Speakers

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Speaker Bios

Keynote

Don M. Winn

Dyslexia: Embracing the Process of Discovery and Your Child's Path to Success

Don M. Winn is the award-winning author of the Sir Kaye the Boy Knight series of children's chapter books and a collection of thirteen picture books. As a dyslexia advocate and a dyslexic himself, he frequently addresses parents and educators on how to maximize the value of shared reading time and how to help dyslexic and other struggling readers to learn to love to read. Don’s forthcoming non-fiction book, "Raising a Child with Dyslexia: What Every Parent Needs To Know," is planned for early release during the conference and will address all aspects of dyslexia, including social and emotional learning. His latest picture book, "There’s a Monkey in My Backpack!" (available September 2019) is designed for parents and educators to read with their dyslexic children and students to help them understand both the difficulties and the benefits (their monkey) that accompany dyslexia and other learning difficulties. Don also wrote the action-packed Sir Kaye chapter books to appeal to even the most reluctant readers while still being ideal for shared reading. The Sir Kaye books include many topics for parents and kids to talk about—including how a character named Reggie struggles with dyslexia but learns that he is a talented person of great value. Don’s articles about dyslexia and reading have been published in US News & World Report, Costco Connection Magazine, TODAY Parenting, Fostering Families Today, and many others. Visit Don's blog for more information and all the latest news.

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Casey Salinas

Breakout Session: Empowering Students Affected by Dyslexia

Casey Salinas is a Product Advisor for the Microsoft Store at the Domain in Austin! Casey is a huge advocate for all thing’s education. She currently works closely with schools in the Austin area teaching content focused on Microsoft in Education, Accessibility Tools within Windows 10/ Office 365, and STEM. Supporting and enriching the lives of 21st century learners and their educators is a passion she hopes to continue doing throughout her career with Microsoft.

Matt Hattoon

Lunch & Learn: Bookshare: Making Reading Accessible

Matt Hattoon has been an Outreach Coordinator for Bookshare/ Accessible Books for Texas since 2015. Prior to joining Bookshare, he had over 18 years’ experience as a Classroom Teacher, Dyslexia Specialist, District Instructional Technology Facilitator, and Curriculum and Technology Integration Specialist working with students who learn in different ways. An in-demand speaker, Matt has presented for numerous parent and educator groups across Texas, including TCEA, Tots and Technology, and TXDLA, and at many different regional conferences and professional development workshops. Matt is passionate about using technology as a tool to facilitate and enhance learning, particularly literacy.

Shonna Skarda

Breakout Session: Experience Dyslexia® (Dyslexia Simulation)

Shonna Skarda is a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist and Certified Academic Language Therapist. After completing her training in 2014, Shonna formed a joint practice in north Austin. In addition to her private practice, Shonna is also the After School Program Coordinator for the Dyslexia Center of Austin, a non-profit working to provide low-cost intervention services for underserved communities. Shonna has served on the board of IDA Austin for three years and is Chair of the Experience Dyslexia committee.

Allison Peck

Breakout Sessions: Multisensory Spelling & Multisensory Grammar 

Allison Peck is currently on the Instructional Staff at Neuhaus Education Center in Houston, Texas. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist-Qualified Instructor and a Licensed Dyslexia Therapist. She is a special education, general education, and reading specialist teacher, with her experience being in the public school (middle school) and private school (elementary) realms for the last 15 years. Allison has an undergraduate degree in Political Science and History from Texas A&M University, a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction from Houston Baptist University and is currently pursuing a PhD in Literacy from St. John’s University.

Suzann Vera

Breakout Session: Spotting Dyslexia in the Classroom

Suzann is a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist working full time as a reading interventionist in Central Texas. With over 25 years in public education, Suzann has had the opportunity to work with students, parents, and fellow educators. Trained in both Texas Scottish Rite Hospital’s Take Flight and Neuhaus’s Basic Language Skills, Suzann has taught children identified with dyslexia and those who struggle in language arts to read, write, and spell. She is a member of International Dyslexia Association and the Academic Language Therapy Association.

