Parent Center Updates

PEAL Center Update: Inclusion Conference and Director Recognition

Parent to Parent of Miami Director Meets with President

TATRA's Annual Award for Excellence

Raising Special Kids Update

Announcements & News

TA&D Center of the Month: National Post-School Outcomes Center

Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations Updates

Early Childhood Assistive Technology Reuse Survey

Upcoming Conferences

Resources

Child Abuse Prevention Month Resources 

My 1^st Year and Discovering Feelings Books

Children in Immigrant Families Report 

Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology & Transition Planning

Free Online Disability Rights Course

Technology

Microsoft Releases Accessibility Improvements

Technology Training Skills

National Broadband Map

 

Parent Center Updates

 

PEAL Center Update: Inclusion Conference and Director Recognition

PEAL Center is busy preparing for their annual conference on inclusion, Discovering Genuine Relationships. The two-day event for educators, parents and others involved with the education of students with disabilities. Keynote speakers include Daniel Gottleib, author of “Letters to Sam,” Kevin Jennings, assistant deputy secretary for the U.S. Department of Education Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools, and comedian Michael Beers. The conference will take place April 11-12.

Additionally, PEAL executive director Liz Healy has recently received leadership awards for her work. She was awarded the Patty Verostko Award for child Leadership and the Dignity and Respect Champion Award for ensuring people with disabilities and special health care needs lead rich and active lives as members of the community.

Congratulations Liz and all of PEAL staff for their accomplishments! More>>>

Parent to Parent of Miami Director Meets with President

During President Obama’s recent visit to Miami, Parent to Parent of Miami Executive Director Isabel Garcia was invited to meet with him and participate in a round table discussion on education. The group discussed Race to the Top, inclusion of children with disabilities, and the importance of parent involvement in the schools. Congratulations to Isabel! More>>>

TATRA's Annual Award for Excellence

PACER Center's TATRA Project is proud to announce a call for entries for its 2011 Award for Excellence in Transition-focused Parent Training. This annual award seeks to identify and highlight promising transition tools developed by OSEP-funded Parent Training and Information Centers, Community Parent Resource Centers, and RSA-funded parent training projects. Only materials developed by Parent Centers, or in partnership with Parent Centers, are eligible for this award. The deadline for submissions is April 15^th, 2011. More>>>

Raising Special Kids Update

On March 26, Arizona’s PTI Raising Special Kids co-sponsored “A Special Day for Special Kids,” a family event with rides, carnival games, clowns, and other kid-friendly entertainment free for families of children with disabilities. Their next big event is a conference on May 7, Collaborative Therapies for Parents of Children Birth to Five. The conference will be held at Phoenix Children’s Hospital. More>>>

 

Announcements & News

 

TA&D Center of the Month: National Post School Outcomes Center

The National Post-School Outcomes Center assists states to collect data on the experiences of youth with disabilities after they leave high school. They have developed a variety of tools to assist states in their reporting efforts, as well as general resources on the importance of post-school data collection. For more information visit their website or watch the archived webinar presented to Parent Centers. More>>>

Americans with Disabilities Act Regulations Updates

On March 25, 2011 the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) published final regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act.

Additionally, several changes to Title II (state and local governments) and Title III (private sector) regulations went into effect as of March 15, 2011. The changes apply to rules for service animals, wheelchairs and power-driven mobility devices, event ticketing, and effective communications.

Early Childhood Assistive Technology Reuse Survey

Tots-n-Tech is surveying parents of children with disabilities and professionals who work with children with disabilities to find out about your experiences with assistive technology (AT) reuse programs. In particular, they want to find out about what happens when children no longer need an AT device that they have been using such as a walker, wheelchair, switch, environmental control unit, adapted toy, etc.  If you are interested in completing this survey please go to the following link, http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HSDSBSB, and fill out the survey.

Upcoming Conferences

CADRE’s 5^th National Symposium on Dispute Resolution in Special Education: October 26-28, 2011 in Eugene OR. The Symposium brings together individuals who are interested in resolving disputes in a non-adversarial manner and building collaborative relationships that will lead to better educational programs for students with disabilities. Save the date! More information will be available soon.

Sixteenth Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health: September 22-24, 2011 in Charleston, S.C.  The Conference is sponsored by the Center for School Mental Health, the IDEA Partnership, and the National Association of State Directors of Special Education. The theme of this year's conference is School Mental Health: Achieving Student Success through Family, School, and Community Partnerships.

The Eleventh National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute: May 16-18 in Chapel Hill, NC. This conference is an opportunity to keep up with what's happening in the field, broaden your knowledge of the latest inclusive practices, and further professional growth.

 

Resources

 

Child Abuse Prevention Month Resources

In recognition of April as Child Abuse Prevention Month, the Child Welfare Information Gateway has posted a variety of resources and outreach materials for parents, caregivers, and community members focusing on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. More>>>

My 1^st Year and Discovering Feelings Books

The Center for Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation recently produced two new resources for parents and professionals to promote mental health for young children. The booklets help caregivers understand early milestones and assist young children to understand their emotions. The booklets can be downloaded and also include tips for effective use. More>>>

Children in Immigrant Families Report

First Focus recently released a report on the status of immigrant children in the United States, including issues such as access to public benefits, early childhood education, and immigration enforcement. More>>>

Family Information Guide to Assistive Technology & Transition Planning

This 50 page guide published by the Family Center on Technology and Disability is aimed at providing families with the information they need to effectively on how assistive technology can play a role prepare for and participate in periods of transition in their children's lives. More>>>

Free Online Disability Rights Course

The New England Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Center recently developed

a free, self-paced online course that provides an overview of disability rights laws. The course takes approximately 2 hours and includes real life scenarios, quizzes and a final exam. More>>>

 

Technology

 

Microsoft Releases Accessibility Improvements

Microsoft recently released new accessibility for its Word and PowerPoint programs. They also launched a collection of online resources and training tools to help developers increase the accessibility of sites and programs for those with disabilities. More>>>

Technology Training Skills

This article outlines skills that are essential for effectively training others on new technology, such as communication and flexibility. More>>>

National Broadband Map

The National Broadband map is a tool to search, analyze and map broadband availability across the United States. More>>>