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In her last post, Parent Contributor Ellyn Levy discussed the experience of getting an initial Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for her teenage daughter. Now, Ellyn’s daughter is a successful college graduate, and Ellyn is back to share the lessons she has learned in advocating for her daughter throughout her learning disability (LD) journey.

“Growing up, I never was really interested in pageants. I thought it would be something I was never able to do,” said the 18-year-old from Cut Bank, Mont. “But by the time I graduated, I kind of realized I’d done a lot of things I’d never thought I could do.”

Six-year-old Charlie Jones gets super excited when Skyler Bexten, 18, comes over to take care of him and his 3-year-old brother, Max. “It’s kind of hard to excite Charlie with someone coming over,” his mother, Elizabeth Cummings, said.  Both diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, Skyler and Charlie share an unspoken deep understanding and a bond that continues to grow. For Cummings, Skyler provides a role model for her son and the community of what people with autism can achieve and contribute. “His success has been tremendous,” she said of Skyler. “He is a fully mainstreamed student who will graduate with honors from Glacier High School this spring.”

“When I was a kid, I didn't realize that you were different.”

Bonnie Brown came to StoryCorps with her teenage daughter, Myra. Bonnie is intellectually disabled with a low IQ. For the past 18 years she’s worked at the same Wendy’s. Here, her daughter asks her about being a mom.

Myra is enrolled in gifted and talented classes at her high school. She hopes to attend Cambridge University when she graduates. Recorded in Lansdowne, PA.

Anna Biegel knew since she was in kindergarten that something was wrong.“I remember crying as a little child because I couldn’t read some of what the other kids could, and I would get so frustrated with the sounds,” the Billings native said.Biegel went on to graduate with honors in piano performance from Montana State University Billings. While she was in college she finally was able to put a name to her problem: dyslexia.

Of all the issues being debated by politicians, lawmakers and voters, health care may be the issue on which no one can agree. A study by a team of professors at the Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management finds that health care is one of the most divisive issues splitting Democrats and Republicans, especially when it comes to cost and access. Even if the person works in the health care industry, political affiliation still reflects his or her opinions on health care.

Founded in 1948 as Recording for the Blind, Learning Ally serves more than 300,000 K-12, college and graduate students, veterans and lifelong learners – all of whom cannot read standard print due to blindness, visual impairment, dyslexia, or other learning disabilities. Learning Ally’s collection of more than 70,000 digitally recorded textbooks and literature titles – downloadable and accessible on mainstream as well as specialized assistive technology devices – is the largest of its kind in the world. More than 6,000 volunteers across the U.S. help to record and process the educational materials, which students rely on to achieve academic and professional success. 

MONTREAL — When Eric Wan wheels onto Montreal’s Place des Arts stage Tuesday, the audience will soon forget that the solo violinist is quadriplegic. Paralyzed from the neck down, Wan will be playing violin with the Montreal Chamber Orchestra under the direction of Wanda Kaluzny.The concert will mark the world stage debut of the Virtual Music Instrument that Wan helped develop as a graduate student in engineering at the Bloorview Research Institute at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital in Toronto.

Click here for more information! (PDF)Cost: $15.00 non refundable - Includes lunch buffetWhat:Increasingly faced with students who present very challenging behavioral issues, most school staff have not be trained as treatment providers, but as educators. Punitive and reactive strategies are often the response of choice, in spite of the frequent negative side effects and drawbacks of such approaches. We will take a look at another approach to classroom management of oppositional and defiant students. A montana licensed psychologist in private practice in Billings, Dr. House was a school psychologist in Bozeman for a dozen years before returning to graduate school in Oregon to earn a Masters and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He practiced a couple of years in a private psychology clinic and a year in a psychiatric hospital for children and adolescents, and then shifted to a psychiatric residential treatment facility, where he filled several professional roles during his twenty one years of service, resigning from there this past summer to pursue his private practice. He is still licensed as a school psychologist and is a NCSP.When:March 14, 201211:30 am - 1:30 pmWhere:Student Union Building, Lewis and Clark RoomMSU-Billings, Billings, MTContact:Debra Miller Phone: (406)657-2312Email: dmiller@msubillings.edu

You can register online here! or download the full flyer here!What:Join us for March’s Technology Tuesday as we explore the world of iPad apps for educators. Presenter Trina Halama will share apps for the iPad that are educational tools that can be used in the classroom. There are a variety of useful apps to make the classroom livelier and more engaging for both the students and teacher. Among the apps being shared are apps for time management, social networking, discussion forums and boards, books, art and graphics, and much more. Some of the particular apps to be shared are: Kindle, How Stuff Works, Flashcardlet, free books, Red Stamp, Toontastic, Math Quizzer, Quick Graph, and more. This will be an opportunity to receive and share resources. Bring your iPad or use one of ours!Trina Halama is a 2007 graduate of MSUB with an emphasis on elementary education and a minor in music. Currently, she teaches third grade at Fromberg Elementary School. She is on Fromberg’s Technology Board, the Promethean Consortium Board, is pursing certification to teach Promethean and SMART Board technologies, and has a vast knowledge of technology in general. Trina is also a Library Information and Technology Literacy trainer for the Montana Regional Education Service Area III.When:March 20, 20125:00 pm - 7:00 pmWhere:MSUB College of Ed. BldgRoom 122Billings, MTContact:John KeenerPhone: (406) 657-1743Email: john.keener@msubillings.eduorDebra MillerPhone: (406) 657-2072Email: dmiller@msubillings.eduIf you have a particular question or suggestion you can contact Trina at thalama@fromberg.k12.mt.us.

