CONVEY Summer Institute participants learn importance of collaboration in advocacy

Katelyn Mckissick and Arthur Nava discuss a project for CONVEY

Katelyn Mckissick, left, and Arthur Nava work on a storytelling activity during the 2019 CONVEY Summer Institute.

Collaborating to break down silos in schools – this was the recurring theme throughout the second annual CONVEY Summer Institute hosted by the College of Education in collaboration with the College of Allied Health Sciences and Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, CONVEY is led by four ECU faculty: Drs. Sandra Warren, Principal Investigator (Special Education); Christy Walcott, Co-Principal Investigator (School Psychology); Marianna Walker, Co-Principal Investigator (Communication Sciences and Disorders); and Melissa Hudson, Evaluator (Special Education). The CONVEY grant provides tuition support and professional development to graduate students in the three hosting programs.

Throughout their coursework and institutes, CONVEY scholars learned how to interact as a team to advocate for and with learners with a wide range of disabilities. During the weeklong program, scholars took part in various panel discussions, trainings and activities focusing on person-centered planning (PCP), individualized education programs (IEPs), conflict resolution skills, and multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS), and an inclusive classroom model among other topics.

Dr. Robert Orlikoff, Dr. Heather Ries and Dr. Grant Hayes pose for a group photo

Project CONVEY brings together faculty from the College of Education, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Allied Health Sciences. From left, Dr. Robert Orlikoff, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences, Dr. Heather Ries, associate dean for graduate studies in Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, and Dr. Grant Hayes, dean of the College of Education, welcomed CONVEY participants to the Summer Institute.

Another important element of the CONVEY training is developing an understanding of different roles and techniques for collaboration between special educators, school psychologists, and speech and language pathologists.

They also had the opportunity to hear from and talk with several experts in the field including Billy Pickens (communications major at UNC-Charlotte who has vision and hearing loss) and Elisabeth Jones (also a CONVEY scholar) and Kari Leggett who are mothers of children with disabilities. Billy said he realized during middle school he needed to be vocal about what he needed in the classroom. “I think it’s important for special education teachers to encourage their students and let them know their voices matter,” Billy said. His mother, Debra Pickens, agreed with him and added that effective communication between families and educational professionals is crucial. She also urged them to have high expectations for their students and to not allow parents to enable their child.

Elisabeth and Kari shared examples of how their children flourish and become more self-directed learners when educators and colleagues have high expectations for their children, provide appropriate supports, and celebrate their successes. “It’s the little things that make a big difference,” Leggett said.

Kari Leggett, Elisabeth Jones and Billy Pickens take part in a panel discussion.

Kari Leggett, left, and Elisabeth Jones, center, listen to Billy Pickens talk about his experiences during a panel discussion.

The East Carolina University (ECU) Collaborating to Overcome Needs by improving the Voice of Exceptional Youth (CONVEY) project directly addresses shortages of personnel qualified to serve children with disabilities and high-intensity needs (HIN) in three disciplines: Special Education, Speech and Language Pathology, and School Psychology. CONVEY will prepare 48 graduate students to become school-based professionals who demonstrate competencies in (a) evidence/research-based focused instruction, and (b) intense individualized intervention(s) via an interdisciplinary team-based approach.

CONVEY specifically targets improvements in communication of students with HIN as a basis for subsequent improvements in broader developmental areas (e.g., academic, social, emotional, & behavioral). The Summer Institute is part of the scaffolded collaboration development that CONVEY provides throughout each scholar’s graduate program of study.