'Advocacy for Children with Dyslexia. A Symposium for Families'
The Dyslexia Champions of Manitoba hosted a symposium on October 21 in recognition of Dyslexia Awareness Month. The symposium was designed to provide families with advice and guidance on how to best support children with dyslexia. The 90 participants heard from parents, teachers, reading clinicians, psychologists, successful entrepreneurs, disability advocates, Orton-Gillingham tutors, and a panel of students living with Dyslexia.
The following Symposium Agenda provides links to the speaker presentations, when available.
9:15 – 9:25 Opening Remarks by Dr. Karen Smith, Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba.
Moderator - Valdine Bjornson, EdDstudent;
Clinical Reading; EAL; Cit-Aogpe
9:25 – 9:50 Keith Gray, Founder of Dyslexia Canada. ‘Dyslexia In Canada -
A Living Tragedy’.
9:50 – 10:05 Darcy Collignon, Parent. ‘Note Book of Doom to Turtle in
Paradise’.
10:05 – 10:20 Jeanne Remillard, Certified Reading Clinician / Certified CATTOG
practitioner. ‘How to Prepare For A School Team Meeting’.
10:20 – 10:35 Rob (School Psychologist), ‘Understanding the School Based
Clinical Referral Process’.
10:35 – 10:50 Health break
10:50 – 11:10 Dr. Cathy Moser, Clinical Psychologist. ‘Building A Dream
Team For Your Child’.
11:10 – 11:20 Quyen Huynh (CPP-Disability Case Manager, Brematson
Disability Advocates). ‘The Disability Tax Credit Barriers:
Translating medical to Government verbiage’
11:20 – 11:25 2017 'BJÖRN AND VIRGINIA BJÖRNSON MEMORIAL
SCHOLARSHIP' Recipients.
11:25 – 12:10 Student panel. ‘Advice and Guidance on Advocacy from
Students Living with Dyslexia’.
Jason – Grade 12
Anika – Grade 9
Madison – Grade 9
Carter – Grade 7
Rachel – Grade 7
12:10 – 12:30 Q & A (All speakers)
12:30 – 12:35 Closing remarks
12:35 – 1:00 Networking and refreshments
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Speaker Biographies
Dr. Cathy Moser is a Clinical Psychologist that has been working with children and adults for
over thirty years. She worked for the School Division for ten years prior to developing her own
private practice in 1995. Since that time, her dream of a multi-disciplinary clinic has come to
fruition, with the efforts of her partner, Dr. Jay Greenfeld and the dream team of Clinicians at
Mind Matters Clinic.
Aside from Psychologists, a Social Worker, and a Speech and Language Clinician who provide
individual therapy, Drs. Moser and Greenfeld have developed a number of Groups that have
benefited children in innumerable ways (Overcoming Anxiety, Anger Management, Overcoming
Negativity, Organization Skills/ADHD Management, and Social Skills
Development). Saturday mornings are devoted to a Reading Boot Camp that combines fun
activities, phonics instruction, home practice in reading the old school way and home
recommendations for reading with Assistive Technologies.
More information on Dr. Moser's work is available at www.mindmattersclinic.ca
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Keith Gray was born in Sarnia, Ontario and grew up on a farm in Lambton County. He went to
high school in Petrolia Ontario and joined the Toronto Dominion Bank, when he was 18 years
old, as a Junior Clerk and Messenger, in village of Wyoming, Ontario.
He worked in many positions including teller, branch manager and 5 years for the Bank in
Winnipeg as Divisional Supervisor of Administration and Systems.
As an entrepreneur within the TD Bank, Keith established new business for the Bank in Canada,
USA, UK, Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and India.
Over the years, he has served on the boards of many public companies and “not for profit”
organizations including Ontario Judges Pension Board and Royal Canadian Golf Association
where he is a Life Governor.
Keith is dyslexic, so following retirement and seeing a burning need to help Canadian children
with dyslexia he, along with some dyslexic parents, established Dyslexia Canada, Dyslexic
Canada is a ”not for profit” organization dedicated to improving the Canadian education
systems so that children with dyslexia get a fair and just education.
Keith is married to Wendy, has 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren.
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Jeanne Remillard is a Certified Reading Clinician / Certified CATT-OG practitioner currently
working as a student services coordinator in the public school system. She works closely with
student services teams in schools to plan programming and coordinate services for students
with special needs. In her role as a reading clinician, Jeanne provides assistance to classroom
and resource teachers with the assessment of needs, the implementation of appropriate
interventions and IEP planning for students who have a reading disability. Jeanne has over 30
years of teaching experience in the primary grades at various French immersion schools. For
seven of those years she was a student services teacher.
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Rob DBA, M.ED C.S.C is a certified school psychologist who has been actively working within
both the private and public sectors for over 10 years across Manitoba. In his role as a bilingual
School Psychologist, Rob provides psycho-educational assessments and consultation for
children, adolescents, and adults within the public school system and university settings. He is
also an Associate Professor within the Faculty of Education at the Université de Saint-Boniface
where he teaches and supervises graduate level Education students.
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Quyen Huynh (CPP-Disability Case Manager, Brematson Disability Advocates) has been
working in the Disability Industry for several years. She understands the intricacies involved in
dealing with Government disability programs, it’s protocol & liaison with Physicians. With the
world of disability personally impacting her life, her passion to advocate for those
misrepresented was a natural transition. As a Certified Tax preparer along with the help of
Brematson’s specialized staff (which includes a Senior Psychiatric nurse and licensed therapist),
the collective experience plays a key role assisting persons’ with disabilities and their families.
We are able to effectively translate medical terminology and apply the specific verbiage used by
the government into the service we provide to reduce and or eliminate barriers for people with
disabilities accessing government disability benefits and credits.
Quyen will be discussing the process along with the barriers and misconceptions that come up
and how to deal with them when applying for the Disability Tax Credit.
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Darcy Collignon is a parent of a child with Dyslexia who has plenty of experience and
guidance on how to be a strong advocate. Darcy is the father of two; Nora Collignon and
Carter Collignon and has been married for the past 16 years to Angela D’Avanti. He is the
Director of Product Development for a Manitoba Medical Manufacturing company. And has
attended the University of Winnipeg and graduated as a Registered Respiratory Therapist in
1998.
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