The School of Health Professions and the Vice President for Equity & Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer at Stony Brook University are pleased to present:
Optimizing Community-based Inclusion for People with Disabilities Conference
Friday, November 6, 2026
8:00 AM to 3:30 PM
Stony Brook University - Wang Center
Please RSVP by October 30, 2026
2025 Conference Video Highlights
The Inclusion Done Right! annual conference provides an integrated bridge between Stony Brook University and community partners to promote inclusive community-based opportunities that align with best practices and optimize participation for people with disabilities. The intended audience is for anyone interested in advancing community-based inclusion: university faculty and staff, community members, providers, and program administrators, as well as individuals with disabilities and their families/caregivers. Stony Brook University is a collaborative knowledge broker alongside community partners in order to promote and optimize inclusive community practice…'Done Right!'
The keynote speakers are recognized innovative experts and passionate advocates for the disability community. They will present on topics specifically identified by participants in last year's Inclusion Done Right! conference. The participant-driven agenda includes presentations, breakout sessions, a free networking lunch, and demonstrations on exciting collaborations between Stony Brook University faculty and staff and members of the community.
For any questions, please contact InclusionDoneRight@stonybrook.edu.
This is being offered as a free event for community members. Those interested in Certificates of Attendance/Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will pay $50 for 5 contact hours/.5 CEUs.
Conference flyer
2026 Agenda
8:00 AM: Breakfast and Registration
8:30 AM: Welcome and Opening Remarks
8:45 - 9:00 AM: Setting the Stage - IDR! team
9:00 - 10:00 AM: The Transformative Power of Inclusive Play: Keynote Speaker: Tiffany Harris, Inclusion Matters by Shane's Inspiration
In this inspiring keynote, Tiffany Harris, CEO and Co-Founder of Inclusion Matters by Shane's Inspiration, shares the remarkable journey of building a global movement for inclusion. Since its founding in 1998, the organization has created 80+ inclusive playgrounds across five continents, expanded their Together, We Are Able education programs into 67 countries, and earned United Nations Special Consultative Status. Through compelling stories, practical insights, and decades of experience, she demonstrates how inclusive play transforms children, families, and communities. Audiences will leave with a renewed understanding that play is not simply recreation—it is a powerful catalyst for dignity, belonging, and lasting social change.
10:00 - 10:50 AM: Look at the Possibilities: What People with Differing Abilities Can Do and How We All Help Them Get There: Keynote Speakers: John and Mark X. Cronin, John's Crazy Socks
John and Mark X. Cronin, a father-and-son team, co-founders of John's Crazy Socks, and one of the country's leading voices for the disability community, open with John's own story: a young man with Down syndrome who couldn't find meaningful work and built his own company instead. Today that company has shipped more than 500,000 packages to 94 countries, donated over $850,000 to charity, and built a workplace where more than half of employees have a differing ability. In this keynote, John and Mark show what inclusive hiring and a unified workplace make possible, why a meaningful job changes a life, a family, and a whole community, and what each of us - support professionals, families, administrators, and self-advocates - can do next. You will laugh, you may tear up, and you will leave inspired, energized and ready to act.
10:55 - 11:10 AM: BREAK and Proceed to Breakout Sessions
11:10 - 12:20 PM: 'Every Voice Matters' Breakout Sessions*
Group A: The Need for Inclusion in Early Childhood: Blanca Villareal, Inclusion Matters by Shane's Inspiration
According to the US Office of Special Education: “Children with disabilities continue to face significant barriers accessing and participating in inclusive early childhood programs.” Inclusion Matter’s Inclusive Steps Early Childhood Inclusion Initiative was created to meet the growing need for inclusion support in EC learning environments. Session attendees will learn how to: redesign classrooms and play areas to support diverse learners; establish sustainable inclusion strategies that unite school communities; implement inclusive SEL programs for children with diverse developmental needs; nurture empathy through inclusive books, games, and play; and enrich students’ emotional intelligence through play-based learning.
Group B: Finding a Job You Love: A Step-by-Step Guide to Meaningful Work: John and Mark X. Cronin, John's Crazy Socks
Finding a job you love is not luck, it's a process, and it can be learned. In this hands-on breakout, John and Mark X. Cronin walk through that process step by step: identifying your strengths, matching them to jobs that fit, finding where those jobs are, submitting a strong application, and preparing for the interview. Drawn from the Cronins' own experience building a company where meaningful work changes lives, this practical session gives self-advocates, families, and the professionals who support them a clear roadmap they can put to work right away.
Group C: Advocacy Unlocked: The Legal Essentials: Linda Vila, Stony Brook University Chair of Health Sciences; Owen Durney, MPA; Victoria Vine, Esq.
