May CEU Event: Building Early Pathways to Employment and Community Inclusion: An Interprofessional Approach for Elementary and Middle School Students with Intellectual Disabilities.

Delaware Speech-Language-Hearing Association Presents

A Virtual Evening Meeting: Monday May 11 th 2026, 6:30pm- 8:00pm
Course title: Building Early Pathways to Employment and Community Inclusion: An
Interprofessional Approach for Elementary and Middle School Students with Intellectual
Disabilities

Presenter and credentials:  Meredith Bailey-Orr MA, CCC-SLP, Josh Derrickson, M.
Ed., Gretchen M. Hannah, OTD, OTR/L, Non-Presenting Author: Erin McClain, M. Ed.,
Karina Randazzo, OTD, OTR/L, CLT

Speaker bios:
Presenting Author: Meredith Bailey-Orr MA, CCC-SLP 
Meredith Bailey-Orr is a licensed speech language pathologist with twenty two years of
experience working within a variety of service delivery settings. Meredith has been
employed full-time within the Delaware public school system for the past twelve years.
Since 2021, she has worked with the Foundations Program housed within
Appoquinimink School District for students identified with intellectual or developmental
disorders.  Meredith specializes in evaluation of school-aged children with complex
communication disorders and implementation of augmented communication
interventions.  Additionally, Meredith works as a clinical educator at the University of
Delaware Speech-Language Hearing Clinic and has co-taught the AAC graduate course
since 2021. Meredith has been recently nominated for a 2026 ASHA Certificate of
Recognition for Outstanding Contribution in Preschool- Grade 12 Education settings.

Presenting Author: Josh Derrickson, M. Ed.
Josh Derrickson is a Special Education teacher with 7 years of experience working in
Appoquinimink School District. Josh began his career as a paraprofessional in the
Foundations Program serving students identified with intellectual and developmental
disorders. Then, transitioned to a teaching role in Appoquinimink’s L.I.F.E. Program;
focused on real-life work experiences for students with disabilities. In 2021, Josh
returned to Old State Elementary to work in the Foundations Program.

Presenting Author: Gretchen M. Hannah, OTD, OTR/L
Gretchen Hannah is an occupational therapist with nearly 30 years of experience. She
holds a Bachelor of Science from Thomas Jefferson University (1997) and a Post-
Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate from Chatham University (2019).
Specializing in pediatric care, Gretchen’s experience includes early intervention,
outpatient, and school-based practices. Her school-based experience includes
preschool through 18-22-year-old programs.  Since 2021, Gretchen has served diverse
learners as part of the Foundations Program in Appoquinimink School District.

Non-Presenting Author: Erin McClain, M. Ed. 
Erin McClain is a Special Education Teacher with eight years of teaching experience
working within the Appoquinimink School District in Delaware. Erin has spent her professional career working within the Foundations Program with students identified with intellectual or developmental disorders. Erin holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education concentrating in Special Education and a Master of Education in
Exceptional Children and Youth. Erin was named Old State Elementary’s Teacher of the
Year in 2022.

Presenting Author: Karina Randazzo, OTD, OTR/L, CLT
Karina Randazzo holds a bachelor’s in Exercise Science from Immaculata University, a
master’s in occupational therapy from Thomas Jefferson University, a clinical doctorate
from the University of St. Augustine, and is currently pursuing her educational doctorate.
Karina is passionate about working in special education with students facing moderate
to severe cognitive disabilities. She developed an interprofessional functional skill
program for this population and is now conducting beta trials with her interprofessional
team.

Course description:  
An interdisciplinary, intergenerational, multilingual team comprised of a Speech
Language Pathologist (SLP), Occupational Therapists (OT), and Special Educators
(SpecEd) explore collaborative opportunities to advance functional skills for their
students. This session discusses Quality of Life (QoL) research and its association with
future employment variability for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). This
presentation focuses upon discipline-specific QoL indicators: physical well being
(occupational participation–OT), interpersonal relations (social language understanding
and application-SLP), and emotional well-being (safety awareness, community literacy
skills-SpecEd) as three “FUNctional Friday” (FF) programming objectives. This
discussion explores opportunities for practitioners to engage in IPC with specific
activities that address the above QoL constructs.  Finally, this session explores
advantages to IPC for students with ID, their guardians, and professionals who serve
them.

Course instructional level: Intermediate

Instructional methods: Lecture using visual presentation with powerpoint slides

Learning objectives:  

1. Describe Quality of Life (QoL) research and its influence upon an
interprofessional collaborative approach (IPC) amongst public school
setting speech language pathology, occupational therapy, and special
educational professionals.
2. Identify opportunities for Speech Language Pathologists to engage in
collaborative multidisciplinary intervention plans that address recreational
and pre-vocational goals of elementary and middle school students with
intellectual disabilities.

3. Explain specific carry over of skills experienced by all stakeholders using
this IPC approach within our Foundations Program.

Time ordered agenda: 
6:30-6:35—Introductions and Disclosures
6:35-6:45—Overview and Background of Quality of Life Research
6:45-7:25 minutes—Sample Functional Friday session plan(s) – explanations of
discipline specific goals and collaborative effects for students and staff.
7:25-7:40—Discussing outcomes and future opportunities
7:40-7:50—Conclusion and Wrap-Up
7:50-8:00 – Q&A

Financial and non-financial disclosures:
No presenter has any financial or non-financial relationship relevant to the presentation
that requires disclosure.

Registration Samp; Satisfactory Completion Requirement:
Register online by Sunday May 10 th at 12pm: https://dsha.org/events
Members should login before attempting to register.
Cost: Members= Free , Non-Members=35$
A link will be sent to registered attendees only, the day before the event.

In order to earn a certificate of completion for this course, participants must attend the
full session, complete a post-course self-assessment, and course evaluation.
Participants must indicate when signing up for the course if they would like their
participation reported to ASHA CE.
Partial credit will not be awarded, attendance will be monitored throughout the
presentation.

A post-test will be sent to all attendees following the event and must be
completed and returned to DSHA within the stated time frame in order to receive
a certificate of attendance.

Additionally, in order to receive a certificate of attendance, an attendee must be a
registered DSHA member or, pay the non-member registration fee in advance of
the event. Failure to meet one of these conditions will result in the attendee not
receiving their certificate of attendance and their attendance will not be reported
to ASHA.

1.5 PDHs will be offered for attendance and successful completion of post
presentation testing and evaluation.