TAP for Transition Hangout: Recognizing and Addressing Implicit Bias in Transition Planning

Implicit biases are hidden beliefs that everyone holds—judges, police officers, teachers—and it is imperative as educators that we address their impact upon our interactions and planning for our students with disabilities. This process of self-reflection and contemplation can be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to advance teaching practices in support of our students. This presentation will (a) explore ways in which implicit bias seeps into the fabric of our everyday lives, (b) provide participants with practical strategies to address their own implicit bias, and (c) move into the development of measurable postsecondary and annual transition goals that are culturally responsive. Participants will leave with a better sense of self and actionable steps to improve their own teaching practice when they return to their classrooms. 

This interactive hangout will be led by Joshua M. Pulos, Ph.D., BCBA, LBA-VA who is an Assistant Professor of Special Education in the Educational Foundations and Exceptionalities Department at James Madison University. As a university faculty, he teaches courses in applied behavior analysis, adapted curriculum, and secondary transition education. His research focuses on (a) behavior-analytic strategies coupled with comprehensive secondary transition education to promote the positive postsecondary outcomes of students with significant disabilities; (b) diversity, equity, and inclusion; (c) secondary transition evidence-based practices and predictors; and (d) school-based behavior analysis consultation. Prior to his university career, he worked as a special educator in the public education system.