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Click here to register!What:Please Join the Southwest ADA Center and the Texas Governor's Committee for People with Disabilities for another ADA Virtual Round Tables webinar.   Attorney Deborah A. Green with the Law Offices of Deborah Green, and Attorney Tom Ruffner, Court Investigator with Travis County Probate Court in Austin, Texas will discuss a range of financial and legal tools for planning for a lifetime of support. When:Monday, December 5, 2011 12:00 PM Mountain  Contact:Phone: (713) 520-0232Email: ilru@ilru.org

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) of 2004 makes significant and controversial changes to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Two very significant changes in this law are provisions that (a) allow school districts to spend up to 15% of their IDEA Part B funds on early intervening services in general education settings and (b) prohibit states from requiring that school districts use discrepancy formulas to determine if students are eligible for special education services in the category of learning disabilities. Additionally, Congress recommended that school districts use a response to intervention procedure in both early intervening services and for the identification of students with learning disabilities. In this article we first describe two significant reports that recommended that Congress abandon the current eligibility system in special education for students with high-incidence disabilities. Second we explain how Congress and the U.S. Department of Education changed the special education eligibility system for learning disabilities in the IDEIA and the regulations that implemented the IDEIA. Third we review due process hearings and court cases that have addressed response to intervention. Fourth we offer recommendations to teachers, administrators, and teacher trainers to ensure that they meet the letter and spirit of these new requirements of the IDEIA.

Click here to register for this event What: Linda James Myers, Ph.D. will present "The Challenges of Cultural Congruence: What Every Advocate Should Know" on Thursday, June 16, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Dr. Myers is a professor at The Ohio State University, past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, and chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (AACLD). This webinar will focus on the importance of cultural congruence, one of the most challenging and often least discussed issues central to the success of Black families as they seek to provide a quality education for their children. As a member of a cultural group whose ethnic and racial heritage is congruent with and supported by that dominant in this society, Euro-western white, one may assume that this prevailing cultural worldview and the subsequent educational and other social institutions created by it are universally suitable and acceptable. The assumption is often made that the prevailing cultural worldview is universally adopted and held by all Americans, particularly those who have been in this country for generations and for whom English is believed to be their first language. This webinar will explore how these assumptions have hurt non-immigrant African Americans and their progeny, particularly in terms of education, their potential for educational achievement, and the current disproportionality we see in special education. Emphasis will be placed on how advocating for a culturally congruent educational experience on behalf of Black students and their families has the potential to transform the negative educational outcomes that have plagued this population for decades. This is the first in an Equity and Ethnicity in Special Education four-part series of webinars hosted by COPAA, a non-profit organization that works to protect special education rights and secure excellence in education on behalf of the 7.1 million children with disabilities in America. When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 12:00 pm Mountain If you would like to register for this event or any of the four-part series, please click here. COPAA non-member registration is $65.00 for one session or $195.00 for all four sessions. The full four-part series includes: Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern The Challenges of Cultural Congruence: What Every Advocate for Black Students Should Know Presenter: Linda James Myers, Ph.D. Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Addressing Legal Issues of Disability and Race Discrimination Presenters: Matthew Engel, Esq., Ron Lospennato Esq. Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Representing Parents Whose Dominant Language is Other Than English Presenter: Gabriela Ruiz, Esq., Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. Thursday, July 14, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Disproportionality: What are we doing about it? Presenters: Sonja Kerr, Esq. Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP)

Registration is now open for this premiere regional conference on special education and the law. Please join us! Benefits: Learn from special education law experts from around the country Build professional relationships and network with colleagues Stay current on recent legal decisions and interpretations of special education law and litigation Expand your knowledge on emerging legal issues and trends When: September 26 - Optional Mini-Courses September 27 and 28 - Institute Keynote Speaker Spotlight: Jonathan Mooney "Re-Drawing the Lines - Neurodiversity: A Compass to a Changing World" Mr. Mooney is a writer and activist with dyslexia who learned to read when he was 12-years-old. He has since earned an honors degree in English Literature at Brown University and has written and published two thought-provoking books. The Institute will feature four keynote presentations at General Sessions and offers sixteen workshops on current topics such as Discipline Under the IDEA, Untangling Manifest Determinations, and Avoiding the Pitfalls in the IEP Process. Pre-institute Mini-Courses will provide an in-depth view of special education law applicable in public schools. We are pleased to announce that the 2011 Institute will be held in downtown Portland at the Portland Hilton and Executive Towers. The hotel has offered an excellent, discounted guest room rate. More information is available on the website. Register Now for the 28th Annual Pacific Northwest Institute on Special Education and the Law, September 26-28, 2011, at the Portland Hilton and Executive Tower, in Portland, Oregon. Complete details available at www.uwschoollaw.org

