The Thompson Policy Institute on Disability continued its advocacy with the ninth annual Summit on Disability and Inclusion, bringing together leading researchers and community partners to showcase best practices for cultivating a thriving and inclusive disability community. More than 500 people attended the summit at the Musco Center for the Arts, including educators, advocates, attorneys,
Chapman University’s Leatherby Libraries hosted an impactful photographic exhibit and panel event titled Acceptance: A Step to Promote Awareness and Understanding of Autism. The photographic exhibition was curated by lecturer Bernie Dickson in the Doy and Dee Henley Reading Room of the Leatherby Libraries. The event marked a significant stride from raising awareness to fostering
A $2.5 million gift from longtime donors Bill and Nancy Thompson to Chapman University’s Thompson Policy Institute (TPI) on Disability in the Attallah College of Educational Studies will make a tangible and transformative impact on the lives of California’s students. TPI works alongside the disability community to develop and improve equitable, accessible and nurturing learning and community environments for
The Thompson Policy Institute on Disability’s (TPI) 2022 Summit on Disability and Inclusion brings together a variety of stakeholders dedicated to developing inclusive spaces for the disability community in schools, employment, and society. Disability Awareness Disability rights advocate and educator, Diana Pastora Carson, M.Ed., joined the in-person event to share an intimate keynote address titled,
Chapman University’s Thompson Policy Institute on Disability (TPI) has been awarded a new $3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With the new funding, TPI will operate the California Educator Preparation Innovation Collaborative (CalEPIC), one of only two such educator preparation transformation centers in California. In alignment with the missions of both TPI
CHOC’s Thompson Autism Center has added Transition Planning to its suite of Families, Agencies, and Schools Together (FAST) services. According to FAST@CHOC Program Director Elissa Green Kaustinen, the model being implemented at the Thompson Autism Center is focused on person-driven planning, which seeks to help people with disabilities plan for their future. J. Thomas Megerian,
Activist and entrepreneur Megan Bomgaars said schools should place students with disabilities in general education settings. In the keynote address at the Thompson Policy Institute on Disability’s 2021 Virtual Summit on DisAbility and Inclusion, Bomgaars said schools and communities need to encourage all students to follow their dreams, to be anything they want without limits.
The Thompson Policy Institute on Disability (TPI) has received a new three-year grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for $784,000. Funding for the Strategic Practices for the Advancement of Inclusive Schooling (SPAIS) grant will support educator preparation programs (EPPs), public charters, and public school districts to improve outcomes for historically marginalized students. Leveraging
The William S. and Nancy E. Thompson Family Foundation has awarded an additional $500,000 to Chapman University’s Thompson Policy Institute on Disability (TPI), continuing its support of TPI’s mission to reduce the barriers that limit access to learning, living, and working for individuals with disabilities. The Thompson Family Foundation is a national leader in autism-related