Dr. Jamie Metsala is a Professor and the Jarislowsky Chair in Learning Disabilities at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Her research concerns reading development, disabilities, and interventions. Recently, she was a scientific advisor to the OHRC’s Right to Read Public Inquiry. Dr. Metsala has taught courses on science aligned instruction to pre-service and in-service teachers and to school psychology graduate students.

Kim McLean, M. Ed; has been a special education teacher for over 35 years and is currently the Principal of Foothills Academy; an independent school for students with learning disabilities and a teacher evaluator for Alberta Education with degrees from Brock University and Lesley University. She is a sessional instructor at the University of Calgary on “Social, Emotional and Behavioral Success for Students with Learning Disabilities”. Kim is a member of the LDAC’s research committee and a provincial representative.  Kim presents workshops and webinars for parents, teachers, schools, post secondary institutions, and businesses around North America on topics ranging from; the brain and learning how to read, class management, critical thinking and learning disabilities and executive functioning. Kim was very honored to have been the recipient of the “National Educator of the Year” award from the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.

Dr. Klein started his career as a teacher in North York, Ontario. He completed a PhD in Applied Educational Psychology at the Centre for Applied Cognitive Science at the University of Toronto. He teaches courses in educational psychology and teaching reading and writing to struggling students. He recently completed a term as Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Education. He leads a team investigating “Early Intervention in Writing.” This project, funded by a SSHRC Insight Grant, takes an evidence-based approach to four questions: How can we teach writing strategies and self-regulation to beginning writers? How can we make writing education more effective for struggling writers, including students with learning disabilities? How can writing instruction be organized to make it inclusive and effective? How should instruction in composition and mechanics be sequenced, balanced and integrated?

Fizza Haider (she/her) is a Learning Experience Designer focusing on the accessibility of teaching and learning environments and materials at University of Victoria. Having a Masters (MA) in Educational Psychology, she taps into her understanding of evidence-based instructional strategies and frameworks such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to develop training workshops and resources for diverse audiences to guide them in the application of accessible design principles to lesson and course planning. Her areas of research interest include inclusive education, teacher education and training, teacher self-efficacy, school leadership, and assistive technology. She received the G. M. Dunlop Distinguished Contribution Award from the Canadian Association for Education Psychology in May 2022 for her Masters research exploring factors that influence beginning teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching in diverse classrooms. Over the last few years, Fizza has taught and assisted in teaching courses offered as part of the special and inclusive education programs at UVic (Certificate and Diploma). Prior to that, she worked as an Assistive Technology and Academic Supports Specialist at Georgia State University, assessing student needs for academic accommodations, and recommending assistive technology training and solutions for students.  

Donna McGhie-Richmond (she/her)is an Associate Professor in Educational Psychology, at the University of Victoria. Her research and teaching focus on the role of inclusive instructional models such as UDL and instructional and assistive technologies in enabling teaching and learning to support inclusion of all students. She was instrumental in designing and teaches several courses in the Professional Specialization Certificate and Diploma in Special and Inclusive Education in Educational Psychology. She is an active research member of the Canadian Research Centre on Inclusive Education at Western University, London, ON. She is an international researcher in numerous studies focused on uncovering instructional and leadership beliefs and practices that support the active engagement of all students in diverse classrooms. She was a consultant in Augmentative and Alternative Communication at the Bloorview Kids Rehab Hospital in Toronto, ON, contributing educator perspectives within a trans-disciplinary team approach with Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists, educators, technologists, parents, children, administrators. These experiences consolidated her belief and practice on the essential role of technology to support the active participation and learning of children and youth with disabilities. She has established collaborative connections with school districts in BC and ministry of education-supported services such as Provincial Integration Support Program; and SET-BC.

Sarah R. Powell, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in Special Education at The University of Texas at Austin. Sarah conducts her teaching and research in the area of mathematics for students who experience mathematics difficulty.

Dr. Goegan is an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Educational Administration, Foundations and Psychology. Her research and teaching focuses on important inclusive pedagogies, the transition from high school to postsecondary education and adaptive motivation. Moreover, due to the recent shift to increased online learning, Dr. Goegan examines the impact of this type of instruction on students with and without LD. She is also a long-time advocate for individuals with LD and collaborates on many projects aimed to support these individuals in their academic pursuits and beyond.

Deborah L Butler is currently a Professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia. In her collaborative research with educational partners, she has studied how to support academic success by students with diverse learning needs in support and inclusive classrooms, how and why supporting self-regulated learning is so key to empowering learners, and how teachers can work together, in communities of inquiry, to construct practices that achieve positive outcomes for students.

Charlotte Brenner worked as a general and special educator for the Surrey School District for 25 years prior to her recent appointment as an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of Lethbridge. During her time with the Surrey School District, Charlotte focused on creating inclusive teaching and learning environments for students and teachers. Currently, her research and practice focus on ways to support teacher candidates from underrepresented populations within teacher education programs, specifically examining their development of inclusive teaching practices. Additionally, collaborating with Dr. Jeffery MacCormack she explores how teacher candidates’ own self-regulation is implicated in their development of inclusive teaching practices.

Dr. Cunningham is a clinical and school psychologies, Associate Professor (teaching stream), Chair of the School and Clinical Child Psychology program and Chair of the EDD School Psychology program at the University of Toronto and provides psychological services through is private practice Bright Lights Psychology. His research investigates the support of students with learning difficulties from assessment to interventions. Projects involve looking at new techniques in psychological assessments, evaluation of assistive technology, professional development in literacy and numeracy, and telepsychology. Dr. Cunningham has shared his expertise with parents, students, educators, school boards, and other professionals across North America. In addition to hundreds of workshops, Dr. Cunningham has guest lectured at universities, given keynote addresses, presented at educational and research conferences, and news outlets. He is a member of the working group for the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Assessment of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Learning Disabilities.

Ms. Bisaillon is a speech therapist by training. After working as a special education consultant, she decided to pursue a career in academia. She was a lecturer at the University of Montreal and the University of Sherbrooke for over 10 years. It was during these years that she decided to pursue her university studies. She already had a Master of Arts degree in mathematics didactics, which she had completed at the Université de Montréal. Since then, she has obtained a doctorate in mathematics didactics, which allowed her to be hired as an assistant professor at the Université de Montréal. Since the beginning of her career, Dr. Bisaillon has been interested in teaching and learning mathematics to students who have difficulty learning it.