Since her own child struggled to read in the first grade, Suzann has become passionate about providing staff development for other educators and holding parent workshops on dyslexia identification, the referral process, intervention with direct, explicit multisensory instruction, and other resources.

When not working with students, Suzann likes to play board games with her husband and son, read books, cook, and camp. Check out her school’s Facebook group, Raising Readers.

Kelly O'Mullan

Breakout Session: My Journey with Dyslexia: Strength-Driven Paths to Success for Kids with Dyslexia and Related Disorders

Kelly earned a B.A. in English Literature, a Lifetime Texas Teaching Certification, and an M.Ed. in Secondary Language Arts Education from The University of Texas in Austin. She trained at the Scottish Rite Dyslexia Center of Austin and became a Certified Academic Language Therapist and Licensed Dyslexia Therapist in 2011. Upon completion of her training, Kelly started KO Dyslexia Therapy, PLLC to provide dyslexia therapy to students in both public and private schools throughout Austin. In 2014, Kelly co-founded Dyslexia Center of Austin, an IMSLEC accredited 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. DCA's mission is to support the educational, emotional, and social well-being of students with dyslexia and related disorders. DCA offers multisensory, structured language training for teachers and therapists, provides free dyslexia therapy to students in an after-school community setting, consults with school districts on best practices, promotes dyslexia awareness, and connects parents, teachers and the Central Texas community with resources, referrals, and outreach opportunities. Currently, Kelly is Co-Executive Director/Qualified Instructor at DCA and a private dyslexia therapist at Trinity Episcopal School. She is also the proud mom of two children with dyslexia, both Take Flight graduates.

Cherry Lee

Breakout Session: Dyslexia & Dysgraphia 101

Cherry Lee has served in both general and special education. She is currently employed with the Texas Education Agency in the Division of Special Education as the Dyslexia Coordinator. She provides technical assistance in the areas of learning disabilities, evaluation, Response-to-Intervention, and compliance with Section 504 and IDEA regulations. She is a Certified Academic Language Therapist, Licensed Dyslexia Therapist, and an educational diagnostician. She is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership.

Jennifer Covington

Breakout Session: Dyslexia Evaluations Including Considerations for ELs (Spanish)

Jennifer Covington is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and a Nationally Certified School Psychologist. She holds a specialist degree in School Psychology from Texas State University. In 2013 the Texas Association of School Psychologists awarded her Outstanding Graduate Student in School Psychology at the Specialist Level for the state of Texas. Jennifer began her career as a bilingual LSSP for a large urban Central Texas school district where she completed psycho-educational evaluations of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. She has previously worked as a contract evaluator and consultant for multiple Central Texas school districts. As Jennifer is also a person with dyslexia who grew up in a bilingual/bi-cultural home, it was no surprise she sought out to specialize in dyslexia evaluations of ELLs. She currently serves as a 504 Specialist at Austin ISD. She provides district level support and professional development to educators regarding Section 504, dyslexia, dysgraphia, executive functions, and much more. She is an actor, singer and improviser and can frequently be found on stage with her gold microphone.

Perry D. Stokes

Breakout Session: Morphology: Teaching Latin and Greek Roots Out of Your Junk Drawer

Mr. Stokes received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Texas in Austin in 1988. He was certified to teach in the field of Special Education through the Region XIII Education Service Center of Austin in 1998. Mr. Stokes earned his master's degee in Special Education in 2010. Mr. Stokes became a Certified Academic Language Therapist in 2004. He became a Qualified Instructor in 2013. Mr. Stokes has over twenty years of teaching experience in the Central Texas area. He currently serves as the Dean of Instruction at the Rawson Saunders School where he has been on staff since 2005. He is also an active trainer at the Rawson Saunders Institute. Mr. Stokes published a book on experiential morphology instruction in 2012.

Ajit Narayanan

Breakout Session: Getting Googley with Technology for Dyslexics

Ajit Narayanan leads Google's initiatives in making our products and platforms more accessible for neuro-diverse users - for example, people with dyslexia, autism, dementia and Down syndrome. Prior to Google, Ajit was the founder and CEO of Avaz, Inc., a company that built communication and language learning tools for users with speech disabilities. He was named one of the world's top young innovators by MIT TR35, and his TED talk on technology and language disabilities has been viewed more than a million times.

