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May / June 2005 |
| Inside
This Issue:
SPRING
IS SPRUNG!!............................................................1
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Spring
is Sprung! DSAGNO’s Spring Picnic Brings FUN FUN FUN!
Good food, fun, and
weather all combined to make our annual Spring Picnic a success. The kids
sprang into action right away jumping, climbing, and sliding on the giant
3-in-1 space walk from Inflatable Zoo in Kenner. |
| Page 2 From The Editor |
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Those lazy days
of summer are almost upon us. Now’s the time to plan fun activities
to keep the kids occupied and learning. This issue has creative ideas
on how to provide an active environment for only a fraction of the cost
of camps.
It’s important that we help our kids resist the urge to be lazy. Andrew would sit in front of the TV all day if I let him. Activities such as molding Playdoh, painting, coloring, listening to music, reading books, puzzles, flashcards, games, swimming, bubbles, and learning to ride a bike and skate are some of the things we like to do. I’ll be lucky to fit in 2 or 3 activities per day with a new baby at home, but just little bit of activity can still keep the summer lazies away. Teaming up with other moms for alternating play dates can help promote social skills and give you a break. Trips to the playground or a run through the sprinkler can add energy to an otherwise dull day, providing exercise as well. The Zoo and Children’s Museum are great and one of Andrew’s favorite getaways is to the public library. The most challenging time for Andrew will be focusing on activities to prepare him for a return to school. We’ll work on letters, numbers, and handwriting this summer. Computer games can help too. Workbook sheets might be endured with some reward or game involved. The key is to break up work sessions into small time periods that can be tolerated. “Always leave ‘em wanting more” applies here, so they look forward to the learning activity rather than dread it. Do a little every day to work it into a routine. You can “play school” and let your child be the teacher, too. I think this would work wonderfully with children like mine who love school and miss it so much during the summer. Before you know it, it will be time to return to school. Hopefully, most will be able to look back at those weeks as fun filled and productive. The extra time and effort will assure your child an easier transition back to the classroom and leave you both with wonderful memories of time spent together. Ann Lafourcade |
| Page 3 Mark Your Calendars |
MARK
YOUR CALENDARS
May 9-13.
26th Annual International Conference on Developmental and Learning Disabilities.
YAI/National Institute for People with Disabilities Network 26th Annual
Int’l Conf., "Building Brighter Futures for People with Developmental
and Learning Disabilities,” Crown Plaza Manhattan Hotel,NY. Features
300+ speakers. Brochure and online registration at www.yai.org.
For more info: Aimee Horowitz, 212-273-6255. |
May
24. Comprehensive Plan of Care Workshop. FREE. 10am-12pm, Nicholls
State University, Century Room (Red Door under Stadium), Thibodaux, LA.
