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Basic Web Accessibility: Understanding WCAG 2.0 - Webinar - Nov 16, 2011 Click here to register What:If you're tasked with helping ensure your organization produces accessible web content, you've probably heard of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). As the most widely used international guidelines on web accessibility, and the basis for many federal and local standards, it's important to understand WCAG. In this webinar, we'll explore the relationship between WCAG 2.0, WCAG 1.0, and Section 508. We'll also discuss how to apply the WCAG 2.0 guidelines to actual web content, and the differences between A, AA, AAA level conformance. Despite all the acronyms and abbreviations, this webinar is intended for people who are new to web accessibility or new to WCAG. Learning Goals: Learn how WCAG 2.0 fits into big picture of web accessibility guidelines and standards Understand what each of the guidelines means in practical terms Leave with a set of online references for achieving conformance When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011 11:00 - 12:00 Mountain Standard Time Contact:If you have any questions about the webinar, please contact Karen Sheehan, ksheehan@cforat.org.

Click here to register!What:This presentation will cover those elements of recreational facilities with first time technical provisions presented in Chapter 10 of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design (2010 Standards) and Spas (which are covered in Section 612 of Chapter 6). First time scoping provisions for these elements are found in Chapter 2 of the 2010 Standards. Significantly, the elements covered by these technical provisions and scoping requirements will have no safe harbor protections after March 15, 2012. This presentation will provide an overview of: ·         Children’s play areas ·         Swimming pools, wading pools and spas ·         Golf facilities ·         Exercise equipment and machines ·         Recreational boating facilities ·         Fishing piers and platforms ·         Saunas and steam rooms This presentation will not cover changes in the 2010 Standards where safe harbor provisions apply.Charge is $25.When: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 1:00 - 2:00 MTFor more infomation call 800-949-4232.

This brief discusses two issues associated with the provision of accessible instructional materials (AIM) to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The first section describes the physical basis of reading challenges experienced by many students who are deaf or hard of hearing. The second section focuses on research pertaining to the use of sign language representations in conjunction with print and digital text for this population of students.

As part of the transition from childhood to adult life, planning inevitably includes housing decisions. Finding and securing housing and residential supports for adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) can be challenging for the individual and the family. Autism Speaks is trying to make this overwhelming journey easier through a series of tools to guide you through the process of establishing residential services and supports for your loved one with autism. By giving you the tools you need to make housing choices, we hope to make this often complicated journey as simple and successful as possible. The Housing and Residential Supports section of the Autism Speaks website contains several sections that will provide you with the information you need, help you search for housing options, and keep you informed of promising developments, resources, and news in housing and residential supports.

The U.S. Department of Education announced today that its Office for Civil Rights has entered into an agreement with Virtual Community School of Ohio to ensure compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act for students with disabilities at the school. This first-of-its-kind resolution promises equal access to educational opportunities for students with disabilities in virtual charter schools. Virtual Community School of Ohio is an Internet-based, public charter school that serves approximately 1,200 students who reside throughout the state of Ohio. "Students with disabilities who attend online public charter schools are entitled to all the protections of the federal civil rights laws that their peers receive at traditional public schools, including the right to receive a free appropriate education. Online schools also must take steps to ensure that the websites and online classrooms they use to promote their services and to educate students are accessible to individuals with disabilities," said Catherine E. Lhamon, Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. "Online education environments such as this in which students reside across the state and go to school together in a totally on-line environment, may present unique challenges. Nevertheless, these online schools must comply with the civil rights laws. I commend Virtual Community School of Ohio for agreeing to address these issues as part of its agreement with OCR."

Resilience Booster: Parent Tip Tool Parenting is hard work. Even with the best resources available, meeting the needs of family members in today's fast-paced society is difficult. The daily stress of making ends meet can take a toll on all family members, including children. The APA Public Interest Directorate Socioeconomic Status Office has created this tip tool for parents who want to build their children's resilience.

This knowledge path about child and adolescent health insurance and access to care has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources that analyze data, describe effective programs, and report on policy and research aimed at advancing health coverage and improving health care access for children and adolescents. Emphasis is placed on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Separate sections present resources for professionals (health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, and researchers) and for families. A special topics section presents resources that address health reform, outreach and enrollment, and school-based and school-linked care. This knowledge path will be updated periodically.

Apple is highlighting a growing number of apps catering to individuals with special needs with a featured special education section in its App Store. The section titled “Special Education” launched late last week and includes 72 applications for the iPhone and 13 applications for the iPad in 10 categories ranging from communication to emotional development and life skills, according to Trudy Muller, an Apple spokeswoman.

It is well known that people with special needs can accomplish amazing things despite their so-called disabilities. But in the annals of such heroics, a special place must be reserved for Joshua A. Winheld. On February 5, 2010, Winheld was awarded a Master of Arts degree in urban studies from Temple University in Philadelphia. For his thesis, he explored factors preventing local real estate developers from building more housing that is accessible to people with physical disabilities. Accessible housing was a subject that had interested Winheld since the age of 10, when he was forced into a wheelchair by Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The updated regulations that govern the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act will become effective in March 2011. Significant changes are included in these regulations and they are likely to have a significant (and positive) impact on those with learning disabilities (LD).   This podcast features a conversation with attorney Jo Anne Simon on how, specifically, these new rules will impact students with LD. Ms. Simon has over 30 years of experience working with the disability community and has helped create the field of post-secondary disability services by working at the grassroots and organizational level. Ms. Simon has worked for effective implementation of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act since its enactment in 1990, and before that with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

