Developing Strong Family-School Partnerships For Children with Disabilities

Family-school partnerships are key to positive outcomes for students with disabilities, families, and educators. However, there are many obstacles to strong family-school partnerships. In this session, attendees will learn the five dimensions of trusting family-professional partnerships, per the Sunshine Framework (Haines et al., 2017): advocacy, equity, communication, commitment and respect. Attendees will learn tangible and research-based strategies to fulfill each of these dimensions. Further, attendees will hear directly from families of children with disabilities about their experiences in partnering with educators. Finally, there will be a discussion of new initiatives and resources to enhance family-school partnerships. 

Join Prof Meghan Burke on 7 October 2025 to find out more.