co-Chairs: Kathy Strotmeyer, Cheryl Wolf
Additional Team Leaders: Sue Shutrump, Jean Zimmerman, Charley Kennington, and a NHTSA rep.
This definitive hands on and instructional clinic enables you to learn from the best in the nation: Experts from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, American Academy of Pediatrics, school system Child Passenger Safety Technicians and industry representatives.
Registrants earn a Certificate of Attendance.. |
8 am to 5 pm |
| |
|
SEPARATE REGISTRATION PROGRAM
Workshop C
EXECUTIVE BRIEFING: Way Beyond the Basics
Segment A: 8 am to Noon
Transportation’s Challenges in Transition Services
Chair & Introduction to the session: 8 to 8:15 am
Pauline Gervais, Executive Director of Transportation, Denver Public Schools
Building a Bridge between Education
& Transportation 8:15 to 9:15 am
Understanding the law, identifying the population, and describing how the education components and transportation components need to come together. Resources you may tap into while bilding bridges to implement post-secondary transition services.
Joe Timmons, Research Fellow, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota and contributor to the National Collaborative on Workforce & Disability for Youth
Travel Training -- Practical Considerations for Transporters 9:30 to 10:30 am
Here's a look at various practical aspects of an effective travel training program from the transporter's prospective.
Kathleen Furneaux, Executive Director, Pupil Transportation Safety Institute
On the Ground with Transition Services: A Panel Discussion with Session Attendees 10:30 am to Noon
What's working and what's not; perplexing cases; problem-solving together. What about transition services for students who are homeless? Your opportunity for an issues and answers session with session presenters and your colleagues.
Pauline Gervais, Kathy Furneaux and Joe Timmons
Lunch
Segment B: 1 to 5 pm
Essentials of Top Notch HR Practices
Human resources practices span a host of issues. But, you've asked -- "What do I really need to do? Just give me the essentials." This four-hour session addresses your request.
Mark Hinson, SPHR, Asst. Superintendent, Human Resources, Adams 12 Five Star Schools
|
8 am to 5 pm |
|
|
| |
|
| MONDAY, MARCH 2, 2009 |
|
| |
|
| DAWNER
BREAKOUTS (concurrent) |
7
to 8 am |
| |
|
Wheelchair & Occupant Securement:
The ABC’s of Safe Transport
This session is a basic level session for those new to transportation, or those who wish a review of best practices of wheelchair & occupant securement and wheelchair lift protocol with and without an attendant.
Sue Shutrump, OTR/L, Trumbull County, OH ESC
Keeping Communication Lines Open with Terminal
Managers, Dispatchers & Call Center Staff
Are your terminal managers, dispatchers and call center staff on board, with the information they need, to make informed decisions about transporting children with special needs? Panelists discuss the training and understanding individuals in these key positions need to possess to make knowledgeable decisions from start to finish of a safe ride.
Linda F. Bluth, Maryland Dept. of Education; Theresa Anderson, Central Director of Transportation, Jefferson County (CO) School District; Zoe Horak, Route Coordinator, Falcon School District 49; and a panelist to be announced.
Preschoolers & the Bus Ride: Training Drivers
about Unique Needs & Communication Issues
Preschool students have a set of needs and issues unique to their young age: fear of being away from family and familiar facts, tantrums, bathroom issues, understanding bus rules, etc.
Janice Graniero, EC Transportation Cordinator, Onslow County NC Schols, and Kathy Furneaux, Executive Director, Pupil Transportation Safety Institute
|
| |
| GENERAL
SESSION |
8:15
to 10 am |
|
Welcoming remarks: Pete Baxter, Director, School Traffic Safety Division, Indiana Dept. of Education, and Roseann Schwaderer, Edupro Group, Conference
Chair
|
| |
|
| Keynote Presentation |
8:45 to 10 am |
It’s About the Child: Developmental Stages & Disabling
Conditions as Key Factors in Safe Transportation
for Our Youngest & Most Vulnerable Passengers
Marilyn J. Bull, MD, Developmental Pediatrician, Riley Hospital for Children, and Morris Green Professor of Pediatrics, Indiana University |
|
| |
|
| BREAKOUT SESSIONS (concurrent ) |
10:15 to 11:15 am |
| |
|
So, What’s Your Point?: Communicating Effectively & Efficiently
This presentation considers various methods of communication (spoken, written, 2-way radio, emailing) and offers ways to help cut to the chase and get to the point, in a professional manner. Effective techniques that work, whether communicating with each other or with students, parents or teachers.
