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featuring Keynote Speaker

DR. CHERYL JORGENSEN

Pioneering Researcher, Author, 

Inclusive Education Expert & Consultant 

 

 

The Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress is proud to host nationally renowned Author, Researcher and Inclusive Education Consultant, Dr. Cheryl Jorgensen, as this year's Keynote Speaker at the 9th Annual Educator's Forum. 

 

Dr. Jorgensen has worked with public school teachers, parents, and administrators to increase their commitment to and capacity for including students with Down syndrome  in general education classes and to restructure schools to welcome all students. In 2008, she won the National Down Syndrome Congress' Annual Education Award for her leadership and pioneering research in support of the successful inclusion of students with Down syndrome. 

 

Dr. Jorgensen's area of expertise is perfectly aligned with the theme of this year's conference - "Designing Classrooms and Programs to Bridge Access to the Common Core Curriculum." 

 

Her keynote speech, which answers the question, "The Common Core and Students with Down Syndrome? You Bet!" is sure to inspire teachers who are supporting students with Down syndrome, as well as the many varied learners in any classroom. In her presentation, Dr. Jorgensen will propose five reasons why the Common Core is appropriate for every student and why the general education class is the best place for students with Down syndrome to learn. 

 

She is also presenting a workshop titled "A Process for Planning Instruction Based on Common Core Standards," which will describe an instructional planning process grounded in Universal Design for Learning and the Common Core State Standards. Specific supports for students with Down syndrome will be described and examples provided for elementary, middle, and high school. This practical, informative breakout session will equip teachers with the tools to enter their classroom and plan instruction that will bridge access to the curriculum for all students.   

 

Cheryl Jorgensen - Presuming Competence Every Day in the Classroom: 
Inclusive Supports for Students with Down Syndrome (NDSS Webinar)

9th Annual Educators Forum 

Designing Classrooms and Programs  

to Bridge Access to the Common Core Curriculum

Monday, November 18, 2013

Hogan Campus Center, Holy Cross College Worcester, MA

8:00am - 3:00pm   

 

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D. is an inclusive education consultant in private practice, after being a project director with the Institute on Disability (IOD) at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), and assistant research professor UNH's Education Department from 1985 until 2011.

 

In 2008, when Dr. Jorgensen received the annual Education Award from the National Down Syndrome Congress, she had this to say: 

 

"I am very honored to have received this award, especially because it comes from an organization founded by parents. Meeting and hearing from parents during the conference reminded me of what Margaret Mead said: 'Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' When you see parents with their infants and then young adults with Down Syndrome who are advocating for themselves, going to college, falling in love and getting married, you realize that having a disability does not diminish anyone's potential for a full life."

 

During her tenure with the IOD, Dr. Jorgensen was the coordinator of state and federally funded research, personnel preparation, model demonstration, and in-service training grants totalling over $12 million. She was a founder of the IOD's National Center on Inclusive Education, UNH's Teacher Certification Program in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and the Graduate Certificate in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Dr. Jorgensen is the author of many professional articles and four books including The Inclusion Facilitator's Guide. She is currently the co-facilitator of the Education and Transition Work Group of the Collaboration to Promote Self-Determination. She is a long-time member of TASH and currently a member of its Inclusive Education Committee

 

See here for a 2-part article that Dr. Jorgensen put together for the National Down Syndrome Congress, titled "Inclusion Works! Inspiration and Information to Counter Arguments against Inclusive Education for Students with Down Syndrome" 

9th Annual Educators Forum on Down Syndrome 

Designing Classrooms and Programs 

to Bridge Access to the Common Core Curriculum