Pac Rim 2027
Strand Information
Six strands will be featured this year, each uniquely addressing relevant topics impacting our communities. Each strand will focus on best practices, advocacy, research, and capacity building. Presentations will reflect the conference values of enhancing our understanding of intersectionality and centering disability as a part of the universal human experience. In addition, we are seeking presentations that focus on the conference theme — Unbreakable Threads: Communities of Resilience and Continuity.
Six strands will be featured this year, each uniquely addressing relevant topics impacting our communities. Each strand will focus on best practices, advocacy, research, and capacity building. Presentations will reflect the conference values of enhancing our understanding of intersectionality and centering disability as a part of the universal human experience.
Table of Contents
All Teach, All Learn: ECHO for Disability and Neurodiversity
All Teach, All Learn: ECHO for Disability and Neurodiversity
Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) provides a powerful model for expanding access to specialized knowledge and strengthening the capacity of professionals and communities to support people with disabilities. Through virtual mentoring, case-based learning, and an “all teach, all learn” approach, ECHO connects local providers and community partners with subject-matter experts while creating communities of practice in which knowledge is shared, adapted, and applied to local contexts.
This strand will showcase how the ECHO model can be used to address critical gaps in disability services across the lifespan, including ECHO Autism and other disability-focused ECHO programs. Sessions will highlight innovative approaches to autism identification and care, intellectual and developmental disability health, behavioral health, education, family and community supports, and disability-inclusive systems. The strand will also explore how ECHO can support rural, geographically dispersed, and underserved communities—including Hawai‘i and the Pacific—by bringing expertise to the people and systems where it is needed rather than requiring individuals and families to travel to centers of expertise.
Key areas of focus include:
- ECHO Autism and neurodevelopmental care
- Disability-inclusive health and behavioral health
- Workforce development and capacity building
- Community-driven and culturally response implementation
- Scaling knowledge across systems and geographies
Guiding Questions:
- How can ECHO expand access to high-quality disability expertise in communities where specialized providers are limited?
- How can ECHO strengthen the capacity of local providers, educators, and community organizations to support people with disabilities across the lifespan?
- How can people with disabilities, families, and other community members with lived experience be meaningfully integrated into ECHO communities of practice?
- How can ECHO programs be adapted to be culturally responsive and locally relevant while maintaining the essential elements of the ECHO Model?
- How can we scale ECHO across Hawai‘i and the Pacific to create more connected, capable, and equitable disability service systems?
Strand Chairs
Kelsey Oliver, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Special Education, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
kelseyo7@hawaii.edu
Instagram: @drkelseyoliver; @speduhm
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: LINK; Instagram: LINK; X: LINK; LinkedIn: LINK
Kelsey Oliver is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she coordinates the Extensive Support Needs track. She is a co-founder of ECHO Autism Hawaiʻi and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who started in the field as an inclusive preschool teacher. Dr. Oliver has a bachelors in Psychology, a doctorate in Special Education, and a postdoctoral fellowship in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She is passionate about teaching educators, service providers, and families to utilize person-centered supports to improve quality of life outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Dr. Oliver has authored numerous research articles, a policy brief, and book chapters on topics related to family support, teacher training, evidence-based practices for autism, and inclusion. Dr. Oliver is a proud member of the neurodivergent community.
Marija Colic
Assistant Professor
Department of Special Education, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
colic@hawaii.edu
LinkedIn: Dr. Marija Čolić
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: LINK; Instagram: LINK; X: LINK; LinkedIn: LINK
Dr. Marija Čolić earned her master’s in psychology and Ph.D. in special education from the University of Belgrade, Serbia. She is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and a co-founder of both ECHO Autism Hawaii and Play Dojo—a neurodiversity-affirming social play program for autistic children. With over 15 years of experience supporting autistic individuals and their families, Dr. Marija is a passionate advocate for improving quality of life and fostering genuine inclusion. Her research and clinical work focus on reducing family stigma, developing strength-based parent support systems, navigating cultural factors in developmental services, and social play among autistic children. Since May 2020, she has also hosted free support and discussion groups for Serbian parents of children with disabilities and professionals. Outside of academia, Marija is passionate about surfing, the ocean, and marine life.