Charlene Majors, Training Specialist, Gwinnett County GA Public Schools
Revitalizing Your Special Needs Training Program
Karen Knight, Safety & Training Manager, Adams 12 Five Star Schools (with a brief legal framework by Peggy Burns, Esq., Education Compliance Group, and Editor, Legal Routes)
Car Seats, Belts & Buses:
The 10 Most Common Mistakes
Are you properly securing children in car seats and safety vests on the bus? Be forewarned of the mistakes you may be making.
Kathy Strotmeyer, Regional Coordinator, American Academy of Pediatrics |
| |
| Lunch |
11:30 to 12:30 pm |
| |
|
| BREAKOUT SESSIONS (concurrent) |
1 to 4:30 pm |
Breakout A: OPERATIONS
Topic to be announced. 12:45 to 1:45 pm
Options for Equipping the Special Needs School Bus 2 to 3 pm
A Panel Discussion with Bus Manufacturers
Facilitator: Cheryl Wolf, Safety & Training Supervisor, Lafayette IN School Corp.
Panelists: Representatives from bus manufacturing firms to be named.
Developing an Effective Communication Plan 3:15 to 4:15 pm
for Working with a Transportation Contractor
Tina Halliman, Ph.D., Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Cook County IL School District 130, and a panelist to be named.
|
| |
Breakout B: OT/PT/TRANSPORTER FORUM 1 to 4:30 pm
Co-Chairs:
Susan Englert Shutrump, OTR/L, Supervisor of Occupational and Physical Therapy, Trumbull County (OH) ESC and Charley Kennington, Director, Transportation Services, Region 4 ESC, Houston
The Forum is an annual segment of the conference that focus on transit wheelchairs and liability issues related to accommodations required for safe transportation of children with disabilities.
Update on WC19 & Related Mobility Device Issues 12:45 to 1:45 pm
Larry Schneider, PhD., Research Professor, and Miriam Manary, BSE, Senior Engineering Research Associate, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI)
Preparing Transportation Plan Solutions 2 to 3 pm
for Your Most Perplexing Cases
Back by popular demand, this interactive session offers practical advice and potential solutions for tough and involved cases and to situations you bring up for the panel’s comment.
Forum Co-chairs Sue Shutrump and Charley Kennington will be joined by Jean Zimmerman, PT, Miriam Manary, and Larry Schneider
Building an Effective Individual Transportation Plan: 3:15 to 4:30 pm
A Live, Interactive Case Study
Child, parent/caregiver, district staff, Forum panelists, and session attendees work through the process to build an effective ITP. As the team works together, equipment will be examined and the student, parent and staff will be interviewed to identify strengths and needs which will then be incorporated into a customized transportation plan. You will have the opportunity to actively participate, or to observe, and compare the plan to one your district would offer.
|
| |
Breakout C: GRADUATE SCHOOL ROUNDTABLES 1 to 4:30 pm
Stepping Up: Roundtable Dialogues on Leadership,
Influence, Communication, Motivation & Management
Five roundtables of 10 seats each will be available. Each table will have a maximum of three discussion leaders, one of whom will be the Table Captain. Each roundtable session will last 30 minutes, at which time participants will have the option of moving to another table or staying for another 30 minutes. No one will be permitted to spend more than two 30-minute periods at the same table. The table topics are as follows:
Effective Leadership – A Dialogue with Former State Directors of Transportation
Discussion leaders to be named.
Winning Support from Your State Director – A Dialogue with
Current State Directors of Transportation
Charley Hood, Florida, Table Captain
Pete Baxter, Indiana
Discussion Leader to be named.
