Paving the Pathway to Literacy: Partnering with Professionals and Parents

Event Summary

Join us at the beautiful Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld for an immersive two-day event dedicated to enhancing literacy education. The Paving the Pathway to Literacy: Partnering with Professionals and Parents conference offers an excellent opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate, paving the way for improved literacy outcomes.

Friday, October 4th

Registration is from 4:00-6:00 p.m. with poster exhibits, table talks, and exhibit hall.

6:00 p.m. Dinner

7:00-8:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker Gil Gershoni, founder of Dyslexic Design Thinking, sponsored by The Bridge at The Christ School.
Saturday, October 5th

Registration and breakfast 7:30-8:30 a.m.

8:45-9:45 a.m. Keynote Speaker Adrianna Swearingen, the 2024 Florida Teacher of the Year

10:00 a.m.- 5:30 p.m. Sessions, lunch, and exhibit hall

Registration Fee

Registration fee includes Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast, Saturday lunch and access to all sessions, poster sessions, and table talks. Cash bar will be open for Friday night's event. Participants may choose to attend parts of the conference but must pay full conference price.

Hotel Accommodations
Special conference hotel room rates are available at the link below. Total cost per night with taxes and fees is $223.88. Please click on the link for more details.

Book Your Hotel:
https://book.passkey.com/go/IDAFloridaConference2024

We look forward to welcoming you to this enriching event!

Who We Are

Our mission is to create a future for all individuals who struggle with dyslexia and other related reading differences so that they may have richer, more robust lives and access to the tools and resources they need.

The International Dyslexia Association is an international organization that concerns itself with the complex issues of dyslexia. The IDA membership consists of a variety of professionals in partnership with people who have dyslexia and their families and all others interested in The Association's mission. We believe that all individuals have the right to achieve their potential, that individual leaming abilities can be strengthened and that social, educational and cultural barers to language acquisition and use must be removed.

The IDA actively promotes effective teaching approaches and related clinical educational intervention strategies for people with dyslexia. We support and encourage interdisciplinary research.

Keynote Speaker

Gil Gershoni, Founder of Dyslexic Design Thinking

Gil Gershoni is the co-founder and creative director of Gershoni Creative, a branding agency with offices in San Francisco and Dallas. For more than 25 years, Gil has developed design and innovation-focused solutions that help brands connect with themselves, their audiences and the world around them. Clients include Google, Apple, Spotify, Deloitte, Nike, BBC and Patrón.

Gil is also the founder of Dyslexic Design Thinking, an initiative that explores how the dyslexic mindset can help improve the way we think, create and relate to one another. He is the host of the Dyslexic Design Thinking podcast, which features interviews with dyslexic creators, entrepreneurs, and thought-leaders.

Gil is an advocate for the reframing of dyslexia as a "hyper-ability" and regularly speaks to audiences about the power of neurodiversity, including a sold-out appearance at South by Southwest.

Keynote Speaker

Adrianna Swearingen, 2024 Florida Teacher of the Year

While serving as an educator for the past seven years, Adrianna has focused on developing her students into the next generation of leaders. She facilitates student-run morning broadcasts and pioneers the Accelerated Reader Program, cultivating an environment of confidence in her students. When not in the classroom, she volunteers her time to the Northside Elementary Technology Club, Lego Club and Yearbook Committee. Transitioning from a classroom teacher to a media specialist in 2021, Mrs. Swearingen was a key factor in Northside Elementary's overall school grade increasing by 12 percentage points, English Language Arts (ELA) leaming gains rising 21 percentage points, and learning gains for the lowest quartile of students in ELA growing a whopping 41 percentage points.

Adrianna holds a Master's Degree in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Florida State University. She is proud of her military childhood and loves how the exposure to different cultures, learning and perspectives continues to positively impact her life both personally and professionally. Adrianna is a proud mom of two boys and wife of a Marine.

Featured Guest Speaker

Dr. Valentina Contesse, University of Florida Literacy Institute

Featured Guest Speaker

Nancy Coffman, Certified Academic Language Therapist and Qualified Instructor in Structured Literacy

Session Topics

Structured literacy

Learning Ally

Writing, spelling, orthography, morphology

Dyslexia simulation

Understanding evaluations and reports

Navigating the public school system for optimal collaboration

Harnessing the power of games

Everyday Math

Supporting social emotional needs

Parent and teacher resources

ADHD

Executive Functioning

Host or Publisher International Dyslexia Association- Florida Branch