Building Strong Beginnings: Early Childhood and Early Intervention
Building Strong Beginnings: Early Childhood and Early Intervention
Early childhood is a critical period for supporting children’s development, strengthening families, and building foundations for lifelong health, learning, participation, and inclusion. This strand will highlight innovative approaches to early identification, developmental monitoring, early intervention, and family-centered supports for young children with disabilities and children at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. It will explore how research, practice, and community partnerships can come together to ensure that children and families receive timely, high-quality, and culturally responsive supports when they need them most.
The strand will also examine the systems and workforce needed to deliver effective early childhood and early intervention services, particularly in geographically dispersed and diverse communities such as Hawai‘i and the Pacific. Sessions will consider strategies for strengthening early intervention capacity, improving coordination across health, education, and community systems, supporting inclusive early learning environments, and translating evidence into everyday practice. Throughout the strand, emphasis will be placed on early action, family partnership, cultural responsiveness, and building systems that support young children to thrive.
Key areas of focus include:
- Early developmental support
- Evidence-based early intervention
- Family-centered and culturally responsive practice
- Workforce and service system capacity
- Inclusion and participation
Guiding Questions:
- How can we identify developmental concerns earlier and connect children and families to meaningful supports without unnecessary delays?
- How can we ensure that early intervention practices are evidence-based, family-centered, culturally responsive, and relevant to every day life?
- What workforce, training, and infrastructure are needed to expand access to high-quality early childhood and early intervention services?
- How can health, early intervention, education, and community systems work together more effectively to support young children and their families?
- What can we do in the early years to create more inclusive communities and improve lifelong outcomes for children with disabilities?
Strand Chairs
Jonathan Alexander, MSW
Department of Special Education, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
jalexan9@hawaii.edu
LinkedIn: Jonathan R Alexander/
Jonathan is currently a PhD Candidate at UH Manoa. In 2022, Jonathan started as the Social Work Faculty for MCH LEND Hawaii, training interdisciplinary students for future careers in leadership with those with Neurodevelopmental Disabilities and Extensive Support Needs. Jonathan began working for ECAS in 2023 as the CSPD Lead, focusing on workforce development in the field of disabilities for those who work with keiki from birth to 5. He transitioned to Learning and Evaluation Lead in September of 2025. Jonathan also co-wrote and is the Co-Director of Project MĀLAMA (Mentoring & Advancing Local Access for Meaningful Achievement), a federally funded initiative supporting future educators to serve young children with disabilities and their families, at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Jonathan resides in Waiʻanae with his wife Ashley and three of his five children.
Kat O’Dell
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: LINK; Instagram: LINK; X: LINK; LinkedIn: LINK
Kathleen O’Dell is an Instructor in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. She holds a doctorate in Multicultural and International Early Childhood Education. Her areas of interest include reconceptualizing early childhood education, trauma informed practices in education, and engaging, strengthening, and partnering with families in diverse cultural contexts. Dr. O’Dell serves on the CSPD as the Chair of the Preservice Workgroup and has served on the HIDOE Statewide Preschool Interagency support for children birth – 5 years with disabilities. She designed and teaches online modules around engaging families in early childhood for the Hawaiʻi Statewide Family Engagement Center for HIDOE teacher professional development. Dr. O’Dell started school-based Family Resource Centers in Hawai’i as well as the Hawaiʻi ʻOhana Support Network, a collaboration of the DOE, DHS, DOH, and multiple non-profit family serving organizations.
Centering ‘Ohana: Strengthening Families, Communities, and Systems
Centering ‘Ohana: Strengthening Families, Communities, and Systems
Families play a central role in supporting the health, development, well-being, and inclusion of individuals with disabilities across the lifespan. Yet families often navigate complex systems of health care, education, social services, and community supports that may be difficult to access, coordinate, or understand. Led by the Hawai‘i MCH-LEND program, this strand will center the experiences, priorities, and expertise of families of individuals with disabilities and explore approaches that strengthen families as partners in care, decision-making, advocacy, and systems change.
