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Do you know a consumer/peer leader who has been a leader in educating the public about   behavioral health (mental health and/or addiction issues)? If so, please help the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognize his/her accomplishments by nominating him/her for a 2011 Voice Award. This year, SAMHSA is putting special emphasis on the impact of trauma and the significant effects   it can have on individuals, families and friends, communities, and our Nation. Consideration is being given to consumer/peer leaders who have successfully advocated for the rights of trauma survivors and promoted the importance of trauma-informed care. Each year, the Voice Awards honor consumer/peer leaders whose exemplary leadership and  advocacy plays a vital role in raising both awareness and understanding of behavioral health problems. Specifically, these individuals have made outstanding contributions in all of the following areas:  Led efforts to promote the social inclusion of individuals with trauma histories and behavioral health problems;  Personally demonstrated that recovery is real and possible; and Made a positive impact on their community, workplace, or school. To nominate an eligible consumer/peer leader(s), visit the Voice Awards Web site at www.voiceawards.samhsa.gov. ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2011. Nominations are open to anyone and are free. There is no limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit. Self-nominations are welcome. The 2011 Voice Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 24 at Paramount Studios   in Hollywood, CA. Please consult the Voice Awards Web site for event updates and instructions on how to submit a nomination(s).

New York, NY — Eleigha Love, who describes her brain as a computer, and Jared Schmidt, a teenage sky diver, are the recipients of this year's $10,000 Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Scholarships given to two graduating high school seniors with documented learning disabilities (LD) who are pursuing undergraduate degrees. Anne Ford, Chairman Emerita of the National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD), is a well-known philanthropist and author, who has been a long-time parent advocate for children with learning disabilities, starting with her own daughter, Allegra. The scholarship was created in 2001 by the NCLD board when Ms. Ford stepped down as chairman in honor of her service. In 2008, Allegra agreed to match the existing award, creating a second scholarship. Anne Ford and Today Show Host Al Roker presented the scholarships at this year's NCLD 34th Annual Benefit Dinner, emceed by Paula Zahn in New York City. Jared and Eleigha are two of more than 2.5 million students who are wrestling with learning disabilities. They are among the mere 64 percent of students with LD who graduate high school, and only 10 percent with LD that go on to a four-year college. "We received over 300 applications, and let me tell you everyone of them came from students deserving a scholarship," said Anne, handing out the awards to this year’s winners. “We hear so much about the challenges and struggles of students with LD, and it is so inspiring to see that so many are able to meet and surpass those challenges." "Our goal is to see every child with LD graduate from high school," said James Wendorf, Executive Director of NCLD. "We are still failing about 1 million children. We've seen graduation rates and classroom inclusion rise more than 15 percent over the past 10 years. But we need to continue to empower parents and teachers, reduce stigma among kids, and keep education funding on the top of the education agenda if we are going to see those numbers increase, not decrease." One of the biggest problems with learning disabilities is diagnosing them in time, before children get frustrated with the system. "To a child with learning disabilities, school can be a very isolating place, it can be a very frustrating place and frankly overwhelming," relayed CNN's Anderson Cooper at a recent NCLD lunch. "Too many kids with LD struggle to try and keep up with their peers and suffer from low confidence and self-esteem and lose their love of learning at a young age. It's hard to rekindle that once it's gone, which is why the work of this organization is so important."

What: Participants from around the world attend the TASH Conference to learn more about best practices in the field of significant disabilities, network and share information, and most importantly, stake their claim in a movement to include people with disabilities in all aspects of life. We hope you’ll join us! When: November 30 - December 3, 2011 Where: Atlanta, Georgia Who attends the TASH Conference? People with disabilities Parents, siblings and other family members Educators (General Education and Special Education) School Administrators Researchers College Professors Students Click here to learn more about submitting a proposal to present at the 2011 TASH Conference. Proposals are due by May 6, 2011, at 5 p.m. ET.

Click here to download the full brochure with registration information (PDF) What: Behavior Management This academy is intended to give the paraeducator knowledge and skill in instructional methods that support students who have challenging behaviors in inclusive classrooms, resource rooms, elf-contained classrooms, domestic settings and the community. The module focuses on interactions that paraeducators have with students whose behaviors are challenging and on the role they lay in assisting the professional members of their teams with behavior challenges. Effective behavior management is a complex system of proactive strategies, positive reinforcements and natural or logical consequences. The most important concept to understand is that good behavioral management begins with the educator; that ultimately the only person anyone can truly control is him or herself. Our focus, therefore, must be on changing what we, as educators do, as opposed to attempting to make or force our students to change. This academy will address this issue and provide participants with a “tool box” of ideas and strategies that have been proven to encourage positive behavior in students. If your school is an MBI school, these strategies are consistent with the MBI philosophy. Number Theory and Rational Numbers This academy was designed to provide paraeducators with the skills and knowledge needed to assist students, grades 5-8, with mathematics skills taught in the classroom. The course content is designed and adapted from standards recommended by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. It includes the specific skill-building areas of number sense, computational techniques for fractions, decimals and percentages; and their related applications for intermediate and middle-school learners. Participants are encouraged and welcome to attend both days of training. When: June 8-9, 2011 Where:Robins Administration Building Upstairs Conference Room 425 6th Street Havre, MT Register: Register online at www.havre.k12.mt.us Click on the CSPD icon (upper right hand corner) Click on CSPD Calendar

Click here to register for this event What: Several parents will share their experiences about planning for their child's transition from high school to a full, rich life as an adult. How do they support a transition to employment? Inclusive recreation and leisure opportunities? How do they recommend other parents begin transition planning? When: Tuesday, July 19, 2011 at 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM Mountain System Requirements: PC-based attendees - Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server Mac-based attendees - Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

The National Arts and Disability Center (NADC) promotes the full inclusion of audiences and artists with disabilities into all facets of the arts community.

Title:    “Self-Determination Curriculum and Transition Resources”

The University of Tennessee Center for Literacy, Education & Employment conducts training and technical assistance in delivering a self-determination and career planning curriculum to school systems interested in assisting students self-determine their career planning at the point of transition from school to adult life. The self-determination and career planning approach curriculum is based on the principles of self-determination. Students receive instruction and opportunity to practice self and career discovery. The targeted participants are in an inclusive classroom with both regular and special education teachers co-teaching. The class objectives include providing students decision-making skills to increase self-discovery, planning for career and post-secondary outcomes, and participating in the IEP process.

We go to George Washington Middle School in Alexandria, Va., which participates in the NHD competition. This year, the theme is “Rights and Responsibilities.” We chose the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act as our topic for several reasons. We were inspired by “Including Samuel,” a video about a boy with disabilities and his struggles and successes of inclusion, told by his father. Between the three of us we have three relatives who are involved with special education, but we realized many people have no idea what the IDEA stands for and what it does (even us!). We also realized that though civil rights and women’s rights are taught in school, the rights of people with disabilities are mostly left out.

The Council for Exceptional Children provides ongoing articles and updates (based on research) to support that students with varying abilities are capable of reaching higher levels of achievement than was once thought possible. The trick comes as we strive to update the mindsets of administrators, teachers and families (as well as the personal belief systems of the students) about the capabilities of diverse learners.

We felt terrible for the school team. And we felt bad for the family, too; we heard that they had been banned from the school. One thing we knew for sure—we would never be the kind of parents who would go to due process. We were not lawsuit people and didn’t even know any lawyers. If we ever had differences, we would find a way to work them out. Due process for us? No way!