For those who are unfamiliar, the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), a well-known non-profit organization that works to protect the special education rights of children with disabilities, holds a great conference every year with lots of sessions to appeal to parents, attorneys, and advocates. I just returned from this year's conference in Miami, Florida held from March 8-11. Some highlights from the weekend included:
"Federal Litigation of IDEA Cases" co-presented by Alice Nelson and Jon Zimring (the latter of Georgia fame)
"Attorneys' Impartial Due Process Hearing Training" hosted by Jennifer Laviano and friends
A well-attended Thursday evening wine and cheese reception to get the weekend started
"Bullying - Protecting Our Kids and Our Clients" presented by Josh Kershenbaum and Dave Frankel
Key Note presentation by Tracy Thresher and Larry Bissonette, two men with autism and the stars of the acclaimed film Wretches & Jabberers
"Case Law Review" with Judith Gran, recapping noteworthy special education cases around the country in 2011
A general session about psychological assessments by Dr. Anne Simun
"The Business of Special Education Law" by Barbara J. Ebenstein
"New Regulations of the ADAA & Its Application to Educational Testing" presented by Matthew Dietz
The event is always informative and fun. For anyone who is interested, the next COPAA conference will take place next year in Albuquerque, New Mexico from March 7-10, 2013. To learn more about COPAA, you can visit http://www.copaa.org/.