Events

Events sponsored by Decoding Dyslexia CA (DDCA) are indicated on the events calendar.  Local events held by other organizations may also be listed that may be of interest to our members. DDCA does not endorse any specific program or company.

Oct
24
Wed
Microsoft Presents: Empowering Students Affected by Dyslexia @ Microsoft Store, Stanford Shopping Center
Oct 24 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Program Background
This workshop provides educators and parents/caregivers an introduction to Microsoft Learning Tools and accessibility features of Windows 10 and Office 365.

  • The goals are to empower teachers to create inclusive classrooms that support students
    of all abilities and to help parents/caregivers support learners outside of the classroom.
  • The workshop covers why it’s important to create an inclusive classroom, tools to
    empower different learning styles and abilities, and tools to support students with
    disabilities.
  • Workshop participants get hands-on experience with Microsoft applications and tools including Learning Tools, the Ease of Access menu, and accessibility and productivity features of Office 365.

 

Learning goals

During this workshop, participants will learn about:

  • The purpose and educational uses of Microsoft Learning Tools
  • Accessibility features and tools
  • Resources to continue to learn how to use Learning Tools and accessibility tools and
    features
Microsoft Presents: Empowering students with Dyslexia with Inclusive Technologies @ Microsoft Store Century City
Oct 24 @ 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Empowering students with Dyslexia with Free tools to improve reading, writing, and accessibility built in to Windows 10 and Office 365

Come learn about Inclusive Technology Learning Tools that help with dyslexia, hosted by Microsoft, the International Dyslexia Association -LA  Branch and Decoding Dyslexia CA

What you will learn:

  • How the built in capabilities in Office 365 and Windows can enable learners of all abilities to improve reading and writing skills.
  • How inclusively designed Learning Tools add benefits for those with Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, ADHD, as well as non-native speakers and emerging readers.
  • How learning tools are built into: Word, OneNote, Outlook, Office Lens, and Edge browser

Bring With You:

We would like this to be a learning and sharing event for the community. Your student/child is encouraged to bring their favorite technology and is invited to share what assistive technology works for them!

*Decoding Dyslexia CA doesn’t endorse or support specific products/tools

Oct
31
Wed
Microsoft Presents: Empowering Students Affected by Dyslexia @ Microsoft Store, Stanford Shopping Center
Oct 31 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

Program Background
This workshop provides educators and parents/caregivers an introduction to Microsoft Learning Tools and accessibility features of Windows 10 and Office 365.

  • The goals are to empower teachers to create inclusive classrooms that support students
    of all abilities and to help parents/caregivers support learners outside of the classroom.
  • The workshop covers why it’s important to create an inclusive classroom, tools to
    empower different learning styles and abilities, and tools to support students with
    disabilities.
  • Workshop participants get hands-on experience with Microsoft applications and tools including Learning Tools, the Ease of Access menu, and accessibility and productivity features of Office 365.

 

Learning goals

During this workshop, participants will learn about:

  • The purpose and educational uses of Microsoft Learning Tools
  • Accessibility features and tools
  • Resources to continue to learn how to use Learning Tools and accessibility tools and
    features
Nov
8
Thu
DYSLEXIA – UNDERSTANDING LEGAL ISSUES and TOOLS FOR SUCCESS @ Prentice School
Nov 8 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

SPEAKER:  Michael E. Jewell, an Orange County attorney who practices educational law

Mr. Jewell will discuss special education law, learning disabilities, dyslexia and AB 1369 and how these impact students and schools.

This is a free event, but we would appreciate it you would please register in advance.

Downloadable Flyer

Jan
31
Thu
The Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders: An Introduction to the FAR (Webinar)
Jan 31 @ 10:00 am – 11:00 am

Interested in learning more about dyslexia and the Feifer Assessment of Reading (FAR)?

Learn how to differentiate “dyslexia” from other reading disorders as well as to classify developmental reading disorders into four distinct subtypes.  There will also be a discussion matching each subtype with evidence-based interventions.

This webinar is hosted by the Association of Educational Therapists (AET) and presented by Dr. Stephen G. Feifer.  $10 for AET members / $35 for non-members.  Register here:  https://www.aetonline.org/index.php/events/webinars

 

Mar
21
Thu
Learning While Black in SFUSD @ African American Art and Culture Complex
Mar 21 @ 5:30 pm – 8:00 pm

Learning While Black in SFUSD – On March 21st, 5:30 – 8pm join the community in an educational panel round-table discussion and resource fair featuring Darryl Lester, the main plaintiff in the landmark special education case, Larry P. vs. California.

Mr. Lester was never taught how to read and was labeled “educable mentally retarded” in the 1970’s.  KALW, a local public radio station, produced a recent story of interest addressing a legacy of mistreatment of San Francisco’s black special education students.  The reporter stated the following about Mr. Lester, “it turns out, he did have a learning difficulty, a really specific one. He struggled with reading. He never got the help he needed.”

DDCA is concerned that SFUSD’s recent dyslexia pilot and implementation does not meet California dyslexia guidelines best practices.  Join us in discussing how SFUSD is meeting the needs of its current African American students with reading disabilities.

Downloadable Flyer

Jul
20
Sat
Family Computer Coding Class @ Santa Rosa Christian Church
Jul 20 @ 9:00 am – 12:30 pm

We are very excited to have John Rodrigues, author of “High School Dropout to Harvard,” here to teach a family coding day. John is the Executive Director of ThinkLexic, a non-profit organization serving the dyslexia community with programs, advocacy and policy. John has a masters degree in learning disability education and is a popular speaker in the dyslexia community.

