The PL Project: Expanding Possibilities

On this episode, Tara and Sheena talk with Dr. Ilana Nankin about her incredible work with Breathe For Change and her own inspirational educational and well-being journey.  Dr. Ilana Nankin, Founder and Co-CEO of Breathe for Change, a transformative higher education institution. Ilana is an award-winning educator and entrepreneur whose classroom experience revealed a powerful truth: when teachers thrive, students succeed. That realization led her to earn her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction, where her research on educator well-being became the foundation for Breathe for Change.  Through evidence-based Master's, teacher training, and certification programs, Breathe for Change has empowered more than 20,000 educators across thousands of schools and districts nationwide to enhance their own well-being, improve educational outcomes, and unlock their full human potential.    In this episode, we talk with Ilana about the importance of educators taking time to check-in with themselves and attune to their own well-being.  Ilana shares some words of wisdom for educators while getting vulnerable about how challenging working in the field of education can be.  She also shares about how she recently overcame adversity to continue to strengthen her purpose and passion for supporting educators.     Listeners can find more information about Ilana and her movement at breatheforchange.com as well as follow Ilana on Instagram and follow Breathe For Change's Instagram account.  You can also check out Breathe For Change's new podcast called A Work Of Heart on Apple Podcasts and additional Podcast platforms.    

On this episode, Vanessa Wilkinson, NSSEO AT Facilitator and SLP, and Tara Hanson, NSSEO sit down with Kelly Fonner and Sayard Bass again. Kelly and Sayard presented Beyond the Checklist: Applying QIAT for Real-World AT Implementation at our recent NSSEO Institute Day. If you haven't heard it already, head back to the previous episode, Episode 25, and then come back for this awesome conversation that dives deeper into implementation and documentation.

NSSEO District Coaches Tara Hanson and Kim Wimer sit down with Kelly Fonner and Sayard Bass to discuss their upcoming presentation at the NSSEO Jan 5th Institute Day titled Beyond the Checklist: Applying QIAT for Real-World AT Implementation. NSSEO and member district staff can click here to register.    Kelly Fonner is a special educator and AT consultant who has been a para-educator, teacher, instructional media specialist, assistive technology specialist in EI, K-12, university, and statewide settings. Kelly has presented in the field of AT/AAC for over 40 years across the US and internationally. She is a leadership member of Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology (QIAT), WI AAC Network, an ATIA Conference Adviser, and is a co-author of the QIAT books. You can find out more information about Kelly and her services at www.kellyfonner.com. Sayard Bass is a Speech Pathologist and Assistive Technology Professional with the Southwest Cook County Cooperative near Chicago, where she built and leads the cooperative's AT program supporting 11 districts. She also teaches in the Assistive Technology Certificate Program at UIC and in AAC coursework at the College of DuPage. Sayard recently joined the QIAT leadership team, has collaborated nationally on QIAT and QIAT-PS initiatives, presents at conferences across the country, and was honored as a Joy Zabala Fellow in 2024. She believes deeply in sharing and teaching as essential parts of learning.   Find out more about QIAT and the resources mentioned in this podcast here. 

NSSEO District Coaches Tara Hanson and Sheena Gunia sit down to chat with Shannon Wess and Carly Franzgrote to talk about their upcoming sessions at the NSSEO Institute Day on January 5, 2026.  Shannon will be presenting Beyond Compliance: Earning Instructional Control While Prioritizing Dignity and Respect - Easter Seals - AM Session 8:30-11:30. Carly's session titled Look Who's Talking! Increasing Communication Across Environments - Easter Seals - PM Session will be from 12:30-3:30 both at Harper College. NSSEO and member district staff can click on the links to register through Kickup. You won't want to miss these!    Shannon Wess, MSW, BCBA, is a behavior analyst with a strong background in autism services, special education coaching, and staff development. She has led training and professional learning programs that energize and empower educators, and she created First Response, an autism awareness program for first responders. Shannon has presented at regional, national, and international conferences. She holds a master's in social work with a behavioral health focus and a post-master's certificate in applied behavior analysis.   Carly Franzgrote, MS, CCC-SLP, is an Autism Specialist with the Illinois Autism Partnership. She began her career as a respite care provider, which sparked her passion for supporting individuals with autism and complex communication needs. As a speech-language pathologist in school settings, Carly developed deep expertise in AAC, functional communication, and coaching teams to carry over communication strategies. She holds a BA in elementary education with a special education endorsement and an MS in speech-language pathology from St. Ambrose University, along with her LBS1 and ASHA clinical certification.   You can find more information about the important work that Shannon and Carly do at EasterSeals, along with helpful resources on their website. Also, follow them on Instagram @eastersealsiap.

