Leading Inclusion Symposium
Designing Classrooms Where Every Student Can Learn
1-Day ACAMIS Flagship Symposium in Nanjing
Nanjing International School
January 30, 2027
Date
Saturday
January 30, 2027
Time
8:30 AM – 4:00PM
including lunch and tea breaks
Certificate Program
6 Hours of Professional Development will be Awarded
Early Bird Price*
ACAMIS Members: USD 160
Non-members: USD 200
*Available until December 31, 2026.
How can embracing neurodiversity shape more inclusive, innovative, and future ready schools?
This comprehensive one day event will explore the evolving understanding of neurodiversity and its critical role in creating inclusive, future-ready school communities. Through keynotes, hosted conversations, networking opportunities and unconference sessions, participants will gain insights, perspectives, research-informed best practices, and strategies to effectively support neurodivergent students, fostering environments where all learners can thrive.
Participants will engage in thought-provoking discussions, collaborative dialogue, job-alike conversations, and opportunities to connect with colleagues across schools designed to shift perspectives on neurodivergence from silence and stigma to visibility, advocacy, and celebration. The program will cover practical strategies for inclusion, including effective communication with families, fostering belonging and psychological safety, and designing strengths-based pathways for student support.
Who Should Attend
The Leading Inclusion Symposium is designed for the entire international school ecosystem. We welcome individuals and school teams who are passionate about driving systemic change, fostering belonging, and advancing inclusive practices.
Our target audience includes:
School Leaders & Administrators: Heads of School, Principals, and Directors looking to shape inclusive school culture, policy, and strategic vision.
Educators & Specialists: K-12 classroom teachers, Learning Support/SEN specialists, EAL educators, and counselors seeking practical strategies for neurodiversity and differentiated learning.
Student Leaders: Passionate student advocates eager to contribute their voices, experiences, and perspectives to the conversation on student agency and wellbeing.
Thought Leaders & Community Partners: Educational consultants and community coordinators dedicated to building collaborative, equitable learning environments.
💡 Bring a Team: Because inclusion is a community-wide effort, we highly encourage schools to attend as a collaborative cohort (leaders, educators, and students together) to maximize the momentum and impact upon your return.
Outcomes
By the end of the event participants will have a deeper understanding of neurodiversity affirming practices and be equipped with practical tools to implement them in their schools. Improving educational outcomes for neurodivergent students and fostering a culture of inclusion.
Participants will be able to:
Use respectful, empowering language when discussing disabilities and learning differences with students, colleagues, and families
Create more inclusive classroom environments that accommodate diverse learning and sensory needs
Apply strengths-based approaches that focus on what students can do rather than their deficits or challenges
Develop personal action plans with concrete steps to implement neurodiversity-affirming practices in their teaching
Keynote Speaker
Glory Goh
Neurocognitive Coach, Apple Distinguished Educator, Instructional Designer, MS
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Glory Goh is a Singaporean educator who has devoted three decades of her career to international schools in China. She has taught a wide range of age groups and subjects within the IB framework and has also served in senior leadership roles. Holding a Master of Science in Instructional Design, she is passionate about creating learning experiences that engage, motivate, and challenge students. Her work has increasingly focused on understanding how diverse learners thrive, drawing on brain-based research and inclusive practices to support student success. Today, she is an advocate for brain health, cognitive training, and the development of learning environments where all students can flourish.
Micro-keynote Speakers
Jae Oh
Associate Director of Student Support at Shanghai American School
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Jae Oh is the Associate Director of Student Support at Shanghai American School, where she works to strengthen inclusive practices, student support systems, and safeguarding. With 11 years of experience in education across Seoul and Shanghai, she brings a cross-cultural perspective shaped by her experiences living in Mexico, Korea, and China. Jae holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Teaching License in School Counseling from Yonsei University, a Master of Education in Special Education from the University of San Diego, and a Certificate in Advanced Education Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her work focuses on creating student-centered, culturally responsive environments where learners are understood as individuals and supported through pathways that promote belonging, wellbeing, and meaningful success.
Julie Cermak
Life Centered Education Teacher at International School of Beijing
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Julie Cermak is a Life Centered Education teacher in her seventh year at the International School of Beijing (ISB). With 19 years in education, she has supported students from elementary school through high school. Across her experience, she has focused on supporting students with diverse strengths, needs, and ways of learning. Passionate about inclusive education, Julie partners with families and school leaders to help ensure every student has equitable opportunities to learn, participate, and thrive.