For more info/RSVP: Jeannie Doiron 1-800-331-5570 or 985-879-2001. May 24. We Count, So Count Us In! See description, May 18. FREE. 10am-12pm, Nicholls State University, Century Room (Red Door under Stadium), Thibodaux, LA. For more info/RSVP: Jeannie Doiron 1-800-331-5570 or 985-879-2001. May 26. Choosing a Provider. FREE. 6pm-8pm, FHF-GNO, 4323 Division Street, Ste., 108, Metairie. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. End of May. STAR Power Camp is Back - 2nd Year. Entertainment/theatrical education for kids 5-21 with developmental disabilities and their non-disabled peers. Roles will be tailored to children’s likes and abilities. Practice will be 1 day/week, performance end of week. Also looking for interested volunteers to help. FREE. Time and date TBA. Nicholls State University. For more information: Brandy Pray, 1-800-331-5570 or 985-879-2001. June 4. Nacho Party. For individuals with disabilities and their families. Fire safety presentation and children’s fingerprinting. FREE. 2pm-4pm, Bayou Vista Community Center, 1333 Belleview Street, Bayou Vista. For more info/RSVP: Jeannie Doiron, 1-800-331-5570 or 985-879-2001. June 8. From Bullying to Belonging. Learn how to create an environment of respect and tolerance, understand the results of intolerance in schools, examine and reflect on personal value systems about others, increase understanding of differences, explore tools for building tolerance and initiate personal action plan. All are welcome! FREE. 10am-12noon, Gentilly Library, 2098 Foy Street, New Orleans. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 11. East Bank Self-Advocates. 11am-1pm, 4323 Division St., Suite 108, Metairie. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 15. Standing Up for Ourselves. 10:30am-12:30pm, Rosedale Library, 5036 Jefferson Hwy., Jefferson. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 16. Communicating Effectively. Learn your communication style and how to be more assertive. FREE. 10:30am-12noon, Gentilly Library, 2098 Foy Street, New Orleans. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 18. West Bank Self-Advocates. 11am-1pm., Westwego Library, 635 4th Street, Westwego. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 18. Summer Learning Activities. Learn fun summer activities for the child that does not go to summer camp. Physical, arts/crafts, enrichment, remediation and mini camp activities both in and out of your home. FREE. 10am-12noon, West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey. . For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. June 21. Inclusion, Making it Work! FREE. 9:30am-11:30am, Assumption Parish Library, 293 Napoleon Ave., Napoleonville. For more info/RSVP: Madeline Lombardi 1-800-331-5570 or 985-879-2001. June 24-26. International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association. "New Discoveries", Holiday Inn Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. For more information: visit www.imdsa.com. June 30. Communicating Effectively. See description, June 16. FREE. 10:30am-12noon, West Bank Regionl Library, 2751 Manhattan Blvd. Harvey. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. July 23. Roles and Responsiblities. FREE. 1pm-3pm, Belle Chasse Library, 8442 Hwy 23, Belle Chasse. For more info/RSVP: 888-9111. |
| Page 4 |
DSAGNO
Board Election Results 2005 PRESIDENT • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Reflections and Looking Back I can hardly believe
2 years has passed and DSAGNO is now turning another corner. As I look
back over the last 2 years, the progress I’ve seen in the organization
has been particularly rewarding to me during my term as President. |
Forward
View I believe in DSAGNO
and all it can do for families of children with disabilities. I’ve
worn many hats for DSAGNO for many reasons. I wear them because I see
in the faces and voices of families what DSAGNO has done for them and
know that we can touch many more people in the same way, because I know
it takes hard work to reach those whom we’ve not reached so far,
because we have the ability as parents to make a difference, and because
I know that even small efforts can add up to big ones. |
| Page 5 |
| Determined
Moms and Volunteers Bringing Accessible Playground on Northshore By Kris Unkauf The story of Kidz
Konnection is an incredible story of the determination of mothers of children
with special needs who are bringing this playground to life in St. Tammany
Parish. St. Tammany Parish Kidz Konnection is a non-profit organization
devoted to bringing the Boundless Playground to life. Boundless Playground
is a brand that stipulates that their playground equipment is no less
than 70% accessible to children with disabilities. |
Camp
for Kids with Down Syndrome
Julian Krinsky Camps and Programs in partnership with PALS (Peer Assisting Learning Support) has announced a special camp for persons with Down syndrome, ages 14 to 21. Camp PALS will pair 20 self-advocates with 20 peers without a disability. The camp will be offered June 19th to June 25th in suburban Philadelphia, PA. For information and to register, send an e-mail to camp@palsusa.org or call 866/TRY-JKCP or 610/265-9401 or visit www.JKCP.com. A camp web site has been established at www.campPALS.com. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • CALLING ALL SIBS... Siblings...we want your stories, poetry, etc.... Tell us about you, tell us about your brother or sister with a disability and your other siblings, tell us about your family. DSAGNO News is preparing an issue to be entirely devoted to the amazing siblings of people with disabilities. Send your submission to DSAGNO Or via email to kscallan@dsagno.org.
HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR MEMBERSHIP TO DSAGNO? DSAGNO relies on your membership renewals to help defer our costs. Your renewals and donations keep us going. IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY DONE SO, PLEASE SEND IN YOUR MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL OR DONATIONTODAY... DSAGNO needs your support to better
serve DSAGNO is a 501c3 organization. |
| Page 6 AGHHH! IT’S SUMMER ALREADY? By Karen Scallan |
Ah, yes, that touch
of heat in the air, rising humidity and longer days. And wait...yes,
there it is. Listen carefully and you can hear the terrified cries of
Moms all over...”School’s out WHEN???!!” World View: Post a world map near the television and then watch the news together. Have your child find the countries on the map that are discussed in the news. |
Waterbabies:
Get those kids swimming. Kids with Down syndrome frequently have struggles
with weight. Get them swimming and increase their cardiovascular health.
Bouyancy in the water can also provide relief for sore muscles or muscular
problems and water resistance can also help strengthen muscles. Try out
the programs listed in the text box in this article. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Area Swimming Programs East Jefferson Family YMCA
- 888-9622 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • |
| Page 7 |
From
My Side Many people ask me
questions after a speech and I try to answer them as good as I can. Afterwards
I think about what they asked and I think about what I could have said
to help them understand. In “From My Side”, I am going to
talk about some of the questions and give some more answers.
|
One
of DSAGNO’s Own Receiving Attention at the National Level
We all know how fabulous Craig Blackburn
is, well now people on a national level will get a chance to learn what
we already know! The National Down Syndrome Society has asked Craig to
speak at the upcoming NDSS convention in Chicago, Illinois. Craig will
be a plenary speaker and, currently, he’s slated to speak on Saturday
morning at the convention which begins July 7, 2005. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Survey for Masters Thesis Maureen Kreig is looking for parents to help with a Masters Thesis. Maureen is a parent of an 11-year-old with Down syndrome and needs your help in designing a guidebook for new parents of children with DS. Your input is needed! The survey can be completed via email and will take less than five minutes. You can contact Maureen at rkreig@comcast.net to participate. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • BIRTHDAYS |
| Page 8 IDEA 2004 Close Up: The Individualized Education Program (IEP) by Candace Cortiella, SchwabLearning.org |
|
The 2004 update of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA 2004) made several significant changes to the Individualized
Education Program (IEP), both in terms of who should participate and what
should be included in this important process. Since it is the IEP that
lays out the school’s commitment of special education and related
services to be provided to eligible students, it is essential that parents
of students with learning disabilities (LD) understand the changes.
This article includes the following sections: Factors for Consideration
in Developing the IEP In updating the IDEA
Congress sought to reduce the complexity of the law, the number of required
meetings, and the paperwork involved in providing special education and
related services. These objectives help to explain some of the changes
made to the IEP provisions. However, Congress in no way intended for these
changes to compromise the role that parents play in the IEP process. In
fact, under the updated IDEA, parents continue to be full and equal partners
in the development of a student’s IEP. Accordingly, parent input
must be regarded as both meaningful and unique, and IEP team discussions
should promote parent participation. Factors for Consideration in Developing the IEP The development of a student’s IEP has always been guided by the consideration of several important factors. These are:
IDEA 2004 includes
this additional consideration:
|
PARENT TIP: Provide
a written statement to the IEP team of your concerns about your child’s
academic, developmental, and functional needs.
