Disability, Difference & 35 Kids: Practical Tools for Complex Classrooms

Teachers are doing more than ever—with less than ever. Today’s classrooms are more than just crowded—they’re complex. Teachers are managing a whirlwind of needs: different cultures, different learning styles, neurodiversity, behavioral differences, and students with disabilities (both apparent and non-apparent). It’s all happening in one room, often resting on the shoulders of one educator trying to support every student, every day. This session offers practical, compassionate relief. In this 60-minute experience, Gina Martin—a nationally recognized disability educator with decades of lived experience and classroom engagement—will walk educators through Youth aDAPT, a disability awareness program proven to build empathy, connection, and inclusion in more than 160 classrooms to date. Using humor, storytelling, and lived insight, Gina opens a safe space to explore what inclusion really means when time is tight, supports are limited, and everyone’s running on empty. Educators will engage in hands-on simulations and guided discussions designed to build understanding of how students with disabilities navigate the world—while uncovering easy, high-impact strategies that can be implemented immediately. This isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about shifting how we see, connect with, and support our students so that no one—not even the teacher—is left out. Educators Will Leave With: ✅ Simple, no-cost inclusion strategies you can start using tomorrow ✅ A deeper, judgment-free understanding of students with disabilities (apparent and non-apparent) ✅ Tools to build an inclusive classroom culture that fosters curiosity over fear, empathy over pity ✅ A reminder that you’re not alone—and you don’t have to do this perfectly to make a difference “Gina’s session was a breath of fresh air. I felt understood, not blamed. And I left with tools that felt like gifts, not obligations.” —Teacher Feedback