What: Today, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued guidance through Dear Colleague Letters to elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education along with a Frequently Asked Questions document on the legal obligation to provide students with disabilities an equal opportunity to enjoy the benefits of technology. This guidance is a critical step in the Department’s ongoing efforts to ensure that students with disabilities receive equal access to the educational benefits and services provided by their schools, colleges and universities. All students, including those with disabilities, must have the tools needed to obtain a world-class education that prepares them for success in college and careers. Today’s guidance provides information to schools about their responsibilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The guidance supplements a June 2010 letter issued jointly by OCR and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. The June letter explains that technological devices must be accessible to students with disabilities, including students who are blind or have low vision, unless the benefits of the technology are provided equally through other means. Today’s guidance highlights what educational institutions need to know and take into consideration in order to ensure that students with disabilities enjoy equal access when information and resources are provided through technology. “Technology can be a critical investment in enhancing educational opportunities for all students,” said Russlynn Ali, assistant secretary for civil rights. “The Department is firmly committed to ensuring that schools provide students with disabilities equal access to the benefits of technological advances.” Today’s guidance is part of a larger effort by the Department and Obama administration to better serve the needs of people with disabilities. Last month, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan joined Kareem Dale, associate director for the White House Office of Public Engagement and special assistant to the President for disability policy, for a conference call with stakeholders to talk about some of the Department’s efforts. During the call, Duncan discussed the Department’s commitment to maintaining accountability in No Child Left Behind for all subgroups, including students with disabilities, and highlighted the Department’s proposal to increase funding for students with disabilities in the fiscal year 2012 budget. Ali will also join Dale for a stakeholder conference call where she will discuss today’s guidance and address the Department’s work to ensure that all schools are fulfilling their responsibilities under the federal disability laws that OCR enforces.

Visit the NAMIWALK website for more information and to register for this event What: Each fall, a group of dedicated volunteers and staff hold the NAMIWalk to generate the resources and awareness that allow NAMI Montana to complete its critical mission of supporting, educating, and advocating for Montanans with severe mental illnesses and their families.  NAMI Montana will be holding its eighth annual NAMIWalk in Helena at Memorial Park on September 25th.  It's set to be our best walk ever.  We've got goals of having over 2,500 Walkers and raising $125,000. When: Sunday, September 25, 2011 Where: Memorial Park Helena, MT More Information: Please go to the Walk website to sign up to be a Team Captain, to be a Walker, or to donate.  Find out about how to start a team and the duties of a Team Captain here.   If you don't feel comfortable signing up online, please send us an email at info@namimt.org or give us a call at (406) 443-7871 and we'll send you a packet of information.

Leaders from the disability community joined U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other senior officials from the White House and the Education Department Monday for a panel discussion celebrating the 39th anniversary of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Jennifer MacDonald-Peltier shows us what she likes and does not like about some of the more creative AAC apps such as EZSpeech, TalkRocket, TalkforMe, Expressionist, Locabulary, Fat Cat Pirate Chat, and Fuctional Communication System Lite. (The recording starts a bit abruptly with EZSpeech.) A handout with products, prices, and links is at http://atcoalition.org/files/Unusual Apps.pdf.

Jennifer MacDonald-Peltier shows us what she likes and does not like about some of the more creative AAC apps such as EZSpeech, TalkRocket, TalkforMe, Expressionist, Locabulary, Fat Cat Pirate Chat, and Fuctional Communication System Lite. (The recording starts a bit abruptly with EZSpeech.) A handout with products, prices, and links is at http://atcoalition.org/files/Unusual Apps.pdf. Category Education License Standard YouTube License

The concerns I hear from parents are mostly about placement, goals, and least restrictive environment (LRE). Yet, when I review a child's most recent Individualized Education Plan (IEP), there is little helpful information under the Present Levels of Academic Performance and Functional Performance section. The few lines that are written in the Present Levels are not helpful to the IEP Team. Often, I can find no relationship at all between the "present levels" and the "needs" and the "goals." Mark Kamleiter, Florida parent attorney (St. Petersburg) says that parents and advocates often focus only on the "last pages" of the IEP. That is what I see, too. Most of the IEPs I review have, at most, three to four lines of Present Levels. (Rarely, do they have Functional Performance levels). Remember, schools still tell parents, "We do not have to do that because it is not related to academics." Parents have to learn now to design accurate and up-to-date present levels. Advocates have to learn how to do this to and teach parents how to do this. It is one of the easiest things for parents to do because they know their child best. Until the Present Levels are accurate, parents will never be able to get the program, placement, or education their child needs.

Today, the Department's Office for Civil Rights issued guidance clarifying school districts' existing legal obligations to provide equal access to extracurricular athletic activities to students with disabilities. In addition to explaining those legal obligations, the guidance urges school districts to work with community organizations to increase athletic opportunities for students with disabilities, such as opportunities outside of the existing extracurricular athletic program. Students with disabilities have the right, under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, to an equal opportunity to participate in their schools' extracurricular activities. A 2010 report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that many students with disabilities are not afforded an equal opportunity to participate in athletics, and therefore may not have equitable access to the health and social benefits of athletic participation.

Section 485 of the Higher Education Opportunity Act permits students with certain intellectual disabilities to receive Pell Grants, FSEOG, and Federal Work Study under certain circumstances for the first time.