Inclusivity Reimagined:

Strength-Based Strategies & Disability Acceptance

Date: May 20, 9:00am–4:00pm
Location: Omaha Marriott Downtown

A day of discourse dedicated to the importance of strength-based interventions and leaning into individuals’ preferred interets. We invite you to come listen and learn from experts in the field of disability from across the country. A keynote from Dr. Kristie Patten, conversations moderated by Dr. Brent Elder, with other esteemed speakers, Daniel van Sant and Iowa Representative Josh Turek. Join us at the Downtown Marriott on May 20th.


Meet Our Speakers

Brent Elder Photo
  • Kristie Patten, PhD, OT/L, FAOTA, is Counselor to the President and she oversees the priorities of the Office of the President and is a key liaison to the Office of the Provost and major administrative units to coordinate planning, implementation, and assessment around these joint efforts. Dr. Patten has been at NYU since 2007 and is also a Professor of Occupational Therapy at NYU Steinhardt. She has served as Vice Dean of Academic Affairs at NYU Steinhardt and Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy. As a professor, her research examines strength based practices in inclusive public school settings. Dr. Patten is the Principal Investigator of the NYU Steinhardt's ASD Nest Program, supporting New York City Public Schools’ largest inclusion program for autistic students and is on the NYCPS Special Education Advisory Council. She co-chairs the Global Center for Inclusion’s Research Collaborative and co-founded, along with colleagues from the Moses Center, the NYU Connections program for neurodivergent students at NYU. She is currently Co-PI of an NSF grant that engages autistic college students mentoring autistic high school students in STEM interests and career pathways.

    These projects leverage strengths and interests of 5th through 12th grade students on the spectrum to develop social competence and potential career pathways. Dr. Patten has published and presented nationally and internationally on topics related to examining the efficacy of public school inclusion models and viewing autism from a strength-based or abilities-based model. She was  awarded the 2022 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, by the American Occupational Therapy Association, the highest academic award in the profession for her work entitled "Finding our Strengths: Recognizing our Professional Bias and Interrogating Systems".

  • Dr. Brent Elder is an Associate Professor of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies at Rowan University. His research and practice focus on the development of innovative and sustainable inclusive education practices in under-resourced schools in the United States and low-resourced countries around the world. Most recently, he has worked on deaf Indigenous rights in Australia, and inclusive education initiatives through USAID, UNICEF, and Inclusive Development Partners (IDP) in Ghana, Rwanda, Kenya, and Malawi. Through the leadership of IDP, he was also involved in the Multi-Country Study on Inclusive Education (MCSIE) evaluation of inclusive education programs in Cambodia, Malawi, and Nepal.

  • Daniel Van Sant is a disability rights attorney who has practiced most extensively in the areas of inclusive education, gender-based violence, and inclusive international development. He draws on his personal and professional experience with disability in leading the disability policy work at The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement at Drake University.

    All of the disability work at The Harkin Institute is tied, somehow, to increasing access to competitive, integrated employment for all people with disabilities. From conducting focus groups in Iowa related to Medicaid services, to presenting at universities, providing consultation to corporations, and organizing the international Harkin Summit on Disability Employment, Daniel works on disability inclusion in many spheres and across many locations. 

    Daniel received bachelor’s degrees in International Relations, Rhetoric, and Politics from Drake University. He earned his Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education with a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies from Syracuse University. 

Speaker Schedule:

9:00–10:15 am
Keynote Address - Dr. Kristie Patten

10:30–11:30 am
Dr. Brent Elder

11:30 am–12:30 pm
Lunch Break - lunch is not provided.

12:30–1:30 pm
Daniel Van Sant

1:45–2:45 pm
Josh Turek

3:00–4:00 pm
Panel discussion led by Dr. Brent Elder

  • Josh, a lifelong Council Bluffs resident, was born with spina bifida and has been a wheelchair user and advocate for adaptive sports since childhood. He graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School, became the all-time leading scorer at Southwest Minnesota State University, and later earned an MBA. Josh represented the U.S. in four Paralympic Games, winning two gold and one bronze medal, including gold in Tokyo 2020.

    Frustrated by systemic healthcare failures, Josh ran for office and now represents Council Bluffs and Carter Lake in the Iowa Statehouse. He prioritizes bipartisan solutions, advocating for healthcare reform, public education, environmental protection, and economic policies that support middle-class families. Josh is committed to giving a voice to those too often overlooked in the political process.