LAYTON—In recent years, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has made great leaps and bounds in creating accommodations for people with disabilities. Much of this progress has been made in the realm of education, providing the opportunity for students with learning disabilities to succeed.

The Utah State Board of Education just hosted a conference at the Davis Conference Center in Layton illustrating the necessity of these programs and how teachers, parents and students can all integrate them better in the day-to-day of school life. 

“Our goal is to ensure each student with disabilities is valued as a visible member of the school community with equal opportunities to contribute,” said Tabitha Pacheco, an official with the Special Education office at the Utah State Board of Education (USBE). The conference, open to school administrators, general and special education teachers and other educators, didn’t stop there.

“In an effort to make this event available to as many educators as possible, we will be hosting the conference in several locations throughout the state,” Pacheco said. 

Not only will educators learn the importance of these programs, but they will also learn of some of the resources available to help them with inclusion. As one educator said of a previous session, “I just can’t stop thinking about that conference…I just want to tell you personally how grateful I am for that training. This was my first official year 2022-23 as a SPED coordinator and the amount of support that I received was amazing.”

For more information on the conference, please contact the Utah State Board of Education.