The Atlantic Centre

of Research, Access, and Support for Students with Disabilities

Whole Student Conference 2007

FEATURING...

Colin Bernhardt

Freeing Natural Expression

Finding how to free our voices, so that they really express what goes on inside of us, is one of the most life-enhancing discoveries we can make. So many of us use our voices, sometimes without realizing it, to cover up what we feel, or to disguise things about ourselves that we do not like. For an actor, of course, it is vital to use the voice as part of the whole character we are playing, and actors spend years developing the relaxation, focus and confidence that they need. But the same need is just as real for all of us. So this workshop will piggy-back on the approach of the actor's training, helping to make it accessible to everyone who wants to be a 'whole' person in voice and body. As the writer E.M. Forster famously said: 'Only connect.'

People with learning disabilities often feel they have more to cover up than others. If they are able to develop the same kind of skills, each in their way and within their challenges, and in an atmosphere of trust and encouragement, it is amazing what can come about. 

The workshop will serve as an introduction to the actor's approach in voice training. Participants will be encouraged to make it their own, and to apply it both to themselves and to their own areas of expertise and responsibility, whether teaching or parenting or guiding people in their daily lives. 

Actor, director and teacher, Colin Bernhardt has been an inspiring guide in the development of the natural voice for thousands of participants in classes and workshops in Canada and internationally. He was trained as actor in Montreal and Vancouver, and was for four seasons a member of the Stratford Festival company in Ontario - touring with them in Europe and the former Soviet Union.While working as an actor and teacher, he gained his B.A., B.Ed. and M.A..Since 1983 he as been an Associate of Trinity College, London (Speeach and Drama).He is a theatre director, and a member of the Writing faculty of the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts, and until 2006 was Associate Professor in the Theatre Program at Acadia University.

While working in the Acadia Theatre Program, he taught and coached in many other university areas, including the Schools ofMusic, Education and Divinity, the departments of Recreation, English and Modern Languages, as well as in the Counselling Services, and in the Chaplaincy - for which he directed the annual passion play for several years.While at Acadia he also served as co-founder and charter board and company member with the Atlantic Theatre Festival.

Colin took early retirement from Acadia to conduct specialist workshops, and also in order to complete a book on the teacing of voice to writers, complementing his first book , So To Speak (Ekstasis 2000).He is currently working with Saint Mary's University, Halifax, to develop a program in Voice and Speech.He resides in Wolfville.

Dr. Susan Bryson & Michael Price

Fostering Successfull Experiences for Students with Autism Spectrum

Dr. Susan E. Bryson recently came from Toronto (York University and the Hospital for Sick Children) to become professor and the first holder of the Craig Chair in Autism Research, Department of Pediatrics, IWK Health Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Dr. Bryson received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from McGill University and has become a leading authority on mechanisms of attention, emotion and cognition in autism, and on the early detection and treatment of autism. She has a long-standing history of training students, professionals and parents, and of serving various community agencies, for which she recently received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal. 

Michael Price has been Program Director with the Provincial Autism Centre since 2004. Michael worked for many years in residential services working with individuals with a variety of special needs. After managing a residential program in Vancouver for several years, Michael returned to Nova Scotia and worked to help transition residents of the Halifax County Rehabilitation Centre to community placements. He supported the opening of two new Small Option Homes, one for people with Autism, and then a 3rd new home for children with Autism. Having worked with many adults with ASD and with having an adult sibling with ASD, Michael brings a unique perspective to the autism centre, as is relflected in the unique programming opportunities they offer.

Betty-Ann Buott, M.Ed., CCC, RPC-C

Developing Positive Self-Esteem in Students with Learning Differences

Betty-Ann Buott has a Master's of Education from Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia. Her specialty is counselling adolescents with learning differences. Currently she is the Guidance Counsellor at Landmark East School, an international school for students with learning disabilities. As well, she has a private practice at Kings Edgehill School offering individual psychotherapy to students. This fall Betty-Ann is teaching a course through Acadia University called 'Counselling Adolescents with Learning Differences'.

