Publications Menu
August 2007
National Technical Assistance Center:
PACER Center, 8161 Normandale Boulevard, Minneapolis, MN 55437 (888) 248-0822, www.taalliance.org
In This Issue:
Upcoming Events
- ALLIANCE New Directors Meeting - November 7-9, 2007
- ALLIANCE 11th Annual National Conference - January 30-February 1, 2008
Parent Center Update
- Families Together, Inc. celebrates 25 years
- DREDF Helps Students with Diabetes Receive Care in School
Announcements
- IDEA State Determination Letters
- National Summit on Response to Intervention Implementation
- EEOC Caregiver Guidance
- New Community of Practice
- Child Care and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Resources
- Helping Our Children with Disabilities Succeed: What's Broadband Got to Do With It?
- Youth with Mental Health Needs and Transition
- Special Needs Calculators
- Tookits: Finding Disability Support Professionals
- Emergency Info Online
Technology
- Computer Reviews
- Google Search Tips
Fundraising
- CVS Caremark Community Grants
To find the Technical Assistance Center in your Region please visit www.taalliance.org/centers/
Upcoming Events
ALLIANCE New Directors Meeting
November 7-9, 2007
Embassy Suites, Old Town Alexandria
ALLIANCE 11th Annual National Conferenc
January 30-February 1, 2008
Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill, Washington DC
Parent Center Updates
Families Together, Inc. Celebrates 25 years
Families Together, Inc., the PTI for Kansas, celebrated the 25th Anniversary of the organization with family events in five locations in the state during the past year and one formal banquet on June 30, 2007. The Banquet was held at the site of the inaugural event in 1982. Honored guests at the banquet included the founder, Chris Curry, and the first Executive Director of the PTI, Patty Gerdel. Two hundred guests celebrated the event on June 30, including former staff members, families who have been served by Families Together, Inc. over the years, state officials, and community partners. More information about Families Together is available on their Web site: http://www.familiestogetherinc.org/.
DREDF Helps Students with Diabetes Receive Care in School
A recent settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF - a Parent Training and Information Center and Community Parent Resource Center) in Berkeley, CA will improve medical care for students with diabetes in California. The settlement states that non-medical personnel can be trained to provide insulin shots and monitor students’ blood glucose level if required by a child’s IEP or 504 plan. DREDF in collaboration with the American Diabetes Association has developed sample 504 Plan and Diabetes Medical Management Plan templates that can be used by students in any state to help manage their services at school. Read more at http://www.dredf.org/healthcare/diabetes.shtml.
Announcements
IDEA State Determination Letters
As part of its continuous improvement monitoring process, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) has released determination letters based on states’ compliance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) and the State Performance Plan (SPP) indicators. Letters for each state can be found at: http://www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/idea/monitor/factsheet.html
National Summit on Response to Intervention Implementation
A National Summit on Responsive to Intervention (RTI) Implementation will be held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City on December 6-7, 2007. The cross-agency and interdisciplinary conference will bring together state teams to develop RTI action plans. More information will be coming soon!
EEOC Caregiver Guidance
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently released guidance on “Unlawful Disparate Treatment of Workers with Caregiving Responsibilities.” Although caregivers are not explicitly recognized as a protected class, this new EEOC guidance provides examples of situations when unequal treatment of employees caring for their child, spouse, or parent with a disability may violate federal laws. The guidance is available online at: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/caregiving.html.
New Community of Practice
The Beach Center at the University of Kansas has formed a new Early Childhood Family Support Community of Practice. The goal of the Community of Practice is to provide a place for families, professionals, and policymakers to share ideas and experiences related to early childhood policy, Research, and practice. The Web site includes online discussion boards and other articles and resources. http://www.beachcenter.org/
Child Care and the Americans with Disabilities Act
A recent settlement between the United States Department of Justice and a California YMCA reinforced that private child care centers are covered by Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and must provide children with disabilities equal opportunity to participate in their services. Below are several related resources on child care and the ADA:
Child Care Settings and the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 2 page handout from The Arc of the U.S.: http://www.thearc.org/NetCommunity/Document.Doc?&id=152
Commonly Asked Questions About Child Care Centers and the Americans with Disabilities Act, a 13-page publication from the U.S. Department of Justice explaining how the requirements of the ADA apply to Child Care Centers: http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/childq&a.htm
Financial and Design Solutions for the Development of Inclusive Child Care Centers, two tools developed by Easter Seals to help child care providers address financial planning and design barriers to inclusive child: http://www.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ntl_pqicc_design.
Questions & Answers about the Americans with Disabilities Act: A Quick Reference, Information for Child Care Providers from the Child Care Law Center http://www.childcarelaw.org/docs/qanda-ada.pdf
Resources
Helping Our Children with Disabilities Succeed: What's Broadband Got to Do With It?
This new publication from The Children’s Partnership describes the opportunities that access to the Internet, computers, and other forms of technology provide to children with disabilities. The report also describes barriers that prevent children and families from accessing this important technology. http://www.childrenspartnership.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=11195
Youth with Mental Health Needs and Transition
On the Move: Helping Young Adults with Serious Mental Health Needs Transition Into Adulthood, a new report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Partnerships for Youth Transition initiative, describes ways that communities can help youth successfully transition from high school to adulthood. The article highlights five states and the programs they have implemented to make this process more successful. http://ntacyt.fmhi.usf.edu/publications/what-we-learned.pdf
Toolkits: Finding Disability Support Professionals
Finding and keeping disability support professionals (also sometimes referred to as personal care attendants or direct care workers) can be challenging for individuals with disabilities and their families. Two toolkits from the Research and Training Center on Community Living, Institute on Community Integration, one for individuals and one for family members, provide information on finding, selecting, and keeping qualified disability support professionals. http://rtc.umn.edu/ildspworkforce/
Emergency Info Online
Emergency Info Online features resources regarding emergency preparedness and communications, with a focus on the Emergency Alert System and people with disabilities. As part of National Preparedness Month in September, they will be launching an online series “30 Days, 30 Resources” that will feature free articles and guides for families, businesses, and schools. http://www.emergencyinfoonline.org/
Technology
Computer Reviews
This article from TechSoup.org provides a list of reliable sources for software and hardware reviews and what to look for when reading a review to ensure that it is trustworthy. http://ga0.org/ct/KdS-qJ91iSnX/
Google Search Tips
“Turbo-Charge Your Google Search” provides tips to help users refine their Web searches to get more accurate results. http://ga0.org/ct/j7S-qJ91YEia/
Fundraising
CVS Caremark Community Grants
During 2007, one focus of CVS Caremark Community Grants is children with disabilities. Grant applications are due October 31, 2007. Go to http://www.cvs.com/corpInfo/community/community_grants.html for more information on eligibility and the application process.
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The ALLIANCE site offers many PDF files for download, which require Adobe Reader to view.This project is supported by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). Opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Education. |
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