A WORD ABOUT IEP FORMS: Most states and/or local school districts have developed IEP forms to help facilitate the process. These forms must contain all of the elements required by the IDEA and may also contain additional state and/or district level elements. Forms can limit flexibility and impede individualization – above all, the IEP must be tailored to the student’s unique educational needs. There are several “special factors” that must also be considered when developing the IEP. While none of these factors are new additions, changes in wording have occurred. For a child whose behavior impedes the child’s learning or that of others, the team must consider the use of positive behavioral interventions, supports, and other strategies to address that behavior; For a child with limited English proficiency, the team must consider the language needs of the child; For a child who is blind or visually impaired, the team must consider instruction in Braille; For a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, the team must consider language and communication needs; For all children, the team must consider the need for assistive technology devices and services. PARENT TIP: IEP teams must now consider whether your child needs assistive technology, instead of whether your child requires assistive technology – a change that creates a more expansive opportunity. Use of technology can facilitate access to the general education curriculum by allowing students with LD to bypass basic skills deficits. IEP Contents The IEP must contain
several statements that describe the child’s performance and outline
the special education and related services the school district will provide.
There have been many important changes to these statements, as explained
below. |
| Page 9 Profile… Carolyn Pic |
My
daughter, Carolyn Pic, was born 34 years ago with Down syndrome. Options
for dealing with a child with Downs were few. We were given a choice of
placing her in an institution or taking her home – of course, home
won. There were not many programs available, but, fortunately, that time
period was also the beginning of a new age for children with disabilities.
When she was 2 ½ years old an Early Intervention (EI) program was just beginning through the Association for Retarded Children (now The Arc of GNO). Since Carolyn was almost too old for EI, she was offered a slot in a satellite pre-school for 3 – 5 year olds. (At that time The Arc had several satellite schools around the area to accommodate the number of pre-school children with disabilities.) I credit some of her independence to these dedicated teachers. It was an excellent program – incorporating therapies for exercise, cognitive, speech, play and even potty training. A particular exercise which I have never forgotten was the one where the teachers would take the children outside to the monkey bars and hold each one up until they had a good grasp on a bar. The teacher would then let go and encourage each child to holler for help. I was so impressed. No one was harmed and a good lesson was learned. “If you get into trouble – yell!” It was such a good class. She is still friends with many of her classmates. From pre-school, Carolyn went to Lakeside School for 3 years, then to St. Michael’s Special School for 17 years, and has been at Magnolia School for 11 years. She has been active in groups and organizations such as the JPRD Special Populations program, Pinnacles, and We Care for Special People. She bowls in a league, has participated in Special Olympics track & field, swimming, and equestrian competitions. She takes riding lessons through the Greater New Orleans Therapeutic Riding Center in LaPlace and has won many ribbons. Carolyn loves dancing, country music, traveling with family and friends. She has flown (with a “meet and assist” to change planes) to visit her sister in San Jose, CA, to Atlanta, GA to visit her other sister, and to Indiana by herself.We have participated in two National Down Syndrome Youth Conferences which ran concurrently with the national conferences. We took a group from Carolyn’s adaptive karate class to give demonstrations in Memphis. The following year a group from her Cajun Dance class went to Boston to entertain. Carolyn now lives in a community group home with several other women through the residential program at Magnolia, but she continues to be involved with her family, friends and community activities. She works in the cooking workshop at Magnolia, volunteers weekly with the 4 year old class at Kehoe-France pre-school, and is part of a team that serves at major social functions at Magnolia. She has had ups and downs in her life as everyone does. Carolyn was 6 weeks old when we discovered that she had congenital heart defects. Open-heart surgery was performed to correct the defects when she was 6 years old. Five days after surgery she experienced two cardiac arrests resulting in the implantation of a pacemaker. She actually grew 3 inches the first year after surgery. She is on her fifth pacemaker and knows how and when to pace herself. One of the hardest adjustments Carolyn had to make was to the unexpected death of her father when she was 18. I always felt she showed great strength – for she had lost three grandparents and her father within 2 years, the following year her remaining grandmother died. (At this time both of her sisters and brother were married and all living out of town, it was just the two of us at home.) She struggled through the understanding of what happened and it was hard for us, her family, to know exactly what she was going through. Expressing her innermost thoughts has always been difficult. But through an innovative clinical trial study, communication is becoming easier. In the fall of 2001 she was fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in a clinical trial study with the drug Aricept and its effect on the cognitive process of people with Down syndrome (ages 18 – 35). Being very pleased with her response to the medication we opted to stay on it after the trial was completed. The Wall Street Journal recently interviewed me regarding this study. A special moment in our family was when Carolyn stood as my Maid of Honor when I remarried several years ago. Carolyn is enjoying life and is contributing to the lives of others through her work, volunteerism, involvement in community activities, and love for her family. We are all very supportive and proud. |
| Page 10 |
| Prenatal
Testing Bill and Joint NDSS/NDSC Position Statement
The Prenatally Diagnosed
Condition Awareness Act was introduced to the Senate as S.609 and is co-sponsored
by Senator Sam Brownback of Kansas and Senator Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts.
