Kiana Kapono began her career in Special Education at the age of 20 as a paraprofessional at a non-public school that provided “intensive Applied Behavior Analysis Education.” While her early career upbringing was in ABA, her adherence to anarchist principles led her to critically examine the methods of ABA in regards to the trauma caused by teachers, staff, and administrators towards students who receive Special Education services.

In her 20s she worked alongside members of the Che Cafe Collective and Food Not Bombs participating in punk rock culture and mutual-aid community work. Her involvement in these communities exposed her to radical politics and non-hierarchical/non-authoritative decision making and consensus building, which would heavily influence her pedagogical orientation and continually affirm her commitment to helping her students seek self-agency.

Kiana’s classroom is not only a place to learn vocational, applied academics, and independent living skills, but also a forum to question authority, be aware of the rationales for rules and expectations, as well as self-advocacy. After 10 years as a Transition teacher, Kiana started the Aloha Transition Program in 2018 at Mount Miguel High School. She was joined by her long time colleague and friend Vanessa Francis. Together they are in the process of developing A Work In Transition, which is a Transition classroom resource and strategy share.

In addition, Kiana is a firm believer that environmental justice and social justice are deeply intertwined and one cannot be effective without the other. She will be on the panel for Leveraging Resources to Expand School Recycling Countywide in August at The California Resource Recovery Association Conference. She will be presenting on the interventions her classroom implemented on campus to divert over two tons of waste away from landfills by repurposing and redistributing to local organizations.

Meet Maria Davis-Pierre, Founder and CEO of Autism in Black Inc., located in West Palm Beach, Florida. This organization aims to bring awareness to Autism Spectrum Disorder and reduce the stigma associated with the diagnosis in the black community. As a licensed mental health therapist, Maria primarily works with parents to provide support through education and advocacy training. Her passion for working in the field stems from her personal journey with ASD when her daughter received the diagnosis at a very early age. In addition to therapy, Maria dons many other titles including coach, speaker, advocate, and author. Her first published work, The Self-Care Affirmation Journal, is currently available for purchase on Amazon. Maria’s unique approach to coaching and counseling exemplifies her drive and motivation toward greater acceptance and overcoming the barriers and personal struggles associated with raising a child on the spectrum.

Prior to her doctoral studies, Subini Ancy Annamma was a special education teacher in both public schools and youth prisons. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her research critically examines the mutually constitutive nature of racism and ableism, how they interlock with other marginalizing oppressions, and how these intersections impact youth education trajectories in urban schools and youth prisons. Further, she positions students as knowledge generators, exploring how their narratives can inform teacher and special education. Dr. Annamma’s book, The Pedagogy of Pathologization (Routledge, 2018) focuses on the education trajectories of incarcerated disabled girls of color. She is also a Ford Postdoctoral Fellow for the 2018-19 school year hosted at UCLA.

Braelan Martin (she/her) is a Special Education Teacher who is passionate about providing quality education for all students. Braelan believes that teachers must take the time to reflect on their own practices and biases in order to provide quality education to all of their students. In order to accomplish this, Braelan also believes that teachers must be given free resources, education, time, and training for them to constantly improve their craft. Braelan received her Bachelor's degree in Special Education and Visual Arts from Wheelock College in Boston, MA. She then went on to her Master's degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Early Childhood Special Education. Besides learning about education, Braelan is an avid researcher. Her research focus revolves around African American students with disabilities and preparing educators to provide equitable education for all students.

Along with teaching, Braelan runs the Youtube channel and Podcast entitled "That Special Educator". Braelan has combined her love of visual arts and visual learning and her passion for special education. On her channel Braelan shows classroom management, curriculum, adaptations, modifications, and a peak into a teacher's life. On the podcast, Braelan digs deep into topics related to education equality, race, positive teacher stories, and more. In her spare time Braelan loves teaching Barre and Spin at her local studio as well as spending lots of time at the beach.

Samantha is a former foster youth and mother who attended many public and charter schools with the assistance of an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Samantha is a case manager for individuals impacted by homelessness and a social justice advocate for the community of San Diego. She recently obtained her BSW at San Diego State University and is working on her Masters. While in middle school and high school Samantha and her brother with disabilities experienced both psychological and physical trauma by teachers. In this panel she aims to bring awareness of the language and models currently used to address student behavior and communication.