Presentation Intro: This keynote explores the transformative impact of partnership in supporting children and youth with learning disabilities and other neurodiversities. Drawing from affirming perspectives, it emphasizes the importance of recognizing strengths, fostering belonging, and building equitable pathways in education and community. Highlighting hope-based models of family consultation, the session demonstrates how collaborative, relational approaches can nurture resilience and well-being. Through stories, research, and practice-informed insights, participants will gain strategies to cultivate partnerships that honour lived experience and advance inclusive futures for children, youth, and families across Canada.
Presenter Bio: Dr. Breanna Lawrence is an Associate Professor in the Education Psychology department of the University of Victoria. Her areas of research include, child and youth mental health in education and counselling context, family functioning, parenting, and parent mental health and school-family collaborations in inclusive education.