On this episode, Kristie and Sheena talk with Kim Brown about her expansive work with the Verbal Behavior Milestones and Placement Program (VB-MAPP).  Kim Brown has been working in the field of special education for the past 23 years in a variety of roles including a teaching assistant, special education teacher, instructional and behavioral coach, principal/Program Director, Coordinator for Autism Programming and Director of Professional Learning from Early Childhood to High School.   Her work centers around special education programming and best practices in assessment, curriculum development and instruction. In addition she works with educational leaders to develop an infrastructure to maintain systems of support around professional learning goals and implementation to provide continuous short term and long term growth for educational teams.   In the episode, we talk with Kim on the student benefits of utilizing the data from the VB-MAPP assessment to learn more about your students, how this data can be intertwined with how to deliver instruction and curriculum to students across all areas, the importance of understanding verbal behavior for all educators, and overall some helpful tips and suggestions for teams when it comes to getting started on the assessment and teaching to use the results.    Listeners can find more information on Verbal Behavior Milestones and Placement Program on Mark L. Sundberg's website, The Pattan Website- which includes a lot of video explanations, and utilizing NSSEO's coaches/consultants especially when it comes to getting started. 

For over 40 years, Don Johnston, founder and CEO of Building Wings, has helped students and teachers build literacy skills through specially-designed curriculum and assistive technology. His technologies, implementation, and personal connections have made the impossible possible in over 32,000 schools across America. At the heart of Don's endeavors is inspiration gained during his personal journey as a reader who struggled in school. In eighth grade, a teacher recognized his potential and helped him think and learn in non-traditional ways. This is the philosophy behind all of Don's product development and company endeavors. Through Don's leadership and long-standing partnerships with interdisciplinary experts, Building Wings is creating special education resources to help many more students reach new heights in their literacy development.

On this episode, Danielle and Sheena talk with Dr. Robert Pennington about his expansive work with individuals with complex learning needs and how to program for students using high leverage practices. Rob is a former special educator, well accomplished professor, BCBA, and leader in educational research. His current research focuses around high leverage practices as well as innovative educational methodologies of using technology and robots within the classroom. In the episode, we talk with Rob about the importance of showing teachers how to use High Leverage Practices in order to make data-based decisions for their students, as well as help teachers feel empowered over their instruction and programming for students with more intense and severe needs. Listeners can find more information about Rob's work around HLPs on the University of Kentucky's website as well as purchase his book, Applied Behavior Analysis for Everyone: Principles and Practices Explained by Applied Researches Who Use Them, on Amazon.

On this episode, Tara and Danielle talk with Dr. Karen Erickson about a few of the free resources available for educators who support students with complex learning profiles. Karen is a former teacher of students with significant disabilities. Her current research addresses literacy and communication assessment and intervention for students with extensive support needs, as well as the supportiveness of augmentative and alternative communication in interaction. Karen and her colleague's recent projects have focused on creating open-source professional development and implementation supports such as those available in Project VC (projectvc.org), Project Core (project-core.com) and Tar Heel Shared Reader (sharedreader.org).   On the show, Karen recommended that teachers explore the DLM Professional Development modules ASAP! She also shared information about Building Bridges which currently has videos to describe each of the conditions for learning outlined in Chapter 2 Comprehensive Literacy for All. In the future, this website will have lesson plans and instructional resources, once they are ready.    You can buy Karen and David's book Comprehensive Literacy for All on the publisher's website or on Amazon.

On this episode, Kristie Wurglitz and Tara Hanson talk with Paula Kluth on her work with teachers and families to provide inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities and to create more responsive and engaging schooling experiences for all learners. Her work centers around providing support around inclusion, co-teaching, and universal design for learning. She has written over 15 books supporting parents and staff on these topics and she has won several awards within her profession.  In the episode, we talk with Paula about the benefits of using co-teaching as a tool for inclusion, utilizing co-teaching structures, co-teaching with related services, and how to make co-teaching collaboration work with limited time and resources.  Listeners can find more information about Paula's work at her inclusion rules website. "30 Days in the co-taught classroom" is one of her best-selling books which you can access on her website or on Amazon. 

Nicole Burke and Beth Mand interview Dr. Ross Greene