Through presentations, interactive sessions, and opportunities for dialogue, the strand will highlight family-centered and culturally responsive approaches that support individuals with disabilities and their families across the lifespan. Particular attention will be given to family-professional partnerships, navigating systems and services, building family leadership and advocacy capacity, addressing disparities and barriers to access, and creating more responsive and inclusive communities. The strand will elevate family voices and examine how professionals, organizations, and systems can work alongside families to improve outcomes for individuals with disabilities and their ‘ohana.
Key areas of focus include:
- Family-centered partnerships
- Family leadership and advocacy
- Navigating systems and services
- Culturally responsive and equitable supports
- Family well-being and community inclusion
Guiding Questions:
- How can we meaningfully center families’ voices, expertise, and priorities in services and systems?
- What do families need to successfully navigate complex systems and access the supports they need?
- How can professionals and families build authentic, equitable partnerships that share decision-making and leadership?
- How can we make supports and services more culturally responsive, accessible, and equitable for diverse families?
- What can communities and systems do to strengthen family well-being, leadership, and inclusion across the lifespan?
Strand Chair
Roxanne Bristol, M.A., BCBA, LBA
Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
Hawai‘i MCH-LEND Program, University of Hawai’i
bristolr@hawaii.edu
Instagram: @himchlend
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter: LinkedIn:
Roxanne M. Bristol is a licensed Behavior Analyst, Faculty for the Maternal and Child Health Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program, and Trainer & Resource Developer for the Hawaii Statewide Family Engagement Center. Since 2012, she has supported individuals with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in the home, school, and community settings. Roxanne is passionate about co-designing supports that enhance the lived experiences of individuals with autism and other disabilities throughout their lifespan. She also aims to empower and partner with families to implement effective behavioral interventions using culturally responsive strategies.
Mahea Ahia, M.A., PhD. Candidate
Hawai‘i MCH-LEND Program, University of Hawai’i
mahea.ahia@hawaii.edu
Instagram: @himchlend
SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: Instagram: Twitter: LinkedIn:
Mahea Ahia is Faculty for the Hawaiʻi Maternal and Child Health Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) Program, a lecturer at University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, and serves as Director of Narrative Medicine with the Maui Medic Healers Hui. She is committed to engaging ancestral Moʻolelo (stories) as Medicine, Healing Justice, Disability Justice, and the role of personal storytelling for community healing and collective liberation.
Beth A. Myers, Ed.D
Center on Disability and Inclusion, Lawrence B. Taishoff, Syracuse University
bemyers@syr.edu
Facebook: @TaishoffCtr Instagram: @TaishoffCtr LinkedIn: @beth-a-myers YouTube: @TaishoffCenter
Beth Myers is the Executive Director of the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education at Syracuse University. She is an Associate Professor in the School of Education, teaching in the inclusive education program where she started in 2013. Dr. Myers is the founding editor of the Journal of Inclusive Postsecondary Education and the Chair of the Annual State of the Art Conference in Inclusive Higher Education. Beth was awarded the 2018 CNY Business Journal’s Business Woman of the Year in Higher Education, the 2021 Meredith Early Career Teaching Award, and the 2022 George Jesien National Leadership Award in Higher Education. She lives in Syracuse, NY with her four children.
Disability Studies in Education
Disability Studies in Education
Disability Studies in Education (DSE) centers understanding of disability in a social model and draws on a wide range of disciplinary perspectives to critique and unsettle medical, colonial, and psychological models that historically and currently guide educational practices in schools and communities. This strand creates a space for teachers, scholars, and community members to share about DSE approaches to teaching and learning in K-12 schools and higher education, present research and scholarship on disabled experiences related to DSE, and tell stories that demonstrate how DSE approaches in classrooms and in the community lead to equity/justice, allyship, and growth.
We seek topics in the following broad areas of teaching & scholarship:
- Interdisciplinary stories of teaching & scholarship in DSE
- Inclusive K-12 school-based practices that center DSE approaches to supports and services for students with disabilities and their families
- Incorporating DSE perspectives into professional preparation programs such as teacher education, school leadership preparation, school social work, school counseling, special education, school nursing, and early childhood education
- Intersectional cultural perspectives on DSE that give voice to historical and present injustice and imagine educational futures of equity/justice and thriveance.
