At the Center on Disability and Inclusion (CDI), we are proud to offer professional development, staff trainings, and technical assistance to the greater community to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of school and society. Topics range from Disability 101, Neurodiversity, Disability Justice, Strategies for Inclusive Education, and more. Trainings can be tailored to meet your needs—whether you are working in a nonprofit, K-12 school/district, college/university, or employment setting.
Formats:
- In person workshops ranging from 1 hour to multi-day sessions
- Live virtual or recorded sessions
- Consultation meetings with leadership and staff
- On-site consultation and coaching
Topics
Trainers
Christy Ashby (she/her) is a professor of inclusive special education and disability studies and the Director of the Center on Disability and Inclusion, a research center that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of school and society—both locally and globally. She previously served as coordinator of undergraduate and graduate programs leading to certification in childhood and special education. Since joining the School of Education faculty in 2007, her teaching and research have focused on inclusive education, communicative diversity, disability studies, and inclusive teacher preparation, with specific emphasis on the experiences of autistic and neurodivergent students. Her work seeks to disrupt dominant notions of disability as deficiency and underscores the importance of centering the voices of disabled people in research and practice.
Shana Lewis (she/her) serves as Program Director of the NYS Disability Advocacy Training Network at Syracuse University’s Center on Disability and Inclusion. With more than 20 years of experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, Shana leads all aspects of project implementation, including statewide partnership development, training curriculum design, and network coordination across New York State. She holds an MS in Education Counseling and holds permanent, PK–12 certification in School Counseling. Her expertise spans program development, stakeholder engagement, staff supervision, grant administration, and grant writing. Shana is deeply committed to centering the voices and lived experiences of self-advocates in all aspects of the project’s work.
Teukie Martin (they/them) is a doctoral candidate in Inclusive Education. They have also completed advanced study in Disability Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies. They support Center on Disability and Inclusion as part of the Neurodiversity at SU initiative and one of the co-creators of NeurodiversiTEA, a weekly drop-in space for neurodivergent and neurocurious students, faculty, and staff. As an interdisciplinary scholar, their work weaves together disability studies, mad studies, queer theory, abolition, and other critical disciplines.
Beth Myers (she/her) is the Lawrence B. Taishoff Associate Professor of Inclusive Education, the Executive Director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education, and the Assistant Director for the Center on Disability and Inclusion. She is a faculty member in the Teaching and Leadership Department in the School of Education at Syracuse University, teaching in the Inclusive Elementary program where she started in 2014. She oversees InclusiveU, a federally-recognized model program for college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Myers has conducted research to study the autobiographical works of adolescents with autism, which won the Ralph C. Preston Award for Scholarship and Teaching Contributing to Social Justice and Educational Equity. Myers currently serves on the National Down Syndrome Society Inclusion Committee. She is the founding Executive Editor of the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education and the Chair of the Annual State of the Art Conference in Inclusive Higher Education.
Sara Petit-McClure (she/ her) is a doctoral candidate studying Inclusive Special Education at Syracuse University. She is completing her dissertation, focused on preservice teacher preparation for working with diverse learners and plans to graduate in May 2026. Sara has completed a certificate of advanced study in Disability Studies. She is an interdisciplinary researcher and teacher interested in teacher education, inclusive and social justice education, and bridging gaps between general education, special education, and inclusive education. Her work centers thinking critically about intersectionality, centering the voices of multiply marginalized communities, and preparing other educators to do the same in their work. Sara is involved in multiple research projects with others in the CDI focused on inclusion across multiple environments and has facilitated numerous workshops and trainings for the CDI at SU and other universities. She currently teaches a graduate class in the School of Education and has previously taught undergraduate classes at SU and SUNY Cortland, worked as a research assistant for the CDI, and worked in PK-12 schools as a teacher, teacher coach, and administrator.
Sam Roux (he/him) has worked at the Taishoff Center since 2014, serving in multiple roles. Sam started as the Coordinator of the ACCESS program through Onondaga Community Living. In 2017, Sam became InclusiveU’s Student Support Coordinator, supporting InclusiveU residential students in building independent living skills and getting involved in campus life. In 2021, Sam moved into the Academic Coordinator role where he oversees the academic progress and goals for InclusiveU and works with SU faculty to increase educational opportunities for our students.
Brianna Shults (she/her) is the Director of InclusiveU and was previously the program’s Internship and Employment Coordinator. She holds a bachelors in biology, a master’s in education from Le Moyne College and a master’s in Public Administration from Syracuse University. Prior to her roles at the Taishoff Center she worked for a Syracuse area organization, where she worked to develop and establish employment and community programs to assist individuals to gain the skills they need to become actively engaged in the community around them.
Rebekah Wallis (she/they) is a PhD student in Inclusive Education at Syracuse University. Rebekah is working toward certificates in advanced study in Disability Studies and University Teaching. She holds a master’s degree in Special Education from the University of North Florida, where she has also worked as an adjunct instructor. She has over a decade of public school teaching and leadership experience. Her research interests broadly include inclusion and equity for multiply marginalized students. Some of Rebekah’s current research projects include a case study on inclusive teaching at a high school, developing a composite narrative from the experiences of pre-service teachers, and examining the impact of coaching general education teachers to support the needs of students with disabilities. Rebekah is currently a research assistant with the Center on Disability and Inclusion. She serves as a member of the School of Education (SOE) Graduate Student Council, a graduate student representative on the SOE Assembly, and a teaching mentor with the Syracuse University Graduate School.
Related Pages
- Inclusive Higher Education Technical Assistance Center of NY
- State of the Art Conference on Inclusive Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disability
- Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education
- Midstate Family and Community Engagement Center
- New York State Disability Advocacy Training Network