It was announced formally in a press conference Wednesday, March 16. To
read the full text of the bill, visit
http://capwiz.com/ndss/issues/bills/?billnum=S.609 Resource information telephone hotlines, e-mail links and Web sites; Web sites and printed materials that address scientific information, clinical course, life expectancy, development potential and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome; National and local family support services and groups; and Awareness and education programs for health care providers about Down syndrome. We strongly encourage Congress to consider how these successful existing rograms and services can be expanded to increase their reach and impact, rather than creating entirely new programs and services that would be duplicative and not cost-effective. |
Empowering
Parents An Engaging New PBS Show for Parents of Beginning Readers If you have a child who is a struggling reader, your
family is not alone. Learning to read is a challenge for almost 40 percent
of kids, and an even bigger challenge for their parents. Empowering Parents,
a new PBS television special narrated by Al Roker, visits schools in Huntingtown,
Maryland, and Portland, Oregon, to help families identify early signs
of reading problems and find ideas for getting their kids the help and
support they need. To watch the program on line, find out when it will
be broadcast in your area, or read a program description, download a parent
guide, visit :
http://www.readingrockets.org/tv/empower.php • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • DSAGNO Stipend Available The DSAGNO Board
of Directors recently voted to grant a stipend to a parent of a child
with Down syndrome to attend a national Down syndrome conference of their
choice. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • For Better or For Worse Lynn Johnston's comic strip, "For Better or For Worse" has begun a storyline related to school inclusion. To view the story from its beginning, go to www.fborfw.com and click on "Strip Fix". Go to "individual dates" and begin with October 22, skipping Sundays. On the website you can also find information about what led Mrs. Johnston to develop this storyline. |
| Page
11 IDEA 2004 Close Up: The Individualized Education Program (IEP) continued... |
|
Continued from pg. 8…
A major change in IDEA 2004 is the elimination of the requirement to include short-term objectives or benchmarks for each annual goal for all but a small group of students who take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards. (See box below.) Congress felt that this requirement contributed greatly to the paperwork burden and bore no relationship to the non-linear reality of a child’s development. However, this change was not intended to eliminate or lessen parental information or eliminate the need to break annual goals into instructional objectives. PARENT
TIP: Parents may continue to request that annual goals contain additional
information about the interim points of achievement that will clearly
indicate that the goal will be reached by year’s end. Nothing in
IDEA 2004 prohibits the development of short-term objectives. IDEA 2004 eliminates
two important requirements from this provision: Services Based on
Peer-Reviewed Research. The IEP must also include a statement of the special
education and related services and supplementary aids and services, based
on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to
the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications
or supports for school personnel. |
PARENT TIP: Parents should
ask about the availability of scientifically-based research to support
any instructional program that is proposed, including evidence of effectiveness.
This applies not only to instructional programs to address academic deficits,
but also those selected to address behavioral or other deficits areas.
Schools should be able to offer a variety of instructional approaches
— not simply one approach that is given to all students with a particular
deficit or disability.