The class is open to students from kindergarten to 8th grade, siblings and teachers are welcome to attend.

Suggested Donation:

$15 per student participant (Kindergarten to 8th grade)

$20 per teacher (will receive a copy of the lesson plan)

$5 per observing adult

All proceeds go to the non-profit, ThinkLexic.

Decoding Dyslexia CA’s Sonoma County Parents Support Group is pleased to host this event. We are a group of parents and educators who meet monthly to share resources and empower each other as we support children with dyslexia and other learning differences.

We hope you can attend this fun family day!

Sep
14
Sat
Students with Dyslexia: Essentials of Assessment @ California State University, East Bay - Valley Business and Technology Center - 124
Sep 14 @ 8:00 am – 12:30 pm

This half-day workshop will focus on the assessment of dyslexia. Dr. Mather will address the definition of dyslexia; the importance of assessing cognitive and linguistic processes, including phonological awareness, orthographic coding, processing speed, and rapid automatized naming. In addition, she will discuss several challenges inherent in the assessment of dyslexia, including: early identification, twice exceptional students, and co-occurring disorders, such as ADHD and language impairment.

This event is intended for school psychologists, speech and language professionals, resource specialists, special education and general education teachers, school administrators, educational therapists, and all credentialing candidates in these fields as well as professional advocates. This event is open to the general public, however, it should be noted that it will be somewhat technical in nature.

California State University East Bay and Decoding Dyslexia CA support best practices with respect to dyslexia as outlined by the California Dyslexia Guidelines. Net proceeds from this event will be used to host future CSUEB events to increase dyslexia awareness.

Registration opens at 8:00 a.m. Workshop is 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Dr. Mather’s Bio:

Nancy Mather is a Professor Emerita at the University of Arizona in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies. She is a coauthor of the WJ IV and has coauthored two books on the interpretation and application of the WJ IV: Essentials of WJ IV Tests of Achievement and Woodcock-Johnson IV: Reports, Recommendations, and Strategies. She has published numerous articles, conducts workshops on assessment and instruction both nationally and internationally, and has coauthored several books linking assessment and intervention, including Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors (3rd ed.), Essentials of Assessment Report Writing (2nd. ed.), and Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment and Intervention.

Oct
17
Thu
The Third Annual Conference of The Reading League @ THE ONCENTER CONVENTION CENTER
Oct 17 @ 7:00 am – Oct 18 @ 4:00 pm
Each year, The Reading League gathers experts from around the globe to share their research, knowledge, and experiences in an effort to further our mission of advancing the awareness, understanding, and use of the scientific evidence base in practice. Teachers, administrators, and educators of all kinds join together to elevate their learning about reading, writing, and related topics.

$499 EARLY BIRD ($599 BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 1)

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 17
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: EMILY HANFORD

Emily Hanford is a senior producer and correspondent for American Public Media. Ms. Hanford sent shockwaves across the US and around the globe when her September 2018 documentary, Hard Words: Why Aren’t Kids Being Taught to Read, brought much needed mainstream attention to the importance of teacher knowledge of the science of reading. Ms. Hanford has been working in public media for more than two decades as a reporter, producer, editor, news director and program host. Her work has won numerous honors including a duPont-Columbia Award, a Casey Medal and awards from the Education Writers Association and the Associated Press. In 2017, she won the Excellence in Media Reporting on Education Research Award from the American Educational Research Association. Emily is based in the Washington, D.C., area.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 18
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. MARYANNE WOLF

Dr. Maryanne Wolf is a scholar, a teacher, and an advocate for children and literacy around the world. She is the Director of the newly created Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies. Previously she was the John DiBiaggio Professor of Citizenship and Public Service and Director of the Center for Reading and Language Research in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study and Human Development at Tufts University. She is the author of Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (2007), Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain (2001), Tales of Literacy for the 21st Century (2016), and Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World (2018).

If you need further information about The Annual Conference of The Reading League, please contact:
Dr. Michelle Storie, Treasurer and Conference Chair
mstorie@gmail.com

Oct
19
Sat
IDA NorCal Event: The Lost Art of Teaching Spelling – A One-day Workshop @ Seven Hills Conference Center San Francisco State University
Oct 19 @ 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

The Workshop:
Who knew there were spelling rules? Our students are given worksheets and lists of words, but no explicit instruction. This interactive, multisensory seminar will guide teachers through the normal spelling development, the importance of phonological awareness, the alphabetic principles, and the rules that govern how we can confidently spell 85% of English words. Teachers will leave with materials to guide their instruction and strategies to improve the spelling skills of their students.

Speaker: Nancy M. Coffman, MS, CALT, QI, Director, Shelton Academic Reading Approach (SARA), Shelton School.

A nationally known speaker in the field of multisensory structured language education, Nancy Coffman currently directs SARA, a comprehensive IMSLEC- and IDA- accredited training program in Structured Literacy. She began teaching children with dyslexia and related disorders in 1991 and training teachers in 1998.

Who Should Attend:

General education teachers: This seminar will raise your knowledge base in the areas of multisensory instruction in spelling to better serve all students.

Dyslexia practitioners, therapists and CALTs: This seminar will enhance your practice with current research and multifaceted practice activities and materials.