This breakout session will discuss key legal considerations affecting individuals with disabilities as they transition from minor to adult status, including decision-making authority, guardianship and less restrictive alternatives, public benefits, and financial planning strategies. Discussion will also focus on the transfer of educational rights at age 18 years, healthcare decision-making, employment protections, and other legal rights and responsibilities that arise during the transition to adulthood. Participants will explore practical scenarios, available community resources, and recommended next steps to support successful planning and advocacy for youth with disabilities and their families.
12:20 - 1:30 PM: Networking Lunch
1:35 - 2:25 PM: Art as the Lived and Rejoiced Experience: Keynote Speaker: Jerron Herman, Artist, jerronherman.com
Art as the Lived and Rejoiced Experience. Through storytelling and dancer film, disabled performer Jerron Herman lets the audience into how language is embodied and can also extend beyond our old ways to create a "new diagnostic". The audience will dissect previous performances and attach language to what's shown, expanding all of our comfort with disability literacy and art.
2:25 - 3:15 PM: 'Take 1'- An Interactive Conversation on Actionable Take-Aways: Conference Speaker Panel
3:15 - 3:25 PM: Performance by Jerron Herman
3:25 - 3:30 PM: Closing Remarks; Feedback Survey
After serving the non-profit sector for more than a decade, Tiffany Harris co-founded Inclusion Matters by Shane’s Inspiration in 1998, catalyzing the development of the West Coast’s first inclusive playground. As CEO, Tiffany has led the organization’s growth into a global inclusion movement. Under her leadership, Inclusion Matters has generated more than $80 million in mission revenue, developed 80 inclusive playgrounds across five continents and created three education and outreach programs that serve thousands of children with disabilities in 67 countries annually.
Tiffany leads the organization’s strategic partnerships and global initiatives, collaborating with the Clinton Global Initiative, the U.S. Embassy, and the United Nations. Inclusion Matters is honored to hold United Nations Consultative Status, providing a global voice for children with disabilities.
John and Mark Cronin are the co-founders of John's Crazy Socks and Abilities Rising, a growing family of businesses advancing disability inclusion through commerce, speaking, and publishing. John has Down syndrome. Unable to find meaningful work after finishing school, he and his father Mark built their own company. Together they have shipped over 500,000 packages to 94 countries, created dozens of jobs for people with differing abilities, and donated more than $850,000 to charity. John is a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree and EY Entrepreneur of the Year. They speak on inclusive employment, entrepreneurship, and refusing to lower expectations.
"Follow your heart, follow your dreams, work hard, show what you can do." John Cronin
Linda Vila brings substantial experience in higher education leadership, teaching, scholarship and service in accredited programs in health administration, health sciences and social work, having served as a faculty member at LIU Post for almost thirty years and wearing such hats as Chair, Program Director, Associate Dean and Director of Clinical Placements. Linda is also adjunct faculty at St. John’s Law School and teaches Bioethics and Health Law.
In addition to her academic background and expertise, Linda possesses significant management and practical, hands-on experience in the health industry. She most recently was Associate General Counsel for Nuvance Health, a member of the Northwell Health Network, and previously held senior legal, risk management and compliance positions in health organizations throughout New York City and Westchester County. Her professional panorama is extensive and far-reaching.
Blanca Villareal earned her Bachelor of Arts in Child and Adolescent Development from California State University, Northridge. With more than 27 years in early childhood education, she serves as Education Program Manager for Inclusion Matters by Shane's Inspiration, leading innovative programs that promote disability awareness, empathy, and inclusion. She oversees the internationally recognized Together, We Are Able program, reaching 6,000+ students and educators annually, collaborates with school districts to expand inclusive practices, and helped develop Inclusive STEPS, the organization’s early childhood social, emotional learning initiative. Blanca is passionate about empowering educators and believes play builds empathy, belonging, foundational development opportunities, and lifelong friendships.
Jerron Herman is a disabled artist compelled to create images of freedom. He has premiered works and activated museums like The Whitney, The Met, Cooper Hewitt and Guggenheim Museum with responsive installations. He is a part of INTERIM, Candace Feldman’s boutique centering joy for disabled artists, alongside Molly Joyce and Christopher “Unpezverde” Nuñez. Awards include a 2025 Pillow Lab residency, 2024 United States Artists Fellowship, 2023-24 Fellowship NYU/Center for Ballet and the Arts, a 2021 Grants to Artists Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, a 2021-2022 Fellowship from the Jerome Foundation as well as a 2020 Disability Futures Fellowship from the Ford Foundation and the Mellon Foundation.
Please contact InclusionDoneRight@stonybrook.edu with any questions and for information about accessibility accommodations. Parking information and a pre-conference survey will be shared a week prior to the conference.
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