Guiding Questions:
- How can DSE teaching and scholarship promote an expansive intersectional understanding of human growth and learning in K-12 schools, higher education, and beyond?
- What are DSE centered effective teaching & learning practices across a range of cultural contexts?
Strand Chairs
Jason M. Naranjo, Ph.D.
School of Educational Studies, University of Washington – Bothell
jnaranjo@uw.edu
Facebook: @uwbses Instagram: @uwbsesofficial Twitter: @UWBSES YouTube: @uwbses
Dr. Naranjo (Tewa descendant) is an interdisciplinary scholar who partners with people with disabilities, public schools, and community organizations. His work is focused on a) teacher education for inclusive schooling, and b) disability and the outdoors. Through the study of disability as a social and political issue, Dr. Naranjo’s scholarly contributions squarely address issues of access and equity. Dr. Naranjo’s teaching is organized into two areas and that correspond to his primary areas of scholarship. The courses that he teaches place central emphasis on the inclusion of students with disabilities and those labeled with disability in the full life of K-12 public schools and community.
Tyson E.J. Marsh, Ph.D.
School of Educational Studies, University of Washington Botthell
tysonm@uw.edu
Facebook: @uwbses @tyson.marsh.18 Instagram: @uwbsesofficial @halim.tyson Twitter: @UWBSES LinkedIn: @tyson-e-j-marsh YouTube: @uwbses
Dr. Tyson E.J. Marsh (Black and Indigenous) is faculty in the School of Educational Studies at the University of Washington Bothell. His work as an educator/scholar/community advocate is informed by the political, historical, social, cultural and economic contexts of education in relation to democracy, equity, and justice. Focusing on race and racialization, his research converges at the intersection of place, space, voice and (in)opportunity for Black and Indigenous communities.
Movement as a Right: Adapted Physical Activity, Health Equity, and Community Well-being
Movement as a Right: Adapted Physical Activity, Health Equity, and Community Well-being
Access to physical activity is not a perk or a therapy. It is a right, and one that disabled people are still routinely denied. This strand examines why, and what it takes to change it. We invite work that names the environmental, attitudinal, economic, and policy barriers that keep disabled people on the sidelines of sport, recreation, physical education, and healthcare, and that documents the strategies communities are using to dismantle them. We welcome critical scholarship, participatory research, policy analysis, and accounts from practice, and we prioritize proposals authored or co-authored by disabled people. Work that interrogates ableism within our own fields, including how adapted physical activity itself has been practiced, is warmly encouraged.
Focus areas include:
- Anti-ableist frameworks in physical activity research, teaching, and practice.
- Health disparities, healthcare access, and structural determinants of activity.
- Policy, law, and enforcement, from IDEA and the ADA to international frameworks.
- Disability-led sport, recreation, and community organizing.
- Intersectional analysis across race, Indigeneity, class, gender, and geography.
- Participatory and emancipatory research methods.
- Professional preparation that builds practitioners as allies, not gatekeepers.
Guiding Questions:
- What barriers—environmental, attitudinal, economic, institutional, or policy-based—limit disabled people’s access to physical activity, sport, recreation, physical education, or healthcare, and how can those barriers be dismantled?
- How can adapted physical activity and related professions move from models that position disabled people as recipients of services toward anti-ableist, rights-based, disability-led approaches?
- What are communities doing to make movement a right in practice, and what can we learn from those efforts?
- How do disability intersect with race, Indigeneity, class, gender, geography, and other forms of marginalization, and what approaches are being used to create more inclusive and equitable opportunities for movement?
