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What: The 4th annual National Brain Injury Employment Conference, Building Bridges, will bring together all the stakeholders in the brain injury and employment fields—survivors, veterans, family members and professionals—for an interactive and inspirational two days of learning and networking. “One of the biggest adjustments brain injury survivors make is often around employment. With support and retraining, survivors can open new doors to success,” said Conference Chair and Certified Brain Injury Specialist Trainer Nancy Freeman. Job hunters and professionals will discover useful tips on getting through school, accessing effective tools for employment and learning strategies for job seeking from nationally recognized experts. This conference will focus on finding purpose after brain injury and attendees will leave with insight into innovative employment strategies and have the opportunity to network with national professionals.

In an increasingly paperless world, and with ever-greater student-performance demands in core subjects, state standards have gone silent on cursive. In Colorado schools where it is still taught, the time devoted to its practice generally has diminished, although pockets of avid supporters still enthusiastically defend its rightful place in the elementary curriculum.

Whether or not a child with developmental delays qualifies for early intervention varies dramatically from one state to the next, but often researchers say far more kids are eligible than can be served. The finding comes from a new study analyzing early intervention services across the nation. Researchers from the University of Colorado School of Medicine examined each state’s eligibility requirements for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, Part C program, which serves infants and toddlers with disabilities. Then they used data from a long-term government study tracking nearly 11,000 children to identify how many kids were likely to qualify or receive services in each state.

When Lara Duranti's husband Anthony was transferred to Malmstrom Air Force Base from Colorado this time two years ago, she was on the phone immediately with the school district working to make sure that when her special needs daughter enrolled at Loy Elementary, she wouldn't fall behind.

What:The Trainer of Paraeducator Academies (TOPA) train the trainer session is designed for experienced educators that have worked with paraprofessionals. The session will provide an overview of the essential skills needed to be an effective presenter, how to use Powerpoint presentations, and will give each participant access to online information to teach the twenty two academies. These academies provide a solid working foundation for teachers and paraprofessionals that create a common understanding of special education goals, objectives, and language. These trainings are a great way to create a team approach to meet the needs of students. When:March 7, 20124:00 pm - 8:00 pmWhere:Laurel Administration Building, Board Room410 Colorado Avenue, Laurel Contact:Stephanie ZickefooseDirector YWCCSSCPhone: (406)628-7903Email: stephanie@ywccssc.k12.mt.us

We’re pleased to share this video blog from Friends of Quinn, an online community that offers resources and support for young adults with LD and the people who love them. This video features Connor, a young web development manager in Colorado who was diagnosed with dyslexia in elementary school. Connor, along with his parents, share how dyslexia affected his ability to read and write as a young child. Despite his challenges, Connor has always worked hard and learned how to cope with his learning disability eventually finding success as a young adult. Watch his inspiring story below.

This year's conference, entitled Embracing Difference ... It's Time!, will be held December 8 - 11, 2010, at the Sheraton Denver Hotel in beautiful Denver, Colorado. The TASH Conference is the largest and most progressive international conference advancing equity, opportunity and inclusion for people with disabilities. Registration is open, so come join fellow advocates, families and professionals at the TASH Conference this December! Register prior to September 1 and SAVE up to $90. Click here to register!

Thirty-one states, including Alaska, Colorado, South Dakota, Washington and Oregon, have laws requiring teens to stay in school till age 17 or 18. Montana is among the minority of states that allow students to legally drop out at 16.

COLORADO SPRINGS — Wilson Buswell has cerebral palsy, can't talk and answers only yes-or-no questions: a blink for yes, a stare for no. But Buswell has become a powerful communicator to a handful of students studying to become effective special-education teachers.

In this new Fordham Institute paper, analysts examine public data and find that the national proportion of students with disabilities peaked in 2004-05 and has been declining since. This overall trend masks interesting variations; for example, proportions of students with specific learning disabilities, mental retardation, and emotional disturbances have declined, while the proportions of students with autism, developmental delays, and other health impairments have increased notably. Meanwhile, at the state level, Rhode Island, New York, and Massachusetts have the highest rates of disability identification, while Texas, Idaho, and Colorado have the lowest. The ratio of special-education teachers and paraprofessionals to special-education students also varies widely from state to state—so much so that our analysts question the accuracy of the data reported by states to the federal government.

Caregivers of those with disabilities in half a dozen states may soon have an easier time accessing respite care services, thanks to $1.1 million in grants designed to strengthen such programs. The grants are part of the federal Lifespan Respite Care Program, which provides money to states to coordinate, improve and establish community-based respite care initiatives. Already 24 states are part of the program that was established by Congress in 2006 to help family caregivers of those with special needs. Now, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia will be added.

Click here to register for this free webinar What: Evidence-based prevention programs are attractive because research shows they can produce good results. The challenge is getting similar results when they are put into practice. Experts on two childhood programs will explain the keys to implementing evidence-based programs and achieving expected outcomes. Peggy Hill, Chief Strategic Relations Officer at the Nurse-Family Partnership National Service Office, will introduce Nurse-Family Partnership as an example of an effective home-based health promotion program during pregnancy and infancy that has been developed through rigorous research and taken to broader scale nationally. She will describe what makes an “evidence-based” program unique, what supports for implementation are crucial for assuring that research-proven outcomes can be replicated in community settings, and how policy and administrative practice can foster success. Kristy Johnson, Director of Special Projects with Invest in Kids will describe The Incredible Years program as another proven early childhood program that supports child development in classroom settings. Kristy was responsible for creating needed supports for broader scale implementation of Incredible Years throughout Colorado, and will share lessons learned from the process of working with a researcher to make a strong program accessible and available to local schools interested in improving outcomes for young children. When: Tuesday, August 30, 2011 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Mountain Contact: For questions, email rbridge@mentalhealthamerica.net or call 703-684-7722.

Click here to pre-register for this event online What: At this conference, we value various, distinct groups coming together to learn and build capacity and collaboration. Are you… A family member? Come learn ways to increase family and school collaboration, and find out what strategies your children’s teachers will be using in the classroom so you can support participation at home, in school, and in the community! A general or special educator, or school professional? Participate and access innovative, research based educational strategies, relevant to a wide range of hot topics in education today, that will enhance learning for ALL your students. And, these practical strategies can be put into practice immediately in your classroom! An Administrator? Join us and learn how to lead your teachers to support all students to achieve. Learn strategies and programs to share with your staff as well as information on parent involvement, effective collaboration, and updates on the law. When: February 9-11, 2012 Where: Hyatt Regency Denver Tech Center Denver, Colorado

Based in Denver, Colorado, Kids Mobility Network, Inc. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is changing the lives of children with disabilities by providing durable medical equipment ("DME") such as walkers and wheelchairs to children whose families are underinsured or uninsured.