Non-Participation
in General Education. An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the
child will not participate with non-disabled children in the regular class
and other activities, is required in the IEP. PARENT TIP: Make sure that decisions regarding the appropriate accommodations for state and district-wide assessments are made carefully and are based on your child’s individual needs, and not his disability category. Take time to understand the particular assessments that your child is expected to take, including the content, presentation, response format, and administration (setting and length). You should also fully understand the decisions that will be made regarding your child based on the assessment scores, such as grade promotion or graduation. Description of Services. The IEP must include the projected date for the beginning of the services and program modifications, and the anticipated frequency, location, and Continued on pg. 12… |
| Page 12 IDEA 2004 Close Up: The Individualized Education Program (IEP) continued... |
|
Continued from pg. 11…
duration of those services and modifications. IDEA 2004 maintains this requirement, which is the school district’s commitment of resources to the student. PARENT
TIP: Unfortunately, there is sometimes a "disconnect" between
the goals to be achieved through the special education and related services,
and the frequency, location, and duration of the services your child is
to be provided. Parents should be certain that the frequency of services
is adequate to meet the student’s needs and will result in reaching
the goals. Timely remediation of skill deficits, such as reading, is essential
if students are expected to access the grade-level general education curriculum. The IEP Team IDEA 2004 makes several significant changes to how and when IEP team members must participate. While designed to offer new flexibility and prevent undue loss of instructional time, several of these changes need to be viewed with great caution. IEP Team Composition.
The IEP team is composed of: |
evaluation results (who may be one of the teachers
or the district representative listed above)
• When appropriate, the child IDEA 2004
retains the IEP team composition. Participation by the regular education
teacher continues to be an important aspect of the IEP development process,
especially for students with learning disabilities, most of whom spend
the majority of their instructional time in general education classrooms.
The regular education teacher who serves on the IEP team should be teaching
the student a core academic subject and should be the student’s
teacher of record, i.e., the teacher who assigns the grades for the subject. PARENT TIP: You should receive advance notice of the school personnel scheduled to attend your child’s IEP meeting. Use this information to be sure that the required members are going to be on hand. Express an expectation that members will be available for the entire meeting and communicate any concerns you have regarding those who are scheduled to attend prior to the meeting. Exceptions to IEP
Meeting Attendance. IDEA 2004 provides two ways that team members can
be excused from attending the IEP meeting, in whole or in part. They are: The parent must agree to either of these exceptions in writing. Should parents elect
to make use of these new “excusal” provisions, that decision
should be made in advance of the meeting, with complete understanding
and agreement. When utilizing the provision that allows a member to provide
written input, parents should receive and review the input prior to consenting
to excuse the member. Lastly, it is important to remember that these new
excusal provisions do not apply to parents or to the school district representative. Continued on pg. 13… |
| Page 13 |
|
Continued from pg. 12…
the sharing of members’ expertise about the appropriate program for the student, it would seem equally difficult to know what input to provide in advance. Given the important roles played by everyone on the team, use of these new exceptions should be both cautious and infrequent This is particularly
important with regard to attendance by the student’s regular education
teacher, who has both a breadth of responsibilities and a critical role
as the team member most knowledgeable about the general education curriculum
and environment. PARENT TIP: While these new provisions seem logical on the surface, parents need to exercise caution regarding the extent to which their student’s IEP can be amended using this approach. Minor changes involving such things as accommodations can be easily addressed in this manner, but significant revisions such as changes in the services to be provided, the frequency of those services, how behavioral or disciplinary issues are addressed, should call for a full IEP team meeting. When making IEP modifications
without a team meeting, parents should make sure that the school representative
who agrees to the change(s) is authorized to do so by the district. PARENT TIP: Meetings conducted via means other than face-to-face can jeopardize meaningful parental participation and hamper the sharing of information critical to making sound decisions on behalf of the student. For example, sharing and discussing student work samples would be difficult via a conference call. Remember that this new provision in no way negates the parent’s right to request an in-person meeting. While meeting consolidation can frequently save time for both parents and school personnel, parents must be fully informed of all issues to be discussed and should feel comfortable requesting separate meetings if they are uncomfortable with a proposal for a multi-issue meeting. Notice of Procedural Safeguards In another move to reduce paperwork, IDEA 2004 revises the provision addressing the notice of procedural safeguards. Long a mainstay of the IEP meeting, the procedural safeguards notice is now required to be |
distributed to parents of IDEA-eligible students only
one time per year. Schools can determine when they will satisfy the once-a-year
requirement, and may choose to use the annual IEP meeting for that purpose.