Strand Chairs
Josie Blagrave, Ph.D., (she/her)
Professor
California State, University at Chico Department of Kinesiology, California State University, Chico
ablagrave@csuchico.edu
Facebook: @Theyellowdoorchico @ChicoStateKine Instagram: @chicostatekine Twitter: @blagraveaj LinkedIn: Josephine Blagrave
Dr. Josie Blagrave is a Professor of Kinesiology, Associate Department Chair, and Autism Clinic Director at California State University, Chico. Her work centers on adapted physical activity, with a focus on health and physical activity for autistic adults, family-based physical activity, and supports for disabled college students. She is actively involved in advancing neurodiversity initiatives on campus, including leadership and development of the Chico State Neurodiversity Symposium, which promotes interdisciplinary dialogue and inclusion. Her research and teaching address accessibility, inclusion, and disability across educational and community contexts. Dr. Blagrave holds a Ph.D. in Psychology and a master’s degree in Kinesiology, and her work integrates disability studies, physical activity, and health promotion.
Kelle L. Murphy, D.P.E.
Center on Disability Studies, College of Education, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
kellem@hawaii.edu
Facebook: @CenterOnDisabilityStudies Instagram: @cdshawaiiedu Twitter: @CDShawaiiedu LinkedIn: Center-on-Disability-Studies
Dr. Kelle Murphy is an Associate Specialist with the Center on Disability Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. She holds a doctorate in Physical Education–Generalist and a master’s degree in Physical Education–Teaching and Administration. Dr. Murphy leads the Wellness Matters programs, which support the health, safety, and well-being of disabled communities through initiatives including Inclusive First Aid/CPR/AED, Swim Safe: ASD, and the Wellness Matters Physical Activity Program. Her research focuses on drowning prevention and aquatic safety for autistic individuals, as well as risk management and safe teaching practices in adapted physical education and physical education.
Translating High-Quality Evidence-Based Autism Practices into Service Systems
Translating High-Quality Evidence-Based Autism Practices into Service Systems
This strand focuses on translating high-quality, evidence-based autism practices into real-world service systems. Bringing together expertise from the Autism Research Consortium in Behavioral Health, the strand will explore approaches such as AIM-HI, Project ImPACT, implementation science, community-based participatory research, and school-based leadership to address the challenges of moving effective practices from research into routine community, clinical, educational, and behavioral health settings.
Across presentations and interactive workshops, participants will examine not only what works, but also how to make evidence-based practices work in diverse communities and service systems. The strand will emphasize collaboration with providers, agencies, schools, researchers, families, and community members—including meaningful engagement with Native Hawaiian caregivers and professionals—to consider issues of cultural responsiveness, workforce capacity, organizational readiness, implementation, and sustainability.
Key areas of focus include:
- Translating evidence into practice
- Implementation and sustainability
- Community-engaged and culturally responsive approaches
- Building provider and organizational capacity
- Bridging research, practice, and systems
Guiding Questions:
- How do we move evidence-based autism practices from research into routine community and service-system practice?
- What supports are needed for providers, organizations, and systems to successfully adopt and sustain evidence-based practices?
- How can evidence-based practices be adapted to be culturally responsive while maintaining their essential components and effectiveness?
- How can families, communities, providers, and researchers meaningfully partner in implementation and systems change?
- What leadership strategies can accelerate and sustain the translation of research into meaningful outcomes for autistic people and their families?
Strand Chairs
Meghan Miller, Ph.D.
Professor and Director
Center on Disability Studies, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
LinkedIn: Meghan Miller
Meghan Miller, Ph.D. is the Director of the Center on Disability Studies and Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, where she also leads the Hawai‘i University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. She is a licensed clinical psychologist. Her research program, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, focuses on understanding how signs of autism and ADHD first appear in young children, how early signs may be similar or different across these conditions, and how best to screen for early developmental delays and differences. The ultimate goal is that this work will improve early identification and supports for young children and their families.
Aubyn Stahmer, Ph.D.
MIND Institute, University of California, Davis
LinkedIn: Aubyn Stahmer
Dr. Stahmer is the Director of the University of California, Davis MIND Institute and Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, where she also directs the University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. She is a child clinical psychologist and behavior analyst specializing in early identification and intervention for children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Her research focuses on effective early intervention strategies, as well as dissemination and implementation of evidence-based autism interventions to community settings and low resource areas. She has special clinical interest and expertise in parent coaching and naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions (NDBI). Dr. Stahmer is the Director of the UC Davis MIND Institute.