Dr. Mike Brooks

Breakout Session: Changing the Narrative: How Kids with Disabilities Can Cope with Emotional Challenges

Dr. Brooks is a licensed psychologist and a licensed specialist in school psychology. He is the founder and director of the Austin Psychology & Assessment Center. He has a wealth of expertise in positive psychology, the needs of children and teens, effective parenting practices, and technology and gaming addiction. He is a frequent presenter on these topics, has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, and is a blogger for Psychology Today at Tech Happy Life. His book, "Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World," was published by Oxford University Press in August of 2018. He and his wife live in Austin with their three boys, and they know first-hand about the many challenges of raising kids in a hyper-connected world!

Sharon McMichael

Breakout Session: Getting Googley with Technology for Dyslexics

Sharon is an energetic speaker, passionate educator, and tireless advocate. Wilson Reading System Level 1 Certification allowed her to gain Structured Literacy Dyslexia Interventionist verified. Ms. McMichael is a lifelong learner who has dyslexia training in Basic Language Skills (Neuhaus), LindaMood Bell, Project Read, Slingerland and Wilson. Certified as an English Language Arts teacher who strove to help struggling readers, she completed her master’s degree as a Reading Specialist. Her love of technology is evident in her Computer Science minor, and she is a Google Certified Educator Level 1. As an immediate past President (10 terms) of the International Dyslexia Association, Austin Branch, Sharon was also the originator of the "Dyslexia Awareness Month" idea with free informative sessions for the community.

Dr. Sharon Vaughn

Breakout Session: Reading Comprehension for Students With Reading Disabilities: A Misunderstood Construct

Dr. Sharon Vaughn, Manuel J. Justiz Endowed Chair in Education, is the Executive Director of The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk, an organized research unit at The University of Texas at Austin. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the CEC research award, the AERA SIG distinguished researcher award, The University of Texas Distinguished Faculty Award and Outstanding Researcher Award, and the Jeannette E. Fleischner Award for Outstanding Contributions in the Field of LD from CEC. She is the author of more than 35 books and 250 research articles. Several of these research articles have won awards: one the A.J. Harris IRA award for best article published and another the School Psychology award for best article. She is currently Principal Investigator on several Institute for Education Sciences, National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and U.S. Department of Education research grants. She works as a senior adviser to the National Center on Intensive Interventions and has more than six articles that have met the What Works Clearing House Criteria for their intervention reports. She currently has 20 of her previous doctoral students who are faculty at universities across the United States including University of Colorado, Florida State University, University of Maryland, and University of Virginia.

Leandra Trevino

Breakout Session: Supporting Students through Section 504 and Special Education

Leandra currently serves as the Assistant Director of Section 504 Services at Austin ISD, where she has provided training, guidance, and shaped procedures in regards to 504 and dyslexia. Leandra is a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology and a Licensed Psychological Associate. Previously, she has worked as a school psychologist under the realm of Special Education, where she evaluated students for learning disabilities, emotional conditions, and other eligibilities for special education, while playing an active role in ARD (SPED) meetings at the campus level.

Paula McCoy

Breakout Session: Spotting Dyslexia in the Classroom

As a parent of a child with dyslexia, Paula is passionate about connecting other parents with the resources they need to navigate what can be a very stressful diagnosis. Paula’s son struggled with reading in kindergarten, and by the end of first grade, he had made little progress, despite summer tutoring, after school reading groups, and extra help. Once he was officially diagnosed with dyslexia, Paula’s son began receiving services by a Certified Academic Language Therapist. After two years of language therapy and continued support, he is now a flourishing and confident student who enjoys reading and loves going to school. As a result of this experience, Paula was inspired to start a parent group at her elementary school for parents of struggling readers. As an IDA Austin Board member, Paula is replicating these experiences in new contexts, focusing on Membership and Outreach, and co-managing the branch’s social media outlets. As a professional, Paula runs an online stationery business and works as a graphic designer. She enjoys karate, camping, and exploring national parks with her family. Inspired by her son’s progress with reading therapy, she began training as an Academic Language Therapist to provide children with the services they need to succeed in reading.