Parenting a school-aged child with dyslexia requires strategy, savvy and time. Frankly, not all of us possess these attributes in equal measure and the job often seems beyond our means and abilities. The screenings and evaluations, planning and homework support, emotional pep-talks, talking to teachers and administrators, identifying best supports and assessing what is available, navigating legalities, keeping up-to-date on the latest educational interventions and assistive technologies — all of this leaves most parents feeling depleted and inadequate.

Raleigh County Schools Special Education Department is receiving national attention for its work providing new teachers with resources and mentorship. Special Education Programs Director Cindy Corley-Hicks explained that recruiting and retaining special education teachers is a problem nationwide because of the challenging aspects of the job, including feelings of isolation, legal liability and copious amounts of paperwork. In an effort to remedy this constant turnover, Raleigh County has partnered with the Department of Education and the federally funded National Center to Inform Policy and Practice in Special Education Professional Development (NCIPP) to develop the New Teacher Induction and Support Project.

Finding sports opportunities for kids with disabilities is not always as simple as going down to the local soccer club during the first week of March for sign-ups.  Many families are not located near an existing adaptive sports team. However, this certainly doesn’t make our kids less interested in sports – or less in need of physical fitness opportunities! Hopefully including children with disabilities in sports will soon get even easier, thanks to new guidance from the U.S. Department of Education that clarifies that school districts are legally obligated to provide equal access to extracurricular athletic activities to students with disabilities.

Today, ED’s Office for Civil Rights has released guidance that clarifies existing legal obligations of schools to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate alongside their peers in after-school athletics and clubs. We make clear that schools may not exclude students who have an intellectual, developmental, physical, or any other disability from trying out and playing on a team, if they are otherwise qualified. This guidance builds on a resource document the Department issued in 2011 that provides important information on improving opportunities for children and youth with disabilities to access PE and athletics.

Info On SB 254, The Bill To Close Montana Developmental Center SB 254 creates a responsible process to shift services for people with developmental disabilities into community settings and close the Montana Developmental Center. This bill, sponsored by Sen. Mary Caferro would appoint two representatives of community providers, two parents or guardians of recently discharged residents from MDC, and advocates from MCDD and DRM to a committee to write a plan to close MDC that assures that services are appropriate, that the people are served, and the communities are kept safe.

MYRTLE BEACH -- Jayden Nogueras won’t win the Friday night 5-kilometer race at Broadway at the Beach that is part of the 16th annual Bi-Lo Myrtle Beach Marathon weekend.In all likelihood, he’ll finish last.But his performance will undoubtedly be the most impressive among the more than 1,000 runners.

Jayden is 6 ... and he’s legally blind ... and he was born with cerebral palsy, a chromosome disorder of 1p36 duplication, polymicrogyria, and septo-optic dysplasia.

Goals: To build local capacity and expand inclusive child care options for families by providing training, resources, and technical assistance directly to Montana's child care resource and referral programs (specifically the Early Childhood Specialists), licensed child care programs, LCPs (legally certified providers), PLUK (Montana parent and training information program), and CFSP (regional child/family service providers/early intervention programs).

1. The school does not want to change long-standing procedures. 2. The school does not want to make exceptions to existing policies or practices. 3. The school is afraid of setting a precedent. 4. The school does not have the staff to meet the child’s needs. 5. The staff is not trained to meet the child’s needs. 6. The school does not have a program to meet the child’s needs. 7. The school is committed to their one-size-fits all service delivery models. 8. The school believes the services your child needs are too expensive. 9. The school is overwhelmed by the complexity of your child’s needs. 10. The school does not understand the legal requirement to provide your child with an individualized program.

When someone turns 18, they become an adult and are expected to make the right to make decisions about their medical treatment, finances and life. In order to make these decisions binding (in a legal sense), the person should be competent to understand the decision being made and the consequences of that decision.

I.  SAMPLE LETTERS FROM PARENT TO THE SCHOOL     Letter from Parent to School Requesting Child's Educational Records *     Letter from Parent to School requesting an evaluation for special education eligibility and services     Legal Notice ("Gebser Letter") from Parent to School in Title IX Cases