Managing Your Time & Motivating Staff – A Dialogue with
School Transportation Practitioners
Pauline Gervais, Denver Public Schools, Table Captain
Alex Robinson, San Diego USD
Discussion leader to be named.
Communicating Effectively & Influencing Policy – A Dialogue with Association Executives
Robin Leeds, National School Transportation Assn.
Discussion leaders to be named.
Achieving Safe & Compliant Pupil Transportation – A Dialogue with Industry Officials
Kathy Furneaux, Pupil Transportation Safety Institute, Table Captain
Peggy Burns, Esq., Education Compliance Group, and Editor, Legal Routes
Cynthia Langill, Utica National Insurance
Stepping Up Roundtable Dialogue Wrap-up 4 to 4:30 pm
Participants will have the opportunity to answer the question: “How can I step up in my operation as a result of the afternoon’s roundtables?” |
| |
|
NAPT SPECIAL NEEDS COMMITTEE MEETING
All conferees are welcome to attend.
Co-Chairs: Linda Bluth and Alexandra Robinson, NAPT
|
4:45 to 5:20 pm |
| |
SPECIAL EVENT
Revved and Ready to Excel...
Now:
TAKE A LAP AROUND IMMI – 5:30 to 10 pm
COMPLIMENTS OF SAFEGUARD/IMMI buses load 5:30 to 6 pm
DINNER, TOUR AND TEST AT IMMI’S
STATE OF THE ART TESTING FACILITY
Monday’s sessions will be capped by a memorable and enjoyable evening, compliments of IMMI/SafeGuard. Dinner and entertainment will be followed by a tour of the SafeGuard/IMMI facility and a special demonstration test. Buses will load at 5:30 to 6 pm and return to the Hyatt Hotel by 10 pm.
|
| |
| TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2009 |
|
| Tuesday morning all events move to the Indiana Convention Center where there will be a continental breakfast and a special session in the Wabash Ballroom prior to the opening of the Exhibition in Hall D. |
| |
GENERAL SESSION 7 to 8 15 am
Back by Popular Demand: The “Ellen’s Experts Tell All” Show
(with NO apologies to Ellen DeGeneres)
Pauline (De)Gervais, Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Kathy Furneaux, Sue Shutrump, and Jean Zimmerman
A highly interactive and fast-moving session in which select members of the Tenured Faculty and National Advisory Board answer some of the most frequent and pertinent questions they are asked in the areas of special needs transportation, including students with disabilities, preschoolers and Head Start populations. Upon conclusion of this entertaining and informative session, all adjourn to the Exhibit Hall for the Exhibition.
|
| |
|
| EXHIBITION
OF PRODUCTS & SERVICES |
8:15
am to 1 pm |
| The Exhibition of Products and Services
from suppliers to the pupil transportation community will be held at the Statehouse Convention Center next to the Peabody Hotel.
Take advantage of this opportunity to build stronger
relationships with with suppliers. Continental breakfast and
lunch will be available duirng the exhibition. Cash prizes and drawings for supplier gifts. No other conference activities are scheduled at this time so you can meet with your suppliers. |
| |
|
| BREAKOUT SESSIONS
(concurrent) |
1:15
to 5:15 pm |
| |
|
Breaout
A: OPERATIONS
|
How Sensory Deficits Impact the Bus Rider & 1:15 to 2:15 pm
Interventions for Safe Securement, Boarding & Behavior
Learn how to structure the bus environment to accommodate students with sensitivities to touch and movement and those who have difficulty filtering auditory or visual information, thereby making communication difficult. Learn to recognize the effect of sensory deficits on establishing rapport, prompting proper bus behavior, the fit of CSRS's, teaching safe boarding and evacuation procedures and avoiding acting out or disruptive behavior. Helpful strategies used in the classroom and therapy will be discussed with an emphasis on how to ransfer them into the bus ride.