Max Simpson
CEO & Co-Founder at Steps
MA Special Education and Inclusion, PG Dip Special Educational Needs Coordinator
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Max is a neuroinclusion leader, entrepreneur, and CEO working across Southeast Asia to redesign how businesses approach disability inclusion, skills development, and the future of work. Over the last decade, he’s built organisations, research hubs, and partnerships that turn inclusion from a statement into a measurable, practical actions.
As founder of Steps, the Neurodiversity at Work Research Centre (NWRC), and the Thailand Business and Disability Network in partnership with the International Labor Organization, he works with governments, multinational companies, and international bodies to localise global best practice, develop accredited training, and shape policies that create real opportunities for neurodivergent people and people with disabilities. His focus is simple: make inclusion operational, culturally grounded, and sustainable.
Max supports CEOs and senior leaders to rethink talent, culture, and accountability. From baseline assessments to leadership training, and employer readiness tools to national frameworks, he helps organisations build the structures and behaviours required for disclosure, safety, and representation to genuinely work.
Across Thailand and ASEAN, Max collaborates with ministries, embassies, universities, and business networks to drive systemic change. And at the centre of all of this is a personal commitment: ensuring neurodivergent young people, including his own teenager, can grow up in a world where belonging and opportunity are non-negotiable.
Max is a member of SENIA International’s Board of Advisors, the Parents Inclusive Alliance Board of Directors, sits on the American Chamber of Commerce in Thailand Inclusion Committee, and the British Chamber of Commerce’s DEI Working Group. He has been recognised with a DEI individual award from the British Chamber of Commerce (2026), a Meaningful Business 100 leadership award (2024), the Human Rights Award from the Thai Ministry of Justice (2023), and as one of 50 young leaders shaping Asia by Asia Tatler (2020).
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Katie Sagasag
Life Centered Education Teacher at International School of Beijing
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Katie Sagasag is a dedicated teaching professional who, throughout her two-decade career in education, discovered her calling in Life Centered Education—an approach that prioritizes student well-being and real-world learning. She positions herself as a steadfast champion for student success and holistic development. She presently serves as a Life Centered Education teacher at the International School of Beijing (ISB), where she implements student-centered pedagogical practices.
Tanya Farrol
Founding Member of SENIA, Learning Support Teacher at Nanjing International School
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Tanya Farrol is a founding member of SENIA and has been involved with the organization since 2002. While living in Beijing for more than 18 years, she hosted SENIA conferences. Since 2009, she has served on the SENIA Board and helped organize Scholarships & Awards. She also served on the SENIA-Beijing Board as external expertise list coordinator and organized local conferences from 2009 to 2020.
Tanya earned a master’s degree in inclusive education while teaching in England. With more than 28 years of experience supporting diverse learners in international schools, she has championed inclusion and raised awareness of learning needs across the communities where she has lived: Haiti, Egypt, England, and China. She currently lives and works at Nanjing International School, where she continues to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the community.
Pricing
ACAMIS Members
USD 200
USD 160 pp*
Non-members
USD 240
USD 200 pp*
*Early Bird Discount ends on December 31, 2026.
Part of a Bigger Journey
The Leading Inclusion Series
This virtual series on Inclusive Behavior Systems is designed to prepare your team for systemic action. The Leading Inclusion Series connects your online learning with highly impactful in-person events across China:
Free Webinar Series | Dates TBD, 2026
“Understanding Learners”
Kick off the school year by unlocking the data and insights needed to truly understand every student's learning profile.
Register by October 31 for 10% off the regional Peer-to-Peer events.
Regional Peer-to-Peer | Feb & Mar 2027
“Designing for Learning Variability”
Join our half-day collaborative workshops in Hong Kong, Beijing, or Shanghai to share practical tools that address learning variability without teacher overwhelm.
Free Webinar Series | Nov 2026
“Inclusive Behavior Systems”
Join Dr. Johanna Cena to explore accountability, support, and belonging using MTSS behavior frameworks.
Register by October 31 for 10% off the regional Peer-to-Peer events.
Learn with Peers at
Nanjing International School
Xueheng Lu 8, Xianlin University City, Qixia District, Nanjing PRC 210023
Laurie McLellan
School Director
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Early Bird Now Open
🐦
Early Bird Now Open 🐦
Pricing
ACAMIS Members
USD 200
USD 160 pp*
Non-members
USD 240
USD 200 pp*
*Early Bird Discount ends on December 31, 2026.