Today, the Department of Education announced new steps to help close the achievement gap for students with disabilities by moving away from a one-size-fits-all, compliance-focused approach to a more balanced system that looks at how well students are being educated in addition to continued efforts to protect their rights. While the Department has effectively ensured access to educational resources for students with disabilities, not enough attention has been paid to educational outcomes, which have not sufficiently improved. This is partly due to the fact that federal policy has focused more on procedural requirements and not enough on critical indicators like increasing academic performance or graduation rates for students with disabilities.

Today, the Department of Education announced new steps to help close the achievement gap for students with disabilities by moving away from a one-size-fits-all, compliance-focused approach to a more balanced system that looks at how well students are being educated in addition to continued efforts to protect their rights.

Since the current process of conducting on-site state compliance reviews has not focused enough on improving student outcomes, the Department will not be carrying out the visits scheduled for the 2012-13 school year to allow it time to develop a new and more effective system. However, the Department will continue to review annual performance reports as well as monitor state supervision systems.

Students with learning differences are twice as likely as their peers to drop out of high school, according to the National Center for Learning Disabilities. Betty Ann Bowser visited an elementary school that practices early intervention -- engaging students with technology and art to improve their chances of earning a diploma.

At its core, the American educational system is about democratization of knowledge for all students, regardless of their circumstances. In 2011, 22 percent of non-institutionalized adults with disabilities had less than a high school education. If this statistic was applied to the general population, my suspicion is that there would be an outcry to reform K-12 education to have better graduation results. But for students with disabilities, there is no shock or outrage and that is something that has to change. The key to improving the educational experience for students with disabilities is better accommodations in schools and continued improvements in assistive technology.

A documentary following a special-education teacher as she prepares her students with autism to leave high school and enter adult life is set for its national television debut. The film “Best Kept Secret” examines the transition process through the eyes of teacher Janet Mino and her six students at John F. Kennedy High School in Newark, N.J. over the year-and-a-half prior to their graduation in the spring of 2012.

Kojiro Hirose, a professor at the Graduate University of Advanced Studies and the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka, Japan, and a visiting scholar at the University of Chicago, will present, “The World through Touch: Creating a Museum Everyone Can Enjoy” at 5 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, in 1-121 Wilson Hall at Montana State University.  Hirose, who is visually disabled, will lecture about his work as an organizer of various exhibitions of “tactile culture” at Japan's National Museum of Ethnology, and his efforts to make museums accessible for everyone.

University of Montana RiteCare Speech, Language, & Hearing Clinic 634 Eddy Street University of Montana graduate students will run these groups under the guidance of CSD faculty. We hope to expand your efficiency in using devices, learn to how to join social media, and support you in communicating in social settings using your devices, voice, and vocalizations & gestures. We are here to help problem solve technology issues and provide a fun place to share resources and build friendships. Contact Chris Merriman for more information 406 243.2377 christine.merriman@umontana.edu

Sentinel High School graduate Marcus Bartlett never dreamed that his fascination with Hoover vacuum cleaners would evolve to the point where Hoover engineers designed his very own custom-made model.

Parents are critical assets in education. Parents can be a voice for high expectations for children and for supporting educators in creating schools where all children receive what they need to succeed. An excellent education is every child’s civil right; and while our nation has made great strides—with a record high school graduation rate and college enrollment at all-time highs—we have much further to go to ensure that every child has equal opportunity to learn.

Eustacia Cutler is the mother of four children. Her oldest child is Temple Grandin, who is known as the most  successful person with autism in the world today. Eustacia is a graduate of Harvard. She has been a band singer at the Pierre Hotel, New York City, performed and written for theater and cabaret, and written documentaries on disabilities for major television networks. Her current book, "A Thorn in My Pocket" describes raising Temple in the conservative world of the 1950’s. Eustacia was one of the first to tread new territory as she overcame the difficulties of "challenging the system." Like every parent, she wanted the best for her child. She understands the myth, reality, angst, and guilt a family experiences in society. She is where you will be in the future: looking back on the things you did to help your child.  When the “system” is not meeting the needs of your child, you must be creative and design your own program. Piece by piece, you and your child can develop a meaningful, interrelated reality. Eustacia will inspire you to reach beyond your current resources and make it work for you and your child.