The workshop is a presentation based on Betty-Ann's practice at Landmark East School. An overview of her client population at the school and issues of co-morbidity will be discussed. A Strength-Based Approach that she utilizes in her counselling practice with these clients will be explained.
Some of these methods include Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Approach, Brain Functionality- Retrain Your Brain, Relationship Building, Direct Versus Indirect Counselling, Addressing Issues of Self-esteem and other specific techniques.This workshop would be suitable for teachers, therapists and educators alike hoping to have a clearer understanding of the challenges associated with counselling students with learning differences and specific methods to use.

Dr. Terry Lane & Dr. Deborah Day

The Silver Lining of Clouds

Terry Lane, Ph.D. is Director of the Student Resource Centre at Acadia University.One of the primary functions of the Resource Centre is to provide broad based support for all students with disabilities including exam accommodation, tutorials, IT assistance, and advising.

Deborah Day, Ph.D. is a faculty member in the graduate programme in counselling at Acadia University; she also maintains a small counselling practice. Her research work focuses on conceptualizations of resilience and on practices that foster resilience in individuals and various groups.

This workshop blends experiences that the presenters have had as counsellors with findings from several research projects they have undertaken with university students who have learning disabilities.  Case studies will be used to illustrate strategies that support resilience development in students. A conceptualization of a process of resilience development in students (and others) by which they oscillate between roles as receivers of resilience-enhancing strategies and promoters of resilience enhancement will be explored. A theme of this process is the ‘search for opportunities in difficulty’. Participants will be involved in exercises, which help them to identify elements of this process in their own areas of practice. Small groups will generate suggestions for best practice that can be adapted to different settings. This workshop is appropriate for students, teachers, therapists, and employers.     

Clarence deSchiffart

Listening to Our Lives Speak -- Understanding the Principles of Career Development

Clarence De Schiffart is the Coordinator of Projects & Partnerships with Career & Transition Services at the Nova Scotia Community College.He is passionate about career development initiatives and inspiring others to discover their direction in life and to live it with passion and fullness.

Listening to our stories -- the foundation for discovering one's direction and purpose in life.How can your story guide your future life/work decision making? Join the presenter in a fun, imaginative, interactive session that explores creative ways of learning to "Follow Your Heart".This session will give professionals working with people in a life/work transition concrete examples of innovative techniques to use with their clients in individual or group work.

Keith Bain & Joel Miller

Technology In and Out of the Classroom

Keith Bain leads the Liberated Learning Consortium, an international research and development organization studying speech recognition technology as a means of improving access to information. 

Keith represents the consortium around the world, delivering presentations on speech recognition technology, accessibility and research collaboration.In addition to multiple events at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York, he presented at the 2000-02 CSUN Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conferences in Los Angles and the Association for Computing Machinery's ASSETS 2002 Conference in Scotland.He made his second appearance at the prestigious Australian Pathways National Conference in December 2002, providing a keynote address.  He has delivered featured presentations at Japan’s National Accessibility Forum and the 3rd China Information Accessibility Forum, as well as lectured at prestigious universities such as  MIT, Stanford, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, and Hiroshima University.  

Keith began his professional career as a special education teacher in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada working with a variety of students with special needs. He also spent an enlightening year teaching and consulting in Asia, gaining valuable cross-cultural experience. He has been with the Atlantic Centre of Research, Access, and Support for Students with Disabilities at Saint Mary's since 1996.

Keith has been honored with a National Education Award and an International Faculty Award for innovation. He has a B.Ed from the University of Alberta and an MBA from Saint Mary's University.He currently lives in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada with his wife Shannon and daughters, Jenna and Sydney.

Joel Miller is a senior year B.A. candidate, majoring in English at Saint Mary's University.Joel is an expert Kuzweil user and has done numerous training workshops with teachers and students.Additionally Joel has visited high schools throughout metro Halifax to talk to students about his experiences as a post secondary student with a learning disability.Joel has presented at workshops for faculty to help increase awareness and understanding about disability issues related to teaching.

This two part workshop will demonstrate the advantages to learners of speech-to- text in the classroom using Liberated Learning technology and the uses of text-to-speech software used by students for reading and testing.