Parents can elect to receive the procedural safeguards notice by email.
PARENT TIP: While many parents will welcome the reduction in the number of times the procedural safeguards notice is provided, it is critical that parents have a current copy of the notice on hand at all times. The content of the notice, as required by IDEA 2004, has not changed, with the exception of one additional notice: Unless state law already sets a time limitation, procedural safeguards must now include any applicable statute of limitations period — now set at two years — for the filing of a request for due process hearing. Moving to a New School District IDEA 2004 adds important
new provisions regarding children who transfer school districts. While
slightly different depending on whether the move is within the same state
or across states, school districts are now required to provide special
education services that are comparable to those described in the previously
held IEP until such time as a new IEP meeting is held and a new IEP is
developed for the student. PARENT
TIP: Parents moving to a new school district should obtain a complete
set of their student’s records for the new school to ensure uninterrupted
services. Schools should provide special education records at very minimal
or no cost to parents. References
|
| Page 14 |
|
“Kids with disabilities should be properly educated and taught” Read the text of the speech given
by Matt Ross, an 11 year old boy with Autism from Zephyrhills, Florida
to 3000 people at the Children’s Day Press Conference in Tallahassee,
Florida. Matt Ross is also the 2004 Temple Grandin Award Winner and
is a winner of 2005 Florida 2+2 Prepaid Scholarship. Interview with Adrienne Asch by Kathleen Comfort This
interview was conducted for Leadership Perspectives in Developmental Disability
in 2004. “For more than thirty years, Adrienne Asch has participated
in the disability rights movement as a member of the National Federation
of the Blind, New York's Disabled in Action, and many other organizations.
In 1974, she coordinated several groups of people with disabilities in
the successful fight to put people with disabilities into New York State's
civil rights law. Much of her best-known scholarship examines issues of
disability, and she was among the first to teach a multi-disciplinary
course using the social model of disability at Barnard College in 1982.
A longtime member of the Society for Disability Studies, she served as
its president from 1996-1998. An important facet of her work brings a
disability perspective to the field of bioethics...”
http://www.mnip-net.org/ddlead.nsf/ArticleArchive!OpenView&Start=5.6&ExpandView Creating an Inclusive School, 2nd Edition Learn more about
the book by Richard A. Villa & Jacqueline S. Thousand(From National
Institute for Urban School Improvement Newsletter) |
The Medicaid Info Desk Opening Doors: Using Low-Income Tax Credit Program to Create Affordable Housing for People with Disabilities. The April 2005 issue of Opening Doors (a publication of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) Housing Task Force and the Technical Assistance Collaborative) can be found at http://www.c-c-d.org/od-April05.htm. The issue focuses on "Using the Low Income Tax Credit Program to Create Affordable Housing for People with Disabilities." What it’s like to have
ADHD First Steps for Addressing
Speech and Language Problems • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Coming Soon... Okay folks, the theme of the next issue of DSAGNO News will be on sexuality. Hey, why are you squirming? We have to write it!!! ? Seriously, the issue will feature information and resources on sexuality issues concerning people with disabilities. If you have a question about a particular issue on this subject, or if you’d like to tell others about how you dealt with sexuality issues with your child, drop us a line at kscallan@dsagno.org or (504) 846-6903. Let us know if you prefer your name not be published. |