Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resources

Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day:
Supporting Families, Celebrating Abilities

April 5, 2025 8:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M.
Boys Town Headquarters
14100 Crawford St, Boys Town, NE 68010
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Parents, caregivers, teachers, related service providers, current UNO students, and others are invited to join us to learn from presenters. Topics will include advocacy, state resources, transition plans and more.

Local organizations will host tables with information about how they support and celebrate the abilities of all students. We have also added a poster session to share recent research on supporting students with disabilities.

Additional details:

• Free to attend
• Spanish interpretation available
• Snacks provided
• Be present to win a raffle prize

Register Today- Space is Limited!
Click here To Register - English form
Click here to Register - Spanish form

Time	Presenters	Title	Description
8:30-9:00	Registration and Resource Fair
9:00-9:10	Dr. Kristin Duppong Hurley Dr. Sara Kupzyk Dr. Apryl Poch	Welcome
9:10-9:55	Kara Saldierna, Executive Director of Special Education, Omaha Public Schools	Developing a Meaningful IEP in Partnership with The School	This session will focus on what a parent can expect at an IEP meeting, questions to ask the team, and how effectively exercise their parental rights during the IEP meeting so that the result is an IEP that positively impacts their child's school experience.
	Jennifer Miller, Executive Director, Parent Training and Information Center of Nebraska	Developing a Transition Plan that Emphasizes Your Child’s Interests and Accomplishments	This session will guide parents through the process of creating a meaningful and individualized transition plan for their child. Participants will learn how to incorporate their child’s strengths, preferences, interests, needs, abilities, and achievements into the plan to support their goals for further education, employment, and independent living as they successful move into adulthood
10:00-10:45	Georgia Ryba, Respite Care Associate with the Munroe-Meyer Institute Joyful Stoves, Program Specialist with DHHS Division of Developmental Disabilities	What Families Need to Know about State Disability Programs: Nebraska DHHS Programs Available for Loved Ones with Disabilities	Learn about the options for state-based support for your loved ones with disabilities and/or complex health conditions. Learn how the Munroe-Meyer Institute can help you navigate these services. Resources Ryba and Stoves Presentation Slides
10:45-11:15	Resource Fair and Posters
11:15-12:00	Dr. Gina M. Kunz, Professor, Department of Psychology, Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center	A Partnership Approach to Family Engagement: Strength in Family-School-Community Collaboration	In this session, we will explore practical aspects of family engagement; learn how family engagement benefits students, families, and educators; and examine the strengths of family-school-community partnerships in promoting meaningful family engagement. We will explore our own understanding of family engagement and identify key components that lead to meaningful family engagement. Participants will develop a working knowledge of family engagement from their professional and/or personal lens, with the goal of identifying at least one practical strategy that is most applicable to them. Resources Kunz Presentation Slides Student Success Toolkit for Families Family-Friendly Partnership School Walk-Through National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships Nebraska School, Family, and Community Engagement Framework
12:05-12:50	Lauren Micek Vargas, Education Rights Counsel	Empowerment in Special Education Conference and Resource Day	This session breaks down the IEP process and education law, helping parents understand their rights and the protections in place for their children. We’ll cover key legal safeguards and real-life scenarios, giving you the knowledge to advocate for your child and work with schools effectively.
12:50-1:00	Drs. Kristin Duppong Hurley, Sara Kupzyk, and Apryl Poch	Closing and Door Prizes
1:00-1:30	Resource Fair

Presenter Bios

Jenn Miller is the Executive Director of the Parent Training and Information (PTI) Center, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to helping families across Nebraska who have children and young adults with disabilities and special health care needs navigate the special education process. Jenn has been employed at PTI Nebraska since 2011. She worked with families as a Parent Information Specialist where she focused on individualized education programs, positive behavior supports, and strengthening home-school partnerships before becoming the Executive Director. She is grateful to be part of such a wonderful team who is passionate about empowering families to advocate for their children’s needs in school and teaching families how to navigate different systems and services.

Jenn serves on several statewide committees and local boards that focus on improving outcomes for people with disabilities. She has a Master’s in Human Resource Development, and received her Bachelor’s in English with Minors in Speech and Mass Communications and an emphasis on Public Speaking from Doane University. She has three wonderful children, her oldest son having a rare genetic disorder which has led to global developmental delays in all areas and multiple disabilities including Intellectual Disability, Epilepsy, and Autism. Jenn enjoys spending time and going on adventures with her children (even when that adventure is going to Scooters or Target), hanging out with her family and friends, laughing, drinking coffee, eating ice cream, and playing volleyball.

Kara Saldierna is the Executive Director of Special Education for Omaha Public Schools.

Joyful Stoves is a Program Specialist with DHHS Division of Developmental Disabilities. She has been in the division for over 20 years. Her areas of expertise include outreach and communication.

Georgia Ryba is a Respite Care Associate with the Munroe-Meyer Institute, where she advocates for working caregivers statewide and supports the Nebraska Lifespan Respite Network. She has also spent time as a Parent Resource Coordinator with MMI's Family Care Enhancement Project, assisting families in navigating their care options for their children with disabilities. She has also spent time as a Registered Behavior Technician in MMI's Early Intervention Program for children on the Autism spectrum. With a Bachelor's degree in Music Education K-12, Georgia is currently pursuing a Master's in Public Administration at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Georgia is a proud mother to a daughter with Autism and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

Dr. Gina Kunz is a licensed psychologist in Nebraska for children and adolescents. Across her almost 30-year career, she has held faculty positions at two medical centers and two institutions of higher education and has been awarded more than $32 million in grant funds. She currently is a Professor in the Psychology Department at the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Her professional areas of expertise include behavior management for children and adolescents with behavioral challenges and attention deficits, academic assessment and intervention for children and adolescents with academic challenges, professional development and instructional coaching for adults who teach and support children, parent training, school-based consultation, family engagement, and strengthening positive home-school partnerships. Her clinical practice through MMI is situated in OPS schools providing school psychological services, including school-based consultation. Related to today’s topic, she is Project Co-Director for the Carolina Family Engagement Center, housed in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina, and funded through a grant by the U.S. Department of Education.

Lauren Micek Vargas is the CEO and co-founder of Education Rights Counsel (ERC), a Nebraska nonprofit, focused on removing legal barriers to educational equity. As a former special education teacher, a public defender, and a disability advocate, Lauren's experience in the education sector and juvenile courts has cultivated her passion for working to improve educational outcomes and legal access for ALL children. Under her leadership, ERC has earned the recognition of the Nebraska State Bar Association who awarded ERC with the Special Merit Award, which is presented to an organization that advances the legal profession, the administration of justice, and public interest.

This event is sponsored through a collaboration between the UNO Special Education and Communication Disorders and Psychology Departments and Boys Town.