Sue Shutrump, OTR/L, Supervisor of Occupational & Physical Therapy, Trunbull County (OH) ESC
Topic to be Announced 2:30 to 3:30 pm
Peggy Burns and Linda Bluth
More than One Way Out; Specing the Bus 3:45 to 5 pm
for Emergency Evacuations of All Students
Do you have your emergency evacuation plan for students with special needs in hand when you’re specing a bus? Maybe that wheelchair doesn’t fit through a 24-inch emergency exit. Maybe you shouldn’t assume that the lift be working; is there another way to get students out of the bus? It’s time to be proactive about writing bus specifications that consider riders with disabilities.
Jean Zimmerman, PT, Supervisor, Occupational & Physical Therapy, Palm Beach County SD
|
| |
|
Breakout
B: LAW & POLICY
|
Federal Program Update: Head Start, 1:15 to 2:15 pm
Lap/shoulder Belts, etc.
Here’s what’s down the pike for special needs transporters, compliments of the feds.
Robin Leeds, Consultant and Industry Specialist, National School Transportation Assn
It Doesn’t Stop with Getting Student Info; 2:30 to 3:30 pm
You’ve Got to Know What to Do with It
Obtaining data on a student’s behavioral, medical and equipment needs is just the first step. We’ll tell you how to get the data. Of equal importance is how to use the information once you have it. Propensity to run? Prone to seizures? Needs a lap tray? Here are things to do, and questions to ask, to help insure a safe ride.
Pete Meslin and Kathy Strotmeyer, American Academy of Pediatrics Equip Yourself against Legal Concerns: Recent 3:45 to 5 pm
Cases about Stuff & Staff that Goes with the Child
Peggy Burns, ESQ., Education Compliance Group |
| |
|
| Breakout C: GRADUATE SCHOOL |
Sped Transportation As a
Risky Business? You Decide 1:15 to 2:15 pm
Cynthia Langill, Utica National, NE region
Parent Issues & Transportation: Empowering 2:30 to 3:30 pm
IEP Teams to Make Appropriate Decisions
Determining whether transportation is a related service, having tough discussions with parents. Regarding bus aides and other issues. What supervisors are to do when dealing with unreasonable and over-demanding parents.
Tina Halliman, Ph.D., Director of Pupil Personnel Services, Cook County IL School District 130, and a presenter to be named.
Session to be announced 3:45 to 5 pm
|
| |
|
CHAT ROOM
Topic to be announced. |
5:15 to 6:15 pm |
ROUNDTABLE
Topic to be announced. |
5:15 to 6:15 pm |
| |
| |
| WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2009 |
|
| |
|
| GENERAL
SESSION |
7 am to 11 am |
ABCs of Preparing Transportation Staff 7 to 8 am
to Work with Difficult Parents
Debbie Rike, Supervisor, Transportation Department, Shelby County TN Schools
Some parents are difficult to communicate/ interact with. They are difficult with everyone – from the school staff, therapists, transportation staff, etc. It’s one thing to talk with parents over the phone, but when a parent is unreasonable the driver or bus assistant may be confronted in front of students on the bus. How do you prepare the driver and assistant to respond to the parents? What training do you complete with the transportation personnel to establish working rapport with these parents. Learn the ABCs in this session:
-
Top 10 things you would never say to a student, parent or school personnel! (No matter what)
-
How have you trained staff to respond or break off confrontational conversations with difficult parents?
-
Difficult situations (examples) – How would your respond?
Don’t Be a Crash Test Dummy 8:15 to 9:30 am
Share the challenges and solutions for safe transportation of students who travel on the school bus while seated in their wheelchairs. You’ll participate in an interactive session – share, critique, win prizes, laugh, and leave with vivid memories of crash test videos.
Jean Zimmerman, PT, West Palm Beach SD, and Sue Johnson, Convaid
Tall Tales or True; Fact or Fiction &
How to Respond if It Happens to You 9:45 to 10:45 am
Incidents gathered from news reports or passed from one ear to another; your personal experiences; someone’s worst fears – all provide an educational “closer” with a light touch. Savor these stories to retell in your training sessions, or around the campfire.
Pete Meslin, and Debbie Rike
|
ADJOURN
UNTIL MARCH 2010 |
. |