RARC regularly hosts professional development events for psychologists and professionals in the field of psychological assessment, post-secondary accessibility and transition services. RARC hosts a yearly two-day workshop as well as the High Incidence Disabilities Conference (HIDC) which takes place every few years, including in 2024.
Lunch and Learn Series
RARC hosts a series of monthly professional development lunch and learn sessions for accessibility services staff, educators and other professionals in the field of psychological assessment and post-secondary accessibility and transition services. Slides will be made available to download following each session.
We are offering a Summer Lunch and Learn Series from June - August 2025. Information about our summer sessions can be found below. Details to join the zoom calls can be found in the info flyer.
Summer 2025 Lunch and Learn Info Flyer (PDF 713KB)
Functional Impairments 101: What they are, what they aren’t, and how they inform accommodations
Thursday, June 12th, 2025
Translating Research into Action: How recent findings might impact your work
Thursday, July 10th, 2025
Tricky Accommodations Issues
Thursday, August 14th, 2025
Pathways to Wellness: Online Wellness Toolkit for Indigenous Learner Download Session Slides (PDF 5.4 MB)
Thursday, January 23rd, 2025
Marie McCarron
Validity: What is it and Why Do We Care? (Please email RARC to request access to the session slides)
Thursday, February 20th, 2025
Dr. Allyson Harrison
Tricky Accommodations Issues (Slides not available)
Thursday, March 20th, 2025
Dr. Beth Pollock
To Refer or Not to Refer? That is the Question: Download Session Slides (PDF 1.8MB)
Thursday, September 19th
Dr. Beth Pollock & Alison Parker
All About Non-Verbal and Math LDs: What They Are and How to Support Students Download Session Slides (PDF 1.6MB)
Thursday, October 17th
Dr. Beth Pollock
Tricky Accommodations Issues (Slides not available)
Thursday, November 21st
Dr. Beth Pollock
Creating Culturally Safe Spaces: Download Session Slides
Thursday, June 13th
Dr. Ben Kuo
Hot off the Press: New Research Findings to Inform Practice (Slides not available)
Thursday, July 18th
Dr. Allyson Harrison & Nathaniel Davin
Emerging Trends in AT and Learning Strategies: Download Session Slides
Thursday, August 15th
Candice Daiken, Gillian Goldsmith & Alexandra Bosco
Screening for Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Download Session Slides
Thursday, January 25th
Transition Supports for Incoming Students: Download Session Slides
Thursday, February 29th
Tricky Accommodation Issues (Slides not available)
Thursday, March 28th
Autism Spectrum Disorder: What it is and how to accommodate/support students with the condition: Download Session Slides
Thursday, September 21st
Accommodating and Supporting Students with Specific Mental Health Disorders: Download Session Slides
Thursday, October 19th
Tricky Accommodation Issues (Slides not available)
Thursday, November 23rd
Demystifying Psychoeducational Assessments: Download Session Slides
Thursday, July 6th
Linking Functional Impairments to Appropriate Accommodations: Download Session Slides
Thursday, July 20th
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: What it is and how to support students diagnosed with the condition: Download Session Slides
Thursday, August 3rd
Tricky Accommodation Issues (Slides not available)
Thursday, August 17th
In-Person Events
Each year, the RARC Workshop takes place at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. The next RARC Workshop will take place May 8 and 9, 2025.
Every 5 years, the ARCs (RARC and NOARC) host a High Incidence Disability Conference (HIDC). Our most recent HIDC conference took place in May 2024. To stay up to date about all of RARC's in-person events, make sure to join our Contact List.
You can check out more information about our current/past in-person events from the drop-downs below.
RARC Workshop 2025
We are excited to announce that our next RARC Workshop will be taking place on Thursday, May 8 - Friday, May 9, 2025. It will be taking place at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre at Queen’s University, in Kingston, Ontario. This year's theme is "Beyond Barriers: Sharing Innovative Insights and Strategies in Post-Secondary Accessibility". The workshop will be dedicated to exploring and sharing innovative practices, unique approaches, and new initiatives that are shaping the landscape of accessibility and student support in higher education.
Featured topics include:
- Assistive Technology for Student Success
- Innovative Assessment Models
- Express Registration
- Reasonable Documentation and Accommodations for High Incidence Disabilities
View the RARC Workshop 2025 Schedule (PDF 930KB)
Registration
Registration for the 2025 RARC Workshop is now closed.
RARC hosts an annual workshop in Kingston, Ontario, for psychologists, accessibility services staff and other professionals in the fields of psychology, education, and accessibility.
Want to learn a little more about our past workshop?
In May 2024, we hosted our 3rd High Incidence Disabilities Conference in Toronto, Ontario. The theme was: Navigating Assessment, Academic Accommodations, and Post-Secondary Supports in a Changing World. This event welcomed over 200 attendees for two days of exceptional workshops and keynotes in the fields of mental health, learning disabilities, and ADHD, as well as breakout workshops from other field experts.
Want to learn a little more about the most recent conference?
Virtual Workshops
RARC's mission is to promote equity and access for students with neurodevelopmental disorders in post-secondary education, and one of the ways we aim to do this is by providing training and information to practitioners and educators across Ontario. There are no virtual workshops scheduled at the moment, but we will update information here when the next workshop is planned. You can check out our ongoing Lunch and Learn sessions (top of this page) and join our Contact List to stay tuned for upcoming workshops.
See the drop-downs below for examples of past virtual workshops.
In spring 2024, we hosted the teacher workshop series, where we presented content from our popular Parent Workshop Series, reframed for teachers, so that they may access the same material that we share directly with families. In these sessions, we discuss the challenges faced by students with neurodevelopmental disorders, and their families, as they transition from elementary to secondary school. Additionally, presenters highlight the important role of transition planning to help students feel more confident and prepared to meet educational challenges in secondary school and beyond.
This training is appropriate for teachers, school administrators, resource teachers, guidance counsellors, and others supporting students in the intermediate grades (grades 7-10). There is no fee for these sessions, however attendance at both sessions is mandatory.
Add yourself to RARC's contact list to be kept up to date with future training and professional development opportunities.
In this presentation, we discussed programming, accommodations, and supports that equip secondary students with disabilities with the necessary knowledge and skills to access post-secondary education. Presenters highlighted the important role of transition planning to help students feel more confident and prepared to meet educational challenges. The role of assessment and appropriate determination and implementation of accommodations was also central to the discussion. This training is appropriate for school administration, resource teachers, guidance counsellors, and others supporting students. There is no fee for the training. See the linked flyer for the session objectives.
Session Flyer - Supporting Successful Transitions - Nov 24, 2023
Join Our Contact List
If you'd like to join our RARC contact list to receive information about upcoming professional development and training opportunities, please fill out our RARC Contact List form below.
Fill out the RARC Contact List