Date: Date: Saturday May 14 (9 am – 12 noon) AND Wednesday May 25, 2022 (6 pm-9 pm) Cost: $75 Total PD hours: 6 hours Location: ONLINE Presenter: Christie Longmire

Description: Every day, Canadian children, caregivers and teachers share the experience of reading through pic-ture books. Through the images and text presented during this intimate adult-child interaction, children are ex-posed to various messages, many which are unrealistic and stereotypically portray various disabilities despite best efforts to promote inclusion.
As principles of universal design have been introduced and promoted across Canada, the availability of accessible spaces for differently-abled people has become a topic of interest across a range of sectors. However, books that accurately demonstrate this are lacking. In order to understand how we can promote inclusion through picture books, we will discuss what the elements of universal design are, whether or not they are present in literature, and what we can do as educators to further this learning through practical, hands-on experiences with children.
Participants will be provided with resources to use in daily environment after the first session, with the second session focusing on interacting with other Early Childhood professionals to discuss experiences and future opportunities.
Workshop Goals:
To gain understanding of what Universal Design is and how we can use picture books to introduce this topic to children; Learn practical ways Early Childhood Educators can further this knowledge by facilitating hands-on learning opportunities with young children; To connect with other professionals to brainstorm strategies that were effective and what may be implemented in the future.
Presenter Biography: Christie Longmire graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Master’s degree in Child and Youth Study. She began her career as Speech Language Pathology Technician, followed by employment as a behavioural interventionist. Currently, she manages inclusion supports for before and after school participants, where she ensures environments are designed for all children’s success. She also facilitates profession-al development for staff members of the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, focusing on inclusion, universal design and behaviour management.