Learn, Participate, and Collaborate in CEC’s 2026 Add-On Workshops
With so many workshops to choose from, it can be difficult to decide which ones to attend. For our 2026 Convention, we are excited to host presenters who will speak on a range of interesting special education topics, including the use of AI in special education, teacher preparation, and collaboration with families. Below, we’ve highlighted some for your consideration, including two of our featured ones. No matter which workshop(s) you end up choosing, they all have information, tools, and resources to contribute to your professional development in special education.
Workshop 1, titled Legally Defensible IEPs, will take place on Wednesday, March 11, from 9 AM to 4 PM. It will be presented by featured speaker Julie Weatherly, Esq. from Resolutions in Special Education, Inc. (RISE, Inc.). The Court’s updated two-pronged test for determining whether an IEP is appropriate has been taken into account and will serve as the basis for the discussion. This workshop is one of our most popular; don’t miss out on the chance to learn what to avoid when ensuring an IEP is legally defensible!
Workshop 2, Co-Teaching Evolved: Strategies, Structures, and Smart Tech, takes place on Wednesday, March 11, from 9 AM to 12 PM and is presented by featured speaker Wendy Murawski and Belinda Karge. Collaboration is encouraged in this interactive presentation, and you can expect dynamic modeling of co-teaching approaches. It will also include demonstrations of effective collaboration, the implementation of AI, and the presentation of active teaching strategies.
Interested in learning more about AI in special education? Consider attending Workshop 5, Empowering Special Education with AI: A Hands-On Workshop, on Wednesday, March 11, from 9 AM to 12 PM; or Workshop 19, Accessibility Matters: The Future of Inclusive Design with AI, on Saturday, March 14, from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Workshop 5 is presented by James Basham, Angelica Fulchini Scruggs, Matt Marino, Sean Smith, and Trey Vasquez (all hold Ph.D., CIDDL). In Workshop 5, presenters will focus on the use and adoption of technology in special education, as well as addressing key ethical concerns. Workshop 19, presented by Jennifer Levine (Chief Academic Officer, CAST), will examine the capabilities of AI to improve the accessibility of materials and common challenges and best practices for inclusivity when implementing AI.
Workshop 11, Inclusive by Design: Embedding Inclusion into the DNA of Your School, introduces a framework that utilizes an approach grounded in UDL (Universal Design for Learning) to reimagine professional development, school culture, teaching, and learning, thereby creating more inclusive classrooms. It will be presented by Kelli Suding and Michelle Soriano (both Professional Learning Specialists, CAST) on Wednesday, March 11, from 9 AM to 12 PM.
Terese “Tisa” Aceves, Ph.D. (Professor, School Psychology Program, LMU) and Cristina Santamaría Graff, Ph.D. (Associate Professor of Special Education, Urban Teacher Education, IU) will present Workshop 15, Empowering Every Voice: Establishing Equitable Partnerships with Diverse Families. Attendees can expect a discussion of three components of relationships between families and professionals, including preparation for partnership, culturally inclusive engagement, and amplifying family voice. This interactive workshop is designed to provide teachers, administrators, and teacher educators with information and tools.
Please note that you cannot register for workshops that take place simultaneously. Workshops differ from Sessions in that they incur an additional registration cost and must be registered for prior to attending Convention.