International Association of Special Education 13th Biennial Conference

I am honored to be at the International Association of Special Education 13th Biennial Conference today in Vancouver British Columbia, Canada!  It is a beautiful city and I am staying on the campus of the University of British Columbia and those of you who know me know that I love being on college campuses and this one is unbelievable!  Mountains behind you and the ocean in front of you!  I am here with two dear friends  and respected former colleagues Dr. Elizabeth Ankeny of Augsburg College in Minneapolis and  Helen Beneke of Morningside College in Iowa.  We are co-presenting on “Transition Planning: ” The Scoop from Pre-Service Perspective to In-Service Training”.   Although this is not an Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency sponsored trip, it is an opportunity of a lifetime and I am so honored that they included me is this adventure and I am sure that I will bring back ideas and network connections that will be valuable for our transition work at Prairie Lakes!   This is a wonderful culturally diverse conference with presenters and participants from over 60 countries involved.  What a learning opportunity and I hope to blog/share more about presentations as the week goes by!  Diane Twait Nelsen-Prairie Lakes AEA Transition Chairperson