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Speaking Engagements

I deliver keynote presentations, workshops, and facilitated conversations that inspire audiences to think differently about complex human challenges. Drawing on more than twenty-five years of experience across education, disability, healthcare, and public policy, I combine storytelling, research, and practical insight to help leaders build stronger partnerships, foster deeper understanding, and create more human-centered systems.

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Whether speaking to educators, healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, government agencies, or businesses, my presentations invite audiences to question assumptions, embrace curiosity, and discover new ways of thinking about the people they serve.

Lanya McKittrick PhD standing in front of a large screen presenting at the 2024 USH Conference.

Speaking Engagements

Speaking

Every audience brings its own experiences, challenges, and questions. My goal is not simply to share my story, but to create conversations that help people see one another—and the systems we build—a little differently.

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My work began in the field of deafblindness after my oldest son, Conner, was diagnosed with Usher syndrome, the leading genetic cause of deafblindness. As a parent, I experienced firsthand the complexity of navigating education, healthcare, and community systems. Those experiences sparked a lifelong commitment to understanding how families and professionals can work together more effectively.

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That journey led me to pursue a Ph.D. in Special Education, where my research focused on collaboration between families and schools and the strategies parents use to build meaningful partnerships within the IEP process. Over the past twenty-five years, my work has expanded to include family engagement, disability, healthcare, systems change, qualitative research, and public policy. Across every setting, I've found myself asking the same question: How do we create systems where people feel heard, valued, and understood?

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Today, I bring together storytelling, qualitative research, systems thinking, and lived experience to help organizations think differently about complex human challenges. Whether I'm speaking with educators, healthcare professionals, nonprofit leaders, government agencies, universities, or corporate teams, I challenge audiences to question assumptions, listen more deeply, and build stronger partnerships rooted in understanding.

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While every presentation is tailored to the audience, each is grounded in a simple belief: better systems begin with better understanding.

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Featured Speaking Themes

Human-Centered Leadership & Systems Change

  • Better Systems Begin with Better Understanding

  • Beyond the Divide: The Stories That Bring Us Together

  • Leading with Curiosity: Navigating Complex Human Challenges

  • The Human Side of Wicked Problems

Storytelling & Human Connection

  • The Power of Story: Building Understanding Through Shared Experience

  • Stories That Change Systems

  • Listening as a Leadership Practice

  • Beyond Labels: Seeing the Whole Person

Education, Disability & Family Partnerships

  • Building Bridges: Creating Collaborative Partnerships

  • Helping Families Feel Heard

  • From Advocacy to Self-Advocacy

  • Designing Systems Where Everyone Belongs

 

Organizations I Partner With

  • School districts and state education agencies

  • Universities and educator preparation programs

  • Healthcare organizations

  • Nonprofit organizations and foundations

  • Government agencies

  • Parent leadership and community organizations

  • Disability organizations

  • Corporate teams exploring leadership, communication, organizational culture, and human-centered change

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